Sept. 1, 1899.] THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
205 
BY KAIL IN BRITISH NORTH BORNEO. 
{From Our Own Correspondent.) 
Bukon-, IGtli July. 
" No country can advance unless it provides 
and maintains a couifortable means of rapid 
transport," is, I believe, an accepted axiom in 
these days of progress. A few words on the 
means of communication, present and future, of 
this new country, will perhaps be of intere-^t to 
your readers. I left Sandakan on tlie 3rd July 
in the coasting steamer " Labuan," north about, 
to Labuan, calling at the ports. These form a 
special point in the coast line of Borneo and 
British Nortii Borneo can boast of better and more 
numerous harbours than can be found in this 
part of the ocean's boundaries. Calling in at 
Jambanjon, Kudat, Ambong, Santian, we arrived 
AT LABUAN 
on the third day. From Kudat onward*, the 
hill ranges on a fine day form a fine feature 
in the view. Kudat is a thriving town, in a 
good agricultural district, which in ]883 bi ought 
in a Revenue of §14,000 to tlie Treasury and 
this year the estimate is $123,000 to wliich in- 
crease, tobacco, coffee, and Chinese immigration 
have helped. The soil is good and the leeoids of 
the old East India Company, who had stations he e 
about, show that the Kudat district contained 
30,000 fighting men. In these the woid 
" lighting " would not apply to the peaceful 
people who now sparsely occupy the ground, but 
owing to epidemics in the past, to piracy and 
to war, the population, though now increasing 
rapidly, was very small in 1881, wiien this coun- 
try came into the hands of t!ie British North 
Borneo Company. The next port, 
AMBONG 
is in a pretty land-locked bay. It has only 
lately been opened and is doing a good cattle 
trade supplying Sandakan and Looloo where there 
now are 750 American soldiers. The (ioverrunend 
charges an export duty of one dollar per head. Tlie 
cattle cost about fifteen dollars laid down in 
Sandakan and sell for twenty to the bntclier. 
From Ambong a bridle path twenty miles long 
runs up the Tampassuk River and 
THE GREAT MOUNTAIN KINABALU 
can be ascended from here; but the best route is 
from Santian, the new port in Sayah Bay. Mr. 
Little, the Acting Governor of Labuan, wlio has 
ascended Kinabalu, tells me the trip can be done 
for §300. The officer in-charge at Santian, Mr. 
Haynes, is very kind and would lend his 
as.sistance in collecting transport coolies. 1 believe 
the ascent has only been made five times. The 
upper part of the mountain is smooth rock with 
low vegetation in the sheltered ravines and 
crevices. The last village is something over 4,000 
teet up and there is a large cave at a J 2,000 or 
about two thousand feet below the top. The 
cold at night is great and the coolies suHer from 
want of suitable clothing. To a naturalist the 
mountain affords a grand field for research, 
Labuan is the departure point for the main- 
land. At present there is only one launch avail- 
able for the crossing to Weston, the sea terminus 
of the railway, but I hear rumours that the 
Sabah Steamship Co., which runs the three 
local coasting boats, propose to keep a fast launch 
at Labuan, capable of doing the trip in tiiree 
hours or less. The present available launch takes 
five hours and is in a chronic state of break- 
down. The line from Weston (so named after 
Mr. A. J. West, the Railway Engineer) to 
Bukow, eight miles, is almost complete. I 
27 
came the whole distance in a truck drawn by the 
construction engine witliont a jolt in less "than 
an hour which included two stoppages and 
taking in firewood and water. At Bukow river, 
the want of suitable timber has caused delay in 
building a bridge, but when this has been done 
the twenty three miles 
FROM WESTON TO BEAUFORT JUNCTION 
on the Padas River will easily be done in an 
hour or so. I am now staying the night with 
Mr, West, tlie Engineer-in-chargs of the con- 
struction, and tomorrow we go to Boaufort, in a 
comfortable first-class carriage. Mr. West has 
shewn me the train consisting of a liglic-CTjgine ap- 
propriately named "Progress," one tirst-class car, 
one thirrl-class and four waggons (one closed) ail 
built of local wood in Mr. West's workshop. 
This' he runs twice a week from Bukow to 
Beaufort. The third-class car holds thirty and 
is generally full, (fare twenty-five cents); so are 
the waggons when going up. Coming down they 
get a return cargo of rotan, etc., and a little gutta. 
The land from Weston to Bukow is 
SPLENDID COCONUTS AND RUBBKR LAND 
and there are a lot of native garden^^ and paddy 
fields. The rail way overseer at Weston, who lives 
a couple of miles from the terminus, told me 
the country was very healthy with good diinking 
water. It is cold at night. At Weston the 
people get fish every day. I saw two fishing- 
boats come in and we took some fish up to 
Bukow. The price at Weston is three cents a 
catty. Weston is now beginning to wake up. 
Up till now all the traffic has gone by the River 
Bukow to and from Biikow, but a railway bridge 
across the Bukow will make Weston tlie terminus. 
No town lots have been sold as yet at Weston 
as it is desirable to raise the ground first ; but 
the engine will be at Weston inin.ediately and 
ballast will soon be run down and thrown over 
the low land from a liiil one mile aloni;- the line. 
A stone pier has also to be made. The hill is a 
mass of ready-made ballast and at present pro- 
duces a wonderful crop of pineapples. The pigs 
take a large share and the balance sell for two 
cents each (three cents to a European !) This is a 
wonderful fruit country. Durians sell at live 
cents and can he hail in great quantity next 
month— and I hojie to he licrc. I remember meet- 
ing an ex-Ceylon Engineer in Singapore who told 
me :— " When I scent a durian my mouth waters 
and I gaze around with fingers itching to clutch 
that durian ! ' The fall of the year is our chief 
fruit season. 
Tomorrow I go to Beaufort and up the River 
Padas with Mr. W. Towers who has laid out a 
railway from Beaufort north alone the Coast to 
Santian, 63 miles, on a metre gauge like this one. 
Mi. Towers is now inspecting the ground between 
Beaufort up river thirty (?) miles which he says 
resembles the Haputale line in point of difficulties. 
Mr. Towers was seven years in Ceylon and must 
be well-known to you. I will send you a line on 
my experiences on my return to the L^o.ast. 
NEW CEYLON. 

A Sample Packet of Malacca Tea has been 
sent to the editor of the Straits Times who has 
tried it, and who writes ; — " It seems very good 
tea of a distinct and wholesome flavour, and piire ; 
and one is not surprised to learn that large, 
quantities of it are now being sold in the StraUs. 
The Malacca tea is also being shipped to Egy))c 
and to London, so much so that a new drying 
machine will shortly be af'ded to the factory." 
