August i, 1888.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
tho small tax which has recently been placed on 
kerosine oil in this country. 
The Punjab oil-fit-ids Ho between Baku, on the 
Oaspain Sea, and tho oil-producing regions of Burma, 
and experts who havo examined them consider them 
to be very favourably situated. They hold that they 
are similar in formation to the oil territory of .Baku. 
There aro spouting wells so graphically depicted by 
Charles Martin, in his Iteyion of the JiUriml Fire, 
havo ^i veil .Russian oil a hold upon the markets of the 
world. The company have adopted as thoir seal the 
picture of a (lowing well which figures on the cover of 
Marvin's book. Tho North- Western Railway, running 
west from Rawulpiudi, gees right through tho centre of 
tho property and the first well is to be put down at a 
place called Eatebjung, 30 miles west from Rawulpiudi, 
where oil can new bo seeing oozing out of the ground 
forced up by the pressure from below. It is tho 
intention of the company to bore down there 1,500 feet, 
unless a spouting well is sooner obtained. 
Marvin says these wells aro worked at Baku at a 
dopth of from 300 to 800 feet, the deepest well there 
being 825 feet ; and that when the oil is struck the 
force of gas from below is so great as to frequently 
blow tho heavy drilling tools and apparatus out of the 
hole up into the air, which is followed by an immense 
flow of petroleum, saturating every thiug with oil all 
round, and rising somotimes to the height of 300 feet 
before it cau be controlled. In describing one of the 
oil fountains at Baku, he says : "At 420 feet there was a 
terrific outburst of gas, which was repeated at 490 feet; 
the oil each time mouutiug to the surface, but dis- 
appearing after the cap was fixed. The third time, at 
546 feet, the explosion of gas was terrific, hurling the 
pumping cylinder into the air, and smashing the top of 
tho derrick to pieces. Afterwards dry sand began to 
spout with terrible force, forming a fountain of grit 
from 350 to 100 feet high. Bits of rock were hurled 
so high as to be lost to sight ; all tho windows of the 
neighbouring engine houses were smashed, and the 
metal roof of a boiler house was broken through by 
a falling stone. This 'sand-volcano' lasted 45 mi nut s, 
and was succeeded by a blast of gas which poisoned the 
atmosphere at Balakhami the rest of the day. After 
a considerable time a cap was fixed on the tube, and 
directly afterwards the oil began to spout." 
It is to be hoped the "l'uujab and Oriental Oil 
Company" may obtain something of this sort at Eateh- 
jung and that oil will he found in India to take the 
place of the Russian oil which is now coming into this 
country in such large quantities. 
BRITISH NORTH BORNEO. 
We have been favoured with a copy of the 
latest Report of Acting Governor Crocker, together 
with the Report presented to the shareholders in 
the North Borneo Company at their meeting on 
June 27th. We are glad to notice that the Direc- 
tors aro careful to keep land sales proceeds 
separate from general revenue ; moreover they write 
off for depreciation of assets and make allowance 
for exchange. '1 his may be seen from the fol- 
lowing : — 
Tbo_ total Receipts for the year amount to 
£26,670 2b (id, comprising £22,692 2s 9d from Revenue 
pr. pt r, f2,2'.Ki 12s M from Sales of Band in Borneo, 
and £081 7s 3d from Interest and other sources in 
London. A reference to the comparative state mi nt 
of Borneo Revenue an.i Expenditure for the jean 
ISHli and 18*7, which is appended, will show that 
while tho receipts from Revenue proper amounted m 
tho form, r year to 5.127,781 "23 they havo risen in the 
Utter to -.1 P2 (in7-2(l giving an increase ol * 1 |,;i;„". 
or over U per cent., and this has been distributed 
oyer almost all the various items of Revenue. Tho 
Expenditure iu Borneo shows a decrease iu 1887, as 
cotupurul with 1886, of >6,649 06. 
The Home Expenses amount to £2,081 IDs 4d against 
£3,825 18s Id in 1880 ; the latter, however, included an 
item of £719 13s 2d as extraordinary expenditure in 
connection with the Colonial and Indian Exhibition. 
Capital Account has been debited with £2,454 17s lid 
for Expenditure on additional property and improve- 
ments in Borneo, and credited with £2,200 12s Od for 
Sales of Land and other property. In addition to 
this a sum of £3,140 10< 7d has been written off for 
depreciation of Assets throughout tho Territory, and 
charged to Revenue Accouut ; the result of the year's 
operations being a decrease of £2,901 5s 2d ou the 
Capital Account. 
The Advances outstanding (Sundry Debtors — Borneo) 
at the close of the year have increased by £1,310 0s Id, 
and now stand at £24,405 17s 2d. 
The rate of Exchange has been taken at 3,2 the 
dollar as against 3/4 in 1880, aud the result is shewn 
by the item of £1,300 9s lOd at the debit of the Re- 
venue Accouut. 
Tlie Directors have again the satisfaction of re- 
porting a steady increase in the Keoeipts, and a 
decrease in the Expenditure of the Colony. Siuce 
these Accounts were prepared large sales of laud have 
been made for Tobacco planting, which bids fair to 
become an important element iu the development of 
the Company s Territory. The introduction of capital 
and labour, which must necessarily follow, will result 
iu an immediate benefit to the revenues of the country. 
BIr. Charles Vandeleur Crtagh, late Assistant-Re- 
sident of Perak, has accepted the appointment of 
Governor of the Colony, and Mr. Crocker, who has 
been acting in that capacity for the last year, has 
returned to resume his duties as Manager of the 
Company in London. 
The Directors have pleasure in announcing that Lord 
Brassey has accepted the seat at the Court which 
was vacated by the resignation of Mr. James Brand. 
From the Governor's Report we quote : — 
Sandakan, 1st November 1887. 
Lord Brassey showed his confidence in the Com- 
pany by investing in its shares, and in the Country 
by taking an interest in a mercantile firm in Sanda- 
kan, which is engaged in the Timber Trade with 
China. 
The Settlement of Deli, in the Island of Sumatra 
is one of the most advanced of the Colonies under 
Dutch rule, and its prosperity is also owiug to such 
a large number of Chinese being employed in the 
Tobacco Estates. The tobacco grown in Deli is highly 
esteemed by cigar manufacturers for covers, it being 
remarkable for its pureDess of leaf. The production 
ot this tobacco has been steadily rrrereasing, the ex- 
ports being in 1883, 93,000 bales (of 80 kilos, or 
177 lb. each) ; in 1884, 128,000 ; in 1885, 125,300 
aud iu 1886, 140,000 bales. Land iu Deli and Langkat 
suitable lor tobacco growing is now running short. 
I have found it impossible to obtain the actual figures 
of the Revenue derived from Deli by the Dutch 
Government, but a resident of the country gave me 
as a safe estimate SSOO,000 a year, whilst the expen- 
diture does not amount to one-half that sum. 
The territory of Sarawak on the North-west coast 
of Borneo comprises an area of 41,000 square 
miles with a population of about 300,1100 souls 
composed of various races, out of which it is 
estimated there are 20,000 Chinese. Although the 
revenues of this state have not advanced by 
leaps and bounds tho progress has been steady and 
satif factory (especially since the introduction of Chinese 
Gambier and l'epper planters in 1875), as the follow- 
ing figures will show. 
Revenue 1875 ... ... ... $15S,435 
„ 1880 ... ... .. 229,718 
„ 1885 315,264 
„ 1886 ... ... ... 316,661 
„ 1887 ... ... ... 350,813 
Here alio the bulk of tho Revenue is derived from 
I. ii i uses, tho Chinese contributing directly aud indir- 
ectly about S200,IHM a year or §10 per head in the 
population — and their introduction iuto Sarawak re- 
sulted iu doubling the revenue iu ten yeard. 
