BORNEO 
215 
was the first European to visit Borneo, probably at the 
end of 1505, but he appears to have made no stay there. 
Malacca fell to the Portuguese in 1511, and it seems im¬ 
probable that for ten years after that date the island should 
have remained unvisited, especially when it is remembered 
that the far-distant islands of Banda and Ternate were 
reached before the year had ended. We have, however, 
no trustworthy account of any such visit, and the next 
mention of “ Bornei ” occurs in Pigafetta’s diary. After the 
death of Magellan in the Philippines, the two remaining 
ships of his squadron sailed south-westward, and reached 
the city of Brunei in July, 1521. Pigafetta’s description 
of the town would almost serve for the present day. The 
Malays had been long established there, and were in a 
high state of civilisation. They had forts mounting 
heavy guns, and used horses and trained elephants. In 
the king’s house were silver candlesticks, and gold spoons 
of European shape were used at his table. Although 
Pigafetta makes no mention of Chinese being settled in 
the city, it is very probable that they had even then 
established themselves. Considerable Chinese trade must 
at all events have existed, as is proved by the description 
of the silks, brocades, and porcelain vases in the king’s 
possession, while the currency was entirely of that 
country, bronze or brass coins pierced for stringing, and 
stamped with Chinese characters. 
Except for a possible visit by Lorenzo Gomez in 
1518, the first acquaintance of the Portuguese with the 
island was in 1526, when Jorge de Meneses touched at 
Brunei on his way to the Moluccas. A few years later they 
established trading posts at various ports, but no attempt 
at conquest was made then or at any subsequent period. 
Oliver van Noort brought the Dutch to the island in 
1598, and commerce was soon initiated by them, as it 
