BRIRISH BORNEO. §3 
Spanish and Portuguese term, but the Brunai people also 
know it as szgup. 
It was probably introduced into Malay countries by the Por- 
tuguese, who conquered Malacca in 1511, and by the Spanish, 
who settled in the Philippines in 1565. Its use has become 
universal with men, women and children, of all tribes and of 
allranks. The native mode of using tobacco has been refer- 
red to in my description of Brunai. 
Fibre-yielding plants are also now attracting attention in 
North Borneo, especially the Manilahemp (Musa textzlis) a 
species of banana, and pine-apples, both of which grow freely. 
The British Borneo Trading and Planting Company have ac- 
quired the patent for Borneo of DEATH’S fibre-cleaning machi- 
nes, and are experimenting with these products on a considera- 
ble scale and, apparently, with good prospects of success.* For 
a long time past, beautiful cloths have been manufactured of 
pine-apple fibre in the Philippines, and as it is said that orders 
have been received from France for Borneo pine-apple fibre, 
we shall perhaps soon see it used in England under the name 
of French sz. 
In the Government Experimental Garden at Silam, in Dar- 
vel Bay, cocoa, cinnamon and Liberian coffee have been 
found to do remarkably well. Sappan-wood and kafok or 
cotton flock also grow freely. 
CHAPTER X. 
Many people have a very erroneous idea of the objects and 
intentions of the British North Borneo Company. Some, with 
a dim recollection of untold wealth having been extracted from 
the natives of India in the early days of the Honourable 
East India Company, conceive that the Company can have 
no other object than that of fleecing our natives in order to 
pay dividends; but the old saying, that it is a difficult matter 
to steal a Highlander’s pantaloons, is applicable to North 
Borneo, for only a magician could extract anything much 
worth having in the shape of loot from the easy going natives 
* The anticipated success has not been achieved as yet. 
