S O O L O O, 349 



When the Chinese took possession of the northern parts of Borneo, 

 under the Emperor Songtiping, about the year 1375, the daughter of 

 that prince was married to a celebrated Arabian chief named Sherif 

 Alii, who visited the shores of Borneo in quest of commerce. The 

 descendants of this marriage extended their conquests not only over the 

 Sooloo Archipelago, but over the whole of the Philippines, and rendered 

 the former tributary to Borneo. In three reigns after this event, the 

 sultan of Borneo proper married the daughter of a Sooloo chief, and 

 from this union came Mirhome Bongsu, who succeeding to the throne 

 while yet a minor, his uncle acted as regent. Sooloo now wished to 

 throw off the yoke of Borneo, and through the intrigues of the regent 

 succeeded in doing so, as well as in retaining possession of the eastern 

 side of Borneo, from Maludu Bay on the north, to Tulusyan on the 

 south, which has ever since been a part of the Sooloo territory. 



This event took place before Islamism became the prevailing reli- 

 gion ; but which form of idolatry, the Sooloos pretend, is not now 

 known. It is, however, believed the people on the coasts were 

 Budhists, while those of the interior were Pagans. 



The first sultan of Sooloo was Kamaludin, and during his reign 

 one Saved Alii, a merchant, arrived at Sooloo from Mecca. He was 

 a sherif, and soon converted one-half of the islanders to his own faith. 

 He was elected sultan on the death of Kamaludin, and reigned seven 

 years, in the course of which he became celebrated throughout the 

 archipelago. Dying at Sooloo, a tomb was erected to him there, and 

 the island came to be looked upon by the faithful as the Mecca of the 

 East, and continued to be resorted to as a pilgrimage until the arrival 

 of the Spaniards. 



Sayed Alii left a son called Batua, who succeeded him. The latter 

 had two sons, named Sabudin and Nasarudin, who, on the death of 

 their father, made war upon each other. Nasarudin, the youngest, 

 being defeated, sought refuge on Tawi Tawi, where he established 

 himself, and built a fort for his protection. The difficulties were finally 

 compromised, and they agreed to reign together over Sooloo. Nasa- 

 rudin had two sons, called Amir and Bantilan, of whom the former 

 was named as successor to the two brothers, and on their deaths 

 ascended the throne. During his reign another sherif arrived from 

 Mecca, who succeeded in converting the remainder of the population 

 to Islamism. Bantilan and his brother Amir finally quarrelled, and the 

 latter was driven from Sooloo to seek refuge in the island of Basillan, 

 where he became sultan. 



On the arrival of the Spaniards in 1566, a kind of desultory war 

 was waged by them upon the various islands, in the hope of conquer- 

 2E 



