Nakodah Abdullah, who has traded with this country since he was a boy, and Nakodah Jalil, another experienced man, came to spend the afternoon with me. They say the origin of the Kayans coming to the Baram was this: About twenty-five or thirty years ago, there were three powerful chiefs living in the Balui country--as the interiors of the Rejang and Bintulu rivers are called--Kum Nipa, Kum Laksa, and the father of my brother Siñgauding; that Kum Laksa quarrelled with the last, and being joined by Kum Nipa, a feud arose, in the course of which the father of Siñgauding was killed. The relatives, to save the infant son, fled to the Baram with all those who were well affected to the family: some thousands came over, and singularly enough, they were well received by the Kiniahs, the original inhabitants of the country. Though they are said to speak distinct languages, they soon commenced intermarrying, and are gradually becoming one people. I am inclined to think, from their own remarks, that they must originally have come from the same part of Borneo, and that the difference of language is not greater than that which exists among the various branches of the Sea Dayaks. The other inhabitants of the river are the Sububs, on the Tingjir, and the numerous Murut slaves captured in their forays. Si-Matau, who danced so vigorously this morning, was a Subub. I tried, by the aid of the Malay traders, to draw up a vocabulary of the language, but found that the ignorance of these men was too great to enable me to make one entitled to any confidence. I noticed that half their conversation with the natives was carried on in corrupt Malay words, and these they gave me as true Kayan expressions. Before the arrival of the Kayans, the trade to this river was merely nominal; but they, knowing the value of the edible birds’-nests, soon changed the face of matters, as they discovered caves plentifully supplied with this article of Chinese luxury. Their houses are now built in the neighbourhood of the resort of this wealth-creating bird. Quite lately, however, they wantonly injured their own interests by taking the nests five times a year, and never allowing the birds a chance of hatching an egg; the consequence has been, that they are seeking more secluded spots, and are reported to be resorting to the numerous caves found in the mountain of Molu. The other articles of trade are camphor, wax, gutta-percha, and, lately, a little india-rubber. They principally import gray shirtings and chintzes; the Malays, vying with each other, took one year, it is said, 50,000 pieces, and allowed the Kayans to have them on credit. Since then everything has gone wrong--debts are not paid, quarrels arise, and the caves are ruined by endeavouring to obtain the means of purchasing more articles.