The Portland daily press., 1885-07-02
RAJAH ToRREY.
Remarkable Career of a Bath Man
In Far Off Lands.

For several months past says the Boston
Post, Boston has entertained mawares a
high Asiatic dignitary, monarch whose
sway was unbounded over millions of people,
who merited from his position all the public
honers lavished upon King Kalakua and
other representatives of distant countries
who have visited this city. More than other
guests this man should have found hearty
welcome here, for he was not the innocent
inheritor of throne, but ruler who made
his own kingdom, developed his realm by
his individual force and achieved his title
and recognition by means of pluck, brains
and enterprise. This man was Joseph w.
Torrey, rajah of Ambong and Mavoodu in
Borneo, who died Monday morning at his
Boston residence on Wabon street.
Mr.. Torrey was born in Bath, April 22d,
1928. His father, J. G. Torrey, printed the
Maine Gazette, the first paper published in
Bath. Soon after the birth of his son, the
elder Torrey moved to Roxbury, where he
became city printer His son received his
education in the Roxbury high school. In
1858 he left Boston for Melbourne, where he
entered upon commercial career in the en-
ploy of Enoch Train & Co. Charles Francis
Train was clerk in the house at that time.
Although now more of merchant than
newspaper man, Mr.. Torrey's bright wit and
ready pen led him often into journalistic
work, and during his seven years residence
in Melbourne he was frequent writer for
the local papers. He Joined the Masonic
order and was elevated to the grand master
ship of his lodge. From Melbourne he went
to Hong Kong. Here he continued his mer-
camille work, having been admitted as a
partner in the firm Of Montgomery, Parker
& Co. of Boston. While resident of Hong
Kong, he was for a time editor and manager
of the Hong Kong Times and of the China
Mail He was eventually appointed United
States Vice Consul to Siam, and while resi-
dent in the latter country, strange to say,
practiced law with good success. In Siam
he began the undertaking of his life He
founded the American Trading Company of
Borneo. Several American merchants were
interested with him in this scheme which
aimed to develop a large tract of country in
the north side of Borneo for commercial
purposes.
AT the time the American Trading Com
pany was organized, nearly the whole of
Borneo was governed by Sultan, whose
sway was absolute. The Trading Company
| settled upon about 10000 square miles of
me Suitan,s land, l. e., the provinces OF Am
bong and Mayoodu, and began operations.
| Their action was much similar to what is
| known In the western part of this country as
| presumption. These provinces are rich in
natural products, prominent among them
| being gutta percha, Spices tin and gold, and
the coast line is well adapted for commercial
| purposes.
| At the time Mr.. Torrey began his work
| there the provinces contained about q 0OO 900
inhabitants. 1t was not long before the Sui
! tan of Borneo, Abdul Mumin Ebu Marhoun
| Mulaun Abdul Wahap, saw that Mr.. Torrey
| had come to stay. The sultan's powers were
| threatened by the encroachment of foreign
| powers, and he knew that strong effort in
the right direction would wrest his northern
| provinces entirely from his grasp. 1t may
have been that Mr.. Torrey's Yankee pluck
impressed and terrified the sultan, and it
acy; in either event Mr.. Torrey obtained in
| 1865 a commission from the sultan recogniz-
ing him as rajah, or governor of the terri
tory operated by the American trading
company. As chief executive of this prov
ince Mr.. Torrey had absolute power, being
the final and sole authority over the life and
death of his subjects, exercising in short the
functions of an irresponsible sovereign. He
had the power of retaining his Office for
life and of naming his successor. He con-
tinued his sway with eminent success for
fourteen years. By this time all his business
associates in the trading company had died.
and Mr.. Torrey sold out his interest to a
syndicate of British capitalists who contin-
ued developing the resources of the country
their capital being placed at 100000. A
few months ago he returned to Boston. His
absolute power over his Borneo kingdom was
maintained to the end and he could have re-
sumed the executive control at any time.