m A VISIT TO THE INDIAN ARCHIPELAGO, 



And now, how does Mr. Earl denounce tliem 1 



la " The Eastern Soas," at page 269, occurs tbe 

 following passsage: — " A jear or two before my arrival 

 on the coastj the entire population of tlio town of Blaku 

 was cnt off, during a night attack, by a powerful tribe of 

 WILD ByAK3 from the north-west coast, who came down 

 in search of human heads. They swept the whole coast, 

 from their natiye place, SAKAimAN,"*^ to Sambas. Kone 

 of the inliabitants of Slaku survived to tell the tale, 

 * ^ The people of Borneo Proper," he adds, 

 " care not whose heads they obtain, if their own are 

 untouch cdj" &c- 



Mr. Hume, professing to know and believe this 

 work, has yet failed to obtain one single ioia of proof 

 that the Serebas and other tribes are in the habit of 

 foraging for heads." Yet ho lias excusiibly declijied an 

 invitation to Sarawak, saying " he should aspect — ho 

 would not say what^ 



Still — is head- taking pimc^ f Admit that it is a 

 silly pastime, — ^admit, even, that a man's head-piece is 

 his private property : still, a fleet of prabus bringing 

 home only the ^hulU of every individual in the to^vn 

 of Slaku might not be adjudged in Courts of Adniiralty 

 to have plundoretl meh piece-goods " m would bring 

 them within legal definition as pkates. 



We can afford to admit all this, if Mr, Hume wOl, 



* In tbo iMt^T nl'KJVc mciiikTu^dp from Mr. Earl to Sir James BrcNskCj lio 

 fore a*l(>pl tlic comiL-liori. 



