Borneo. The interior parts o f the great ifland ,o£ Borneo are little known,
though a confiderable river flow from the centre o f the country almoft
due fouth, forming the harbour of Bender Maflin ; and the. names, of
fevera! villages on fthe bants are laid down by D’Anville. “ The far
greater part o f Borneo next to the fea, efpeciajly the northern, qonfifts
of. fwamps, covered with forefts o f trees of nuqiberlefs fa c ie s and greaf
fizesj^ which penetrate, for fcores. of miles towards the centre of th?
ifland. Thefe unftable muddy flats are divided by rivers, which br^nqh
into multitudes of canals, and are the .oply roa^s into the interjcfr parts,
Lofty mountains are faid to rife in the middle o f the ififmd-knqaijy.are
volGamc, and often occafion tremendous earthquakes.” 8 The
are often built on polls fixed in rafts, which are moored to the £hpf e,
and on the Banjar river experience the rife and fall of the tide, a difference
o f twelve feet. Thefe Angular villages are moved from ,p|a^t0
place according to the convenience o f the inhabitants. The coafts are
held by Malays, Moors, Macaffars from Celebqz, and even Japan'efe.
The natives in the interior are blacks, with long hair^bf a middle
ftature, feeble and inaftive ; but their features are fuperior to ' tho^ o f
negroes. Their religion, a kind o f Mahométanifm, and . t h e ^ are
feveral kingdoms, the chief being at Tatas in the S.^pp. thq ^real xiver,
which for many miles is twice as broad as, the Thames at Grayefend,
and bordered by trees o f moft ftupendous height. This r iv a l s greatly
frequented by the Chinefe junks; but European feltlemenfs have been
unfuccefsful, the adventurers having been maffacrëd. .T h è béft' accounts
o f Borneo feem ftill to be derived from the voyage of Beeckman,
publilhed_in 1718. Pepper abounds tn the interior country,',with the
gum called dragon’s blood, camphor, and fandal wood. A ’ftiperftitious
value is attached to the bezoar, a kind o f concretion found in',the
monkies. Edible birds’ nefts are abundant. Gold is'" found in ‘"the
interior country; where there are alfo faid to be diamonds, but inferior
to thofe of Golconda. The Ourang Outang abounds, and is faid to
light a fire by blowing with its mouth, to broil filh and boil rice, fo
that man is not the only cooking animal. The natives are called Biajos,
' ’ Pennant’s Outlines, r r.j* . but
but their- language has not been explained: 1 they are faid to offer Borneo.
facrifices Of fweet fc^n^df^T^ffthofe fudr&ffc beneficent deity ;-and the
fehtiments o f j&etyj t>r>in‘;O t h , !of! delIghtfhl gratitude;1 are- accompanied
byladdable mbyatC. The'' Bands'dooie down the’ ’great rivet
of Banjar to th’e port b f hfeffeeri* 'id1 futfe bbits'f with gold5 dull, and
other articles, atnbrig'Milch diamond’s sue'mentioned, the Moors called
Banjareens being the factors. Thefe Biajos$g.i-ei.4 atoe^d blue, with a
fmall wrapper about* the loins.' The chiefs/^xtrafl,oue or two o f the
fore teeth, fubflituti'ng osiers o fg old ; and ftring^of the teqth of {tigers,
a’ feaft badge o f khightndod7'-’0®j^uu/age, are worn round the t ajCck.
Thefe annuals > abound, in the ifland^, (land', probably all inters j a deplorable
confequesnc£oftthe tnetompfych&fis^prefe^^ipg fcheinnumbers in .
'theieaft, where in-many regions th^fe.er'eatur^ are vqne'r'atqd, Jgs4>eing
animated with the fouls oft heroes. The;'town« called Borneo qa-\,the
N. W.' confifts o f about three thbufand, houfbs,, floating a s , above de-
feribed: it was greatly .frequented, by the -Ghinefe^,who_ probably .continue
to be the chief traders to Borneo.
This large ifland, aST already mentioned, qi^ght not. fto be arranged Borne*«
with the group, or chain of Sunda,, with, which it has no.connexion; ‘ ■ ™e3'
and with equal juftice might Crete be arranged with the .Cyclades-, or
Rhodes with the Sporades: but; it jfiafrpuinded with m^rny, fmall ifle§
which, from their relation to this, jcpmparatjye ^Opftnent, may be
termed Bornean Is lan d s . Such, is the group of .Sooxop in .the Sodic«
N. E. o f which Mr. Dalrymple, who vifited--them-, ,has.given a,good
account. They are rich in pearls,- for which they .were,r^oted-m the
time of Magalhaens, Pigafetta, his companion,, reporting that a Ban-
nean monarch poffeffed two pearls found-here,’ .as large as pullers >©ggi§v
The chief ifle is thirty miles by twelve: the .natiyes jrather .poliiked, -
tfie government being veiled in a fultan, for ,the-M,afiometau religion
extends thus far."0 The ifle of T aweb lies between the Soqloos and
Borneo, At thq northerfi extremity is BANGUEYj^ftqt, far-from
Balabac, the moft, S. W. of the Philippines; and B a l am b a n g a n ,
* D’Anviue calls the over Bikjos, anf tlie tsVh'W-oiS^^®to'<^; ' iraaies
and circumftances. •
, fiipra, p. ico. 10 See alfo the Voyages of Sonnerat and Foreft.
3 m 2 " remarkable