s4 BRITISH BORNEO. 
after the date of the cession, the Dutch hoisted their flag at 
Batu Tinagat in N. Lat. 4° 19’, thereby claiming the Sibuko 
and other rivers ceded by the Sultan of Sulu fo the British 
Company. The dispute is still under consideration by our 
Foreign Office, but in September, 1883, in erder tomprac 
tically assert the Company’s claims, I, as their Governor, had 
a very pleasant trip in a very small steam launch and steam- 
ing at full speed past two Dutch gun-boats at anchor, landed 
at the South bank of the ‘Sibuko; temporarily hoisted the 
North Borneo flag, fired a feu- de-joie, blazed a tree, and re- 
turning, exchanged visits with the Dutch gun-boats, and en- 
ieninined the Dutch Controlleur at dinner. Having carefully 
giv en the Commander of one of the gun- boats the exact bear- 
ings of the blazed tree, he proceeded in hot haste to the spot, 
and, I believe, onicnmimated the said tree. The DutehiGoy= 
ernment complained of our having violated Netherlands terri- 
tory, and matters then resumed their usual course, the Dutch 
station at Batu Vinagat, or rather at the Tawas River, being 
maintained unto this day. 
As is hereafter explained, the cession of coast line from the 
Sultan of Brunai was not a continuous one, there being breaks 
on the West Coast in the case of a few rivers which were not 
included. The annual tribute to be paid to the Sultan was 
fixed at $12,000, and to the Pangeran Tumonggong $3,000— 
‘extravagantly large sums when it is considered that His High- 
ness’ revenue per annum from the larger portion of the terri- 
tory ceded was z7/. In March, 1881, through negotiations 
conducted by Mr. A. H. EVERETT, these sums were reduced 
to more reasonable proportions, namely, 5,000 in the case of 
the Sultan, and $2,500 in that of the Tumonggong. 
‘The intermediate rivers which were not included in the Sul- 
tan’s cession belonged to Chiefs of the blood royal, and the 
Sultan was unwilling to order them to be ceded, but in 1883 
Resident DAvIES procured the cession from one of these 
Chiefs of the Pangalat River for an annual payment of $300, 
and subsequently the Putalan River was acquired for $1,000 
per annum, andthe Kawang River and the Mantanani Islands 
for lump sums of $1,300 and $350 respectively. In 1884, after 
prolonged negotiations, I was also enabled to obtain the ces- 
