Private letters to Lord Minto, 1825

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J. C. Ross to Sir T. S. Raffles. London, 17th Jany 1825. ‘Herewith I send for your acceptance the rough sketch of the remarks which I formerly submitted to your notice.... Should my testimony appear requisite ... you will reckon on my giving it in the fullest manner .... I can speak to the whole detail of Banjermassin affairs from personal observation ....’ (a) pp. 163˗219: ‘The Island Borneo appears to have been nearly in the same state or condition as to Civilisation .... Messrs Hunt & Crawford [Crawfurd] who seem to have been much more active in discovering and exaggerating the wrong proceedings of the Europeans than was consistent with historic impartiality.... But that the condition of Borneo as described in the Friend of India, vizt ‘Peaceful abounding in riches ... and carrying on ... that extensive commerce which precluded every Idea of piracy, &c.’ It is my belief that such a state never existed ... except in the imagination of Mr Hunt & the Editor of the Friend of India. As for Mr Crawford’s work it is ... only an abridged one (history) of Java with cursory notices of the other Islands & making up for its deficiencies by oratorical flourishes ....’ After this preamble he describes Borneo, its physical features, its mineral riches & vegetable products, its people & their habits & religion.’ (b) pp. 219˗236: Extracts from a Journal kept by John Clunies Ross. Begins, ‘Novr 1810 Joined the South Sea Whaler Baroness Longueville as Harpooner.... May 1812 put into Coupang [Kupang] in the Island Timor ... lay the H.C. chartered brig Olivia in want of a Commander˗˗being applied to by the Resident Mr Joseph Burn ... I joined the Olivia ... proceeded to Macassar, Bima and Batavia .... 1813 received on board 80 convicts, &c., for Banjermassin .... Mr Hare [Resident at Banjermassin] proposed to me that I should take charge of the gun vessels &c. attached to the Bornean establishment.... The settlement was abandoned just at the moment when all difficulties had been overcome Van de Waht’s treachery discovered and proper measures adopted for the future…”--Provided by the British Library., Mss Eur C36)