XXXIV MISCELLANEOUS NOTICES. &C, 
them than were such trophies by the warriors of Europe 
during the reign of feudalism, and heads if taken in battle 
are merely considered as trophies as were the scalps of the 
North American Indians.” 
As we are dealing only with Mr Burns’s delinquencies* 
we need do no more en passant than confers our own igno¬ 
rance of any period of European history when the iron clad 
warriors of Europe preserved four hundred heads in a house, 
and threw them away only to procure and preserve others. 
The writers on Sarawak are only two in number, and quoting 
from the principal historian of that country, we must re¬ 
quest Mr Burns to reconcile his accusation of exaggeration 
with the following passages from the pamphlet published 
by Sir James Brooke in 18a0, and from Captain KeppeT* 
work. 
At page 19 of this pamphlet*Sir James writes u The head 
hunting, or taking the heads ot their enemies is a feature 
in warfare by no means new or extraordinary, and, similar 
to the scalping of the North American Indian, is a trophy 
of victory and prowess. Amongst the Hid Dyaks this 
custom is confined entirely to the heads of enemies, and is 
the effect and not the cause of war; their wars are bv no 
means bloody, and are never carried on but by small com¬ 
panies who enter on the enemies ground and lay in ambush 
for parties or individuals of their foes. The exaggera¬ 
ted accounts of some travellers have been drawn from the 
more savage and predatory tribes of the coast, but these 
tribes have forsaken their original customs and have joined 
piracy to their former practice of taking heads and they 
are not different from other pirates who destroy as well as 
plunder.'’ Had Mr Burns c pied this passage he could not 
more minutely have confirmed the statement of Sir James* 
the only difference being that the latter gentleman has 
drawn a dis inction between the predatory and uon-pre- 
datory tribes which the former has over looked. 
Should Mr Burns dcubt the justice of this distinction a 
'visit tsj Serebas or Sukurran will readily and practically 
convince him that these people are eager Head takers. 
In vol. 1st, page 55, of Captain KeppeTs work is the fol¬ 
lowing passage from the journal of Sir James Brooke written 
in I83J— ‘ Cike the rest of the Oyaks the Sibuyows^ 
adorn their houses with the heads of their enemies ; but 
with them the custom exists in a modified form and 1 am 
* Misprinted in the original Sibuowans. 
