The Sun.
London, England, 1858-09-28 00:00:00

ment to protect the just rights and kgitimate inte-
rests of her Majesty's subjects. That is, gentlemen,
what my position really was—that with the know-
ledge and concession of the Sultan of Borneo I held
the country and government of Sarawak, and he de-
fended my rights thereto. No sanction more con-
clusive can well be conceived, and the treaty of
1821 was then finally settled, and my just rights
and legitimate interests not only acknowledged but
defended. As a sort of corollary I was afterwards
appointed a public officer and instructed to negotiate
a treaty, by which Holland with other nations was
excluded from the north-west coast of Borneo. Thus,
if acts indicate the intentions of the Government,
those intentions were clear. In 1847 I was in Eng-
land for a few months, when I was honoured by the
Sovereign, applauded and distinguished by my
countrymen, and formally- thanked in the name •of
the Government by the Premier for my services. I
then retired with increased power to the East as
the representative of Great Britain. Step by step
the intentions of the Government were developed.
Assurances were made that England would repress
disorder and encourage commerce, and measures
were actively prosecuted for this purpose. Having
referred to the confidence in the protection of Eng-
land which these measures inspired in the natives,
and stated, as an additional proof of the protective
objects of the Government, that the British Minis-
try sanctioned the national flag at Sarawak, which
was saluted by British ships of war, Sir James
asked whether these vigorous measures were now
to be abandoned. He replied " No; this policy,
honestly commenced, honestly pursued, must be
maintained." He continued :—I have an intuitive
conviction of the value attached by the people of
England to the unswerving maintenance of the
national faith, whether in dealing with a petty
native State or a powerful European nation. This
conviction has grown with my growth, and it is
upon this that I rely for a decision in favour of the
native inhabitants and of the British residents in
Sarawak. Remember, gentlemen, that British
merchants and British missionaries, British subjects
of every class and country, with their wives and
families, in reliance on the faith and justice of their
Government, have embarked their all—life and for-
tune—in Sarawak. Many a year of toil has passed
over them, and many n seed of promise has been
sown which cannot and will not, I believe, be be-
trayed. I must, however, leave it to you and to
the great commercial communities of the country to
decide-whether, under the circumstances I have de-
tailed, Sarawak can be abandoned and the interests
'attracted there destroyed. I feel confident every
gentleman present will concur with me that a na-
tional obligation should, if requisite, entail a national
sacrifice, and that a public sanction should be
held as sacred as a private bond.. But no
sacrifice or costly, offering at the shrine of political
integrityis required in this case, but a simple and
advantageous arrangement of a long vexed ques-
tion, difficult to evade consistently with honour.
Sarawak cannot stand alone. She must lean upon
the support of an European State in order to ensure
that permanency which is at the root of all prospe-
rity. The proposed arrangement ik3, that England
should grant a protectorate to Sarawak ; and,
secondly, that she should refund the sum which I
have expended to bring Sarawak to its present
prosperous condition. The other details would fol-
low as a matter of course.. This proposition is just ;
for, the arrangement being advantageous, England
should not benefit at my expense—(hear)—or, in
other words, should not trade upon my small capi-
tal; and, having acquired a valuable province, she
should not repay my poor but very highly lauded
service by the deprivation of my inheritance. It is
moreover not only just but necessary, for it will
afford a national sanction for consistency,
i and sup-
ply me with means for placing Sarawak n a state
of efficiency after the late Chinese insurrection which
was brought upon her chiefly in consequence of
her close relations with England. Having de-
scribed the geographical features of the country
with a view to show the commercial advantages
which England would derive from the arrangement,
Sir James said that the value of the countries of
the Eastern Archipelago had been recognised by
the people of England, and the cession of the island
of Java, with many another rich dependency, had
been deplored as a foolish and fatal act of neglect
by the government of the day. A bright jewel was
plucked out &mil the British Crown from lack of
knowledge to appreciate its value. Do not (he con-
tinued) stand by and see this error repeated in the
present with regard to Borneo. Do not permit the
north-west coast of Borneo to be cast away in order
that you may regret its loss hereafter. Guard that
possession as a link uniting the British possessions
in Australia and India with our vast and growing
interest in the empire of China. Sarawak holds a
commanding position on the shore of the China sea,
both for commercial purposes and those of protec-
tion and defence: she possesses a fertile soil, valu-
able tropical products, extensive forests of valuable
timber, and is rich in the minerals most needed for
the maintenance of our political position and the
development of our commerce; for the value of the

coal fields of the north-west coast of Borneo can be

estimated only by the extension of our commerce
and the increase of our steam marine. It will be
well for the statesmen and merchants of England
to pause and consider the coming exigencies of the
nation. The Chinese treaty has been concluded ;
that vast and decrepid empire lies prostrate before
British commerce and European diplomacy. It re-
quires no profound sagacity to predict that the
nation whose territory borders the China Sea, and
whose resources arc nearest and most valuable, will
gain a paramount influence over—nay, more, a poli-
tical mastery in China; and for want of precaution
it may be that the commerce of England will find
itself impeded, and have to struggle against obsta-
cles far worse than any which have yet been expe-
rienced. I cannot believe, however, that she will
turn sluggard, and that her Government will con-
tinue deaf to the claims of national grandeur
and commercial extension. The ripening harvest
of commerce must be watched, and carefully reaped
An European policy is to be developed in the East
and the north-west coast of Borneo is a most im-
portant position. Do not, then, throw it away.
Having disclaimed the object of mere personal
aggrandisement, Sir James said, to gain the pro-
tection of his native country for Sarawak, and to
place her in a state of prosperous security, had been
the passion of his life. A very few months more
would decide the future of Sarawak, and bind or
break the ties which so long had connected her
with this; country. This decision (he continued)
will give me joy or sorrow for a short time The
pulse of pleasure or the pang of anguish may thrill
or throb for a short. time, but duty will then
resume its sway. That duty is clearly before me,
and it must be done. .Sarawak must be placed in
prosperous sccuritv, and then my life's task will
have ended. (Cheers.) Sir James concluded
by urging those present, and the mer-
chants of Liverpool generally, to recortimend to
her Majesty's Government the adoption of a policy
which would redound to the honour and advantage
of England, and confer lasting blessings upon the
inhabitants of the north-west coast of Borneo.
Mr. T. B. HORSFALL, M.P., responded to the
health of the members for the borough and county,
after which Mr. C. TURNER responded to the toast
of the commercial bodies of Liverpool.
The MAYOR gave " The health of the Members
for the Town," to which Mr. HORSFALL responded,
and in doing so he urged upon the commercial bodies
of the town to take up this important question and
press it upon the attention of Government.
The MAYOR, as the last toast, gave " The Com-
mercial Associations of the Town," and
Mr. C. TURNER briefly responded.
Sir James subsequently went on 'Change, where
he was enthusiastically received.

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