CO882-(8-9) — Page 10

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Juforance —

C.O. 882

8 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAP-NOT TO

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Whatever the opinions of the Pengirans and chiefs may have been as to the desirability of cession, they were unanimous in protesting against the forcible seizure, and the Sultan appealed to Her Majesty's Government to make Rajah Brooke withdraw. As a result Her Majesty's Government (November, 1890) directed Mr. Trevenen, the newly appointed Consul, to proceed to the Limbang immediately on his arrival at Borneo, and ascertain what were the real wishes of the inhabitants and whether the Sultan had actually exercised any rights of sovereignty in the Limbang within recent years, and to suggest, in the event of Rajah Brooke's seizure being ratified, what amount of compensation should be paid.

Sir C. Smith* was at the same time instructed te urge the Sultan to cede the Limbang to Sarawak, and to ascertain what terms he would accept, and also to tell Rajah Brooke that the annexation would not be approved until arrange. ments had been made for the payment of suitable compensation.

The Sultan replied that on no terms would he cede the district (February, 1891). He added that he had received a deputation from the richest men in the Limbang begging him not to part with the river, and that two villages had asked for and hoisted Brunei flags, which had immediately been hauled down by Rajah Brooke's

officers.

In April Mr. Trevenen visited the Limbang. On his return he reported that the Sultan and his ministers had not exercised any effective Sovereignty there for years. He had interviewed meeting of 15 headmen, 12 of whom were in favour of Sarawak, two in favour of Brunei, and one neutral.†

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There is considerable doubt as to the value of this report. Its wording suggests that the headmen seen by Mr. Trevenen were Bisayas, and this view is supported by the fact that all the names which can be identified are those of Bisayas, and also by the small number of the headmen-15 as against 38 mentioned as taking part in the meeting on June 10th, 1886. It is, therefore, by no means certain that he really ascertained the opinion of the majority of the inhabitants. In any case, a he was accompanied by Rajah Brooke's officers, it was not likely that the party opposed to Sarawak would venture to express ita opinions. (Mr. McArthur states that

• Governor of the Straits Settlements. He was appointed High Commissioner and Consul-General for Borneo in 1889.

↑ The Sultan asserts that his own agenta, who were present, told him that the voting was the other way, 12 being for Brunei and 2 for Barawak. It is probably in view of this discrepancy that he asserts that Mr. Trevener was drunk when he visited the Limbang.

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Mr. Trevenen went up the river in a Sarawak launch, but the correspondence affords no evi- dence on this point. If the statement is correct,

it was, of course, hopeless to expect to get at the real feelings of the natives.)

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In view of this report, Sir C. Smith recom- mended that Rajah Brooke should be allowed

to retain the Limbang, that he should be required to make an annual payment to the Sultan, and that if the Sultan persisted in refusing to assent to the cession and to accept the money, the sums so paid should accumulate in a bank during his lifetime, and if, on his death, his successor also declined to accept the situation, the accumulations should be repaid to Rajah Brooke, who should be absolved from further payments.

This course was adopted. It was intimated to Rajah Brooke that Her Majesty's Government' did not approve his action, but would agree to his retaining the territory on his undertaking to pay "adequate pecuniary compensation." This compensation was subsequently (March, 1892) fixed at $6,000 a year, and the Sultan was given

a year to enter a claim for an addition to this amount. The arrangement as to banking the money was now modified, the Sultan being informed that if the deposits were not claimed in three years they would be given back to Rajah Brooke and no further payments made.

The Sultan declined, and still, after 15 years from the annexation, declines, to part with the Limbang on any terms. He would not claim the money deposited in the bank, although pressed to do so by Her Majesty's Government, and it was accordingly repaid to Rajah Brooke in 1895. Throughout these years the Sultan has never lost an opportunity of protesting against the Sarawak occupation and calling on Her Majesty's Government to have the Limbang restored to him. Her Majesty's Government has, as persistently, refused to reopen question, and urged him to accept the situation.

There are few points needing notice in these years.

the

In 1896, there were rumours of an intended rising on the part of the Mohammedans in the Limbang as a result of Brunei intrigues. There is, however, no good evidence of such an inten- tion, and in any case it came to nothing.

In 1898 two Limbang natives were murdered in Brunei as a result of one of the numerous cattle raids which took place at this time, and which are said to have been instigated by the Pengiran Bendahara-the exact facts are doubt- ful. Rajah Brooks demanded compensation, which Her Majesty's Government compelled the Sultan to pay. He had declined to de so on the ground that the Limbang natives were his

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