THE KAYANS OF THE NORTH-WEST OF BORNEO. 
Regarding the population of Borneo, if the amount and 
mode of cultivation practised throughout, be taken as a 
criterion, the Island must be very thinly inhabited indeed, 
and further, if the interior of the other divisions of the Island 
be not much more populous than that of the north-western 
(which is unlikely,) the entire population of Borneo must fall 
far short of the surmises and highly exaggerated accounts 
already published. Ofthe Kaytms of the north-west, there are 
two grand divisions, the Belawi or Bajang and the Talang 
Husan or Baram. Occupying an immense district, the inha¬ 
bitants of the Rajang division do not exceed seven thousand 
in number, and those of the Baram amount to about ten 
thousand. These districts are ruled by hereditary chiefs, 
for whom the people have great reverence. In the Rajang 
district there are three principal chiefs, namely, Knipa Batin, 
Lasa Kulan, and Akam Knipa. Knipa Batu is a chief of 
considerable power and influence; he rules the lower districts 
of the river. His residence is situated above the Great Ra¬ 
pids, and is strongly barricadoed round with thick planks, in 
front of which are placed an old iron six-pounder, two brass 
Dutch-made two pounders, and upwards of twenty brass lelas 
of different sizes. At the house of the chief, Batu Dian, which 
is about ten miles further up, there are also fifteen guns simi¬ 
lar to the above. The majority of these guns were captured 
during the wars with the people of the coast. The house of 
the first mentioned chief was the only one in which I found 
human skulls preserved. Both the chiefs in question told me 
that in the houses they previously occupied there were accumu¬ 
lated upwards of four hundred skulls, and on removing to the r 
present houses they caused them all to be thrown into the 
river. This would shew that the Kayans are not so passion¬ 
ately fond of skulls as to bequeath them as fortunes to their 
children, as is said of the Dyaks. The skulls which I saw 
were twenty-four in number, and belonged to the Sakarran 
and Sarebus Dyaks, who are now the only disturbers of the 
coast, all other parts from Sarawak to Malludu being quitefree 
from predatory attacks. Lassa Kulan the ruler of the middle 
districts ofthe river is also acknowledged the chief ofBintulu, 
from which town lie receives tribute, although the inhabitants 
are nearly all Mahometans and nominally subjects of the 
Sultan of Bruni, Balaga the residence of this chief is a 
pleasantly situated village on the Rajang, at a place where the 
hills, receding abruptly from the river, form a landscape of 
won tby observer, Mr T. Wilier, of the Dutch civil service, to whom we lent 
the book, has added on the margin “ they are eorrec/."*—E j>. 
