THE GEOGRAPHICAL GROUP OF BORNEO. 443 
this source the administration of justice and police and the collection 
of revenue were re-established; and government saw itself in a con¬ 
dition to exercise a more direct influence over the indigenous popu¬ 
lation. 
But the princes very little caring for the well being of their sub¬ 
jects, and accustomed to dispose arbitrarily of their persons and their 
goods, found their hopes frustrated when, in place of an association of 
merchants, demanding nothing save an exclusive trade, and without 
any pretensions to authority, they found they had to do with a go - 
vernment liberal but just, which took to heart the interests of the 
people equally with those of the princes ; a government willing the 
independence of justice, with a regular procedure, and an equitable 
and fixed collection of the public revenues ; hence constant discussions 
and embarassments in the conduct of affairs which rendered it ne¬ 
cessary to send extraordinary Commissioners. 
Following the reports of these Commissioners of the government, 
it appears evident that, during the suppression of our establishments, 
the sovereigns of the west coast lived continually in disunion, parti¬ 
cularly those of Sambas and Pontianuk who carried on an incessant 
war.* 
In 1822 George Muller w T as sent to the Sultans of Matang and 
Simpang to renew the contracts with them. This was rendered 
more necessary by the active part which these princes w T ere suppos¬ 
ed to have taken in the piracies committed on the west coast, of 
wliich one of the most recent was the murder of the crew of the 
Dutch cutter FHenriette. It was also known that English agents 
had presented themselves before these princes on the part of Gover¬ 
nor Raffles, established at Bankalmlu in Sumatra, after the restora¬ 
tion of our possessions in virtue of the treaty of 1814 : a circum¬ 
stance having more or less relation to the appearance in 1818 at 
Ponthmfik of a vessel bearing the English flag, and the Captain of 
which was instructed to come to an understanding with the Sultan 
of Riou and establish himself on the Karimata islands; projects 
* The original is here for a few pages so badly arranged and has so ma- 
uy repetitions that we have abridged it*—E d, 
