t of civilisation
and appearance to the Sarawak and Brunei Dyaks; and if the taste of
the lady whose adventures I have just recorded was at all consulted, I
cannot help thinking she made a mistake in the selection of her
adopted country.

After the Sultan's nephew had departed, we had a visit from Achu
Mohammed, who has been British Consul here for many years, often in
very troublous times. With him came an army of shopkeepers, or rather
manufacturers, from whom we bought several curious specimens of Brunei
wares. The metalwork is really beautiful, especially the brass
sirrhi-boxes, and some kettles with an ingenious arrangement in the
lid, causing them to whistle loudly when the water boils. This place
is also celebrated for its earrings, which are exactly like
champagne-corks in size and shape, and are made of gold or silver
gilt, and studded with rubies, emeralds, and other stones found in the
neighbourhood. The narrow part of the cork is fixed in a large hole in
the ear, down the back of which a row of little earrings is often worn
in addition.

Brunei looked very pretty as we left it, in the light of the now
setting sun. The 'Packnam' had already started on her return journey,
and there was not much time to spare if we wanted to save the tide and
the light. On our way down the river we again saw the heights from
which Sir Harry Keppel had bombarded the town, and the Chinese
pepper-terraces, now fast falling to decay. By five o'clock we had
arrived alongside the 'Sunbeam,' with quite a cargo of purchases, and
soon afterwards, having said farewell to our friends and entrusted to
their care a very heavy mail for England, we steamed away.

The spot where we had anchored in Brunei Bay was exactly opposite the
Muara coal-mines, of which we could just see the shafts, with one or
two houses beside them. On our return to the yacht we found that the
owners of these mines had been on board, and had expressed a hope that
we would postpone our departure long enough to enable us to visit the
colliery, which seems likely to become a valuable property. The seam
is twenty-six feet thick, and the coal is of good quality. After the
Labuan failure, however, one is disposed not to be over-sanguine in
such matters. When Mr. Cowie first brought his wife out here the place
looked so desolate and dreary that she absolutely refused to land.
After a while she was persuaded to make a closer inspection, and,
being a very bad sailor, has ne