GENERAL CONSIDER!'!ON'S ON THE ISLAND OF BORNEO. 363 
their first success in the Malayan seas to plans laid with, genius and 
prudence, and to the large and bold views of colonization which 
animated the Dutch merchants of the period. The possessions 
of Netherlands on Borneo date from this memorable epoch in the an¬ 
nals both of its merchant and naval marine ; its flag commanded the 
respect of its rivals in the Archipelago, rivals who only endeavour¬ 
ed to establish themselves in one or two islands where our courage¬ 
ous marine had not deemed it for their interest to plant a staff. 
Circumstances were long favourable to the Company, as well as to 
the maintenance of its exclusive commerce in other parts of the Ar¬ 
chipelago, This caused it to lose sight of and neglect the means and 
resources which its factories bn the west coast of Borneo would have 
offered in the interior of the country, if their relations had been more 
attended to; it was averse to maintain the necessary force and be at 
the requisite expence for the maintenance of its administration in a 
country of which the products, the territorial extent, and the physi¬ 
cal constitution were not of a nature to furnish prompt and profitable 
results to its system of monopoly; hence its administration assumed 
a stationary attitude on these shores. When, at the close of numerous 
reverses and successive mistakes, this Company marched with preci¬ 
pitate steps towards its decline, it lacked the means of continuing a 
work above its power. It had to resolve to abandon in succession 
the actual occupation ot the greater number of its factories on Bor¬ 
neo. The English Company , incessantly on the watch to turn to 
its profit the faults committed by its rivals , and its commerce al¬ 
ways ready to profit with energy and determination from the tor¬ 
por and irresolution of other commercial nations, made many ef¬ 
forts to establish itself on the shores of this great land and on the 
islands situated to the north; but circumstances were not more fa¬ 
vorable to it, and it abandoned these new acquisitions a short time 
after their occupation. The incessant jealousies amongst the princes 
of the country, their quarrels and the mishaps which followed, made 
them resolve to claim anew' the assistance of their old allies. The 
Dutch Company again took possession of its establishments on the 
western, southern and eastern shores ; after that time they were ne- 
v 3 
