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    January 1, 1853.] THE LEADER.- 19

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    Kei'pel's Visit To The Indian Arch J Pkl...

    _Jovernment . The Malays stated that , when they found this monster in a hot vhich had been dug to catch him , they threw quicklime into his eyes ; and the mfortunate beast , while suffering intense agony from this cruel appliance , drownee limself in some water which was at the bottom of the pit , though not more thai , foot deep . " The annual loss of human life from tigers , chiefly among the Chinese settlers , i : lerfectly fearful , averaging no fewer than 360 , or one per diem . Great exertion re still making for the destruction of these animals , which is effected by pitfalls ages baited with a dog , goat , monkey , or other restless animal , and " by _sundry unning contrivances . Not many years ago the existence of a tiger in the islanc _, as disbelieved ; and they must have been very scarce indeed , for even the native * id not know of any . It is the opinion of Dr . Oxley ( no mean authority at iincapore ) , that one may have been accidentally carried by the tide across the arrow straits which separate the island from the main land , and another may have : _astinctively followed : finding abundance of food they have multiplied . This is s lore rational mode of accounting for their being here , than to suppose that _thej hasedtheir prey over ; as it is contrary to the nature of the beast to follow in ursuit , after the first attempt proves unsuccessful . Now , at Sincapore , as in the ays of Alfred with the wolves in England , it is necessary to offer a reward foi tieir destruction . "

    THE WATER BUFFALO . " The water-buffalo is an animal much in use at Sincapore for purposes of raught . It is a dull , heavy-looking animal—slow at work , and I think disgusting 1 appearance ; but remarkable for sagacity and attachment to its native keepers _, t has , however , a particular antipathy to a European , and will immediately detect im in a crowd . Its dislike to , and its courage in attacking the tiger , is well nown all over India . " Not long ago , as a Malayan boy , who was employed by his parents in herding _ime water-buftaloes , was driving his charge home by the borders of the jungle , a ger made a sudden spring , and seizing the lad by the thigh , was dragging him % when two old bull buffaloes , _heading the shriek of distress from the well-known Dice of their little attendant , turned round and charged with their usual rapidity _, he tiger , thus closely pressed , was obliged to drop his prey to defend himself . / Idle one buffalo fought and successfully drove the tiger away , the other kept uard over the wounded boy . Later in the evening , when the anxious father , armed , came out with attendants to seek his child , he found that the whole herd , ith the exception of the two old buffaloes , had dispersed themselves to feed , but mt they were still there—one standing over the bleeding body of their little iend , while the other kept watch on the edge of the jungle for the return of the ger . " That " magnetism , " which admits of transmission in the shape of blessg or of curse , which gives to " coflsecrated wafers" their virtue , and to holy-water" its holiness , finds believers in the Dyaks , as we read ire"On the Rajah ' s visiting some poor Dyaks in November , 1850 , located on the nop branch of the Sarawak river , so strongly impressed were they with the idea at sagacity and intelligence might be instilled into the human frame through the annel ofthe throat , that , at a feast given to celebrate his visit , the elders of both ces , taking from a cauldron a handful of rice , Avhich some of the part } ' were ) king in the centre of the apartment , brought it to the ' Tuan Resar' ( Great •) , to spit on , and the mixture thus made they swallowed with peculiar gusto' younger branches applying to the Rajah ' s European attendants for a similar ish to their meal . " Let us now take a peep into

    THE COURT OF JUSTICE . " Lounging into the court during the progress of an interesting trial , I was nek at the same time by the absence of ceremony , anel the great interest _exhi-3 el by the spectators . _Oppewite tei the entrance was placoel a round taMe , at the ther part of wliich were seated , first the Rajah , and on either siele of him the lviduals , native anel European , six or eight in number , whom—for want of an _c-tly appropriate designation—I may call the judges ; anel they may be saiel to stitute the jury likewise . In front of this table , seated em a mat-covered _floeir , _i the prisoner ; and on one siele was a witness giving his evielence . Around the ) le court were benches on wliich Malays , Dyaks , Chinese , were seateel ineliscrilate'ly ; anel those who coulel finel no place on the raised seats were content tei en cross-legged em the _lleieir , or to stanel at the large ; open windows of * the ; imelah surrounding tbo building . I was honoured with a seat amongst the ; ge ; s , but _unelersteieiel little or nothing of the proceedings , which were conelucted lie ; Malayan language . 'Cue judge or another examined witness after witness , each of whom was inhiceel by my olel _ae-epiaintance Suhu , who has been long a faithful follower of Knjali , and now fills several plaees eif minor importance about the court—¦ " ) g the rest that of public _executioner , whie-h , however is almost a sinecure . ' he ; _e-ase ; for the prosee'ution having closed , the prisoner , an interesting looking ug Malay , was called upon for his elcfciicc . lie' tolel his story in a _quie-f but , not nnate way ; calleel his witnesses ; and one ; eir two e > f his _liie-nels in the ; court ileel for him em particular points . _Whi-n this hail lasti'el nearly an hour , there ; a consultation amongst the judges ; and my old friend I _' afingue ; Gapour ( erne ; _» e judges ) rend a long argument , to the court . He ; was _fblleiwcd by the Ranelar ther juelge ) whe > maele ; a lew remarks ; then , after an observation or two from '» ther judges , ( he ; Rajah miinini _; d np , anel _pronouncoel the ; _ae-epiiftal of the ; > ner , whom I understood to have been tried for being found in another man ' s _hug-heuiHC at night . The ; trial having he-en _eeiiichieleel , a general conversation { _-d ; anil the eourt breike up with the ; same absence of ceivniemy as hael marked _^ 'milling . fhe proceedings exhibited ii quiet _dee-oruni , anel e > wed none ; eif their dignify tei are ! ostentation , either iu-respect , of dress eir otherwise . ¦ t may ne ) t be ; uninteresting lo my renders , if I introduce a fe'W case's extracted the Court _Kecorels kept , em the ; spot .

    " _HTKAiMNU III . 1 .-U 1 VKH . " ' _C _^ _tiop Dyaks v . _liombak Dyaks . ' The Orang Kaya of the ; Quop complains of the Hombak Dyaks for _stealing _^ _ei-hive-s from the Tappuug trees . Judgment lor the ; complainants . Tho Hombak Dyaks to pay thirty cutties of wax , or thirty passes of paeli . ' _^ . R . When about to tako the win from tho trees , thc Dyuk , hofore climbing

    up , lights a fire , which attracts the bees . The Dyak says the bees mistake the fire for gold , and come down to possess themselves of fhe treasure . " BIGHT TO TREES . " ' Dispute between the people of Samarahan and the Dyaks of Sibuyow about the right to certain Tappang Trees in Samarahan . " ' It appears that the Dyaks of Sibuyow settled in the Samarahan River several generations ago ; and both parties have since been in the habit of taking the comb from the trees . At first each party collected what they could , without jealousy or disputes ; but at length arose a competition between them , and each endeavoured to get the lion ' s share either by stealth or force . " ' During the prevalence of bad government , neither party cared much for the Tappangs , as the parties who got the wax were obliged to give the greater part of it to Seriff Sahibie , and incurred great risk of being fined by him on suspicion of concealment . " ' The property having _become valuable , the parties now appealed to the court for a settlement of the question . " ' The people of Samarahan were doubtless originally proprietors of the trees ; but their ancestors , of free-will , gave the Sibuyows a settlement and a right , which have existed for probably a hundred years . It is confessed by both parties that the Sibuyows paid something for the settlement , but what rights were to be included in consideration of the payment cannot now be shown . " The decision was , that the Sibuyows shall be the possessors of the Tappang trees below the junction , thus giving the original inhabitants nearly two-thirds of the ground and of the trees . ' RUNAWAY SLAVES . " ' Slaves belonging to the serail of Millanao run away to Lundu . Feb . 25 th , 1846 . " ' The slaves were sixteen in number . " Si Rugin , wife Si Klangote , and two children . " Sajar , wife Rubin , and two children . " Marali , wife Sili . ' Si Gajit , wife Rubin , and three children . " Si Rajah woman . " ' These slaves were valued by the court at 397 reals—the value paid by the Rajah , and the slaves declared free . ' " ' The court also gave notice , that in future all slaves running away from any other country to Sarawak should be declared free . '

    " ANOTHER SLAVE QUESTION . " ' Si Bain , a Eanoivit ivoman , claimed as a slave by Summut , a Serebas man . " ' The court said it was proved in evidence that Si Rain was made captive by the Serebas Dyaks in her youth ; that , after passing through several hands , some ten years ago she was sold to Summut , ran away from him , resideel eight years as a free woman in Seriki , and thence of her own will removed to Sarawak with her husband . " * It would he easy to decide this case , had it not a reference to the institution of slavery , which holds in native states . " ' The woman was a free woman by birth , captured by pirates , and wrongfully reduced to slavery , anel as a slave sold and re-sold . " ' It is clear that a person wrongfully reduced to the condition of a slave , can never be considered a slave , though by force detained in that state . What is originally wrong can never become right ; and a free person seized anel solel into captivity by pirates , can under no circumstances whatever be considered a slave . This woman is therefore free , and even under the worst institution of slavery could not be regarded as a slave ; but in her case , her supposed owner or claimant anel herself both seek refuge anel safety in Sarawak ; and sueh a claim cannot by any native law be raised by Summut , who at the time of the occurrence was a pirate himself , anel living in a hostile community . . " ' The ; court therefore decided Si Rain to be a free woman in the ; fullest . sense ; anel Summut must bear his _leiss ; and consider himself a fortunate man in escaping the consequences of his former errors . " ' The court considered all persons under its protectiein who sought refuge in Sarawak ; but it made no distinction between the escaped slave anel the fugitive ; pirate . " ' Si Rain is now placed em the records as a free woman . ' " ' Wasahat , a _Pttgis Nakotlah ( sea-captain ) brings a charge against another Put / is Nakotlah , for running into debt , and then cutting him down with a sword , and nearly killing him when asked for payment . " ' This occurred at Lingtang , in the ; Kaluka , three ye-ars ago , eluring the lifetime ; anel government of Tuan Mohma . " ' The court saiel— ' It appcam , as far as the court had heard , that the ; _Hugig Nakodah ( name ; unknown ) was indebted to Wasahat thirty reals ami six sukus , for tobacco and other goods ; that being pressed for payment he , with another man named Sali , attacked the ; complainant Wasahat , anel another Rugis named Mahomed . Sali killeel Mahomed ; and the Rugis Nakodah cut down Wasahat , anil gave him _se-vere' and dangerous _wounels . Sali ( a man of _infe-rior condition ) was put to death by Duan Mohina , for fhe ; niuriler of Maliome ; el , anel the ; Nakodah Hugis was alloweel tei escape all punishment for his crime , and te > evade ; the ; payment of his just , debts . " ' The court , regretted that , it _peissesseel no jurisdiction in this case-, as the _i-rimo was committed in a distant ceiuntry , anel _mide-i" a _elilVerenf gove'rnnie'iit ; anel ne ) Sarawak subject was in any way concerned . The _ceiurf _regre-lleel this want of jurisdiction ; for it was evident , thai , a crime hail been committed , aud a great , wrong elone-. Supposing the ; fact to be ; as stated , the ; Nakeielah Hugis wemlel have ; uiflcrcd _de'iitb under the ; law of Sarawak ; for h « > was a direct party lei the ; mureler if . Mabonie'd , anel hael _severely weiunded Wasuhal , in the ; same ; fray . The ; court , in -coord ing its _opiniein , was anxious to obtain such justice and _re-liel for the _e-ennilainant as lay in its power ; anel woulel therefore ; summon the Nakeielah Hugis , mel refer the case , with a strong _rcprcMMitatioii , to the ; Native Government of Kaluka . '

    " ash a mar . " ' Si Linn ma , a woman , v . the Wife of I / sop , and other women , for an assault . " ' The ; circumstances of this _e-nse of an _assault , of an aggravated nature are ; ample ; nnel clear , and allowed by Si _Useip the ; husband of the defendant , in whose ; louse ; if occurred . " * The court need not , enter into the feelings of jealousy which gave rise ; to tho _isnault . The ; assault _itse-lf is _siiflie-ietnf ; as Si Summit was decoyed into Usop ' * louse , anel there set upon by _Useip ' * wife ; , and beaten and abused . The offence i * lot only against Si Huuunn , but t \ broach of the peace , and calculated to prouioto

    January 1, 1853.] The Leader.- 19

    January 1 , 1853 . ] THE LEADER .- 19

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), Jan. 1, 1853, page 19, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_01011853/page/19/