therefore engaged in this business, may be
estimated at ten thousand. They are armed with muskets, blunderbusses,
krises, hatchets, and spears, and at times the vessels have one or two
large guns mounted. They infest the Macassar Strait, the Celebes Sea,
and the Sulu Sea. Soung is the only place where they can dispose of
their plunder to advantage, and obtain the necessary outfits. It may
be called the principal resort of these pirates, where well-directed
measures would result in effectually suppressing the crime.

Besides the pirates of Sulu, the commerce of the eastern islands is
vexed with other piratical establishments. In the neighboring seas,
there are the Malay pirates, who have of late years become exceedingly
troublesome. Their prahus are of much smaller size than those of Sulu,
being from ten to twelve tons burden, but in proportion they are much
better manned, and thus are enabled to ply with more efficiency their
oars or paddles. These prahus frequent the shores of Malacca Straits,
Cape Roumania, the Carimon Isles, and the neighboring straits, and
at times they visit the Rhio Straits. Some of the most noted, I was
informed, were fitted out from Johore, in the very neighborhood of
the English authorities at Singapore; they generally have their haunts
on the small islands on the coast, from which they make short cruises.

They are noted for their arrangements for preventing themselves
from receiving injury, in the desperate defences that are sometimes
made against them. These small prahus have usually swivels mounted,
which, although not of great calibre, are capable of throwing a shot
beyond the range of small-arms. It is said that they seldom attempt
an attack unless the sea is calm, which enables them to approach their
victims with more assurance of success, on account of the facility with
which they are enabled to manage their boats. The frequent calms which
occur in these seas between the land and sea breezes, afford them many
opportunities of putting their villanous plans in operation; and the
many inlets and islets, with which they are well acquainted, afford
places of refuge and ambush, and for concealing their booty. They
are generally found in small flotillas of from six to twenty prahus,
and when they have succeeded in disabling a vessel at long shot, the
sound of the gong is the signal for boarding, which, if successful,
results in a massacre more or less bloody, according to the obstinacy
of the