sultan in person. He was dressed in
the extreme of Malay fashion. He was an excessively plain young man, and
seemed to be ill at ease during the whole of the conference. He appeared
to be a mere puppet in the hands of his ferocious chiefs, who had all
the conversation, without referring to their royal master at any time.

The sultan's dress consisted of a purple satin jacket and green velvet
trousers, both trimmed with gold and silver lace; a red sash confined
his trousers at the waist; and in the sash he wore a kris of the most
costly description. He wore diamond buttons on his jacket, which, being
open, exposed his naked chest. But the party who mostly excited our
interest was the heir apparent, a child of four years old, who was
dressed as an adult, even to his miniature kris. He bids fair to be a
handsome man. His laughing face and engaging manner caused him to be
caressed by the whole party, a circumstance which evidently gave much
pleasure to the sultan. We were regaled with chocolate, sweet cakes, and
fruit; and every attention paid to us by the chiefs. At our departure
the sultan and ministers shook hands warmly with every one of our party,
and we returned on board, accompanied by Mr. Wyndham, of the Velocipede
schooner, who, being a perfect master of the tongue, had acted as an
interpreter on this occasion.

The Samarang was the first English man-of-war that had called at Sooloo
since the visit of Dalrymple in 1761, when he reinstated on the throne
the sultan (grandfather to the present one), who had been deposed by his
rebellious subjects.

Great Sooloo is about fifty miles in length, and twenty-five in breadth,
being the largest of a group of islands known as the Sooloo Archipelago.
This group of islands is inhabited by a fierce and warlike race, bearing
in their personal appearance a strong resemblance to the Malays,
although the two languages differ materially from each other. Great
Sooloo, the residence of the sultan, is very mountainous. Many of the
mountains are wooded to the summit, while others are covered with
patches of cultivation. These islands are thickly populated; and if the
islanders do not practise piracy as a profession, they are always ready
to aid, assist, and protect those who do. The town of Sooloo is well
known to be the principal rendezvous of pirates, who, whenever they
have made a capture, resort there to dispose of their lawless booty. The
ministers, and even the sultan himself, a