BROOKE, Sir JAMES ( 1S03-GS) . A rajah of Sarawak• born at Coombe Grove, near Bath, England. His father was an employee of the Indian Government. James entered the East India military service, was severely wounded in the Burmese War, and furloughed in 1826. He lost his commission through overstaying his fur lough (on account of shipwreck), but coining into a large property by his father's death, he determined to devote himself to the task of putting down piracy in the Eastern seas and to establishing civilization in the islands. He was one of the practical Nineteenth-Century knights errant in spirit. Ile purchased a yacht, trained a crew of twenty men on a preliminary cruise of three years in the 'Mediterranean, and in October. 1838, sailed from London for Borneo. When he arrived. Muda Ilassim. the uncle of the Sultan of Borneo, was engaged in a war with some relict tribes of Sarawak. Brooke lent his assistance and in return received the title of Rajah of Sara. •ak. Brooke instituted free trade, and framed a new code of laws. The custom of head-hunting was made a crime punishable with death; and yiraey was so vigorously attacked with the as sistan•e of British vessels that over £20,000 was paid in bounties for the killing of freebooters. Returning to England in 1847. Brooke was cor dially received. made a Knight Commander of the Bath and an Oxford D.C.L., and appointed
governor of the island of Lalman, near Sarawak, and consul-general to Borneo. In 1857. owing to charges in Parliament reflecting upon his integ rity, which were, however. declared not proven by the commission that examined them, 13rooke was superseded in the governorship of Labuan. Nis house in Kuching, his Sarawak capital, was attacked at night by a large body of Chinese, who were irritated at his efforts to prevent opium smuggling. and lie escaped with his life by swim ming across a creek. He promptly assembled some natives, attacked the Chinese, defeated them in several tights, and drove them into the jungle. Upward of 2000 Chinese were killed. Returning to England soon after this, Brooke lec tured in several of the chief towns on the advan tage of the possession of Sarawak. Brooke re turned to Borneo in 1861, but visited England again twice before his death, June 11, 1868. lie was succeeded as Rajah of Sarawak by his nephew, Sir Charles Johnson Brooke, born June 3, 1829. (Sec BousEo.) Consult: Jacob, The Rajah of Sarawak (London, 1876) : Sir S. Saint John, Rajah. Brooke (London, 1899) ; and Life of Sir ('harps Brooke, Rajah of Sarawak (Lon don. 1879). The private letters of Sir James Brooke (1838-53) were published in London. 1S53.