BRITISH BORNEO. 81 
gapore, and the Court of Directors of the Governing Company 
could do nothing better calculated to ensure the success 
of their public-spirited enterprise than to inaugurate regular, 
direct steam communication between their territory and Hong- 
kong. In the first instance, this could only be effected by a 
Government subsidy or guarantee, but it is probable that, in 
a short time, a cargo and passenger traffic would grow up 
which would permit of the subsidy being gradually withdrawn. 
Many of the best men on a well managed estate will re-en- 
gage themselves on the expiration of their term of agreement, 
receiving a fresh advance, and some of them can be trusted to 
go back to China and engage their clansmen for the estate. 
In British North Borneo the general welfare of the inden- 
tured coolies is looked after by Government Officials, who 
act under the provisions of a lawentitled ‘‘The Estate Coolies 
and Labourers Protection Proclamation, 1883.” 
Owing to the expense of procuring coolies and to the fact 
that every operation of tobacco planting must be performed 
punctually at the proper season of the year, and to the desira- 
bility of encouraging coolies to re-engage themselves, it is 
manifestly the planters’ interest to treat his employés well, and 
to provide, so far as possible, for their health and comfort on 
the estate, but, notwithstanding all the care that may be taken, 
a considerable amount of sickness and many deaths must be 
allowed for on tobacco estates, which, as a rule, are opened 
on virgin soil; for, so long as there remains any untouched 
land on his estate, the planter rarely makes use of land off 
which a crop has been taken. 
In North Borneo the jungle is generally felled towards the 
end of the wet season, and planting commences in April or 
May: The Native Dusun, Sulu and Brunai labour is availa- 
ble for jungle-felling and house-building, and xzbong palms 
for posts and zzpa palms for thatch, walls and kajangs exist 
in abundance. 
Writing tothe Court of Directors in 1884 I said :—‘‘ The ex- 
periment in the Suanlambah conclusively proves so far that 
this country will: do for tobacco,*: * * * There seems 
every reason to conclude that it will do as well here as in Suma- 
tra. When this fact becomes known, I presume there will be 
