PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
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MC.O. 882
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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
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The
Finally (June 7th), after some correspondence, the Sultan and all the Chiefs and Councillors concerned, except the Pengiran Di Gadong, made a written application for the appointment of a British Resident to govern the Limbang, and "to assist the Sultan when asked." Pengiran Di Gadong, did not seal this docu- ment, and Rajah Brooke subsequently tried to make capital out of this fact, but he had already made a similar request, and the reason for the absence of his seal on this occasion appears to be that special efforts had been made to keep him out of the affair owing to his recent quarrel with the Sultan.
Having sent this letter, the Sultan at once withdrew a flotilla which had been lying in the Limbang river for some time and the Limbangs, at Sir F. Weld's request, agreed to keep the peace till the decision of Her Majesty's Govern- ment with regard to the appointment of a Resident was known. Rajah Brooke also promised to take no action. Sir F. Weld left Brunei on June 8th, having promised to place the request for a Resident before Her Majesty's
• Government, and having settled the other points with which he had been instructed to deal.
In his report he expressed the opinion that it was impossible to induce the Sultan to accept the arrangement recommended by Her Majesty's Government. He proposed that he should be allowed to send an officer to reside in Brunei and advise the Sultan, and thus to lay the foundation of a Residential system, ie., to adopt much the same course as had recently been taken in Pahang.
The report was received at the end of July and was under consideration for some months, the delay being due to the necessity of referring back to Sir F. Weld for information on financial points.
In September, the Sultan, alarmed by Mr. Leys, who asserted incorrectly that he had been autho rised by Her Majesty's Government" to actively use his influence regarding Brunei territorial matters," entreated that a Resident might be sent
at once.
In October Sir Henry Holland expressed the opinion that a Residential system was out of the question as the country could not pay its way for some considerable time, that no scheme involving a loan from Persk or the Straits Settlements-88 had been suggested by Sir F. Weld-could be approved, and that it was useless to apply to the Treasury for a grant. A final decision was postponed till Sir F. Weld's arrival in England.
Meanwhile the Sultan was in straits for money and in October Mr. Leys telegraphed that he intended to sell the Limbang to Sarawak, if
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he could not raise money by the end of the month.* Sarawak offered $20,000. On receipt
of this intelligence Her Majesty's Government telegraphed that their consent to the cession was cancelled, pending the decision on Sir F. Weld's report, and, at the request of the Foreign Office, Rajah Brooke, then in England, instructed his agents to stop all negotiations with the Sultan. He had already undertaken not to enter into any, pending the decision on Sir F. Weld's proposals, but had subsequently given his agents "a certain liberty of action." The phrase is not explained, but Mr. Everett seems to have attached a wide meaning to it. Rajah Brooke himself had been urging the Foreign Office to let him acquire all the coast between the Baram and the Trusan except Brunei river and town and the Muaras.
In November despatches were received from Mr. Leys giving details of the Sultan's proposals to hand over the Limbang to Sarawak. Hia reasons appear to have been partly that he was in great need of money and partly that he had become impressed with the idea that, if a Resident were appointed in Brunei, numerous profitable abuses and such customs as slavery would be abolished and the status of the Sultan would be impaired. It appears that he only wished a Resident to be appointed for the Limbang and had not, as seemed to be implied in his letter to Sir F. Weld, intended him to have any say regard to other parts of Brunei.
in
At the same time the Pengiran Di Gadong, again temporarily on good terms with the Sultan, sent to Mr. Leys a letter to the effect that he had no wish for a Resident to be appointed.
Whatever were the reasons for this change of attitude it increased the difficulty of adopting Sir F. Weld's scheme and, as conferences with Sir F. Weld confirmed the view that Brunei could not be governed except at a loss, at any rate for some years, it was finally decided to let the proposals drop.
In these circumstances Her Majesty's Govern- ment expressed their readiness to approve the cession of the Limbang to Sarawak on condition that all the chiefs whose consent was necessary agreed to it, that fair consideration was paid and that the "Umana" which forbade further cessions was cancelled.
But the Sultan had changed his mind again and refused to cede (February, 1888). His
• The evidence for this intention is not quite con- vincing. Mr. Leya's informant was a Mr. Mitchell, who professes to have been in obargs of the nagollationis on behalf of Barswak, but was oseminly not a properly accredited agent. No documentary evidenos is forth- coming and it is clear that the Sulian never mentioned the iden to Mr. Lays, as he mys that the negotiations were conducted with the greatest secrecy. Mr. Leys in, however, so positive as to the fhot that his statemenį cannot be ignored.