142 
only serves to show that tbey are useful and obedient 
subjects to tbe Sultan of Sulu, whose family is said to be 
descended from a chief of that race. The best and 
fullest account of Snlu la that drawn up by Mr, J. Hunt 
from information collected during a six months* residence 
on the apotj while in the employ of the Briti&h Govern- 
ment of Java, and which has been inserted in Mr. 
Moor^s " Notices of the Indian Archipelago.'* The parti- 
culars he gives concerning the early history of the island, 
which were obtained chiefly from the Malayan chiefs or 
princeSj explain the circumstances which may have led to 
the Papuans being held in greater consideration here than 
elsewhere, 
"This island, it is said, was generally peopled with 
Papuans, in a state of savage nature, who even at this day 
inhabit some of the mountains of the interior. The Chinese 
were, from time immemorial, in the habit of trading to these 
islands for pearls ; but the first people that shed any rays of 
civilization among* them were the Orang Bampuwan (or 
as the Chinese call theru Sonpotualan). They governed 
the sea coasts, bmlt towns^ planted gi"ain, and opened the 
rivers. They, however, found the aborigines such a 
faithless race, that they at length abandoned it; and 
indeed duiing their sojourn, knocked as many on the 
head as they could come at. At length the fame of their 
submarine riehes reached the chiefs of Banjar (a Hindu 
kingdom in the south-eastern part of Borneo) who opened 
a communication with them ; they at length planted a 
colony there, sending over immense numbers of settlers, 
and with a view to conciliate the faithless possessors of 
this rich isle, a putri (virgin) of exquisite beauty was 
