t of piracy,
without any reference to the nation or color of the injured party;
for if we limit our construction of piracy, we shall, in most cases,
be in want of sufficient evidence to convict, and the whole native
trade of the Archipelago will be left at the mercy of pirates, much
to the injury of our own commerce and of our settlement of Singapore.

"On the second point, we can only concede the right of war to
recognized states; and even then we must carefully avoid introducing
the refinements of European international law among a rude and
semi-civilized people, who will make our delicacy a cloak for
crime, and declare war merely for the sake of committing piracy with
impunity. On the contrary, all chiefs who have seized on territory and
arrogate independence (making this independence a plea for piracy)
can never be allowed the right of declaring war, or entering on
hostilities with their neighbors; for, as I have before remarked,
all native trade must in that case be at an end, as the piratical
chiefs, no longer in dread of punishment from European powers, would
doubtless declare war against every unwarlike native state which they
did not need as a market for the sale of their slaves and plunder.

"Practically acting, however, on the broad principle, that the seizure
of any lawful trader constitutes piracy, I consider no injustice could
be done to the native states, and no interference occur with their
acknowledged rights; for in practice it would be easy to discriminate
a war between native nations from the piracies of lawless hordes of
men; and without some such general principle, no executive officer
could act with the requisite decision and promptitude to insure the
eradication of this great evil.

"With a post such as is proposed to be established, our measures for
the suppression of piracy (after the punishment of Seriff Houseman
and the Balagnini) would advance step by step, as our knowledge
increased, and with alternate conciliation and severity, as the
case might require. By detaching the recognised governments from the
practice, and gradually forming among the chief men a friendly and
English party opposed to piracy, we should, I doubt not, speedily
obtain our principal object of clearing the sea of marauders, and
ultimately correct the natural propensity of the natives for piracy.

"In order to extend our commerce in these seas generally, and more
particularly on the N.W. coast of Borneo, it is requis