urch; but it is said
that he acknowledges the Sultan of Turkey as the _Padishah_. He is
the irresponsible lord and master of all life and property among his
subjects, although in his decrees he is advised by a Council of Elders.

Nevertheless, in spite of his absolute authority, he does not seem to
have perfect control over the acts of his nobles or chiefs, who are
a privileged class, and are constantly waging some petty war among
themselves, or organizing a marauding expedition along the coast. The
Sultan is compelled, to a certain extent, to tolerate their excesses,
as his own dignity, or at least his own tranquillity, is in a great
measure dependent on their common goodwill towards him. The chiefs
collect tribute in the name of the Sultan, but they probably furnish
their own wants first and pay differences into the Royal Treasury,
seeing that it all comes from their own feudal dependents.

The Sultan claims to be the nominal owner of all the product of Sulu
waters. In the valuable Pearl Fisheries he claims to have a prior
right to all pearls above a certain value, although the finder is
entitled to a relative bounty from the Sultan. "Ambal," a product found
floating on the waters and much esteemed by the Chinese as medicine,
is subject to royal dues. The great pearl-fishing centre is Siassi
Island (in the Tapul group), lying about 20 miles south of Sulu Island.

The Sultanate is hereditary under the Salic Law. The Sultan is
supported by three ministers, one of whom acts as Regent in his absence
(for he might choose to go to Singapore, or have to go to Mecca,
if he had not previously done so); the other is Minister of War,
and the third is Minister of Justice and Master of the Ceremonies.

Slavery exists in a most ample sense. There are slaves by birth and
others by conquest, such as prisoners of war, insolvent debtors, and
those seized by piratical expeditions to other islands. A creole friend
of mine was one of these last. He had commenced clearing an estate for
cane-growing on the Negros coast, when he was seized and carried off
to Sulu Island. In a few years he was ransomed and returned to Negros,
where be formed one of the finest sugar haciendas and factories in
the Colony.

In 1884 a Mahometan was found on a desolate isle lying off the Antique
coast (Panay Is.), and of course had no document of identity, so he
was arrested and confined in the jail of San Jose de Buenavista. From
prison he was eventually tak