Directory_and_Chronicle_1905 — Page 1459

Directories & Chronicles 香港指南 All

BRITISH NORTH BORNEO

795

export trade in dried and salted fish is increasing. 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, and pythons. Of game birds there are a few-argus, fire back, and Bulwer pheasants, wild duck, many varieties of wild pigeon and doves, snipe, and quail.

Sandakan has a magnificent harbour and is the chief place of trade. The imports 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, beche de mer, sharks' fins, camphor, cutch, tortoiseshell, beeswax, and other natural products, which are brought in from the interior, the neighbouring Sulu Archipelago, &c. Diamondiferous ground has been discovered on a tobacco estate on the Labuk River. It has been pronounced to be identical with the Kemberley Blue Clay, with pieces of carbon and burnt garnets in it. At the time of publication the report of the expert requested to examine samples had not been published.

The revenue of the territory for 1904 was expected to amount to $975,000, and thẹ estimated revenue for the current year is $1,096,000. The imports in 1903 were valued at $3,229,310, and the exports at 4,212,151, Tobacco leaf represented half the value of the exports. Tobacco-planting promises to become a great and profitable industry, and the tobacco already raised obtains a ready sale at very high prices. Cutch is extracted from mangrove bark and is being exported in increasing quantities. A great effort to introduce the cultivation of the Chinese poppy (opium) failed. The population of the town of Sandakan, the capital of the territory, was 9,541 in 1901, of whom 101 were Europeans and 3,878 Chinese. There are several sections of railway totalling about 100 miles now open, and work is in progress on three other sections. aggregating 50 miles in length. The longest line runs from Jesselton to Beaufort, 75 miles, which was built at a cost of £3,000 per mile. Sandakan is distant 1,000 miles from Singapore, 1,200 miles from Hongkong and 660 miles from Manila. It 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 is estimated at about 110,000, of whom about 200 are European. 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; 1900, Hugh Clifford, C.M.G.; 1901, E. W. Birch, C.M.G.; 1904, E. P. Gueritz.

Directory_and_Chronicle_1905 — Page 1459

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