Page:History of the Indian Archipelago Vol 3.djvu/256

 240 COMMERCE WITH more restored it in our times. The Suloos are the only nation of the Archipelago considerahle for their numbers and civilization, who have, in all ages of the European history of these islands, maintain- ed their independence, for they have with equal spi- rit and success resisted the encroachments of the Spaniards, the Dutch, and the English. The latter, in the year 177^, succeeded for a moment in cajoling them, and formed an establishment at Balambangan, on the north coast of Borneo, an island belonging to them. Two years afterwards the Suloos, on an experience of the effects of this establishment, attacked the Company, and expelled them from their territories. In 1803 the settle- ment was renewed, but soon voluntarily abandon- ed. These examples, taken from a great many, are quite sufficient to prove the utter inutility in a commercial point of view, and the certain mischief in every other, of all establishments formed on the ruinous and illiberal principles hitherto acted upon by the European nations. When the failure of every new attempt, one after another, afforded fresh proof of the absurdity and injustice of the princi- ples on which they were formed, the wonder is how, in a long period of two hundred years, they should still continue to be persevered in. When the countries in which these monopolies were established either became impoverished by the loss of trade which they occasioned, or the ex-