And when his
preparations were all complete, on the 16th of December, 1838, he set
sail for Singapore, in the yacht Royalist, a vessel of one hundred and
forty-two tons, manned by twenty men and officers, with an armament of
six six-pounders and a full supply of small arms of all sorts. Such were
the mighty resources wherewith he began an enterprise which has ended in
raising him to the government of a petty kingdom, and to almost
sovereign influence over the whole empire of Borneo Proper.
The reader has already had glimpses of the feelings which prompted this
expedition. In a communication to the "Geographical Register" he more
fully unfolds his views; and from this and from his familiar letters it
is not difficult to gain a clear idea of the character and motives of
the man. That his ardent mind had been fired by a study of the career of
his great predecessor, Stamford Raffles, is evident. That he was himself
one of those energetic, restless natures, to which idleness or mere
routine-work is the severest of penalties, is equally evident. He had,
moreover, a large share of that kind of enthusiasm which the cool,
sagacious men of this world call romance, and which delights to fasten
on objects seemingly impossible.
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