On the 1st of December I sailed for Sourabaya, the brig being in want of repairs; and on the 19th of January, 1825, returned to Bonthian Bay, on the south coast of Celebes. On the 10th of March, General Van Geen arrived there with the frigate Javaan, and a number of vessels large and small. The general was accompanied by the Panambahan,[5] of Samanap, on the island of Madura, who brought with him a number of native auxiliaries, paid and equipped at his own expense; the Raja of Goa also furnishing a large number of men for the expedition, who were armed by our government. The ships of war were attended by a number of transports; so that the fleet presented a very imposing appearance. On the 16th of March the fleet sailed from Bonthian Bay, and passing through the straits of Salayer, entered the Bay of Boni, without incurring injury from the numerous coral reefs that were scattered along our route. A melancholy accident occurred soon after our departure from Bonthian. A detachment of three officers and ninety-three light infantry men, had been embarked on board a prahu, totally unfitted for a transport. Some vessels having been perceived by the people on deck, they called out that some pirates had hove in sight, on which those who were below rushed up, and climbing on one side of the vessel, capsized her, only the three officers and thirty-three of the men being saved. Our operations commenced at Sengey, where the troops were landed, and the enemy not only driven helter-skelter out of their intrenchments, but forced also to evacuate the neighbouring country. The portion of our force which marched overland having joined us, we pushed forward to Batjua, the capital of the kingdom of Boni, taking and destroying the stockades of the enemy as we advanced. Batjua consists of a chain of beautiful villages, defended by stockades erected in the water and well provided with guns. It is considered as the seat of the court of Boni, although the king resides about an hour and a half's journey in the interior. Being the chief commercial depôt of the kingdom, the trade is considerable. We found a large number of prahus here, the greater number of which had been hauled up on the beach to prevent our destroying them. General Van Geen determined to effect a landing here, and the enemy having been drawn away from the beach by a clever _ruse_, the troops were put on shore without difficulty. The Boniers fled before the advance of our courageous soldiers, sustaining great loss in their retreat. The town was found to have been evacuated by the enemy, although two-hundred pieces of cannon of small calibre were mounted on the walls. The troops brought to the field by the Panambahan of Samanap behaved very well in the attack. Notwithstanding their defeat, the enemy obstinately refused to enter into negotiations with us.