BRITISH BORNEO. 73 
interest. In the early part of 1845 MUDA HASsIM appears to 
have been in favour with the Sultan, and was publicly an- 
nounced as successor to the throne with the title of Sultan 
Muda (muda=young, the usual Malay title for the heir appa- 
rent to the Crown), and the document recognising the appoint- 
ment of Mr. BROOKE as the Queen’s Confidential Agent 
in Borneo was written in the name of the Sultan and of 
MupbA HASSIM conjointly, and concludes by saying that the 
two writers express the hope that through the Queen’s assist- 
ance they will be enabled to settle the Government of Borneo. 
In April, 1846, however, Mr. BROOKE received the startling 
intelligence that in the December, or January previous, the 
Sultan had ordered the murder of his uncle MuDA HASSIM 
and of several of the Raja’s brothers and nobles of his party, 
in allsome thirteen Rajas and many of their followers. MUDA 
HASSIM, finding resistance useless, retreated to his boat 
and ignited a cask of powder, but the explosion not killing 
him, he blew his brains out with a pistol. His brother, 
Pangeran BUDRUDIN, one of the most enlightened nobles in 
Brunai, likewise terminated his existence by an explosion of 
gunpowder. Representations being made to Sir THOMAS 
COCHRANE, the Admiral in command of the station, he pro- 
ceeded in person to Borneo with a squadron of eight vessels, 
including two steamers. The Sultan, foreseeing the punish- 
ment that was inevitable, erected some well-placed batteries 
to defend his town. Only the two steamers and one sailing 
vessel of war, together with boats from the other vessels and 
a force of six hundred men were able to ascend the river and, 
such was the rotten state of the kingdom of Borneo Proper 
and so unwarlike the disposition of its degenerate people that 
after firing a few shots, whereby two cf the British force were 
killed and a few wounded, the batteries were deserted, the 
Sultan and his followers fled to the jungle, and the capital 
remained at the Admiral’s disposition. Captain RODNEY 
MUNDY, accompanied by Mr. BROOKE, with a force of five 
hundred men was despatched in pursuit of His Highness, but 
it is needless to add that, though the difficulties of marching 
through a trackless country under a tropical downpour of 
