The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1882-12-30
British North Dofneo.

The latest colony acquired by the British
Government is a large tract of laIrl situated on
the northern part of Borneo, formerly IA part Of
the Kingdom of the Sultan of Brunei, Hui coded
by him TO an English company, in consideration
of an agreed sum to be paid annually a. quit
rent. the territory in question being assigned in
perpetuity. This company has displayed con-
siderable tact in obtaining the sanction of the
British Government to the appointment OF II
Governor, and furthermore they have estGb-
lished an agency in Hungkong to provide for
an extensive immigration to Borneo. A slight
hitch has caused a temporary lnll IN the rush to
the new Ell Dorado. Tn would-be emigrants
consider the taxes to be levied. 3 per cent. od
pdiorem on imports, 10 per cent. on land produce
exported, are too excessive. Sir Walter Medhurst,
who represents the Company in China, promises
to represent this important matter to the authori-
ties, with a view to the reconsideration OF the
tariff. North Borneo is still in q wild state;
trees have yet to be felled and grass to be cut; its
land produce is not great; people on first taking
up their residence there must depend entirely
on the other countries for all their supplies,
indeed their very clothing and food must be i'm
ported. Is it then advisable that there should
be an import tax on goods Again, although
North Borneo has many native products, such as
gutta-percha, india-rubher, beeswax, birdnests,
camphor, rattan, etc, still people do not yet
know whether the products are of good or bad
quality = = . "The air is mild, there is
a cool breeze blowing night and morning, but in
the evening a lined coat only is necessary"
In nothern China, Shanghai. a company has
been formed with the title of the Chinese
Sabah Land Farming Company with n capital
of $3.50 900. The object of this company is to
take over a grant of 40, 900 acres of good land in
Sabah, Professionally made by the Governor of
the British North Borneo Co., for the term of
999 years, at one dollar per acre, free of quit
rent. As an inducement for the public to take
up the shares, they are told that the land in
Sabah is exceptionally fertile, and the climate a
temperate one while the rainfall is all that can
be desired for the cultivation of tropical pro-
ducts such as coffee, tea, gambler cinchona,
sage, tapioca, cocoa, pepper, sugar. tobacco,
indigo, cotton, rice and Indian corn. OF the
40, 900 acres of land Professionally allotted, TO-
900 acres of forest, and 10000 acres OF level
land, have been stipulated for. The forest land
is said to be covered with enormous trees of
about II TO 90 feet thickness and over 200 feet
high" A Chinese visitor writes to the UnipersGl
Circulating HerGd that there are no mos
quitoes, so than one can have Il comfortable
sleep. At midday the temperature is very hot,
and this is so throughout the whole year except
in the winter time when the increased rainfall
cools the air a little. The land is very fertile,
and anything will grow in it and ripen ire
spective OF season, as the weather is nearly al
WAYS the same, neither too hot nor too cold. ="
.' Although land has to be cleared for planta-
tons, still the expenses for it's clearance are not
great !; the natives here will be glad to undertake
the work for So per acre, and the wood thus OBJ
tanned will help to defray the cost. At the present
moment workmen are scarce and we stand in
most need of carpenters and bricklayers, each of
whom will probably get wages from so to 70
cents per day. Next we want more artisans and
laborers, such as roadmakers, farm laborers,
wood enters, fishermen, ship builders, etc. they
will get daily 80 or 40 cents each.'
A Mr.. A.. NJ. Cameron. whilst on a recent visit
to Sarawak, the neighboring State to Sabah,
writes in reference to sugar "The sugar cane,
so we'll is the soil suited to it, is grown without
the least care. 1t thrives like a rank weed. A
few days after laying down the cuttings in and
among the weeds, the cane shoots up vigorously,
and speedily attains to an enormous size. We
have seen these canes in the market from Is to
90 feet in length, and they Were thick and juicy
in proportion. In Bengal the size is not half
the above, and yet there is profit in the manu-
facture there"
The Company are s~anguine of obtaining all
the labor they require without any difficulty.
as the prohibited emigration to the United States
and also to these Islands, leaves thousands OF
Chinese DESTROYS of going abroad to obtain a
livelihood.