When he returned, it appeared to me he had a very hang-dog look, and next day I noticed he was very busy about my medicine-chest, and I found my laudanum bottle on the table. Being very much engaged at the time preparing my letters for the mail, I took no particular notice of his movements, but immediately after dinner, having taken coffee, I felt drowsy, and had scarcely entered my mosquito room, when I fell on the sofa, and remained in a stupefied sleep for thirteen hours. On my recovery, Ahtan came with a scared look, and said somebody had stolen my heavy iron chest, and it proved to be the case, but as I had six dogs, one of whom was a savage mastiff, my suspicions instantly fell upon my own people, and passing over my household servants, I fixed on my boatmen as the culprits. The Sultan, however, sent and begged I would leave the matter in his hands, and on my expressing my willingness, instantly arrested two of my servants, Ahtan and a Manilla Christian named Peter. They were separated, and at dead of night the Sultan went himself with a drawn kris in his hand to the latter, and said if he would confess he would save his life, but if not----; he did not finish the sentence, as Peter instantly fell on his knees, and clinging to the Sultan’s feet, begged that his life might be spared and he would explain all. It appeared that while he held and quieted the mastiff, Ahtan had taken a blacksmith and a carpenter to the chest, and they had carried it off. As these men were constantly employed by me, it explained the silence of the other dogs; but though he could tell how the chest was carried off, he knew nothing of what had since become of it. The Sultan then left him and went to Ahtan, but no threats or entreaties had the slightest effect on him, as he had sworn in the most solemn manner to be faithful to the members of the Tienti Hué, and would confess nothing. The two accused were seized, and as they also belonged to the Secret Society, suspicion was directed to it. I sent for the chief and the other officers of the Hué, and told them the whole story, and said, if the chest unbroken, with the 80_l._ in it, and all the papers, were not placed on the ground before my house within forty-eight hours, I would turn the Sultan’s attention on them. They protested their utter ignorance of the robbery, which was probably true, but they well knew how to influence all their members, and before the forty-eight hours were over, the chest, untouched, was thrown on the mud just above my house. Finding after a fortnight that the prisoners were receiving treatment totally at variance with English ideas of justice, I sent and begged the Sultan to pardon them, and turn his attention to getting rid of the Secret Society from his dominions. He complied, and it merely required a warm recommendation on his part to the chief officers to break up the society, to induce them to do it, as he declared that