The Chinese of Sarawak in the era of James Brooke were rich and powerful from working the gold and antimony mines in Bau. They were ferociously nationalistic to China and lived in seven to eight communities scattered below Kuching, with their own governors, their own temples and thir own code of laws.
James viewed the Chinese growing powers and numbers with unconcern. He disliked them, but regarded them as a necessary evil. They needed to have high tea,opium, samsu and arrack and, therefore an excellent subject to tax, to replenish the Sarawak treasury.
For a long time there were rumours of growing discontent among the Chinese community. Since 1852, there were reports that the Chinese were secretly gathering weapons for an attempt to take over Sarawak. The Chinese hatred for Englishmen reached its peak when the Sarawak government claimed monopoly of trade in opium, selling it at considerable profit to the Chinese.
On February 18, 1857 in the early morning, the chiefs of the gold company at Bau assembled about 600 of their strongest workmen, put all available weapons into their hands and marched them to Tondong on Sarawak River, where a squadron of large boats was waiting.
At midnight the Chinese pulled silently into Kuching. One group made its way along the creek running behind the residence and the other continued downstream to the stockades. The attackers swept across the palace ground and killed a young Englishman, severed his head, which the Chinese mistook for James Brooke. They were jubilant for the trophy.
Residence.
The Astana was built by the Second White Rajah after the Chinese Attack of 1857.
There were only eight white men in the palace ground and only four managed to survive, including James Brooke himself. A handful of Malay defenders were also killed at the stockade where the fort and prison was located.
James Brooke managed to escape in the confusion among the Chinese when they thought that a young white man they killed was him. He cautiously made his way in the dark towards the small creek Sungai Bedil and swam across by hiding underneath the bow of a boat of the attackers. He reached the Datuk Bandar’s house by three in the morning. Datuk Bandar was a very influential Malay leader and fiercely loyal to the James Brooke.
For the rest of the day, the Chinese enjoyed their victory, plundering as they pleased. The white flag of China flew over the Stockades, as they had claimed as the new ruler of Sarawak; and the head of Nocholett ( a yong whiteman they beheaded in the night attack) was carried in procession through the town as a token of triumph, still thinking it was James Brooke’s head.
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DAH IKHWAN
(The article was summarised from ‘THE WHITE RAJAHS OF SARAWAK’ by Robert Payne, published by Oxford University Press)
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