The Sun.
London, England, 1849-11-22 00:00:00

THE EXPEDITION AGAINST THE
SAKARRAN AND SAREBAS PIRATES.
We make the following extract from the Singapore
Free Press, of the 7th September, giving a detailed
semi- official account of the expedition against the
Sakarran pirates, of which accounts arrived in Eng-
land some time since :
By the arrival here of her Majesty's brig Albatross
and the Hon. Company's steamer Nemesis, we are
enabled to lay before our readers a more detailed
account than that given some weeks ago of the pro-
ceedings of his Excellency Sir James Brooke, and
the small naval force co-operating with him, and
which has resulted in cutting up a formidable
piratical fleet, and in quenching the power of the
pirates for a time. It is to be hoped that this severe
lesson will enforce the exhortations to a peaceable and
industrious course of life which now, as on many
previous occasions, have been addressed to the pirati-
cal tribes by Sir James Brooke ; and if they are
shown, by the occasional appearance of our vessels of
war on their coasts and rivers, that they are watched,
they may perhaps in time be convinced that it is now
impossible any longer to follow their lawless and
blood-thirsty pursuits without retribution overtaking
them for every act of outrage and rapine they commit.
The Meander, Captain ,the Honourable H. Kep-
pel, not having arrived, it was determined to pro-
ceed with the available force. Early on the
morning of the 24th of July the Nemesis started
with her Majesty's brig Royalist and the Meander's
steam tender Ranee in tow. The boats of her Ma-
jesty's brig Albatross quickly followed, and the pic-
turesque banks of the Sarawak echoed and re echoed
with the cheers given only as British seamen can to
their departing messmates. The European force
anchored that night off the mouth of the Moratabas,
and consisted as follows :
Her Majesty's ship Royalist, Lieutenant Everest,
with twelve 12 pounder brass guns, and one 12 pound
howitzer.
Honourable Company's steamer Nemesis, T. Wal-
lage, Esq., commander : two 32-pound traversing
guns, four 6 pound brass guns, and two 3-pound
rocket tubes.
Boats of the Albatross—Gig, Commander Far-
quhar (in command of the squadron) : one 11-
pound swivel gun and ten men. Pinnace, Lieute-
nant Brickwell (second in command) : one 12-
pound howitzer, one 11-pound howitzer, and twenty-
two men. Cutter, Lieutenant Wilmshurt : 12 pound
light brass howitzer, one 3 pound rocket tube, and
fifteen men.
Boats of the Nemesis—No, 1, paddle-box boat, Mr.
Williams, 3 pound brass gun and nineteen men from
Albatross; No. 2, Mr. Goodwin, 3-pound brass gun,
and nine men ; cutter, Mr. Alexander Baker, one
3-pound brass gun and eight men.
Royalist cutter, Lieutenant Everest, one 3-pound
brass gun, one 3 pound rocket tube, and fifteen
men ; and Ranee, Mr. E. W. Baker, engineer in
charge, one 6 pound rocket tube, one swivel gun, and
seven men.
His Excellency Sir James Brooke and the Sarawak
flotilla joined company during the night. Next
morning, the Royalist, Ranee, and European boats
i ere taken in tow by the Nemesis, and reached the
entrance of the Sakarran river at five P.M. The boats
then anchored in line across its mouth, whilst the
Nemesis proceeded up the river with Royalist to leave
her off the Linga branch, and, having accomplished this
she returned early on the morning of the 26th, and took
the boats in tow, and proceeded towards the Sarebas,
off which she anchored at 3 P.M to await the arrival
of the native force. On the 28th intelligence was re-
ceived that a large force of upwards of 100 prahus
were out from Sarebas, in the direction of the Re-
jang, with the intention, it was supposed, of attacking
he town of Siriki. All were now on the alert. Sir
James Brooke and part of the native force anchored
off the Kaluka, and the other detachment at the
mouth of the Sarebas, the Nemesis in the bay be-
tween the two rivers, and the men-of-war's boats in
line shoreward. In this position all remained until
the evening of the 30th, when tidings were brought
that the pirates had attacked Palo, and after threaten-
ing destruction to the inhabitants unless they fur-
nished them with salt, had gone to a river named Si
blaring, where they were then lying. On the
evening of the 31st the Ular, one of the scout boats,
arrived with the intelligence that the pirate fleet was
advancing in full force. In about fifteen minutes all
were in motion to meet them, the Nemesis proceeding
seaward to command them, and prevent their escape
to sea. As soon as she was descried by the pirates,
they made at once for the Kaluka river, where their
progress was intercepted by the native boats, and
those commanded by Lieutenants Wilmshurst and
Everest. The pirates then, as a dernier resort, made
a dash to reach their own river, when they came in
immediate contact with the men of-war boats, and the
action became general. It was now dark, and the great
danger was that of firing into each other, or into ourna-
tive allies. The pass-word selected was "Raja," and the
Maylays screamed this out at the top of their voices
when they thought any of the Europeans were near
them. Commander Farquhar, who directed the
operations, was in the midst of the melee, giving
orders and exhorting the crews of the various boats
to be careful, and not to fire into each other, and
several of those present, from their age and service
capable of giving an opinion, state that they never in
any boat actions saw firing so rapid and destructive.
Two large prahus were seen by the commander es-
caping seaward, and the steam tender was ordered to
chase ; the nearest one, having barely escaped one of
her six-pound rockets, made for the river and met a
pirate's Loom. The Nemesis, which had been dealing
death and destruction to all around her, ran her
down, and the scene which took place as her crew,
above sixty in number, came in contact with the
paddle-wheels, beggars all description. A large
congreve rocket from the little steamer entered the
prahu that had continued out to sea, and rendered
her destruction complete. A signal was now made
to close, and the scene as witnessed from the bridge
of the Nemesis was most exciting. It was evident
from the first that the day was our own, but a rapid,
running fire was still kept up along the margin of
the bay. This having gradually subsided, at 12
30 on the morning of the Ist of July, Commander
Farquhar ordered the boats of the various ves-
sels in tow, and having sent the Ranee with
dispatches to Sir James Brooke, then in some
part of the Kaluka river, we commenced the ascent of
the Sarebas to prevent escape by the Rembas branch.
In doing so we were deprived of a sight which all
state took them by surprise. At daylight the bay
was one mass cf wreck, shields, spears, and portions
of destroyed prahus extended as far as the eye could
reach; whilst on the sandy spit, which extends a
considerable distance seaward on the left bank of the
Sarebas, were upwards of seventy prahus, which the
natives were busy clearing of all valuables, and de-
, stroyiog. The punishment inflicted on these fierce`