The Voyage of James Rennell to Sulu Island and North Borneo in 1762
Although the author is credited to Tom Harrisson, it is doubtful that he worked on the manuscript. Most probably it was written by his wife and/or graduate students from Cornell University.
The English units of measure have been changed to metric and the spelling of Sooloo has been converted to the modern Sulu.
The ship was outfitted in Madras, India with Indian and European piece goods, iron and other items. The cargo was valued at 6000 English pounds and was the first English trading vessel sent to the Sulu Island and north Borneo. In exchange, they hoped to return with a bird’s nest, pearls, wax(?)and cowries to trade with the Chinese.
The ship left Timoan Island in Malaysia and sailed to Tanjong Dato off the eastern tip of Sarawak. About 36 hours later we arrived at the north end of Mangallom Island and anchored 8 or 9.5 km offshore in 45 meters of water.
We soon saw the mountain of St. Pedro or Kinabalo and directed our ship to a small bay and anchored 1.2 km offshore in five fathoms of water on the east side of the harbour. Sailors in Borneo boats came ashore and informed us we were in Amboan Bay and the town of Abbai lay around the point of a small island.
After some sailing, we anchored off of Mantannani Island. For four days we were busy watering, examining the cargo and exploring the area. We found two springs of good water. Up the river about 3.2 km is the town of Abbai which houses 200-300 people. The country here is very pleasing and well-clothed in timber and lush green vegetation.
The Sooloo (Sulu) Islands
The country of Sulu is composed of 140 or 150 islands situated between the Philippines and Borneo together with a large part of the coast of Borneo. Also included are the islands of Paragoa or Palawan and the islands that form the Strait of Balabar.
The main islands of the Sultanate are Sulu, Basseelan, Tavitavi, Sibooto, Capoal, Seassie, Peelan, Pataand Cagayan Sulu. The rest of the innumerable islands are of little consequence.
Sulu Island, as it appears, is 93 km long and 23 km at its greatest breadth. The island is divided into two parts connected by an isthmus. The island is well populated but smallpox has greatly reduced the population.
The main town, Suluk Song or Bowawn, is situated on the northwest side of the island. There is a small fort built by the Spaniards however the locals have allowed the structure to fall into ruins. There are many guns in the fort and the Sulu’s know how to make gunpowder yet they have let it fall into disrepair. There are two breeches in the fort. The rampart is about 5 meters composed of piles of large stones within the fort. However, all in ruins. The Sultan’s house is in the fort. The late Sultan brought a fine rivulet of water through the fort from a small reservoir of water.
The river was once capable of handling large Chinese junks but is now divided into two channels, the deepest having no more than 2-3 km of water during spring tide. The greatest part of the town stands on two low islands formed by the river, so the people have a canal on one side and a causeway on the other. In one of the islands, many Chinese are settled.
The houses are all built of stilts and floors and sides consist of bamboo and rattan. The roofs are all covered with reeds and leaves. The sea flows under the houses which have only one story. Some of the better houses are composed of two rooms the outer part being hung with chintz or some other cloth while the floor is covered with mats and is for the master’s use. The inner part is for the women and slaves.
The furniture in the houses consists of Chinese boxes, chairs, jars and a betel box. The houses in the street are not built adjoining one another but planks connect them.
The Sulu’s are in general stout and well made and their features are agreeable. Some of the women are pretty but we seldom meet them. Their religion is Islam and they have several degrees of clergy all of whom I observed accompany the people into battle. Most of the people speak Malay with some broken Spanish.
Sulus’s dress is plain and modest. The outer garment is made of linen with long straight sleeves. A sarong reaches down to the thighs and below the sarong are long pants like the Chinese. A small sash and belt hold a basket or metal cup.
The hair is tied up around the head with a cloth that serves as a turban. The women also wear their hair very long and roll it up on the top of their heads without any decoration. The dress is the same as men but instead of pants, they wear a sarong.
Both men and women allow their nails to grow on their left hand, some 7 cm long. The women chew Betel like the men and use substances to blacken their teeth. When a better woman goes visiting, she is carried on the shoulders of slaves. Unlike other Islamic people, the Sulu do not hide their women and allow them to join in on conversations.
The children of both sexes go naked until they are eight or nine. I am not sure what age the boys are circumcised.
The Sulu weapons are both offensive and defensive. The lances are 2.8 meters long. The kris are made like the Malays. Poisoned darts are blown through tubes and are said to kill a man in minutes. Coats of Mail (pieces of decorated thin metal connected together with brass or iron wire) bound together with strong brass or iron wire are very pliable.
The food of these people are fish, fowl, roots and eaten with rice and heavily spiced. They have sufficent number of good horses, bullocks, deer and goats. There are wild hogs in the woods. Bullocks are used as beasts of burden while the horses are used for riding.
Fruits which are common in the east Indies as well as cocoa, cacao, cinnamon, wax, saltpetre, sago, sugar cane and wood for dyes while the coast offers pearls and cowries are available.
As for currency, 1 Congon is equal to a few yards of China cloth which is equal to one Spanish dollar. A Padda or rice in the husk serves as coins. To purchase small things in the bazaar, you must go to the Padda changer (money changer) who gives you the value of your husked rice in Congon and Padda. A Gauton is a small measure and the value is 5 wine pints. Ten-five wine pints equals a Ragga. These Ragga are then measured in cowries which equal 27 kg. Slaves are how men of wealth are measured. The more slaves the richer.
The present Sultan is the eleventh since the establishment of the Sulu government. He is an usurper having deposed his brother many years ago. His brother retired to Manila. The Sultan at present seems to live quite an idle life not giving any concern to the welfare of his subjects. He is a disfigured old man who only has one eye. He walks through villages unnoticed. He will cheat any man living.
The Gimboes or mountaineers seem by their behaviour different people than those on the coast. The Gimboes in the province of Parang are now in rebellion against the Sultan. They are headed by a native of Manila who was formerly a servant to Mr. Dalrymple but ran away from him in 1761. The other Gimboes, not from Parang, come to market every, always armed, but the townspeople never molest them.
The Sulu having been invaded by the Spaniards are extremely wary of all Europeans. They defeated the Spanish at their fort but they another attempt to retake the area in 1755 but were bravely repulsed by the Sulu’s.
This ends the manuscript.
Harrisson Tom The Unpublished Rennell M.S.: A Borneo Philippine Journey 1762-1763 Kuala Lumpur: Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, 1966
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