He Has Effectually
Protected The Dyaks, And Has Invariably Treated Them As, In His
Sight, Equal To The Malays; And Yet He Has Secured The Affection And
Goodwill Of Both.
Notwithstanding the religious prejudice, of
Mahometans, he has induced them to modify many of their worst laws
and customs, and to assimilate their criminal code to that of the
civilized world.
That his government still continues, after twenty-
seven years - notwithstanding his frequent absences from ill-health,
notwithstanding conspiracies of Malay chiefs, and insurrections of
Chinese gold-diggers, all of which have been overcome by the support
of the native population, and notwithstanding financial, political,
and domestic troubles is due, I believe, solely to the many admirable
qualities which Sir James Brooke possessed, and especially to his
having convinced the native population, by every action of his life,
that he ruled them, not for his own advantage, but for their good.
Since these lines were written, his noble spirit has passed away.
But though, by those who knew him not, he may be sneered at as an
enthusiastic adventurer, abused as a hard-hearted despot, the universal
testimony of everyone who came in contact with him in his adopted
country, whether European, Malay, or Dyak, will be, that Rajah Brooke
was a great, a wise, and a good ruler; a true and faithful friend -
a man to be admired for his talents, respected for his honesty and
courage, and loved for his genuine hospitality, his kindness of
disposition, and his tenderness of heart.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 135 of 419
Words from 36389 to 36641
of 114260
