The Sun.
London, England, 1851-07-11 00:00:00

Szrewale was of an enlightened, paternal, and civilising
Character. The letter was as foiloes
" I have spent tour days a: Sarawak. I have conse-
crated the church according to the request of the dicce-
aan the Lerd Bishop of London. I have inspected the
state of the infant mission, and conferred fully with the
incleratigable and zealous chat lain and missionary, the
„
1.1.617. T. MeDeugal. I have conversed also with the gen-
try, and have read the seas ral work.; published on the
event, which have occurred in the lest few years. It is
my' full p. rsuasion that ilo re is no mission en the face
(tithe earth to be cotnparea with that. of Borneo. I:
has been thrown Ken to Chrieden enterprise almost by
Miracle. One of the darkest tecesses of heathen ig,no-
rincia cruelty, and desolation, where piracy, and mar-
der, and conflagraden, end headhunting stalked abroad
in open day, and the aboriginal inhabitants were in the
sure way of being exterminated utterly, is now, so to
?Peak, like the paradise of God. Deliverance has been
Proclaimed—security of person and property, equal
sights, an enlighteni.d and paternal distributive
ustiee, the arts of life, an extending commerce, are
already established at Serawak, and spreading along
the whole western coast of Borneo. The M-
lles° sea is free from marauders, and all Europe and
America may pursue their peacetul occepaions from
Singapore to Labuan, 700 miles. The Christian
mission is begun, to sanctify and adorn all
these secular blessings. Two things, quite unexampled
• favour the design:-Ist. Englishmen have become first
Itleve to the oppressed Dysks by a single English gen-
tleman of benevolence, talent, and singular wisdom and
tact of government, who has received us a token of gra-
titude from the native princes, a tract of land about
seventy miles by fifty, as his own naive territory. To
the benefit of the inhabitants of it, this gentleman, who
la now recognised as the Raja of Sarawak, is devoting
hid time, his fortune, his zeel, his health, his body and
soul. The noble Government of our honoured and be-
loved Queen Victoria at home has come forward with
der admirals and brave captains to assist in reducing
the pirates which infested the coasts to silence and tran-
quillity y de pl
eds of almost usexamed .
last engagement with the pira es, t bout a yearheroism and The a
halt' since, when 120 war-boats, with 2 000 bandits, were
Intercepted in the very act of plundering and setting
Cre to villages, sinking native vessels, and murdering
Their crews, has humbled and alarmed the whole tribe,
and the chiefs are sending messages to Sarawak, pro-
titling to turn themselves to honest occupations. In
the
meantime the population of the town has increased,
In nine years, from 1 500 to 12,000 souls, and including
the whole territory, to 30,000. In truth, when I stood
on the hill on which the church is erected, and viewed
the subjacent town, stretched on the riser's bank, and
'viewed the mission-house and school on the college hill,
Which commands the opposite shore, I could not but
break out into thanksgiving to the God of all grace for
his wonderful works; and during the very solemn service
of consecration, I looked with amazement at the neat
Wooden edifice, with its early English arches; its nave,
70 feet by 22, and 35 high; its side aisles, and its hand-
some communion-plate placed on the holy table, and its
Christian congregation-43, of whom 11 were Dyak and
Chinese—school children seated in the aisle; and when
I assisted in administering the blessed Supper to 19 com-
IXllnicants, besides the clergy, my heart was almost too
Lfull to proceed. Will England, then, fail to support
tne work thus prosperously begun? Impossible ; it is
Lot in the nature of our Christian Britain to forget that
she Was herself, 1,400 years ago, in as low a state of
barbarism as the Dyaks, infested with European pirates,
1.4.1 i they are with Asiatic now. No, she is well aware
;bat what the gospel has done for England it can do
for Borneo."
le trusted, if the name of Raja Brooke were handed
down in the history of this country as that of a bene-
factor, it would not also be said of him that he had
done service to his country, but that it had not been
aPPreciated,
aztrillo r• URQUHART said that the friends of Sir James
oke should have beets the first to court inquiry. For
fl!I "la part, he should never stand in that House the
sued of any man who, when his conduct was impugned,
shrunk from investigation. He was not present last
year when the subject was before the House, and he had,
Itterefore, studied the papers on the subject which had
been laid before the House, and be could not find one
of
tittle .
the evidence to prove the fact of piracy and justgy
attack upon the Dyaks. He had faded to discover
140 evidence to establish the piratical character attri-
buted to the inhabitants of Sakarran and Sarebas. The
Confounded
and Learned Gentleman who had spoken last had
11founded th .1) k and the Malays; but the cl..crip-
top • . e }a
ta_ given in those papers of the pirates of the Indian
is" 3 showed that the Dyaks were not pirates. The
Istrates had all well-built vessels, armed with artillery,
tulltiosurdany fitted for open sea service and long voyages. They
sailed out of the eastern or western ports, ac-
ding as the eastern or western monsoon suited, and
Went round the coast pillaging as they proceeded, and
Sturnedo by the opposite monsoon to enjoy during the
wPtitituous season the produce of their piracy. 'fleet
Was the
character given in those papers of the pirates
plyto
Indian Archipelago; and it certainly did not apt
I)
tat the Dyisks, who were described as having vessels
3a tted to continue longer than five days at sea. The
Yaes
that -1.1 tact, were not pirates, for the best of reasons,
st, relueY had not the means of being so. But supposing
Ine 'lnks were pirates, what proof had they that the
g n they had attacked were guilty of piracy ? The
Were, of the Admiralty to officers of the navy
not to attack any vessel which they had nut viewed
1_
tn the act of piracy, or respecting which they had not
tan oh evidence as would satisfy a court of justice in Eng-
and. If by their vote that night they decided that no
1
nquiry should take place into those transactions, then
they had better entrust the whole administration of the
affairs of this great empire to the officers of the Crown
than appear to share their reeponsibili'y while they only
Cloaked their crimes.
Mr. M. MILNES said it was net denied that the
'delays were addicted to piratical pursuits, and he be-
lieved it was equally certain that the Malaya had in
some instances been enabled to induce the cognate, but
Wider and weaker, race of Dyaks to j ein them in those
Pursuits. If he were to admit the justice of the charge
, advanced against Raja Bruoke, he should believe te at
* the naval officers on the station, and that Cap'ain Bep•
till in his attack of 1545, had been implicated in the
'ell
plot. Now, it appeared to him that that
Was a most gross improbability. Sir James Brooke had
established his fame as a great civiliaer in that remote
Quarter of the globe, and against such a man those
I.harges of atrocious cruelty ought not to be lightly be-
4111ecl. It aeared that 500 persons were all that had
been killed in pp
the ceurse of those transactions, and it
further appeared that the English forces might, by
Z'tting off' the communication with a small neck of land,
ave. slaughtered a touch larger number. At the same
timetC he should express his sincere gratification that
Would had totally abolished that very obnoxious, and he
even say barbarous practice, of granting head-
tlit'neY for pirates. He could not help thinking that
"who had so vehemently discussed that case had
pursuedfound
a most unwise and pernicious course. When he
west
men like his Hon. Friend the Member for the
s Riding of Yorkshire (Mr. Cobden) assimilating
roo: prooeedinge of Enlishmen to some of the worst
ar 'dings of 0 her nations he became strongly im-
„"st'rl with the belief that his Hen. Friend was inflict-
titg the greatest injury on two causes in which he no
xtinebt felt the liveliest interest—the one, the character of
There
and the other the welfare o mankind at large.
dads
Yves nothing which 'tendert more to harden the
%pig.* Of the public than cases like that of false and
allloos humanity. It was muce to he regretted that a
thgn like Sir J. Brooke, who had established fir hims, If
a.a7 highest reputation for justice end humanity in the
I.'s should be liable to have his character ruined by the
ire
publics ion of private correspondeect..—
egae hear.) He could not admit the polfcy of appeint-
gr the proposed Commission. Was that, Commission to
to Borneo; to establish itself at L dsuan or Sara-
wak;ba and wasi t t enter into communication with these
i Its? He believed tlaet such a mode of proceeding
Would be perfectly absurd.
TheY
andhl attention, all had
dll laidth e
_before them, great accuracy
oulfteltnati°n'they valid possibly require upon both sides
...setae to a determination go the question, and he thought that they ought then to
M r. H. DRUMM
tresso had deprectgOND—Tne Hon. Member for Mon-
.n to reject the motion.
ed the imputation that in bringing
forward this motion he was ',cone as the tool of any one.
Member might please to
vasnot
his
with to invalidate any testimony the Hon.
give in his own favour upon that
Rolm, but he might be permitted to observe that some-
Itta. es persons were the dupes of others without knowing
It. (A laugh.) There were
persons also in toe world
Who knew how to traduce others, and, for his pert, he
Could
not believe that, iron be ginning to end, this mo-
tion had any other foundation than ap, zonal determi
atio nto ruin the character of Sir J. Brooke. He be-
4aerreiaipeiag
ed ththe
o Company was at present proceeding neces-
sitated the ruin of Sir J. Brooke, because he would not
let te
perseoL. company go on cheating. The deprecation of
man allusions came with a very bad grace from a
_ who, being in the employment of another, and en-
gaged in applauding him to the skies, went to a private
f! 11. d of that man, and said, " It is owing to my mercy
Is not convicted."—(Cries of " Hear, hear. ') But
t°cetne to the case brought forward by the Honour-
i_eenber for Montrose, the real difficulty of answer-
•"tg it cons isted in this, that there was nothing
;,
h.," to reply to which bed not been replied to
vettka_fferet,
year.—(Elear hear. To tho Hon. Member for
who last ear)y as wandering heaven knew
Who were
the matter appeared altogether new; but to those
Taven
4svere present at the former discussion it was evi-
-1 •113' the old story over egaio —lear. lt was proved
,asltoy.eaar_ by the evidence or every historian. and traveller
had written on or visited the part of the world in
Pluet?tt", that the people whom Sir J Brooke attacked
, vre pirates. The commercial associations of Manches-
utri Glasgow, Liverpool, and London petitioned the Go-
Yernasegt
mer-
chants Tor protection against them. Were our mer-
it,
thane
eauch idiots as to ark for protection against pirates,
Sutton of none in existence?—(Hear, hear.) The
for h,
8' the country hart actually entered into a treaty
there acrd
of piracy. Did not he know whether
on
airates or nee ? Was the evidence of Judge
as the tact that. point to be thrown overboard, as well
that dies pirates were taken in the act and ac-
knowledgedtheag,, their Offence? To avoid these difficulties
g Member for
' Oh n, said he,
4, - Montrose started a new dodge.
ere pirates there, it is true, but
teheQ people calld DThyPark's are not so." But unfortunately
inngt tdseapdositions proved the contrary. A little learn-
It we, got h%pg.er'lls thing even as regarded a blue-hook.
but as the HonniNtinti'in to
read much from that volume;
Member for Stafford had argued that the
I)yeks could no.t be 'Area- a because f Idonly small
vessels he taey la
f mast (11" w a passage from page 88, as
t°helvisra:--t,[The Hon. Member read a passage in which
rieggd
wihhwere described as having small vessels
one mast and a single
Becauset
the Dyaks used the sort of square sail, &c.]am 114.Vne.ssels best adapted
for their piratical practices the
*deluded pirates at aMll.e_nkbleireawr,issenly
eluded they were not d
glitgr4e
.14 additimi to the letter 9f the Bishop which