338 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



In view of this, I thought the following much older account 

 might be of some interest to zoologists. It is taken from an old 

 book entitled ' A Voyage To and From the Island of Borneo in 

 the East Indies,' * by Captain Daniel Beeckman, published in 

 London in 1718. The author was sent out by the Honourable 

 East India Company to try and reopen trade at Banjermassin, 

 in South-east Borneo, where the first British Settlement in 

 Borneo had failed so ignominiously eleven years before (1702). 

 Captain Beeckman left London in October, 1713 — just 200 years 

 ago — and reached Banjermassin at the end of the following 

 June. After six months passed in successful trading he returned 

 via the Bali Straits, the Cape, St. Helena, and Ascension, 

 reaching England again in October, 1715. Space forbids mention 

 of the hardships and adventures encountered on the voyages 

 out and back, but the reader may be sure that they provided 

 incidents of more moment than one is likely to meet in the 

 month's run out to or from the East nowadays. 



In describing the leading natural history features of Banjer- 

 massin he mentions the Orang-Utan, and gives the following 

 description, which I venture to put forward as " the first reliable 

 account of the Orang-Utan " : — 



" The Monkeys, Apes, and Baboons are of many different 

 Sorts and Shapes ; but the most remarkable are those they call 

 Orang-ootans, which in their Language signifies Men of the 

 Woods : These grow up to be six Foot high ; they walk upright, 

 have longer Arms than Men, tolerable good Faces (handsomer I 

 am sure than some Hottentots that I have seen), large Teeth, 

 no Tails nor Hair, but on those Parts where it grows on humane 

 Bodies ; they are very nimble footed and mighty strong ; they 

 throw great Stones, Sticks, and Billets at those Persons that 



* The full title of the book continues thus : — " With a Description of 

 the said Island: Giving an Account of the Inhabitants, their Manners, 

 Customs, Religion, Product, chief Ports, and Trade, together with the Re- 

 establishment of the English Trade there, An. 1714, after our Factory had 

 been destroyed by the Banjareens some years before. Also a Description 

 of the Islands of Canary, Cape Verd, Java, Mandura ; of the Streights of 

 Bally, the Cape of Good Hope, the Hottentots, the Island of St. Helena, 

 Ascension, etc. "With some Remarks and Directions touching Trade, etc. 

 The whole very pleasant and very useful to such as shall have occasion to 

 go into those Parts." 



