598 
THP TROPICAL. AGRICULTURIST. 
[February ’ 2 , 1891 
•\vliich are occupied in tlie cultivation of rice near the 
coast. This district is considered the most productive 
in the western division; still further, inland, the 
dwellings of the Chinese who are employ ed in mining 
operations are met with. This is the scene where the 
sanguinary drama of the Mandhor insurrection was 
enacted, which originated in the obstinate resistance 
of the Chinese “ Kongsis ” against the steady exten- 
sion of the Netherlands authority. 
The connexion of Netherlands with Sambas is of 
ancient date. The first treaty with this State was 
concluded by the East India Company in 1609, and 
stipulated chiefly that the Company would defend 
the Sultan against a'l foreign enemies, parti- 
cularly against the Spaniards and Portuguese. The 
Sultan on his side engaging to exclude all other 
European nations from intercourse with his country, 
and to concede the exclusive right to free trade with 
his State to the Netherlunders, with the right to 
build a fort tor the protection of their per'ons and 
possessions, and ensuring them the monolopy of the 
diamond trade from which even the native tra- 
ders were excluded. In 1816,* after the restPution 
of our Eastern possessions by England a new agree- 
ment was made with the Sultan, by which he 
recognized the sovereignty of Netherlands, and 
ceded all the revenues of his Sultanate and of its 
tributary states to the Government, in return for 
which he was to be paid a fixed income, the amount 
of which depended on the full tax levied on the 
Chinese and on the Dnyaks. In 1819 this arrangement 
underwent further changes, containing amongst 
other stijjulatioDS a clause by which the Government 
was placed altogether in the power of the Netherlands. 
After further amplifications and renewals, the present 
existing Charter was established in 1848 with the 
following principal clauses: — The State of Sambas forms 
an integral portion of Netherlands India, and is 
immediately under the authority of the King of the 
Netherlands, locally represented by the Governor- 
General, and accepts his State as a fief from the 
supreme government and exercises authority in con- 
cert with oflScials appointed by the Government. 
The successor to the throne according to ailat (ancient 
custom) is elected, the election being subject to the 
approval of the Governor-General ; all the revenues 
including the poll-ta.x paid by the Chinese, rents, 
customs and public property of all kinds belong to 
Government, the Sultan receives an allowance of 
Jll‘ 2,000 guldens a year (12 guldens being equal to £1 
at par). In the interior of the State the Sultan is bound 
to provide reasonable maintenance for all the 
members of the princely family, the village contribu- 
tion of labor shall be at the disposal of Government 
for the public service ; the Sultan is to appoint the 
native chiefs in accordance with custom, and in con- 
sultation with the chief Netherlands official, he is to 
maintain law and justice ; afford all help to the 
law courts and to the police, and decide minor matters 
of police and justice. Europeans, Chinese and foreign 
Easterns are subject to the legal authority of the 
Government. 
The Sultan will do all tint is possible to suppress 
“head cutting ” 1 ’ the slavetrade, piracy on the sea 
and coast ; he will do ail he can to abolish the pawning, 
system, and will give a'l practicable aid to encourage 
trade, navigation and all useful branches of industry; 
- Which had been held since 1811. — (Vote by Translator. 
t Totong-kapala, a timo-hocorod institution amongst 
the Dayaks,” is a kind of rlu 1 in which two men at a 
time engage in a fight with heavy sword.s, sharp as 
razors, the delicate attention of each is confined to 
the endeavour to chop off the head of bis opponent; 
other wounds are not allowed to count, so the enter- 
tainment goes on until one of the players loses his 
hca.l and the game at the same time. Until “the 
grinding tyranny of tlio Jlutcli ” interfered these 
e.'cliibitions airorded great amusement to crowds on 
all .S’ate occiieions ; in tho case of the combatants 
it u-elto he coiihidincd, that the more tlio merrier, 
and It, huccessl'nl stroke of the gollok or razor-like 
nword \v.i 3 “ mighty pleasant to behold .” — Noli by 
'I’lUiiilutor. 
and to render the utmost help in case of shipwreck, and 
to shipwrecked persons; he will not enter into any 
compact with foreign princes or people, or permit 
them to establish themselves in his Sta'e, but will 
give intimation to the Netherlands authorities imme- 
diately on the occurrence of any attempt at so doing. 
He binds himself on oath in writing to fidelity to the King 
of the Netherlands ; and lastly, he acknowledges a 
debt on his State to Netherland of f48,080, and will 
submit to all such measures which the Government, 
may deem necessary for the recovery thereof. As may 
be seen from the foregoing. Sambas is a well-regulated 
State, in which the security of person and property 
is as well guarded as in any European country. The 
present Kesident, Heer J. van Nieuwkuijk, lately 
replaced by the Heer Tromp, both most excellent 
men, and the present Sultan Mohamed Tsafludin, 
Knight of the Netherlands Lion, an enlightened man, 
do their utmost to promote the welfare of the 
country. 
As we have already mentioned, there are many 
persons desirous of establi^hing themselves in Sambas 
for the purpose of cultivating the ground as well as 
for working gold mines. Up to the present time the 
latter pursuit has been exclusively in the hands of the 
Chinese, whose appliances are of the most primitive 
nature, yes they are the people in whose footsteps 
Europeans are about to tread. Applications for con- 
cessions have for .some time past been pouring in. 
Thirty-three mining concessions have already been 
granted, hut of these only three have passed into 
formal contracts. The others remain still, only permits 
to examine the ground in order to ascertain its 
adaptability for the proposed purpose. This exami- 
nation, as we have already said, lasts only for three 
years, at the end of which period it must be changed 
for a notarial deed, or ba given up. As soon as a con- 
tract has been signed, the rent becomes payable, at an 
annua! rate of 10 cents per bouw and 2 J per cent on 
the gross produce. So that those who enter into the 
contracts naturally limit the extent of the con- 
cession to the land which has been found absolutely 
necessary. 
We have just said that hitherto the gold was 
collected principally by Chinese v/ho obtained it chiefly 
by washing, being ignorant of any other mode of 
working the quartz reefs. These gold washings are 
situated on the slopes of hills or in their immediate 
neighbourhood, and are connected with a flow of 
water which is essentially necessary for the work. 
When a site has been selected, every effort is made 
to turn a suflBcient supply of water into it, no 
trouble or expense being spared in the construction of 
an eflScient watercourse. 
The nature of the gold deposit, whether mixt with 
sand, incorporated with quartz or in veins, necessitates 
the adoption of different processes for its collection. 
The Dayak goes to work in the most simple manner. 
When the burong (bird in Malay) Soho has indi- 
cated to him where the gold lies, he washes away the 
earth in a wooden trough until nothing remains but the 
particles of gold. The Malay goes a step further ; he 
digs a pit, and gathers all the gravel and earth, and 
washes it out, whilst the Chinaman goes to work 
in different ways, according to the formation of the 
site. If the gold stratum lies above the level of the 
water, and if the water supply is sufiicient, as is the 
case near Pagong in Montrado, all the surface earth 
is dug away, and the stratum of gravel or silt thus 
exposed is carefully washed in broad wooden Jcotalcs 
(Iroughs) arranged in steps, then removed into small 
tubs and riused, and from the residue the particles 
of iron ore are removtd by means of a magnet. 
Where the gold containing silt lies below water 
level a sufficient number of channels are dug, which 
are kept dry by means of a (tali-ayar) water-rope 
acting like a chain pump. As soon as the sought-for 
stratum is reached, it is removed gradually into 
troiigh.=, and washed until the gold is separated. 
Sliould the gold lie in veins, tho stratum through 
which the veins run is broken into pieces with sledge 
hammers, until the depth of water puts a stop to the 
process, the ore is then picked out and reduced to 
