SltPTfiMBEH t, tSgi.l 
TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
tl7 
THE BRITISH NORTH BORNEO 
COMPANY. 
The 17ih balf>yearl; general meeting of the British 
North Borneo Oompany was held yesterday at the 
Cannon-street Hotel. 
Sir BuniGRroRD A 1 .C 0 OK presided, and, in moving 
the adoption of the report, said that there had been 
a very oonaiderable and satisfactory Inorease for 1890 
in aimost every item of revenne proper, mote especi- 
ally nndtr the benis of “farms’’ and “onstoms” — 
two permanent sonroes of great importance. The 
inorease for 18u0, in round figures, amounted to 
S 108, 869— namely, from 8261,602, in 18S6 to ,8368,401, 
111 1890. There had been an inorease in the expen- 
ditaro of 882,660, Bat the increase on both sides of 
the accounts was partly onnsed by the inolnsion, 
for the first time, of the revenne and expenditnro of 
Labnan, and partly also by a modification in their 
SI stem of acoounts as explained in the report. 
Willi this explanation, there was sufiScient ground 
for congratnliition that in 1890, within ton years 
of the formation of the oompany, the receipts 
amonnteu to a snm of £101 666, leaving a surplus 
over the total expenditure of £19,238, subject to 
au omoni.t to bo provided lot depreciation, differ- 
ences of exchange, &o., of £4,366; and if sueb 
a surplus was uot very large it would readily be 
admiltod that, with a similar sarplus in 1889, it 
was a groat improvement on the budgets of the 
preoediiig eight years, and was of good augary for 
tlia future. The other souroo of receipts, the land 
B»lo.s, again in 1890 prodaced the sallsfatory snm 
ol £30, 2-12, or very nearly the same as in the three 
prteodiug year.s. But owing to the present de- 
pression in the ananoNl and oommercial world, oon- 
Biderable returns under this head could scarcely be 
couotod upon. An iucrotise was appireut under almost 
evert Iig.I'.I of the expeudituro aeoouu’', but more no- 
tably urider lliat of police, the upkeep of steamers, the 
ni'oessily for a large surveying stalF, uud a ubw item 
for peusiu- s, auiouutiug to £1,225, uhargoabie to tbo 
revenue oF I.^luiau wliicli the compaiiy had to pay, 
having taken uvor the guveriiuieut of tho ojlony with 
its revenue an 1 liabilities. It was, however, ex protod 
that tho i- hill I would be administered without lots, so 
that the item nould bo covered by tho receipts. Bince 
Ills last Boio lilts were presented, the deed of sottle- 
meut, at tho request of the court and shareholders, 
having been amende 1 by the Privy Council, the court 
was now authorized to deal with the monies de- 
rived from the sale of land in connexion with funds 
received from other souroes, such as the revenue proper, 
and the balance of oash, tlicrefore, had been passed 
to the gouotal secount, with the result shown in tho 
lialanoe-ahect. Negotiations had been proceeding for 
some time with the Indian authorities to obtain 
facilities for tho emigration of natives of India to 
Borneo, and tetius had heeu arranged definicely, 
it was believed, with tho Indian Government. 
Independent of any advantages liiat might be reaped 
from au aoceasion of labour from India, there was 
every reason to hope tiiat the tree libour from China 
now coming in and tho improved sanitary condition 
of the tobacco estatca would very sliortly remove most 
of the obstacles hitherto eueountered in obtaining 
all tho supply desired, and of a much better quality. 
But tobacco, aa ho hud often impressed upon tho 
aharehoUiors, was not tho one reaouroe of Borneo, 
nor would the ultimate success of the island as a 
colony bo deprndont upon tlia cultivation of tobacco 
for Its prosperity. It had been abundantly proved 
tliat ita soil, climate, and other conditions were 
favourable to the growth of many of the most favour- 
able I)■o^^cls of tropical couuitics which fotnn d the 
staple of H vast commerce. These woie all sources 
of great wealth, only wanting l-luropeau eule.rpriso 
tu be dovoloped into a great trade in Borneo. Having 
retorted to sovoral ayndicates already formed with 
the object of enoonracing this new trade, he said tliat, 
in addition to these enterprises, important eoiioessions 
bad been recently made which might bo fruitful 
' Tho most iropoitaut of lUcso was 
one granted since the last meeting to a syndioate 
for the purpose of forming a railway company. There 
could ho no doubt that the construction of a railway 
from tho eastern to the western coast would oonfer a 
great benefit on tho country and all concerned in i's 
(Jevetopment. Tho ailministrstion of Lahuan. under 
the company’s management, was satisfactory, and the 
ooal mines were boiug vig.aronsly worked by the 
Ocntrnl Borneo Oompany, which had put on a largo 
steamer to trade between tho Island and Siugaporo, 
Mr. B. B. Martin seconded the resolution. 
A long diecussion followed, in which Mr. Cohen, 
Mr. John Martin, Mr. Spucliug, Mr. Hildyard, Mr. 
Blundell, nud others took part, the principal point 
coDsidored being as to whether the araouat reoeived 
from land sales shonUi bu regarded as revenue oud 
divided amongst the share holders, or used a.i capital 
In tho devfllopmeut of iho cQiupau>’s eutcrpiise. .\a 
amendment was moved by Air. .John Martin, and 
seoondod by Mr. Spurling, to tbo sfiteot that the meet- 
ing should be adj'jurne I, in order that the directors 
might furnish n bilanoi-sho't aaooiiuting for thepro- 
oecds of land sales in conformity with Ariiole 82 of 
the deed of settlement. 
On a show of hands being taken, the amendment 
was lost by 94 to 21, an, I tho resolution was then 
agreed to.— Londen Times, J uly 10th. 
NETHERLANDS INDIA. 
Tho Sourahaya Courant takes note that tlm de- 
mand for waste land in tho 8. E. poriion of 
Netherlands Borneo has taken the form of mania. 
It finds that the coLOCssions ol large tracts of 
land there, without adequate security that the 
applicant cun roadily turn them to account within 
a reasonable time, runs counter to the inleresla 
of cultivation. So liberal are the conditions fet 
securing conoossioii.v, that they tend to work in 
favour ol speculatora who look up the land in 
hopo of high prices. So much has the course 
of oventa taken this direction that in thoao pirta 
of the country suitable for tobacoo-growiiig hardly 
any land can now be bad, and yet scarcely any 
of it has been brought under cultivation. It ia 
evident that pioneer planlcta in that iiimrter, aliould 
their experimental cultivation suooood, may find 
that they can only increiso thoir holdings by 
buying the required land from neighbouring apeou- 
latora at exorbitant pricea, and few will oaro to 
run the risk. Some of tho conoessiona are in tho 
hands of persons who mean businosa in tobacco plant- 
ing, but ao far not mush has been dono in this lino 
beyond testing tho ground 
Cinchoua planting in Java seoms to have seen 
its boat days, for tho ptioes of bark so continue 
to fall that Hovoral planters intend to close their 
estates as furlhor working would not pay oxpenees. 
— Struite Tinue, July 15lh. 
« 
AN IMPORTANT SUUVEV IN BORNEO. 
The Bouniubies ok Bo ren and Bbitibu Bobneo. 
H. M. S. “ Battlar,’’ Captain Heugli, caiiio into 
Singapore on Monday, after making a very important 
survey in parallel 1.10 N., in whioli 
liniitB and bovders of tlio Diitch and British North 
Borneo Company’s possessions not 
been defined on a saliafaotoiy basis, xno Battler. ' 
just niter returning ffom Wuhu, tho sceiio of the 
recent riots, received iintruotiona at Hongkong to 
preoeod to Borneo in order to carry out the survey 
us ordered by the Lords of the Admiralty. She 
left Hongkong on tho HHh May, and in oompany 
with the Butuh warship “Banda," Captain Von 
Owen, tho survey of parallel 4.10 N. eommonoed on 
tho .Sibilik island, The result of tha sutvay pieved 
