CHAPTEE VI. 



LABUAN ISLAND. 



Labuan — Inhabitants — Industries — Coal mines — Revenues and acreage — 

 Oil spring — Climate — Rare ferns — Tropical flowering trees — Fruit 

 culture — Birds — Pitcher-plants — Snakes — Sun birds — Large spiders 

 — Ants — Salt making — Pratckan — Old gardens! — Lizards — Mason 

 wasp — A favourite horse — Annual games on the plain — Church — 

 River travel. 



Labuan is one of the smallest and least well known of 

 all British Colonies. 



This island was ceded to Great Britain by the Sultan of 

 Borneo in 1847, and the year afterwards a settlement was 

 established here, the late Sir James Brooke, K.C.B., 

 being the first governor. Its area is 19,350 acres, and it 

 is situated in lat. 5° 20' N., being about six miles off the 

 nearest point of Borneo, and about 700 miles from Singa- 

 pore. When ceded it was uninhabited and veiy unhealthy, 

 but now contains about 5,000 inhabitants, mostly Kad- 

 yans and Malays, and by clearing and draining the 

 climate is improved. The principal traders and artificers 

 are Chinese. Chinese coolies are imported as labourers. 

 A few Klings or Bengalees also live here. The main 

 object of the colony was the suppression of piracy once 

 rife along the coast, and the working of the coal mea- 

 sures which exist at the northern point of the island. 

 The quality of the coal obtainable here is very good, but 

 the output hitherto has been comparatively small, owing 

 to a series of adverse circumstances. At present the 



