26 EXPORT OF GOLD FROM SARAWAK. 



rapidly decreasing since 1823, as immigration from 

 China has in a great measure ceased, on account of the 

 bad understanding which exists between the Dutch 

 and Sultan of Sambas, and the Chinese, the former 

 holding the monopolies of the opium, salt, tobacco, 

 and other things, without which the Chinese cannot 

 exist. The export of gold from Sarawak has, on the 

 contrary, greatly increased ; but as no duties or taxes 

 are levied by its government on the mines, and no 

 notes kept of the quantity exported, it is impossible to 

 arrive at anything near the true result, each person 

 taking out and bringing into the country what he 

 pleases. One of the nakodas (merchants) of Sarawak 

 who deals in gold very extensively, told me that he 

 considered that quite one picul of gold was annually 

 exported from the settlement by Malay traders to 

 Singapore ; and as this includes very little gathered 

 by the Chinese, which finds its way to Batavia and 

 Singapore by way of Sambas, I have no doubt that 

 four times this amount is collected in this little coun- 

 try. I should suppose, from the number of men 

 employed (about 700), that at least 7,000 ounces are 

 annually collected. 



The diamonds of Borneo have long been celebrated 

 as equal to any from India or Brazil in abundance and 

 beauty. They are found principally in the greatest 

 numbers in Sangow, Landak, and Banjarmasin. 

 They were also formerly worked at Sarawak, but never 

 very extensively : a few years since, some fine ones 

 were obtained by the chief Patingi Ali, in a large 

 hole daring a very dry state of the river. At the other 



