THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[July i, 1885. 



British North Borneo during the year, 1884 :— Camphor, 

 8,573 ; dammar, 4,120 ; gutta-percha, 34,807 ; Indian rubber, 

 22,924: rattans, 31,575; sago, 11,125; timber, 9,756; to- 

 bacco, 2,112 ; trepaug, 8,020. Grand total $267,240. 



AVe learn that the following terms for timber cutting 

 have been provisionally accepted by the agent of the 

 North Borneo Trading Syndicate, Captain Beeston, sub- 

 ject to confirmation by his directors. — The Syndicate to 

 have the right for three years of cutting and exporting 

 timber only, from 11,000 acres of Goverumeut land situ- 

 ated in largo blocks on the Tolibas and Sagayan rivers, 

 in the Uusang Peninsula, in the Benkoka river, and in 

 Blarudu Bay ; paying the Government for this privilege a 

 quit rent of 26 cents an acre in advance per annum and 

 %u export royalty of $1 per ton of 40 cubic feet. The 

 rights of the natives in the matter of timber for domestic 

 purposes are conserved. 



Gold in Nouth Borneo. — The following letter addressed 

 to the Government by Captain Beeston regarding gold in 

 North Borneo, cannot fail to be of interest at the present 

 moment, when the question of gold is exciting so much 

 interest. Captain Beeston, whose opinion is valuable owing 

 to his possessing practical knowledge on the subject, ap- 

 pears to be very favorably impressed with the raetatliter- 

 ous characteristics of the northern and Eastern portion 

 of the Territory. Wo may state that since the date of 

 his letter information has been received from London to 

 the effect that rock sent by Resident Davies from the 

 Sugut-Paitan district yielded gold on analysis. It would 

 Beem that gold exists in an extensive district comprizing 

 the North and East of North Borneo from Marudu Bay 

 to Silam. 



Sir,— As promised I have the honor herewith to forward 

 you such information regarding gold in North Borneo as 

 I procured during my visit to the country in 1883. 



"While the whole of the East Coast from Silam to the 

 Segama river is from its formation undoubtedly auriferous 

 I actually got gold in the following places: — 



Silam ; the Segama Kiver ; Lahadata, in Darvel Bay ; 

 Banguey Island. 



Silam. — At Silam the gold was found in a small stream 

 or creek that runs past the experimental gardens. The 

 wash is principally quartz gravel mixed with ironstone 

 cubes and stanniferous sand. The hill above the creek 

 bordering the gardens also contains quartz and I shall not 

 be surprized if areef were found in the locality carrying gold. 

 Segama Rivek.— On the Segama River the country in 

 which I found gold is micacious granite and sandstone 

 with serpentiue outcropping not far off. I found it in a 

 small creek on the left bank of the river not far from a 

 high conical hill at the foot of which there is a large out 

 crop of serpentine. I am pretty certain that the whole 

 of the country up this river is auriferous and it giviitly 

 resembles that of the Palmer River country m .\..iili 

 Queensland. Besides the gold I obtain^ i a auiall quautity 

 of stream tin in this river, and I am Ml~(^ of opiniou that 

 Cinnabar exists in largo quantities as I found one or two 

 pieces in the creeks, but they had evidently " travelled " 

 some distance as they were much water worn. 



Lahadata. — The Lahadata country in Darvel Bay re- 

 sembles that at Silam with the exception that slate out- 

 crops slightly here and there. The wash in the creek ex- 

 actly resemblei that at Silam, and the country abounds 

 in quartz. This place is well worth thoroughly prospecting, 

 as the country is ea.sy to get over, and should payable 

 gold be found, it could be very easily worked. 



Banguky. — On Banguey island the gold I obtained was 

 on the right bank of the I'augkalan river about two miles 

 from its month. I like the took of the country here very 

 much but bad no time to prospect it properly. In addition 

 to the gold here I fonud asbestos in the creek. As 

 Banguey is now inhabited and work being carried on there, 

 it is quite possible an important discovery might be made 

 at any time. Jlr. G. L. Davies, Resident of the West 

 Coast informed me that he had tried the river with no 

 result and I gave him on the chart the exact locality where 

 I obtained the gold. 



In addition to the above places I should consuler the 

 country in the neighbourhood of tho Selimpadan River 

 running into Maruda Bay would be well worth prospect- 

 ing, as from the wash and the look of tho beaches it ap- 

 pears very likely to contain minerals of any sort. 



In conclusion I would record my opinion that a sys- 

 tematic prospecting of the East Coast would not fail to 

 bring about valuable results.- 1 am, sir, your obedient 

 servant, R. D. Beeston. 



The Hon'ble W. H. Treacher. 



THE KG. 1 SIROCCO : MR. C. S. AEMSTRONG'S 

 AND MR. C. A. HAY'S EXPERIMENTS DIS- 

 CUSSED BY THE PATENTEES, AND THE 

 DIFFERENCE IN OUTTURNS EXPLAINED: 



INTERESTING INFORMATION. 

 Messrs. Davidson & Co. write as follows : — " We have 

 received the copies of the ' Times ' and Obseritr 

 with both Mr. Armstrong's and Mr. Hay's reports on 

 working the No. 1 Siroccos. We notice that Mr. 

 Hay cannot understand how Mr. Armstrong man- 

 ages to get 45 to 48 lb. of dried tea from a No. 1 

 Sirocco, against his own 30J lb., but we can see that 

 their work is about equal, 



" Mr. Armstrong puts 13 trays of 9 lb. charges equal 



to ... . . ... 117 lb. leaf, 



into his Sirocco in the hour and geta ,.. 48 diy tea, 



which gives an evaporation of 60 lb. water 



or moisture in the hour. 



" Mr. Hav eets 10 trays in with 9 lb. on each equal 



to . . .. 90 lb. and has, 



an outturn of" 30^ lb. dried tea, 



which indicates an evaporation of... 59i lb. of water 

 in the hour, and you will admit that it is 

 not far wide of Mr. Armstrong's results. It is Mr. 

 Davidson's experience of some estates in India, growing 

 indigenous leaf on low flat soil that 2 to 2i lb. 

 sap has to be evapor.^ted to give 1 lb. of dried tea, 

 while others working hard China leaf on sloping hilly 

 and dry soil nearly get a lb. of dried leaf to every 

 lb. sap evaporated. In like manner Mr. Armstrong 

 may have a naturally less amount of sap in his roll, 

 or may wither it a little better than Mr. Hay's, and 

 in this way may have a larger outturn par hour of 

 dried leaf. Of course you will readily see that it is 

 the amount of moisture driven off that regulates the 

 outturn, and it there was hardly any moistme to 

 evaporate there would be a very first rate outturn 

 The best evaporation ever done by ns with a No. 

 1 was 80 lb of water per hour against Mr. Arm- 

 strong's 69 lb., but of course it is to be expected 

 we would get fullest possible results with our ex- 

 perience and European workmen. With a No. 3 J. 

 shape we have got 180 to 195 lb. and once 200 

 lb. (this is a remarkable advance on the No. 1), and 

 with our new T-shaped Sirocco 216 to 220 lb. 

 per hour. The results obtained by Messrs. Hay and 

 Armstrong are very fair indeed for praotical work- 

 ing with coolies. Of course when our men do a 

 day's experimenting they have a certain advantage 

 over ordinary labourers at a tea garden, for we work 

 carefully and with all the knowledge of a long ex- 

 perience, and could hardly expect an estate to get 

 quite our results, but they should get within a few 

 lb. (6 or 10) of what wo get." „.,,,. , 



Note by W. II. Davies ,0 Co.— As Mr. T. J. Gngg of 

 Theberton also sent to the papers the result of 

 his working the Sirocco No. 1, we give bolaw tho 

 threo experiments for comparison :— 



S. AuMSTunNo. C. A. Hay. T. .1. Gnroo. 



13 trays of 9 lb. 10 trays of 9 lb. 11 trays of / lb. 



each. each. each. 



117 lb leaf 90 lb. U-af 77 lb. leaf 



48 lb. made tea 30J lb. made tea 34 lb. made toa 



63 lb. water 59i lb. water 15 lb. water 



evaporated. evaporated. evaporated. 



