264 
COMPENDIUM OF GEOGRAPHY AND TRAVEL 
into districts, each of which is administered by a Eesident, 
who is assisted by European, Eurasian, or native sub¬ 
ordinates. He acts as judge, using a modification of the 
Indian Criminal Code, but in certain cases there is a 
right of appeal to the Eaja. 
The State possesses a small standing army in the 
“ Sarawak Eangers,” a body of about 300 well-drilled 
natives, officered by Europeans, and armed with breech¬ 
loading rifles. There are forts on most of the rivers, 
mounting a few cannon only, but sufficiently strong to 
withstand native attacks. In addition, some twenty or 
thirty thousand men can be put in the field, the Dyaks of 
the Batang Lupar, Seribas, and other rivers constituting 
a reserve force to be called out in times of necessity. 
These men, who were in old days head-hunters, are far 
superior to any European troops for the work for which 
they are needed, being well trained, thoroughly accus¬ 
tomed to forest warfare, and unhampered by commis¬ 
sariat difficulties. In consideration of their services they 
are exempted from the poll-tax. 
The trade of Sarawak shows a slow but steady in¬ 
crease. The chief products are sago, which is exported to 
the value of about £70,000 annually; gambir and 
pepper; coal, of which from the Muara mines there is 
now a large output; various forest products, the most 
important being gutta-percha, dammar, and rattans; and 
antimony, cinnabar, diamonds, and gold, the three first 
of which show a tendency to decrease. Planting has of 
late been much encouraged. The imports consist mostly 
of opium, salt, tobacco, cloth, crockery, and brass ware. 
The revenue is principally derived from the opium farm, 
i.e. the right to import the drug and control its sale, 
which is the monopoly of a single individual. Prac¬ 
tically, this is a sort of capitation tax on the Chinese, 
