BORNEO 
271 
400,000 inhabitants, and is divided into two chief pro¬ 
vinces—Pontianak and Montrado (Menteradu). Of the 
sixteen Government stations, all except one (Sukadana) 
lie on or to the north of the Kapuas. The Residency of 
South and East Borneo has Banjarmasin for its capital. 
There are seventeen government stations, and the popula¬ 
tion is estimated at over 600,000. This division con¬ 
tains both the wildest and the most settled districts, the 
country round Amuntai and Negara being as populous 
and cultivated as many parts of Java, while the far in¬ 
terior, except on the rivers, remains still impenetrable, 
or at least unpenetrated. North of the Koti River even 
the coast is little known, though of late the boundary 
difficulty with the North Borneo Company has resulted 
in the frequent presence of gunboats, and a Controleur 
has been for some time stationed at the mouth of the 
Kayan or Bulangan River. The system of government 
by the Dutch in Borneo is very much that adopted by 
them in Sumatra. Unable yet to control any but a 
small portion of the vast mass of the population nomin¬ 
ally under their rule, they are content to await their 
opportunity, permitting time slowly but surely to 
accomplish for them what would be less effectually 
gained by haste and force. Wherever feasible, an 
Assistant Resident is appointed to the capital of the chief 
native prince, to act conjointly with him; but in every 
case the orders are given to subordinates, and the general 
system of government is carried out by the native ruler. 
In many instances the official is supported by a small 
garrison, and in some places, notably in West Borneo, 
where the Chinese element prevails, and even now occa¬ 
sionally gives trouble, there are a good number of troops. 
The city of Pontianak, though not by any means the 
largest in the island, is sufficiently important from its 
