CO882-(1-2) — Page 365

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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

TPEPEC.O. 882

يليا

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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-

COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO

In these expedi- partly of Dyaks, but the Malays and Dyaks together make up one community, Dysk confederated together for purposes of piracy and plunder, and it is impossible that

tions Malays take plunder; heads: but note that

-

karran tribes are com-

both Malays and

the Sarebes and Sa- the law of nations can recognize any distinction between the two races, on account munities composed of of the different motives with which they may act in these joint expeditions; the Dyaks confederated barbarian whose chief incentive is the capture of heads, and the barbarian whose chief incentive is the capture of booty, are alike engaged in one common act of conspiracy against the peace of the human race; piracy is the common crime of both, and the punishment of piracy must be borne by both alike.

together for the pur- pose of piracy.

Deposition of Abong Hassan.

And

At See, the Surebas Sakarran at- tack indiscriminately friend and foe alike.

These Depositions

clearly show the Sa-

rebas and Bakarran

to be pirates in the

strictest sense of the word.

Abong Bit adds explicitly "that the people of Sarebas (Malays and Dyaks collectively) do not trade, but when in want of money or slaves go pirating.”

Abong Hassan, a Sadong Malay, deposes that about ten years ago he resided at Sakarrau; during the time he resided there the people of Sakarran went out pirating in different parts of the coast; had seen the prahus return, bringing back plunder, prisoners, and the heads of upwards of 100 Chinese and others taken by them about Sarebas. He adds, It was not in retaliation for injuries done by the parties they attacked that they made these excursions, but because of their love of plunder and heads; at sea they make no DISTINCTION WHATEVER."

He then mentions one occasion on which the Sakarran prahus attacked Serib Saib, a Sadong chief, and a great friend and abettor of theirs; they were repulsed "at and boarded, and being asked why they attacked their friends, the reply was, home we make a distinction between friends and enemies, BUT AT SEA WE KILL AND PLUNDER EVERYBODY."

&

To the same purpose:-Sujong, Malay, formerly of Sakarran, positively asserts" that these people, of both Sarebas and Sakarran, do not make these attacks on account of injury done previously by the parties, they kill, plunder, and destroy ANY PERSONS WHATEVER THEY MAY MBET AT SEA.”

Surely these marauders fall within the very letter of the definition of pirates, "as robbers on already given from the work of a great master of the law of nations, the high seas, acting in the spirit and intention of UNIVERSAL HOSTILITY;" and yet these are the plunderers for whose interesting aboriginal propensities, and simple habits of traditional warfare, the apostles of peace have declared a crusade against the defender of life and commerce in the Eastern Archipelago. If necessary, it J

would be easy to multiply testimony to the same effect; testimony, be it observed, not met by a vestige of counter evidence, to show, or even to raise a shadow of probable presumption, that these Sakarran and Sarebas tribes of mixed Malays and Dyaks were not a piratical community, but a mere savage race, engaged in barbarian feuds with other races of cognate origin, retaliating injuries they had received, and bent only on accumulating the revolting trophies of their triumph and their vengeance.

The Barabas and

With reference to the point that there is no difference between the Malays Sakartan conduct and Dyaks of Sarebas and Sakarran, and the Malaya and Dyaks of the other eom-

their warlike exps-

ditions in a manner munities on the Bornean coast, in the mode of conducting their warlike frays, it

quite different to any

ous communities on the Bornean court.

other of the numer will be sufficient to cite the following concise and comprehensive passage from a letter written by Sir James Brooke, at Singapore, to a friend in England, under date 5th March, 1850.*

"The difference is this, that the other thirty or forty communities do not go to sea on warlike or piratical expeditions, and all live at peace one with another,

• Marked II in list of documents.

•

whilst the Sarebas and Sakarran constantly go to sea on piratical cruises, and devastate other countries; and that other tribes do not slaughter indiscriminately, which the Sarebas and Sakarran do.''

Sir James Brooke's testimony, taken on oath before the commissioners

Sir James Brooke's Deposition

to

the

is clear and convincing to the point of piracy; the piratical character of me point. these tribes, he says, was brought to his notice as early as the year 1839; on the 28th of September in which year, about 9 o'clock at night, two boats of the Royalist were attacked by a party of the Sarebas, at the entrance of the Sarawak river; he produces to the commissioners the verified translation of a letter written by the Rajah Muda Hassim, to Captain Keppel, of the Dido, in 1842, in the course of which occurs the following passage:-"This is to inform our friend that there are certain great pirates of the people of Sarebas and Sakarran in our neighbourhood, seizing goods, and murdering people on the high seas; they have more ing the Sarebas and than 300 war prahus, and extend their ravages even to Banjar Massim: they are not subject to the government of Brune (or Borneo). They take much plunder from vessels trading between Singapore and the good people of our country."

Sir Jas. Brooke adds "that he receives the report of all prabus captured, and all countries attacked by these pirates, and he can positively state that their depredations are extensive and unprovoked; that the ill feeling existing towards the communities of the Sarebas and Sakarran arises in consequence of their piracies: and no other cause of feud exists between them and the inhabitants of the various other countries and rivers on the coast." Sir James adds, "That the piratical acts of the tribes of Sarebas and Sakarran are so frequent, and so notorious, that any amount of testimony can be obtained thereto."

Who can say that Sir Christopher Rawlinson, in the presence of such an over- whelming mass of testimony, was wrong in coming to the conclusion that the piratical character of these communities was sufficiently established to form the ground of the judgment given by him at Singapore, on the 8th October, 1849 ?†

Rajah Muda Has. aim's letter describ

Sakarran as pirates.

General Summary of the evidence on

James: Brooke's own

Who sball say that the following animated passages from Sir James Brooke's statement is not fully borne out by fact, stamped as it is with all the energy and this head, in Sir vigour of a writer who feels the truth of every word that falls from his pen? It is, words. in fact, an admirable and succinct resume of the whole of the evidence on this part of the case :-"The piratical character of the Sarebas and Sakarran has been pro- nounced by English judges. It has been affirmed by the Sovereign and ruler of their country, proclaimed by tens of thousands of voices of different nations from Banjar Massim to Borneo Proper; English, Dutch, Chinese, Malays, Dyaks, alike attest the fact, which is so notorious, that the native laughs when he hears that it is doubted." "The slaughters perpetrated, the vessels captured, the towns pillaged, the men murdered, the women and children reduced to slavery-the former to worse than These and such-like subjects are the slavery!-are proved and recorded facts. common topics of conversation—the latest depredation of the Sarebas is mentioned as the last horrid murder is mentioned in London. The first enquiry of the trader The fisherman dared not on arriving in port is, whether the Sarebas are at sea. follow his vocation; the land below the defences of each town lay uncultivated;、 districts fertile once, were, and still are, denuded of their population; trade was destroyed; the shores rendered unsafe; rapine stalked abroad, and no community

• Paper marked F in list of documents.

↑ Bee copy of this judgment appended to paper marked C. in the list of documents.

Paper marked D. in the list of documents,

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