The large island of Palawan, or Pabean, is more than 275 miles long, and on an average 32 miles wide. A continuous range of hills ruua along the west aide of the island. But along the eastern shores a low and generally level country extends from 10 to 20 miles inland. The northern portion of the island has been long subject to the Spaniards, and is called Paragua. It forma a part of the province of Calamianes, one of the political divisions of the Philippines. The low country south of 10° 20' N. lat. is tolerably well peopled, and subject to the sultan of Sooloo, but the billy and mountainous region is in possession of the aboriginal inhabitants, who resemble the Papuas, and are continually at war with the inhabitants of the plains. The productions of the low lands and the adjacent seas are canes, cowries, wax, tortoises, tripang, and gum copal. Rice is also exported. The principal town is Babuyan, which is fortified, and has a population of about 2000.
The islands north of Palawan, namely, Linacapan, the Calamianas, and Coron, form politically a portion of the Philippines. Besides the islands hitherto noticed, the sway of the sultan of Sooloo extended until recently over a large portion of the north-eastern part of Borneo, as far south as Kaniungan Point at the entrance of Macassar Strait, and over more than a million and a half of people. [BORNEO.] Each Sooloo chief is sovereign in the country which belongs to him, and his authority depends on the number of his followers, or rather slaves, called ambas, who are his soldiers. The sultan was aided by a privy council called `Rums Bechara,' the members of which were styled Datu. lie derived all his revenues from his own estates, as no taxes arc paid by the noblemen or their subjects, and the only revenue, consisting of the customs on goods imported, is shared between the king and his council. Tho petty chiefs of the more remote islands and those on the coast of Borneo, acknowledged the authority of the sultan, in order that they might be protected from the piracy of his subjects, or share the advantages arising from such predatory expeditions.
The fleets of piratical junks and prabus, or prows, belonging to the Sooloo sultan and his barbarous dependent chiefs, were for centuries the terror of the neighbouring seas. The Spaniards ever since the occupation of tho Philippines in 1566, have been at war with these people. In 1646 they seized the island of Seeder, (which has been always the central neat of the atrocious gang), and gave it up to the sultan on condition of his paying tribute, but reserving the sovereignty and protectorship to her Catholic majesty. The atrocities recently committed ou the inhabitants of the Philippines, induced the Marquis de Solana, governor of the Philippines, to proceed to the capital of Sooloo iu December 1850 to demand redress. Instead of listening to his friendly warnings, the sultan ordered the batteries of the forts to fire upon the Spauiah vessels, which formed the governor's escort. The Spaniards withdrew, collected a force at Zamboaugan, in the island of Mindanao, and on the 28th of February, 1851, the governor-general opened fire with a small squadron on the forts and batteries of the town, while 3500 men, with 20 field pieces, were landed from transports to attack the place. After n desperate resist ance the forts, which were defended by double rows of stockades filled between with coral reef, were taken and burnt. The Spaniards took out of these forts 143 pieces of artillery of English manufacture, which those piratical hordes had got from the English settlement, which they murdered in 1773. This important victory has completely
destroyed the power of the sultan of Sooloo, and deprived him of the means of defence and injury which it cost his ancestors nearly a century to acquire. We know not whether the Spanish government have annexed the Sooloo Islands to their possessions in the East.
The Sooloos belong to the Malay race, and most of the chiefs speak the Malay language. But the indigenous language is the Bisayan, which contains a great number of words that are used in the language of Sumatra. Many of the chiefs speak the Spanish language, and some the Chinese fluently. The Sooloos have made considerable progress in civilisation in the last two centuries. Many Chinese are settled in the islands, and great numbers of Christian slaves who were kidnapped from the Philippiues. The people profess Moham medanism, but they know little of their faith, and observe its religious rites still lees.
Besides the Christian slaves, there are two classes of men, the ‘Bajows' and the Lanuns. The Bajows inhabit the small towns on the coast, and fish for pearls, tripang, and sea-weed. They speak the same language as the Sooloos, and are Mohammedans. Though free, they are much oppressed by the datus and other chiefs. The Lanuns are, without exception, the greatest pirates on the globe. Their depredations are conducted in large fleets of prows in the Straits of Macassar, among the Moluccas, but more particularly among the Bisayas, or southern Philippines. The whole produce of their enter prises previous to the late Spanish expedition was sold at Sooloo, which was their grand entrep6t. But they have stations on most of the other islands. They paid the sultan 25 per cent. on their captures; and were bound to respect the Sooloo flag, and commit no depreda tions on vessels at anchor in Soog roadstead. The chiefs advanced them guns and powder, for which they were paid by a stipulated number of slaves.
The manufacturing industry of the inhabitants is very limited ; but a largo number of prows is built. Cotton-clothe of very fine texture and tartan-striped are woven, and some of them are exported. Sugar, indigo, saltpetre, and chocolate are only made for home consumption. There are cutlers who make 'creeees' or daggers, and some goldsmiths who make jewellery.
The commerce of the Sooloo Islands would be very considerable if it were not continually interrupted by the pirates. At present it is limited to the produce of the country, which chiefly goes to China. It is carried on by Chinese from the harbours of Amoy and Pactow. Their junks import furniture, particularly chests, brass utensils and wire, iron unwrought and iron pans, raw silk, nankeens, linen, a great quantity of porcelain and crockery, some piece-goods of flowered silk, cutlery, sugar-candy, tea, and some smaller articles. They take in return pearl-shells, betel-nuts, tripang, wax, sugar, sea-wecd, birds'-nests, shark fins, camphor, tortoise-shells, pearls, ebony, sapau wood, clove-bark, cinnamon, cowries, pepper, and sago. British vessels from Singapore sometimes visit the Sooloo Islands. Their cargo cousisie mostly of opium, cotton goods, chintzes, Swedish iron and steel, large spike nails for prow building, and aomo hardware. They receive in return the various products of the country, which they take to Canton, and thence return with a cargo of tea and other Chinese articles.