s to himself as a slave,
_Amba_, _Sahaya_. I have already referred to the prohibition of the use
of yellow by others than the Royal family, and may add that it is a
grave offence for a person of ordinary rank to pass the palace steps
with his umbrella up, and it is forbidden to him to sit in the after
part of his boat or canoe, that place being reserved for nobles. At an
audience with the Sultan, or with one of the Wazirs, considerable
ceremony is still observed. Whatever the time of the day, a thick bees'
wax candle, about three feet long is lighted and placed on the floor
alongside the European visitor, if he is a person of any rank, and it is
etiquette for him to carry the candle away with him at the conclusion of
his visit, especially if at night. It was a severe test of the courteous
decorum of the Malay nobles when on one occasion, a young officer, who
accompanied me, not only spilt his cup of coffee over his bright new
uniform, but, when impressively bidding adieu to H. H. the Sultan, stood
for sometime unconsciously astride over my lighted candle. Not a muscle
of the faces of the nobles moved, but the Europeans were scarcely so
successful in maintaining their gravity.

Mr. DALRYMPLE'S description of Brunai, furnished to the _Field_ in
August, 1884, is as follows:--

"On a broad river, sweeping round in an imposing curve from the
South-Eastward, with abrupt ranges of sandstone hills, for the
most part cleared of forest, hemming it in on either side, and a
glimpse of lofty blue mountains towering skywards far away to
the North-East, is a long straggling collection of _atap_
(thatch made of leaves of _nibong_ palm) and _kajang_ (mats of
ditto) houses, or rather huts, built on piles over the water,
and forming a gigantic crescent on either bank of the broad,
curving stream. This is the city of Brunai, the capital of the
Yang di Pertuan, the Sultan of Brunai, _aetat_ one hundred or
more, and now in his dotage: the abode of some 15,000 Malays,
whose language is as different from the Singapore Malay as
Cornish is from Cockney English, and the coign of vantage from
which a set of effete and corrupt _Pangerans_ extended
oppressive rule over the coasts of North-West Borneo, from
Sampanmangiu Point to the Sarawak River in days gone by, ere
British enterprise stepped in, swept the Sulu and Illanun
pirates from the sea, and opened the rivers to commerc