CHAPTEE VI.
LABUAN ISLAND.
Labuan—Inhabitants—Industries—Coal mines—Revenues and acreage—
Oil spring—Climate—Rare ferns—Tropical flowering trees—Fruit
culture—Birds—Pitcher-plants—Snakes—Sun birds—Large spiders
—Ants—Salt making—Pratchan—Old gardens!—Lizards — Mason
wasp—A favourite horse—Annual games on the plain—Church—
River travel.
Labtjan is one of the smallest and least well known of
all British Colonies.
This island was ceded to Great Britain by the Sultan of
Borneo in 1847, and the year afterwards a settlement was
established here, the late Sir James. Brooke, K.C.B.,
being the first governor. Its area is 19,850 acres, and it
is situated in lat. 5° 20' N., being about six miles off the
nearest point of Borneo, and about 700 miles from Singapore.
When ceded it was uninhabited and very unhealthy,
but now contains about 5,000 inhabitants, mostly Kad-
yans and Malays, and by clearing and draining the
climate is improved. The principal traders and artificers
are Chinese. Chinese coolies are imported as labourers.
A few Klings or Bengalees also live here. The main
object of the colony was the suppression of piracy once
rife along the coast, and the working of the coal measures
which exist at the northern point of the island.
The quality of the coal obtainable here is very good, but
the output hitherto has been comparatively small, owing
to a series of adverse circumstances. At present the