BRITISH BORNEO. 1 OH 
the Imperial Government. The strange experiment, in the 
present day, of a London Company inaugurating a Govern- 
ment in a tropical Colony, perhaps not unnaturally caused a 
certain feeling of pique and uncharitableness in the breasts 
of that class of people who cannot help being pleased at the 
non-success of their neighbours’ most cherished schemes, and 
who are always ready with their “I told you so.’ The mea- 
sure of success attained by British North Borneo caused it to 
come in for its full share of this feeling, and I am not sure 
that it was not increased and aggravated by the keen interest 
which all the officers took in the performance of their novel 
duties—an interest which, quite unintentionally, manifested 
itself, perhaps, in a too enthusiastic and somewhat exaggera- 
ted estimate of the beauties andresources of their adopted 
country and of the grandeur of its future destiny and of its 
rapid progress, and which, so to speak, brought about a reac- 
tion towards the opposite extreme in the minds of the class 
to whom I refer. This enthusiasm was, to say the least, par- 
donable under the circumstances, for all men are prone to 
think that objects which intensely engross their whole atten- 
tion are of more importance than the world at large is pleased 
to admit. Every man worth his salt thinks his own geese are 
swans. 
A notable exception to this narrow-mindedness was, how- 
ever, displayed by the Government of Singapore, especially 
by its present Governor, Sir CECIL CLEMENTI SMITH, who 
let no opportunity pass of encouraging the efforts of the in- 
fant Government by practical assistance and un prejudiced 
counsel. 
Lord BRASSEY, whose visit to Borneo in the Sunbeam I have 
mentioned, showed a kindly appreciation of the efforts of the 
Company’s officers, and practically evinced his faith in the fu- 
ture of the country by joining the Court of Directors on his 
return to England. 
In the number of the “Nineteenth Century” for August, 
1887, is a sketch of the then position of the portion of Bor- 
neo which is under the British influence, from his pen. 
As the country is developed and land taken up by Euro- 
pean planters and Chinese, the Company will be called upon 
