Sir James Brooke had duties to perform as Her Majesty’s Commissioner to the Sultan of Borneo, and the Chiefs of the Malayan Archipelago; but he was only able to indicate to me the direction he wished to go. Our chief object being the restoration of his health, we managed, by keeping the ship under easy sail during the day, and anchoring in the evening, to give him the advantage of undisturbed rest at night. Among the invalids were the A.D.C., Captain Brooke, poor Dr. Treacher, a mere shadow of what he was, young Charles Grant, and the good-tempered Spenser St. John, whose kindness to the sick had been unabated. [Sidenote: Dec. 4.] Weighed at daylight, and with fair wind, smooth water, and fine weather, coasted along in the direction of Pulo Tiga, the scenery increasing in beauty as we got to the northward. Running between Pulo Tiga and Tanjong Klias, we shaped a course for the Kimanis River, up which there was a fine old Orang Kaya (chief man), Istur by name, a friend of our Rajah. It was dark when we came to. This was formerly a great haunt of the Illanuns and other pirates. [Illustration: Map--Eastern Archipelago.] [Sidenote: Dec. 5.] Having obtained the necessary information from native fishing boats, sent the second gig up the river to inform the Orang Kaya of the Rajah’s arrival, as well as to solicit a pilot for the River Mengatal. I had intended to go up in the cool of the evening, but in the afternoon the unusual appearance, in these waters, of a boat with a European sail was reported, coming along shore. She proved to belong to the _Minerva_ schooner, bringing the master and mate of that vessel, which they had left on a coral bank near Balambangan. In the master, Lonsdale, I recognised an old acquaintance, who formerly commanded the _Maria_, one of the transports under convoy of the _Dido_ during the Chinese war. He stated that, having run on the reef, and finding that his vessel could not be got off without being lightened, he was throwing her cargo of teak overboard when he observed several prahus coming out from under a point of land. Having no arms he had taken to his long-boat, with the few valuables he could hastily collect, manned by his Lascar crew, making eighteen in all. Ten of the Lascars afterwards left him on his landing at a part of the island for fuel and water. He then went on, intending to coast down as far as Labuan. While at morning quarters, off Kimanis, a swarm of bees, attracted perhaps by the sound of the band, came round the ship, and finally settled on the under quarter of the cross-jack-yard, presenting an extraordinary appearance. By clinging to one another, they formed themselves into a bag 12 or 14 inches deep, the mouth of which, attached to the cross-jack-yard, occupied a space of about 2 feet in length by 1 wide, which was shaken and moved by the wind.