August i, 1891.] the TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. i^t 
EMIGRATION OF THE UNEMPLOYED 
HIGHER CLASSES. 
[An old Ceylon Colonist and friend — now of North 
Borneo — writes as follows in the Field of June 
6th.— Ed. T. a.'] 
Lord Derby, when ppeakiug nt Liverpool, od Deo. 
29tb, on the eubj iofc of emigration said that England 
cannot find employment for its increasing p^pnlation. 
This applies to the rich as well aa to the poor, aud 
I would lilie to say a word through your columns 
to the unemployed sons of the richer classes in favour 
of a planter's life in British North Bjrneo. As I 
spent thirteen years in the ootTea and tea districts 
of Ceylon, and have taken an active part during 
the last eight years in the planting industries of 
British North Borneo, I may reasonably cltim an 
intimate knowledge cf my subject, gained by twenty- 
one years' practical experience of tropical planting. 
British Nonh Borneo is rather larger than Ireland, 
and'in situated at the northern extremity of the great 
island of Borneo, in the s&mo latitude as Ceylon, 
which it much resembles in climate, but its hills 
are much higher, and cover an area probably five 
times as large as the central, hiily, province of Ceylon, 
and, what is of chief moment to the planter who 
desires cheap transport, good soil is obtainable near 
the sea — soil that has been proved to be suitable 
for tropical plants liko tobacco, coffee, cocoa, pepper, 
gambler, sugar, &c. 
Tobacco planting is being prosecuted on a very 
extensive scale, end the companies engaged have a 
nominal capital of about six millions sterling. Tobacco 
is an annual, and the accounts of the 1890 crop 
(amouQting to 15,000 bales), which was out before the 
rains began to fall m December, are very good, and 
indicate that the trcjubles connected with new enter- 
prises are being overcome, and those who are most 
capable of judging anticipate a great future for the 
eilky leafed tobacco growu in British North Borneo, 
which now obtains as much as 3s. per lb. for cigar 
wrapi^erB, as coinpared with 8J par lb. obtained by 
American tobacco, which is used as cigar fillers. The 
amount of land taken up by the tobacco companies 
on the low alluvial flats on the grout and small rivers 
is about three quarters of a million acres, which 
afforded a reason for raising the price of land iuteuded 
for tohacco planting to 6 dols. (one pound sterling) 
the acre. For other products than tobacco the price 
is still 3 dols. (10s.) the acre. 
In Sumatra, where wrapper tobacco is cultivated, 
the price of suitable land is very high, aud the Nether- 
lauds government has lately limited the sale of land 
in its colonies to Dutch subjects only. 
Coffee appears likely to bo the next product to be 
planted in large quantities in British North Borneo. 
The price for coffee is high, and the coffee brokers 
inform me that, as far as they can judge, they see 
no reason for a fall. In 1882, a coffee planter from 
CeylOD, Mr. T. S. Dobree, visited British North 
Borneo, and reported that the new colony was suitable 
for coffee, and that, in his opinion, it miglit become 
the greatest coffee producing country in the world. 
The island of Borneo is surrounded by the coffee-ex- 
porting countries of the Phillipiues, the Indian Penin- 
sula, Java, Celebes and Sulu ; but I have no knowledje 
of coffee exports from British North Borneo until 
1887, when coffee and pepper appeared in the export 
return. Pepper, encouraged by high prices, is now 
largely cultivated by the Malayf, who formerly supplied 
the markets of the world, until the cultivation of 
pepper was strangled by the exactions of the eultaus ; 
thanks, however, to our English rule, the agriculturist 
in British North Borneo can now pursue his vocation 
in peace. 
Coffee has hitherto received little attention, cocoa 
being the rich Malay man's favourite beverage, and 
thriving well without much trouble ; but enough coffee 
can be found to warrant iho statement made by Mr. 
Dobree, th\t British North Borneo is very suitable for 
coffee growing. Since then we have learnt more about 
it, and a small pamphlet issued by the British North 
Borneo Company, in August 1890, gives details of the 
16 
steady progress, since 1882, of the cultivation of coffee, 
which has lately found favour among the immigrant 
Chinese who began to setlls near Kudat, in 1883, and 
now number over one thousand. The coffee iu the 
experimental garden at Silam, opened by the company 
in 1882, yielded 76 owt. in 1837 from about six acres, 
aud oontiuuea to bear well. Those who have no know- 
ledge of coffee planting will understand the meaning of 
the above figures, when I say that at present prices the 
profit per owt. on crops such as the above shnnid be 
quite 303 per cwt., and the cost of bringing coffee into 
bearing should not be more than £20 per aore, tikiug 
the cost of land at lOa. 
When I was in Oeylon in the "seventies," good 
land waa considered cheap at £10 the acre. The 
British North Borneo Company mike only one charge 
for laud, [now lOs the acre] and give a 999 years 
lease, which compares very favourably with land in 
Sumatra and India. In Sumatra land is leased for 
seventy-five years, and at Darjeeliug for thirty years 
on payment of a premium and a rental, and in both 
places the rent increases up to the fifth year, when it 
amounts to about sixteen pence per aore. 
Haviug lived in British North Borneo, and being 
about to return for a further stay, I feel that my 
recommendation of emigration to this new and com- 
paratively little known country is worth a hearing 
by those who like an outdoor life. At present 
there are about one hundred Europeans engaged in 
planting in our territory, among whom the propor- 
tion of married men ia steadily increasing, and the 
tallies tell me they like the life. Comforts are obtain- 
able by those who can manage properly, and have the 
wherewithal, which means about £15 a month for a 
bachelor, and £25 for a married couple, though, if 
necessary, it cau bo done upon 'less, and I have known 
men to live upon about half the above. 
To show how the country ia progressing, 1 quote the 
following returus for 1881 and 1889, in which time the 
imports and exports rose from £25, COO to £400,000 ; and 
the revenue from £3,000 to £80,000 sterling. For 1890, 
the returns of tradu will be about thirty per cent more 
than those of 1889, and the statement made that Brit- 
ish North Borneo ia advancing by leaps and bounds ia 
not out of place, as tho yearly returns show a steady 
annual increase of over 30 per cent upon each preced- 
ing year. The commercial importance of British 
North Borneo has lately received acknowledgment by 
its admission into the Poatal Union. 
The laws are based upon English colonial usage, and 
have chitfly been adopted from those ruling in the 
Straits Settlements and British India, The distance of 
the territory from England ia abeut thirty-five days 
steam, and tho cost of a first-class passage varies from 
£50 to £70. Should any one desire to make a visit, 
good hotels will be found at tbe two chief porta, San- 
dakan and Kudat, aud some sport with deer, cattle rhi- 
noceros, and elephant oan be had fop the seeking. 
The reason why I specially recommend coffee plant- 
ing as a means of employment to some of our un- 
employed wealthier classes is, because it is within, the 
means of men with from £2,000 to £5,000, and beca use 
coffee appears to have found a natural home in the 
climate and soil of British North Borneo, and promises 
to give very large returns. 
The cultivation of cocoa, gambler and pepper oan 
be oombined with that of coffee, the same soil being 
suitable. I am particularly desirous of seeing gambler 
plituted. I am told by the Mincing-lane brokers thai 
the 40,000 tons of gambler now produced may be 
largely increased without lowering prices very much, 
and that all tanners use it. The leather trade of the 
world is so large, aud markets for tanning materials 
are so numerous, that I believe the cultivation of 
gambier would be exceedingly remunerative, and I shall 
be glad to give figures of coat of production if desired. 
15, Leadenhall-street. Henk? Walkek. 
♦ 
THE AMSTERDAM CINCHONA SALES. 
{Telegram from our Corresjiondent.) 
At today's auctions, 2,606 packages Java bark were 
disposed of at »n averBge uuit of 6|d cents (equal tg 
