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THE BRITISH EMPIRE: — BRITISH BORNEO

rice,^37,031Z,j rifles, 18, 488Z. ; cottons, 23,255Z.; dates, 10,551Z. ; cattle, 10,179Z. ; specie, 73,436Z, The prohibition against the increasing trade in rifles and ammunition which was carried on with Persia has now been en- forced by the Persian Government. Political Resident. — Col. F. A. AVilson. Foreign Office Reports. Annual series. No. 2,186. London, 1898. Bent (J. Th.), The Bahrein Islands in the Persian Gulf. Proc. R. G. Soc. (N. S. xii. 1. 8. London, 1890.

BORNEO (BRITISH). British North Borneo. — Governor. — Leicester Paul Beaufort ; salary, 9,850 dollars. Richard B. Martin, M.P., is Chairman of the Court of Directors in London. The territory of British North Borneo is a territory occupying the northern part of the island of Borneo, and situated nearly midway between Hong Kong and Port Darwin in Australia, The interior is mountainous, one point being 13,700 feet high, but most of the surface is jungle. Area, 31,106 square miles, with a coast-line of over 900 miles. Popula- tion, 175,000, consisting mainly of Mohammedan settlers on the coast and aboriginal tribes inland, with some Chinese traders and artisans. Chief town, Sandakan, on the east coast. The territory is under the jurisdiction of the British North Borneo Company, being held under grants from the Sultans of Brunei and Sulu. The cession was confirmed by Royal Charter in 1881, and the territory is administered by a Governor in Borneo and a Court of Directors in London, appointed under the Charter. On May 12, 1888, the British Government pro- claimed a formal protectorate over the State of North Borneo. The appointment of the Governor is subject to the approval of the Secretary of State. For administrative purposes the whole district is divided into nine provinces. In 1889 the colony of Labuan was placed under the government of the British North Borneo Company. About 1,000,000 acres have been alienated by the Government on leases of 999 years for tobacco planting, pepper, coff'ee, and other jungle products. There are 13 estates planting tobacco, 27 planting coff'ee and coco-nuts, 1 planting india-rubber, and two ramie. The laws are based on the Indian penal, criminal, and civil procedure codes, and local proclamations and ordinances. There is an Imaum's Court for Mohammedan law.

— 1893 1894 1895 189G 1897 Dollars Dollars Dollars Dollars Dollars Revenue proper. 289,220 315,591 348,947 407,207 436,062 Land sales. 818 478 466 4,492 964 Expenditure 280,050 287,494 313,097 300,559 341,124 Exports 1,780,593 1,698,543 2,130,600 2,420,234 2,942,293 Imports 1,116,714 1,329,067 1,663,906 1,882,188 1,887,498

The expenditure in salaries in the colony is over 100,000 dollars. Sources of revenue : Opium, spirit farms, birds'-nests, court fees, stamp duty, licences, import duties, royalties, land sales, &c. No public debt.