1830年,在詹姆斯扬帆前往中国时,他发现了马来群岛,此时的欧洲人并未来到这里。在他的父亲还未离世之前的1835年,詹姆斯回到英国并在芬德利进行了一次失败的贸易之旅[10]。由于受到他父亲生前服务的公司东印度公司和斯坦福·莱佛士的冒险旅途及故事启发,詹姆斯用他的生父留给他的3万英镑购买了一艘多桅纵帆船,詹姆斯为它取名为“保皇号”。在1838年10月27日正式扬帆前往远东之前的1836年,他招募了几位船员,并在地中海上训练他们。1839年7月,詹姆斯来到了新加坡地区。在那里,他遇到了文莱苏丹奥马尔·阿里·塞夫丁二世(英语:Omar Ali Saifuddin II)(Omar Ali Saifuddin II)的叔叔彭坚然·拉惹·穆达·哈欣(Pengeran Raja Muda Hashim),并在哈欣的帮助下找到了一名遇难的英国水手。
詹姆斯原本计划航行至婆罗洲西北部的马鲁杜湾(Marudu Bay),但是英国驻新加坡总督要求他到婆罗洲西南部去为他们感谢哈欣。接下来的一个月,詹姆斯到达了目的地婆罗洲西南部,并在1839年8月14日将他的帆船停泊在砂拉越河畔,会见到了哈欣,并传达了谢意。哈欣告诉他,他来这里是为了控制因皇室近亲彭坚然·印德拉·马哥达(Pengiran Indera Mahkota)所颁布的压迫政策而反叛的民众。马哥达早前被苏丹派去垄断该地区的锑,但这直接影响了当地马来人的收入。土著达雅族和比达友人被压迫得更甚,他们往往在矿山中被迫工作十馀年。据称,文莱的叛乱得到了邻国桑巴斯王朝(英语:Sultanate of Sambas)和荷属东印度政府的帮助,他们希望能得到开采锑矿的经济利益。尽管哈欣尽力阻止这场叛乱,却都无济于事,这导致了哈欣向詹姆斯求助。
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