Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-05-16
WHERE CRIME IS RARE
-at-.ak
British State b Northern
Borneo.
-,r--H-
RULE OF -sSARAWAK
A YOUNG ENaLIsHMAN MADE IT'S
KING
Wonderful Success Of His Administra-
tion-An Ideal Civil
Service.

BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star and
Chicago Record Herald.
HONG KONG, April IA, 1904
Occasionally the dry history and statistics
Of the east are enlivened by a CLEAN OF ro-
nance, and the most interesting story
have heard for long time relates to Sara
wax, a country which the most OF you have
never heard of. Mr.. Blaine used to de-
clare, although the idea was not original
with him, that the best government that
could be devised for the human race was
an absolute despotism with wise, brave
and benevolent despot Sarawak comes as
near answering that description as any
country in existence today. But first you
ought to know where Sarawak is.
The Island of Borneo is divided into two
parts, the southern, which is considerably
bigger than the northern. belongs to Hol-
land, and has been governed for three CEN
turtles by the conservative, sturdy, honest
policy of the Dutch. The northern is I'M
der the protection of Great Britain, and
Sarawak is the larger part or II.
Next to Australia, Borneo Is the largest
island in the world, being $50 miles long
and varying from $50 to eco miles VIDE,
with about 100000 inhabitants. Three
The other fourth are mostly Chinese, VINO
cultivate the ground, manage the INDUS
tries, bring valuable natural products out
of the forests, furnish the mechanics ana
laborers for the community, AND do almost
all the small trading. The banks and large
business affairs are chiefly in the hands OF
Englishmen, Germans and other Europeans
Borneo is practically an unknown country
Only a small percentage Is 1nhaptea anu
the greater part has never been explored
Two-thrds of the area Is an 1mpenetraple
forest of valuable timber, Astounding In AMI
NAL life and if you like snake stories can
fit one in right here.
The Dangerous Cobra.
There are fourty-four species OF snakes In
Borneo, of which fourteen are venomous,
and their bites are as conclusive as pro-
tectile from a thirteen-inch gun. The cobra
is the best known, and 1t possesses the
UNIQUE Accomplishment of ejecting venom
from its mouth like the llamas of the
Andes, and whenever the poison strikes a
tender or a bruised spot In the skin 1t Is
fatal There is no cure No antidote mas
eyer been discovered. Ordinary cobras are
about five feet long and from two to three
inches in diameter. They are SLOW ana
sluggish in movement, SO that the natives
can easily capture or kill them, but when
attacked or irritated they grow livelier and
larger. Their bodies swell to twice or three
times the natural size and ten or twelve
inches is added to their length. They twist
themselves into coll with the END OF tne
of the body into the air. so that the head
is sometimes three feet or more above the
ground. Whirling rapidly in the direction
of the enemy, they spit their poison dis
lance of eight or ten feet They are the
most dangerous reptiles in the east.
The bungarno is the largest snake to be
found in Borneo, often twenty-five OF thlrty
feet long; the pythons. twenty and twenty
bamadryad is another big one, but Tor
tunately is not common. The python is the
only snake that thrives in captivity. The
forests of Borneo are full of tigers and 9TH
er big game, and any one who is ambitious
to shoot wild beasts can come down mere
and get all he wants Of that kind of sport.
The State of sarawak.
While Sarawak is usually referred to as
a colony it is actually an independent state,
under the protection of Great Britain, and
the most competent authorities agree in pro-
nouncing it the best-governed tropical coun-
| try in all the world. 1t has an area of
about 40 600 square miles, 100000 popula-
| ton a revenue of about 81 100000 is en-
| tirely without debt, has a handsome bal
ance in the treasury and a prosperous, law
abiding peaceful, contented people. There
are more homicides in Chicago every week
| than there have been in Sarawak for ten
years. Indeed. the record of murders
throughout the entire east is much below
| that of Chicago or New York, while during
the last year more human lives have been
taken by violence in the city of Washing
| ton, which to us represents the highest de-
| gree of civilization ever reached by man,
| than in all the East Indian colonies. This
| is not fattering to the Caucasian race but
| 1t is a fact that the teachers of Christianity
| should reflect upon. We send out mission
| aries to teach the heather races the gospel
of peace and love and brotherly kindness,
furnish ideals
Sarawak has been governed since 1912 by
| English sultans. In the year 1899 young
| man named James Brooke, employed by the
East India Company at Calcutta made a
cruise in his own yacht to Borneo as an
| amateur naturalist and geographer. Very
| little was known of the island at that time
| He was thirty-sfx years old, a stalwart
| vigorous specimen of the English gentle
| man, and the fortunate possessor of a
| large fortune. When he reached Kuching
| the capital, he found that the several tribes
| which occupied the northern part of the is
| land had been fighting each other reent-
| lessly for many years and were still al
| war. He visited the several chiefs, and per-
| suaded them to be friends, but they were sc
! jealous of each other that neither would
| submit to the authority of the others. AT
| ter several months of Cancellation work
Mr. Brooke gained their confidence and
| much to his establishment, they proposed
| that he should be their king. Every ma.
| tive chief agreed to recognize his authority
| and the theoretical ruler the Rajah Muda
! Hassin who had a hereditary right to rule
| offered to abdicate in his favor.
| Mr. Brooke returned to Calcutta con-
| suited his friends, resigned his position
| with the East India Company and became
| the Sultan of Sarawak in 1872 He resigned
| for twenty-six years, until 1868, when he
| died, and was succeeded by his nephew
| Sir Charles Johnson Brooke, who stin oc.
| cupies the throne. The heir apparent il
! Sir Charles v. Brooke son of the present
sultan, who was born in-1S74.
| In 1868, after the death of Sir James
| Brooke. as a matter 4Of pfecaution, his sue
| cessor placed the country under the pro
| lection of Great Britain, and the relations
were confirmed and extended In 1888
A Remarkable Ruler.
| Although the various tribes had been ir
constant warfare UP till the time of Mr.
Brooke's arrival at, ,Kuching as far bach
| as tradition Rnes-there Is no recorded his.