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BRUNEI
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BRUNEI , a See also:state situated in the See also:north-See also:west of See also:Borneo. It has been so diminished in See also:area since the beginning of the 19th See also:century as to have become in comparison with the other states of Borneo territorially insignificant. It formerly included the whole of See also:northern Borneo and See also:southern Palawan, and stretched down the west See also:coast as far as Sambas. What remains of this once powerful sultanate is a triangular-shaped territory, the See also:base of the triangle being represented by 8o m. of coast-See also:line, and the two sides by the frontiers of See also:Sarawak. The area is calculated to be about 1700 sq. m. This See also:great reduction of the extent of the territory has been brought about by the cession on successive occasions of strips of territory to Sarawak and to the See also:British North Borneo See also:Company on See also:condition of See also:annual payments of See also:money. In 1888 the state was placed under British See also:protection. On the 2nd of See also:January 1906 a treaty was made whereby the See also:sultan of Brunei agreed to See also:hand over the See also:general See also:administration of his state to a British See also:resident. The sultan Mahommed Jomal-ul-alam, See also:born in 1889, succeeded his See also:father in May 1906. He receives an See also:allowance of 12,000 dollars a See also:year from state funds, and his two See also:principal ministers receive allowances of 6000 dollars a year each. The interior See also:people have for centuries been subject to See also:petty oppression, and there is too much of the old spirit See also:left among the See also:Malays to avoid acrimonious dispute and See also:rebellion. The bulk of the inhabitants, who consist of Malays, Kadayans, Orang Bukits and a few Muruts, are to be found in and about the capital—also called Brunei—the See also:population of the See also:city being estimated at about 15,000, and the population of the whole territory being about 25,000. The city is prettily situated on the See also:river, with a background of cleared hills, and in the distance heights clothed with magnificent See also:forest. The dwelling-houses arebuilt over the river on slender piles obtained from the Nibong See also:palm which resists the See also:action of the See also:water for several years. Though there are practically no exports and imports, there is a certain amount of inland See also:commerce, the Brunei See also:Malay usually earning a living by trading with the interior tribes of Sarawak and British North Borneo. Some of them are skilled workers of See also:brass, and the Brunei See also:women make very beautiful See also:cloth, interwoven and embroidered with See also:gold See also:thread. See also:Sago is worked in the important river-valleys of the Tutong and the Balait, but only a small quantity of See also:rice is cultivated.
The See also:history of this See also:ancient and decaying sultanate is of some intere°st. Brunei, or, as it is called by the natives See also:Bruni or Darul-Salam (city of See also:peace), possesses a historic tablet of See also: The first sultan of Brunei was Alak-ber-See also:Tata, who was probably of Bisaya stock, and governed the country before the introduction of See also:Islam, in the 15th century. He assumed the name of Mahommed on his See also:conversion to Islam, which was brought about during a visit to the Malay See also:peninsula. Brunei, at this time, was a dependency of Majapahit (See also:Java), and paid a yearly See also:tribute of a See also:jar of areca juice obtained from the See also:young See also:green nuts of the areca palm, and of no monetary value. The See also:Hindu See also:kingdom of Menjapahit was destroyed by the Mahommedans in 1478, and Brunei is mentioned in the history of Java as one of the countries conquered by Adaya Mingrat, the general of Angka Wijaya. Sultan Mahommed's only See also:child was a daughter. His See also:brother Akhmed married the daughter of Ong Chum Ping, a See also:Chinese officer said to have been sent by his See also:emperor to obtain a See also:jewel from See also:Mount Kinabalu in North Borneo,and was the successor of Sultan Mahommed in the See also:sovereignty of Brunei. He was succeeded by Sultan Berkat, an Arab sherif of high See also:rank, from the country of Taif in See also:Arabia, who had married Sultan Akhmed's only child. Sultan Berkat built a See also:mosque and enforced See also:Mahommedan See also:law, and with the assistance of the Chinese built the stone See also:wall, which is still in existence between the islands of Kaya Orang and Chermin, by sinking See also:forty junks filled with See also:rock across the mouth of the Brunei river. This work was completed before the arrival of Pigafetta in 1521. In the reign of Sultan Bulkeiah See also:Magellan's See also:squadron anchored off the mouth of Brunei river in See also:August 1521, and Pigafetta makes mention of the splendid See also:court and the imperial magnificence of the Borneo See also:capital. Sultan Bulkeiah was otherwise known as Nakoda Ragam; he was the greatest See also:warrior of Brunei and made military expeditions to Java, Malacca, Luzon and all the coasts of Borneo. His tomb, which is handsomely built of stone, is still to be seen in Brunei, and is constantly visited by Malays, who leave money and various articles on the tomb as offerings to his memory. Others, again, come and take away anything they can find, which they keep as charms and mementoes. The Spaniards captured Brunei in 158o, the reigning sultan and his court retiring to Suai in the Baram See also:district. The invaders were compelled to evacuate the See also:place, however, in consequence of the heavy losses they sustained in the numerous attempts made,for its recovery. The See also:golden See also:age of Brunei was nevertheless at an end, and there is little more of importance to record. Disputed successions and See also:civil See also:war, maladministration and the untrustworthiness of the Malay See also:character, caused "a steady decline in prosperity. The See also:East See also:India Company started a factory in the See also:town in the 18th century, but commerce had already decayed and the See also:establishment was abandoned. In the See also:early See also:part of the 19th century Brunei was but
a resort for pirates and a See also:market for the slave See also:trade. During the 'forties See also:Admiral (then See also:Captain) See also:Keppel and other See also:officers of the British See also:navy suppressed piracy in the neighbourhood. Sarawak was kanded over to See also:Raja See also:Brooke, and, after the See also:capture and temporary occupation of Brunei by See also:Sir See also: Additional information and CommentsThere are no comments yet for this article.
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