Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1854-01-07
The American Geographical Society:
Strange DEVELOPMENTS,

OF London is one ofthe most noted in Europe
IL numbers numerous men devo'ed to science
eminent navagators and historians; and il
embraces, too, very much wealth among It's
individual members. This body Of saSaa,
hold regular monthly meetings, in their rooms
in the Univ ersty of New York; and at those
meetings discuss all scientific questions of the
day having any bearing on Geography and
Statistics; read papers and foreign correspond
ence; hear narratives of returned navigators
and explorers, and have such other proceed.
ings as can add to their interest or knowledoe.
Eminent visitors are also always present and
mlnge in the discussions before the meeting.
i AT the recent meeting of tho Society some
curious and interesting developments were
made by the celebrated G pit GIBSON, concer-
nIng the Eastern (lndan) Archipelago and its
people Capt. q. has spent number of yeas
IN the persult OF knowledge of this portion
of the world; and after the most incredible
sufferIngs and strangest adventures, he has
hna!iy accomplished his object and now lays
before the Society his Maps and D,awines
OF Capt GIBsoN's narrative the Press has
much TO say. 1t is SO strange and full of
unheard-ol stories as to elicit not little doubt
YET as his character appears above reproach,
we are bound to accept his tale
After the regular business Of the Society.
heV. DR.. HAWKS introduced the Captain with
some little account of his history, when the
adventurer was asked to a seat beside the
President, Hon. Gro. BANCROFT, and gave
his narrative. He spoke of the Spice and
Amboyna Islands as being all that travellers
had pictured of "Tropic beauty and spicy
gnles'-of the Island of Bali, east of Java.
and remarkable for its dense population,
numbering $4,000 persons Of the most warlike
people In the Eastern Archipelago. Already
these peo lie began to pour over, to the sur
rounding Islands, the tide of their population :;
and 1t was conjectured they would, in time,
become one Of the most as tring and warlike
nations of the East So far they have utterly
dehed the power of the Dutch
But 1t was of singular race of beings,
discovered on the east coast Of Sumatra, that
the Captain particularly spoke He named
them the Orang kooboos or Brown Men.
whose appearance and habits are of such
kind that he found it difficult to decide whether
to regard them as human beings or an S.
"Ihey are, probably" he said, "of all the
races OF men of whom we have any knowl.
edge, the lowest in TIL scale OF humanity or
FATHER the capacity for degradation of our
species would seem to have reached that limit
IN this case which might be regarded as the
connecting link between the human and the
brute creation" "They are covered with
halr' have long arms, and are deficient in
chin--or, rather, it forms no part of the face"
These were the points in their formation which
nTSt arrested his nhSnrvnti,,, IL 1
class them at once as simply somewha,
higher development Of the Orong Oiang";
but on further examination he found that
they possessed speach, though extremely rude
and monysilla5ic, had risible faculties, &c,
and that they were recognised as belonging
TO the human race by the Malays, who, how.
ever, hunted them as wild animals, in order to
work them as beasts of burden
We must regret tfat our space does no
allow repetition of the whole narrative con
cernlng this strange people. 1t gives rise to
hardly orthodox reflections on our nature
and se,s us to revolving in mind the theory
oil Professor AGAssIz as to man and his crea-
ton, until we really wonder il at last the con-
necling link between man and beast is discoy.
cred. But, after quietly collecting our wits,
we remember that some time before we have
heard and read of these monkey
their existence has en- accounted for on the
natural PRINCIPLES of physiology They ap.
pear to have been the aboriginal inhabitants |
OF the great Arclibelago, but were subdued,
at an early day, by the Malays, who, in some
Islands, exterminated them, in others drove
them into the interior, where they are still
occasionally found in various conditions ofI
wlldness and savagism, but always more wild
and savage. more nearly reduced TO the level
oil brutes, than their brethren of Tasman;a a, so
recently annihilated by the English colonies.
Like instances of degeneraied humanity have
been discovered in several parts of Africa
IN New Holland, where they are said to really |
have no language more than monkey; and |
1t is from the fact of their frequent occurrence
that we know them to be human beinos re-. |
duced in the scale of humanity by their wild
and savage associations.
AS an addenda TO these discursive remarks |
we must be permitted to give that portion of
Capt. GIBsoN's narrative which relates TO the |
habits and pecuarities of these Kooboos;
"The Orang Kooboos are only to be met
with in the almost impossible swamps ana
forests that lie between the Jampee and
Palembang territories IN the island of Sumatra
They live among the branches of the teak
and warngen trees, which grow he;e to an
enormous size, as IS, indeed, the case with
the forests throughout the island. They con-
slruct rude platform of bamboos wherever
they can find su6ciency of horizontally ex
tending limbs of tree to serve as the basis
or sleepers Of a floor, and over this they raise
an equally rude cOnical roof of split bamboos
'r cocoa nut or pisang trceleaves. These
savages are ichthyophagists, as are almost all
The uncivilized tribes Of the eastern islands
and in all the rivers and bays Of Sumatra, as
also OF all the rests Of the islands fihe Archi-
1elago, most 'uutiful provision of x,olIent
ish is to be found. had an opportunity to
iave glimpse Of some Kooboos people, while
ascending with my boat small branch of
he Soonsang; but it was only near Palem-
1ang, and al the Kraton, or place of the Old
or Sultan Of Pslembang, and
It the residence of the independent Pan