BORNEO.

Otago Witness, Issue 556, 26 July 1862, Page 5

BORNEO.

DESPERATE ENCOUNTER WITH PIRATES

AT SARAWAK.

The Straits 2'imc*, (Singapore,) of June 4, publishes the following exciting accounts of an encounter with pirates, on the coast of Borneo : —

" To the Editor of the Strut's Times. "My Dkar Siu, — I promised to give you occasional news from this coast, but until noiv there has been nothing 1 of importance to communicate. You have no doubt heard of the lilanun pirates who yearly turn out in large fleets from Sulu, Tawi-Taw'i, and the neighbouring Islands, aud ravage the coasts of Java, Celebes, and Borneo On the 21st instant, I was lying at anchor in the Rainbow, Sarawak steamer, at the mouth of the Binrulu river, having just returned from the interior, where we had examined the coal seams recently discovered, when nit express boat came from Mukah, the great Sago river, from the agent or' the Boriuo C Hnpany, to say that six large lilanun boats were p'is-ung' along the coast. That they Imd killed several people, and taken great numbers captives, including several women; the boat that brought the despatch had also been chased by them, and only escaped on account of her speed. The Rainbow and a gun-boai w re immediately prepared for action, and steamed out over the bar, the Bishop of Labuan beinac on board. " On tlie 23rd, at daylight three of the enemy were discovered from the mast-head about 7 or 8 miles to seaward ; chase was immediately given. As we approached aU doubt of the character of the boats vanished. We could distinctly see that they were crowded with men and straining every nerve to got on shore before the steamer Rainbow got up, which the leading boat effected, running her on the l^cks at Kadurong Point. As the steamer passed by, in two fathoms water, the pirates opened fire on her from their muskets and lelas; this was returned with nterest, and after ten minutes cannonade tlie survivors ran into the Jungle (this boat was afterwards made prize by the Bintulu people). The steamer then attacked the other two boats, one of which she ran down ; the other, previously clearing her well out with grape, was brought alongside. She was full of captives, men, women, aud children, who were taken on board and the wounded attended to by the Bishop. From one of tlie boats we took one Spanish and five Dutch flags, and not Jess than 60 captures were taken from the two boats.

" Shortly afterwards the other three boats were fiilien in with further at sea, nnd utterly destroyed. Out of these, who made a desperate figlit of it killin» and wounding several in the steamer, and even tightine in the water, the steamer took on board 30 of the Lauuns, who >vere punished and put into the hold, and about 70 captives. There were men, women, and children of many nations, Boyan3, Bugis, Javanese ; and the Naked* and crew of a large tope sailing out of Singapore, which had been captured, and four of her people killed near Caramatta : a woman and her child belonging to Campong (Haw ; people of Sambas, Poutianak, Tringanu, Boyan Matto, Mukah, and wavy others. Each of these Lanun boats containal about 100 persons, 40 of whom were Lamms, the rest captives. The cruelty inflicted ou these poor wretches, crammed into their boats, is terrible. They were nearly starved, givqn salt water to drink, and for the first few months of their captivity, they were disabled by having their knees aud ' elbow joints beatea with bamboos. "There is another fleet we have obtained information about, that after assisting at the capture of the Singapore Tope near Uaramatta, crossed over to Banea and Billiton. In ten days or a fortnight from -. this time they will in all probability, return to this " coast on their way homewards with their plunder and captives, and if a man-of-war is quickly dispatched to Bintula she would have an excellent chance of freeing many poor captives and punishing their miscreant captors. "I bea; that you will urge this on your Governor, - and the naval authorities. "I am tally &c.. "Sarawak, May 2Tth, I^2, ™T