Porcher, Edwin Augustus, 1824-1878, 27. Borneo. Skirmish with the Illanoon Pirates at Tooncoo on February 16th 1852, 1852 February 16
- Call Number:
- MSS 38
- Creator:
- Porcher, Edwin Augustus, 1824-1878
- Title(s):
- 27. Borneo. Skirmish with the Illanoon Pirates at Tooncoo on February 16th 1852.
- Date:
- 1852 February 16
- Classification:
- Archives and Manuscripts
- Series:
- Series I: Drawings
- Part of Collection:
- Oversize 1
- Provenance:
- E.A. Porcher donated 16 drawings related to his Cyrene expedition to the British Museum in 1865. He left his remaining papers and watercolor works to Lieut. Col. Cecil Du Pre Penton Powney (b. 1862), his sister’s surviving son, who donated views, plans and elevations from the Cyrene expedition to the British Museum in 1894. The remaining manuscripts and drawings were inherited by Powney’s daughter, Beryl Wyndham Powney (c. 1896 -1976). Several components of the Porcher collection were sold by private dealers beginning in the 1970s (see 'Related Archival Materials Note' for Porcher holdings in other institutional collections).
- Conditions Governing Access:
- The materials are open for research.
- Conditions Governing Use:
- The collection is the physical property of the Yale Center for British Art. Literary rights, including copyright, belong to the authors or their legal heirs and assigns. For further information, consult the Curator of Rare Books and Manuscripts.
- Scope and Content:
- The incident Porcher depicts was reported in the <title render="italic">Nautical Magazine and Naval Chronicle</title> for 1852 (222-223). Porcher and the crew of the Cleopatra, Pluto and Semiramis were traveling up the Tunku river in pursuit of the Illanun [Iranun] pirates responsible for the murder of the HMS Dolphin’s crew (see “25. Official visit of the Boats of the Cleopatra to the Pangeran Madoud’s house”). When they arrived at the residence of Rajah Muda, marines and armed men landed to find white flags hoisted on the roof of the houses. Porcher reports: “In retaliation for their having fired at us the day before, when white flags were flying, both at the Chief’s house, and also in our boats, about 40 houses were burned, and the little property that was found in them destroyed, as well as their paddy, fruit trees, etc.” (34). The pirates returned fire again, killing one man and wounding two others. Porcher continues with a detailed description of the Iranun pirates from Mindanao, who were known for murdering crews of vessels “except those they are able to sell as slaves”. The entire landscape is frenetic with action; figures are hiding behind foliage with guns, while gunfire issues from the British vessels in the river.
- Additional Notes:
- B1977.14.2229
- Physical Description:
- 1 drawing : watercolor, body color, heightened with white, on medium-thick beige paper, affixed to card mount ; sheet 26 x 36 cm, mount 36.5 x 52 cm
- Genre:
- Watercolors (paintings), Pictorial works, Diaries, Letters, and Ships' logs
- Subject Terms:
- Anglo-Burmese War, 2nd, 1852AntiquitiesAntiquities, RomanChronColoniesDescription and travelExcavations (Archaeology)FortificationHarborsHistory, NavalJunksNaval battlesNavigationPagodasPiracyPiratesPunic antiquitiesShipsTemplesVoyages and travels
- Subject Period:
- 1849-18611850-1900
- Associated Places:
- AsiaBurmaCarthage (Extinct city)ChinaChina SeaCyrene (Extinct city)East AsiaGozo Island (Malta)Grand Harbour (Malta)Great BritainGuangzhou (China)Hong Kong (China)MaltaMellieh̳a (Malta)Pulau Pinang (Malaysia : State)Qrendi (Malta)SingaporeTrincomalee (Sri Lanka)Tunis (Tunisia)TunisiaUtica (Extinct city)Valletta (Malta)
- Associated People/Groups:
- Boxer (Ship : 1855-1865)Cleopatra (Ship : 1843)Davis, N. (Nathan), 1812-1882Great Britain. Royal NavyHarpy (Ship : 1845-1909)Hibernia (Ship : 1804-1902)Kertch (Ship)Melville, Harden Sidney, active 1837-1882Porcher, Edwin A., 1824-1878Porcher, Madelina
- Finding Aid Title:
- Edwin Augustus Porcher Collection
- Archival Object:
- https://archives.yale.edu/repositories/3/archival_objects/2823
- Metadata Cloud URL:
- https://metadata-api.library.yale.edu/metadatacloud/api/aspace/repositories/3/archival_objects/2823?mediaType=json&include-notes=1&include-all-subjects=1