40 BRITISH BORNEO. 
sul-General soon afterwards returned to his post. In May, 
1887, Sir FREDERICK WELD, Governor of the Straits Settle- 
ments, was despatched to Brunai by Her Majesty’s Govern- 
ment, on a special mission, to report on the affairs of the 
Brunai Sultanate and as to recent cessions of territory 
made, or in course of negotiation, to the British North Borneo 
Company and to Sarawak. His report has not been yet made 
public. There were at one time grave objections to allowing 
Raja BROOKE to extend his territory, as there was no guar- 
antee that some one of his successors might not prefer a life 
of inglorious ease in England to the task of governing natives 
in the tropics, and sell his kingdom to the highest bidder— 
say France or Germany ; but if the British Protectorate over 
Sarawak is formally proclaimed, there would appear to be no 
reasonable objection to the BROOKES establishing their Gov- 
ernment in such other districts as the Sultan may see good 
of his own free will to cede, but it should be the duty of the 
British Government tosee that their ally is fairly treated and 
that any cessions he may make are entirely voluntary and not 
brought about by coercion in any form—direct or indirect. 
CHAPTER VI. 
The British Colony of Labuan was obtained by cession from 
the Sultan of Brunai and was in the shape of a guzd pro quo 
for assistance in suppressing piracy in the neighbouring seas, 
which the Brunai Government was supposed to have at heart, 
but in all probability, the real reason of the willingness on 
the Sultan’s part to cede it was his desire to obtain a power- 
ful ally to assist him in reasserting his authority in many 
parts of the North and West portions of his dominions, where 
the allegiance of the people had been transferred to the Sul- 
tan of Sulu and to Illanun and Balinini piratical leaders. It 
was a similar reason which, in 1774, induced the Brunai Gov- 
ernment to grant to the East India Company the monopoly 
of the trade in pepper, and is explained in Mr. JESSE'S letter 
to the Court of Directors as follows. He says that he found 
the reason of their unanimous inclination to cultivate the 
friendship and alliance of the Company was their desire for 
