BRITISH NORTH BORNEO
This territory, formerly known as Sabah, situated at the northern end of the island or Borneo, has a coast line of about 500 miles. The population is supposed to number about 120,000, which includes about 10,000 Chinese. The chief geographical feature in the territory is the mountain of Kina Balu, about 13,000 feet high. The principal river on the West coast is the Padas; on the East there are the Kinabatangan, Labuk, Sibuku, Sugut, Segama, and many others. The best harbours are those of Gaya on the West coast, Kudat on the North, and Sandakan on the East.
The climate is particularly pleasant for the tropics; the days are rarely very hot, while a blanket is often required at night; and very little inconvenience is experienced from insect pests, such as mosquitoes and the like. Hurricanes, earthquakes, and other natural disturbances are unknown. The seas are teeming with fish, and the prospects of an export trade in dried and salted fish are encouraging. Trade with Hongkong, especially in timber, is well established, and steamers for Hongkong and Singapore, whence the majority of the trade supplies are obtained, are frequent. Amongst the zoological productions of North Borneo are to be noted elephants, rhinoceros, deer of three kinds, wild cattle, pigs, bears, &c. There are pythons of 20 feet and upwards in length; but other snakes, particularly poisonous varieties, are very rare. Of game birds there are a few-argus, fire back, and Bulwer pheasants three sorts of partridges, many pigeons and doves, snipe and quail.
Sandakan has a magnificent harbour and is the chief place of trade. The import include cloth, rice, hardware, manufactured goods of all kinds, opium, Chinese tobacco Chinese coarse crockery, matches, biscuits, oil, sugar, &c. The chief exports are tobacco timber, cutch and rattans, gutta-percha, india-rubber, birdsnests, seed pearls, trepang sharksfins, camphor, cutch tortoiseshell, dried cuttle fish, beeswax, and other natura products, which are brought in from the interior, the neighbouring Sulu Archipelago &c. The imports for the whole colony for 1896 amounted to $1,882,189 as compared with 1,8663,907 in 1895, the exports to $2,473,753 as compared with $2,130,600 in 1895. The revenue in 1896 was $407,208, exclusive of $4,492 for land sales, and the ordinary expenditure was $313,807, extraordinary expenditure on capital account being $182.209 Tobacco-planting promises to become a great and profitable industry, and the tobacco already raised obtains a ready sale at very high prices. Coffee-planting is being taken up, and gambier, cotton, Manila hemp, and sugar are receiving attention from Europeans, as well as from natives and Chinese. Cutch is extracted from mangrove bark and is being exported in increasing quantities. The population of the town of Sandakan, the capital of the territory, was 7,132 in 1891, of whom 131 were Europeans and 3,627 Chinese. On the east coast a short line of railway is being constructed, running inland from Brunei Bay to open up the interior of the country, and it is intended ultimately to carry it across the island to St. Lucia Bay. Sandakan became connected telegraphically with Labuan on the 7th May, 1897, and was thus placed in communication with Europe, etc.
The territory of British North Borneo was acquired from the Sultans of Brunei and Sulu by cession for a small annual payment in 1879-80, and the British North Borneo Company was incorporated by Royal Charter on the 1st November, 1881. The area of the territory is 31,106 square miles, and the population, according to a census taken in 1890, was 120,000. In May, 1888, a British Protectorate was established. The following officers have administered the Government of the Territory since its acquisition by the Company :---1881-1887, W. H. Treacher; 1887-1888, W. M. Crocker (acting); 1888-1891, C. V. Creagh, C.M.G.; 1891-1892, L. P. Beaufort (acting); 1892, C. V. Creagh, C.M.G; 1895, L. P. Beaufort.
LABUAN
This, the smallest British Colony in Asia, was ceded to Great Britain by the Sultan of Brunei in 1846, and taken possession of in 1848. It is situated on the north-west coast of Borneo in latitude 5 deg. 16 min. N., and longitude 115 deg. 15 min. E. It has an area of 30 square miles, and is about six miles from the Borneo coast. Although Labuan possesses a fine port, has extensive coal deposits, and by situation seemed likely to become a depôt for the trade of the north coast of Borneo, it has only partially fulfilled the expectations formed of it. The produce of Brunei finds a market in Labuan, but the volume of the trade is small. There are three sago manufactories on the island, where the raw material is converted into flour, for export chiefly to Singapore.
Digitized by