The Sun. — 1851-07-10 (London, England)

BUDRUDEEN. Happily, within the last few hours a document has been issued from the press giving these calumnies a clear and triumphant refutation. Those who cannot but have regarded the career of Sir JAMES BROOKE with the interest due to so much personal enterprise, and with the admiration deserved by such a remark able and almost unprecedented combination of energies, will rejoice with ourselves at the circumstance which at length exonerates the Raja from all blame in reference to occurrences which are here shown to have either been grossly misunderstood, or shamefully and %Hilly misrepresented. Premising that Sir JAMES BROOKE was declared Raja of Sarawak as early as the 24th of September, 1841, that is to say very nearly ten years ago, the document already referred to remarks that his Excellency wrote on the 3d of the November following thus emphatically :—" I have a country, but oh! how beset with difficulties, how ravaged by war, how torn by dissensions, and ruined by duplicity, weakness, and intrigue." Against the continuance of these lamentable evils it was manifest that some measures of a very stringent and resolute description were absolutely required as correctives. The native authorities perceived themselves the imperative reasons demanding some stern and immediate interposition of the local Government, so as to dissipate the calamities of the island, and restore affairs to something like a reasonable state of subordination. To this end therefore it was that on the sth of November in the same year a court of justice was opened, a court conducted upon a very simple plan, with a view to the substantial redress of wrongs which had long been recognised as intolerable. Subsequently, on the 10th of January, 1842, a succinct code of laws was published, enforcing the native regulations, known as the Ondong Oudong. According to these laws persons convicted of murder, robbery, or other heinous crimes, were subjected to certain well known punishments by way of expiation. Remember, these things were found to be essential, because it was seen that firmness alone would prove sufficient to restore any thing like order to the community, or to infuse any thing like its former vigour into a lately effete and impracticable Government. "The country," said Sir JAMES &WOKE, " may have had bad laws, but such laws as it has must be enforced gently ead mildly as may be towards the superiors, but strictly towards the guilty, and all crimes coming under my cognizance must meet with their punishment." For the correct ueas of these words reference is only necessary to Vol. I. p. 277 of "KEPPEL," from which it will be seen that there has been no garbling in the quotation ; and fur the wisdom of the policy implied by the declaration of the RAJA thus clearly expressed, it is only needful to regard the disordered condition of the land prior to those rigorous but really humane proceedings. Hitherto the community had been lamentably distracted and d isorganized ; whereas very speedily, by a firm and impartial administration of the laws, the whole aspect of the country was changed to an appearance of actual improvement. Among other causes 'which may be mentioned, this fortunate alteration of the state of things was most unquestionably attributable to the enforce. went of the ancient native laws relating to murder, robbery, and other heinous offences. Those, be  not forgotten, were carried into operation in a court of justice then recently opened, a court in which witnesses were duly heard in evidence, and where Sir JAMES BROOKE was formally assisted by the natire Rajas in the duties of the judicial administration. Now, as to the cases already specified, those of the Dyak chiefs and of PANGERAN I3UDRUDEEN, a very simple statement of facts will be enough to demonstrate the entire guiltlessness of the Raja of