BY THE EEV. J. E. T Of ISO X- WOODS, 



155 



BORNEO. 



My travels in the Malay Peninsula had a long period of inter- 

 ruption in 1884, while I had the advantage of a cruise in Bornean 

 and Sulu seas in one of Her Majesty's cruisers. It was thought 

 desirable to collect accurate information for the Admiralty as to the 

 various deposits of coal, of which there had been many discoveries 

 in these inlands. The acceptation of this commission gave ine an 

 opportunity which I had much desired of seeing the geology of 

 this part of the Archipelago. I sailed in H.M.S. * Pegasus' 

 (Captuiu Bickford commanding), leaving Peuaiig at the end of 

 October. We passed close to Victory Island, a small peaked 

 granite island about 150 miles from Singapore. On the third 

 day also we passed the South Natuna Islands. Of these latter 

 very little is known. They are inhabited by a peculiar Malayan 

 people, or a mixture of Malay and Chinese, who are more than 

 suspected of piracy when a chance offers. We were quite near 

 enough to the laud to see the houses and the clearings for culti- 

 vation, and even the men on the coral reefs spearing lish. There 

 seemed to be a good deal of cultivation on the islands, which 

 were prettily diversified with apparently volcanic peaks, and a 

 dense tropical vegetation on some of the highest centres. The 

 same evening we came in sight of the high land of Borneo. 



Lauuak. — On the sixth day we reached Labuan, which had 

 then a European population consisting of the Governor's family, 

 the treasurer, and the gaoler with his family, in all about ten 

 persons. At one time, when the coal mines were in operation, 

 there was a larger population, but the mines have been 

 abandoned for some years, and since then the place has been 

 occupied by a small staff of government oflicials, a few Chinese 

 merchants, and the Malay agriculturalists. The time of our 

 arrival was somewhat opportune. The Sultan of Brunei had got 

 himself into trouble with neighbouring tribes, who were killing his 

 people under considerable provocation. He had asked the inter- 

 vention of Governor Treacher, but while the Governor was trying 



