Volume 14 Australasia - dana ward's homepage

133 AUSTBAIASIA.Daj^aks, and towards the middle of the present century had even constituted themselvesiu independent republics. In these kongui, or brotherhoods, the " elderbrothers " and the " j'ounger " co-operated together, and pauperism was unknown.Animated by a commonFig. 51.—Banjekmassin. spirit of solidarity, theyScale 1 : 85,000. defended themselveswith the greatest courage,and exiDeditions ofseveral thousand menwere required to enforcesubmission to the Dutchrule. As in most otherChinese settlements, thestaple trade of Sambasand Montrado is ofopium.Siikadana,situatedon a lateral branch ofthe Kapuas delta, wasformerly capital of oneof the largest states inBorneo ; now it is amere village facing thepicturesquearchipelago.KariiiiafaTheseislands were at one timedensely peopled, but arenow almost uninhabited.The culminating peak ofthe chief island has analtitude of 3,310 feet.Between the Kapuasand Barito deltas everyestuary has its market,every petty state itscapital, wherea Dutchofficial is now seated bythe side of the descend-3,300 Yards. ant of the old sovereigus.But the coast populationis so scanty that none of these places are now anything more than humble villages.Yet the upper valley of the Kahajan abounds in gold dust, which is collected by theDayaks, who have hitherto prevented the Chinese from penetrating to their territory.Farther east the chief emporium is Banjennassin, or simply Banjer, capital of