With the Murut, one enormous house is built, sufficiently large to accommodate from twenty to fifty families. These houses vary from 30 to 100 yards in length, and, like those of the Kadyan, are built on piles, so as to be better prepared for resistance in case 'of a sudden attack. The Murut and the Kadyan who live in the vicinity of the Baram river, and one or two other tribes of the aboriginal Borneans, still continue the practice of head-hunting, although the custom is now fast dying out here, as it has in the case of the Dyak of Sarawak and other places farther south. Long after the middle of the 19th century, a youth was not allowed to marry until he had taken the head of an enemy, and if uny ill-luck or death occurred in the tribe, head-hunting raids were indulged in at once to appease tho malig nant spirits which were believed to have been the cause ; or if a chief's favourite wife or child died, he at once took to head-hunting in a blood thirsty spirit of revenge. The Murut and other aboriginals are great believers in omens, and whether on head-hunting or pig-killing expedi tions, they pay great regard to the cries of birds and animals.
The Baju, Lanun, Balagnini, and Sulu tribes, who inhabit the north of Borneo and the islands to the north-east, are given to piracy. The Lanen or Illanun long infested about 300 miles of the north-west coast, by cruising • to other parts of the Archipelago, plundering vil lages, and often carrying off whole populations into slavery. The Lanuns on the coasts north of Menkabong are petty traders or cultivators. The Duson, who live in the hills farther from the coast, give them a bad character.
The Orang Baju or Baju Lane profess Muham madanism. They live in boats at the mouths of most of the rivers on the east coast. Their boats are 8 or 10 tons each, and when in harbour are covered with a roof of matting. They are fishermen and collect trepang.
The Orang Tidong, a hardy, seafaring race, occupy to the north of the Baju Laut. They cruise among the Philippine and Sulu Islands, disposing of sago, which is their principal food. They are said to be occasionally cannibals.
The Chinese settlers are largely engaged in working the gold mines. Coal, diamonds, iron, antimony, mother-of-pearl, caoutchouc, gutta percha are also products. The elephant, rhino ceros, leopard, ox, hog, orang-utan, and others of the monkey tribe.
The Bornean Malays may be said to have but little literature ; the Koran, a few MS. poems, prayers, and tales arc the only books generally seen in the island ; but the people possesi a vast amount of traditional lore, and many of their songs refer to the history of the country, the beauty of their women, or to the personal attri butes and prowess of their former rulers. Ma layan romances and minstrelsy are alike rich in imagery. Malay is the court language at Brunei,
but the inhabitants generally use a dialect similar to that of the aboriginals who live near the capital. Slavery, although not yet abolished in Borneo, is not nearly so common as was formerly the case.
Amboyna, Banda, Ternate, Tidore, and others in the neighbourhood are small volcanic islands, fertile in fine spices. The clove tree grows spon taneously in Ternatc, Tidore, Motir, Makian, and llatchian.
The Amboyna people are of the Malay race, short, squab, and darker than the Javanese ; they are gentle, sober, brave, easily managed, make good mounted or infantry soldiers, and a consider able number of them have embraced Christianity.
The Bnro people consist of Malaya of the Celebes type, often exactly similar to the Tomore people of East Celebes who are settled in Batchian. These form the bulk of the population. Another race, in smaller numbers, resemble the Alfuro of Ceram.
Ternato, Tidore, Moth, and Maklan are only trachytic cones, standing on the same great fissure of the earth. The Tcrnate people consist of Malay, Orang Sirani, and Dutch.
Celebes Island is in the Molucca Sea. It extends from lat. 2° N. to S., and from long. 125° to 129° E. It is composed of four peninsulas, forming gulfs. Some of the mountains rise to 7000 feet above the sea, Klabat in the Northern Peninsula being 6500 feet. In the north of Celebes there are several active volcanoes.
The population is over a million, and is com posed of several of the Malay nations. Of these, the Wugi, Bugi or Bugis are the most advanced in civilisation.
In 1512, Celebes was taken possession of by the Portuguese, who were displaced in 1660 by the Dutch, and the British kept it from 1811 to 11;16. One of the Dutch Residencies is at Mang Kasara, which has been modified into Macassar, and Macassar men is a common name for the Bugi. Many of them have adopted Christianity. They are the great traders and navigators of the Archi pelago. At the beginning of the western mon soon they go in great numbers to the Aru Islands, which is the principal rendezvous for the people of Ceram, Goram, the Ki Islands, Tenirnber, Baba, Kilwaru, and the adjacent coast of New Guinea, a distance from Macassar of upwards of 1000 miles. They are of the Malay family, but, although exposed to the same temptations, they have never been pirates ; they defend themselves against the Malay prahus with the most heroic and desperate valour, and if overpowered will blow up their vessels rather than submit. They are the Phoe nicians of the Archipelago, and are to be seen on every coast from the northern parts of Australia to the Malay Peninsula. With the eastern monsoon, they sail westwards until they reach Singapore. The Alfuro race thinly occupy the elevated woody parts.