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THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[April i, 1884. 



sa.w ill Mr. Daly's collection at Kudat, specimens of the i 

 rocks to hi' fouml in ilitTerC:it parts of the country and 

 states that they are certainly " the rocks in which one 

 would be encouraged to look for mineials." There is 

 now also f:iir o-rouiul to expect that minerals, including 

 a native oio of 1 ismuth, will be discovered in the Segama 

 ilistiict, on the East Coast. 



Coal, as was to be expected, has been met with in 

 several localities. The finds, however, have not been of 

 a nature to induce the Government to work them, and 

 ])robably no attempt will be made until the resiilt of 

 Mc'ssrs. Cowie Bros.'s experiment at Muara, near Brunei, 

 becomes known. 



The rush of Hongkong Chinese to Sandakan has set- 

 tied down to a steady tliirty or forty by each voyage of 

 the steamer. Many of the first coiners were dissatisfied 

 with their introducton for the first time to a tropical 

 forest-covered country, so different to their preconceived 

 ideas and to what they had been accustomed to in their 

 native land. They have returned to their own country 

 Those who remain shew every confidence in the Land 

 thoy have adopted. Tha interest of the Straits Settle- 

 ments Chinese in the country has been well maintained 

 from the very first. These enterprising people, from long 

 residence in Singapore, Malacca, Penang and the Pro- 

 tected States, are fully acquainted with the character- 

 istics of Malayan countries and do not expect impos- 

 sibilties. The result is a steady increase in the revenue. 

 The Spirit Farm has been well sold ; the Opium Farm 

 f.ir 1SS4 has been leased for a little more than double 

 the figures reached in 18S3 : for a Farm of Pork for 

 consumption, a large number of tenders were received 

 and a revenue half as large again as that which had 

 been estimated for the new year has been obtained. 



An offer of §9,000 for the Gormanton bird's nests for 

 ISiff has been received, which will leave a nett profit to 

 the Government of S''.OIin— .an encouraging increase when 

 it is consitU-red that tlie revenue from this source for the 

 years 1380-83 only totalled S6.077. This was exclusive of 

 the export duty of ten per cent ad valorem, which will 

 be receivable also during the pr sent year. 



Communication with China mil probably be undertaken, 

 during 18S4, by tlie China and Manila Steam Ship Com- 

 pany, and thus North Borneo will be placed en rapport 

 with the Philippine Islands as well as with Hongkong. 

 We can only hope that some of the former islands will 

 now be iiuluced to turn their attention to our territory, 

 mth its wealth of virgin soil. 



Efforts are being also made by the Government to in- 

 duce one of the lines running between Hongkong and 

 Australia to touch at Sandakan, near which port their 

 usual route leads them. 



The Court of Directors having resolved to defer open- 

 ing for the present the more remote parts of the in- 

 terior and to confine their attention rather to the coast 

 lino, a re-arraiigcment of the staff has been necessitated 

 and several valuable ofiicers have been thereby lost to 

 the country. It is not for us to question the wisdom of 

 this decision, but taking it for granted that the Directors 

 know their own business best, we merely express mu: re- 

 gret at the loss the territory has sustaineil in the oflScers 

 who are leavinur ns, taking with thera that experience of 

 the country which they have so laboriously and zealously 

 acquired. Mr. C. A. Barapfylde has resigned his post of 

 Sub-Resident of the East Coast. We are not exagger- 

 ating when we say that, taking all nationalities into ac- 

 count, he is the most popular officer in the Company's 

 service. A rumour having spread that both the Governor 

 and Mr. Bampfylde were about to retire, extensively 

 sicned addresses were presented by the Chinese and by 

 the Malay community, begging them to reconsider their 

 decision. We are glad to hear that, on receipt of a tele- 

 gram from the Court of Directors, the CJovernor has 

 consented, with the approval of the Colonial Oflice, to 

 remain at his post another year. There is an old adage 

 as to the inadvisabilty of swapping horses while crossing 

 a stream. 



The attention of the Straits gambler and pepper planters 

 who are now experiencing a difficulty in finding suitable 

 l;md in the Straits Settlements, Johore and Khio, is being 

 gradually turned to North Borneo, whore large tracts, 

 >vell adapted for this cultivation, are to be found. The 



Government prepared to ofler liberal terms. The import- 

 ance of this question cannot be exaggerated, as the ex- 

 ample of prosperous Sarawak has proved. 



For the race of 1S84, Sandakan is a long way first 

 favorite, Gaya and Kudat are neck and neck for the se- 

 cond place, with slight odds in favor of the former un- 

 less care is taken in the latter's training. Silani suffered 

 neglect when, in its infancy it most requireil support, and 

 will have considerable trouble in overtaking its opponents. 



The prospects of the New Year are altogether encourag- 

 ing, but much depends on the officers, from the highest 

 to the lowest, pulling hard, and pulling well together, as 

 heretofore. 



Ground "NuT.s. — A gentleman in this station lias, 

 we hear, shipped a thons;ind rupees worth of ground 

 nuts for Europe. A line oil can be extracted from 

 the kernels, and the shipment will possibly cme back 

 to India as the linest Olive or I^uoca ol, and be bought 

 aa such by the people here. It is only one more ex- 

 ample of the produce of India being carried to a 

 foreign market for the want of local enterprize to 

 utilize it. Is it ever to be so? — Bangalore Spectator. 



Rhea Grass. — For many years past eii<leavours have 

 been made in various directions to utilize this natural pro- 

 duct of India for the production of textile fabrics, but 

 without general success, owing to the difficulties attending 

 its profitable decortication. Four times within the present 

 century — quoting from The Timcf of the 22nd ultimo — 

 has rhei-a been the subject of official action, while with 

 in the last fourteen years a prize of £.5,iKiOhas been twice 

 offered by the Indian Government, twice competed for, 

 and twice withdrawn in consequence of all the mechanical 

 means submitted for ti'ial having f.iiled to meet the re- 

 quirements of the Ciovernment. Within the past two or 

 three weeks, however, it has been demonstr.ated that there 

 is a machine of recent invention which effectually separates 

 the fibre from the woody stem of the green rheea, and 

 at the same time cleanses it from all extraneous adherent 

 matter, producing it in good condition for the market, 

 and this without any previous or subsequent treatment. 

 This machine, which is the invention of Mr. H. C. Smith, 

 consists of an iron framing about 3 feet high, '2 feet wide, 

 and 3 feet deep from fi out to back, carrying a revolving 

 drum about 18 inches in di.araeter and 12 inches wide. 

 The drum is fitted with a series of beaters which pass 

 near to the edge of a small feediug-table about 12 inches 

 wide, the di-um being covered in with an iron hood. From 

 beneath the feeding-table a thin sheet of water is made 

 to play in a constant stream against the drum at a certain 

 pressure and angle, and this constitutes the whole of the 

 apparatus. The fibrous plants are fed in by hand on the 

 feeding-table, and are simply held up to the beaters by 

 a cushion or backing et water, by which means the whole 

 of the extraneous matter is removed, aud the fibre pro- 

 duced in a remarkably short time, and in excellent con- 

 dition. The macliiue was invented about a year ago, and 

 some speeimensof it have been made and sent out to India, 

 where they are now doing good work upon various kintls 

 of fibrous plants. Until about three weeks ago, when the 

 machine was first brought under the notice of Dr. Forbes 

 Watson, it does not appear to have occurred to any one 

 to try the effect of the appliance upon the fibre of the 

 rheea plant. This gentleman's long practical acquaintance 

 with fibrous plants at once suggested the idea that with 

 the water backing it would successfully treat the rheea. 

 The machine, on beins put to the test satisfactorily answered 

 his expectations, and a few days a private demonstration 

 took place at Messrs. .Tennings's Works, Stangate ^\■b8l■f, 

 Lambeth, the experiments being conducted by Dr. Forbes 

 Watson. It may for the moment suflSce to say that the 

 results were such ns to fully satisfy those present — gentle- 

 men interested in the natural resources of our Eastern 

 Empu-e, and of great practical knowledge. Thus it it is 

 only reasonuble to assume that the problem of the mecha- 

 nical preparation of rheea fibre has been solved, and that 

 the prospects of the utilization of this valuable but hitherto 

 useless ai-e now fairly established. — llouu and Colonial 

 Mail. 



