BORNEO 
273 
natives seven years later. About 50 miles farther up 
the river is Martapura, in the neighbourhood of which 
are extensive coal-fields. It was in this district and the 
Negara valley that the first settlements of the Javanese 
were established, and various ruins of temples and other 
buildings still remain as memorials of Hindu influence, 
and are especially numerous near Amuntai. 
On the east coast, some 50 miles north of Pulo 
Laut. is Pasir, a small independent state, ruled by a 
Sultan, who, though under the suzerainty of Holland, has 
as yet no Dutch official attached to his court. The 
capital, of the same name, is situated about 40 miles 
up an estuary, and is said to have 20,000 inhabitants. 
Among them are large numbers of Bugis from the 
Celebes coast, who principally carry on the trade, which 
consists almost entirely of forest produce. The em¬ 
bouchure of the Mahakkam or Koti river is the seat of 
two or three large towns, and here likewise there is con¬ 
siderable commercial activity. The State is a semi¬ 
independent Sultanate, the nominal capital of which, 
Tangarung, is situated about 60 miles up the river. 
The real centre of trade' is at Samarinda, where the 
Dutch have an Assistant Resident. Here may be seen 
the same separation of the inhabitants into special 
quarters according to their nationality, and the same 
semi-aquatic life, which is noticeable in many Malay and 
most Bornean towns. The Bugis are especially strong in 
Samarinda, having their own laws and chiefs, and ruling 
the markets. The inhabitants of the upper waters of 
the Koti and Barito rivers are Kayans, the most powerful 
and widely-distributed race of all the Dyaks of Borneo. 
Three small archipelagoes of islands belonging to the 
Dutch lie off the north-western point of Borneo—the 
Natuna, Anamba, and Tambilan groups. They are all 
T 
