Detroit evening times., 1945-07-02

great anthrOpOid ape. the orang-
uian, next in size 10 the gorilla:
oEthe head hunting DyakS of
North BOrneo, and of the per-
SlStent piracy of the Borneo
MalaXS who hundred Years
ago. piliaged the shipping of the
South China Sea.
Every American circus al one
time claimed To exhibit the
wild man Of Borneo
The greater part OF the island
Is q Dutch possession.
But with all their agricultural
and for reStaLtechnluue. the
-BHtetf-hate- e-neNerhnrn- -ahteIo
make the island important
Yet here is a persistent
glamour about Bornee and ro-
nance has a place in us history.
When Europeans first saw the
island The Sultanate Of Brunei
was one of the greatest centers
of Malay power.
The old town, largely built
upon piles, extending into the
hay, Is still probably the largest
Malay city in the world.
b The one surviving ship of
MagellanS feet reached Brunei,
and this expeditions narrator
Pigafetta, has left a lively and
highly informing description Of
the Sultan'S magnlfiCcnce. his
elephants. the richness Of his
court.
At that day Brunei was a CEN
ter of culture Of the MalayS.
Its manufactures. brass swivel
guns, or "lantaCaS. bowls hetel
boxes, and wavy kriSeS. could be
bought 40 years ago anywhere
In the Sulu Sea.
The Sulianate is a PROTECTOR
ale of Great Britain.
VNIE little island OF Labuan,
L about SlX miles off the coast.
was annexed AS a British pos
session IN 1916.
II has A fine, snug harbor,
which its boosters thought might
become a second Singapore.
The island was unlnhabited al
that time
Its present population IS only
a few thousand, including Chi.
nese traders. Borneo Malays
who bring IN products of the
Jungle and Of the sea, Tamil
laborers. and mere handful Of
Englishmen
! was on Labuan 35 years ago,
VII @ n British company was
attempting 10 develop coal.
| think II was the third or
fourth enterprise that had gone
broke in this adventure.
South of Brunei lies the prin-
cipality of Sarawak
This has a story of romance.
\ little more than 100 years
ago. an EngliShman named
James Brooke. who had fallen
heir 10 a small fortune. privately
fitted out a small armed ship,
engaged crew and embarked
upon an adventure of destroying
the pirates of BornCo.
With some assistance from
British mcn-of-war. he sue
Cccdcd. and the grateful sultan
of Brunei endowed him with the
territory of Sarawak and the
title of lajah. which is still
hereditary IN his family
DRITISli North Borneo. which
II may he the next Japanese
held territory that will he at
tackled by Allied forces. has a
fine harhor at Sandaken.
In 1882 the British crown cre-
ated the North Borneo Com
pany As A chartered agency Of
government and exploitation.
Title was gained BY A ceSSlon
Of governing and property rights
from the sultan of Sulu. who for
AZ years has lived under the
American flag.
In 1903, when I was entrusted
with negotiations with the sui
tan Of Sulu. this head Of
decayed Malay Sultanate. whose
name was Mohammed Jamalul
kiram ii. made many protests
of American authority in his
traditional possessions.
His SaddeSt complaint was
that when ne Visited Sandal<an.
the British gave him Saluir of
II guns, bcfIttng sovereign
ruler
But # he came from Mann
hum. hls capital, to the post AT
Jolo, the Americans wouldn't
even fire off a musket in his
kNHr1