PIRACY QUESTION, 



Not discourage J, however, by a few impenetpables, I 

 shall devote the next chapter to a brief account o£ the 

 piratical communities of the Borneati seas; and to a 

 notica of the proofs which have been accumulated that 

 thej are piratical communities. As an eyewitness, 

 already honoured with credit, gcnerallj, so far as I have 

 contributed my mite of testimony^ I feel bound to add 

 that which I have more recently collected. 



Tlie charitable determination of some well -meaning 

 "philanthropists" to think no evil of the "poor Dyaks" 

 unfortunately roduceB to the category of murderers and 

 liars certain of tlieir follow-couiitrymen, whom the same 

 charity might suppose to be as wcli-meaning and as 

 honourable as themselves, while reason must allow them 

 to be better informed. 



The publication of this volume having been unex- 

 pectedly delayed, in waiting for the map and illustrations, 

 I now find many of my remarks, ou the subject of piracy 

 especially, anticipated by the auUior of au able and 

 interesting article in the "Edinku-gh Eeview," Ko. 195. 

 Its perusal has made me hesitate to shew myself in the 

 same path with a writer whom I can follow only at a 

 distance : but, being one of the very witnesses whom he 

 has honoured with notice, I have detei-mined to let the 

 whole work stand as if I had not seen the "Eeviow," 

 offering to the same able writer, or to others, on subjects 

 which I hope ^vill not be di'opped, the results of my 

 further actual experience and ocular observations. 



