part with a stupendous
forest of evergreen trees, and the wood of which is too abundant to be
of any value, certainly for the most part not worth the land-carriage
of a couple of furlongs.

"A charter for the administration of justice should be as nearly as
possible contemporaneous with the cession. Great inconvenience has
resulted in all our Eastern settlements of the same nature with that
speculated on at Labuan, from the want of all legal provision for
the administration of justice; and remembering this, it ought to be
guarded against in the case of Labuan.

"Whether in preparing for the establishment of a British settlement
on the coast of Borneo, or in actually making one, her majesty's
ministers, I am satisfied, will advert to the merits and peculiar
qualifications of Mr. Brooke. That gentleman is unknown to me,
except by his acts and writings; but, judging by these, I consider
him as possessing all the qualities which have distinguished the
successful founders of new colonies; intrepidity, firmness, and
enthusiasm, with the art of governing and leading the masses. He
possesses some, moreover, which have not always belonged to such men,
however otherwise distinguished; a knowledge of the language, manners,
customs, and institutions of the natives by whom the colony is to be
surrounded; with benevolence and an independent fortune, things still
more unusual with the projectors of colonies. Toward the formation of
a new colony, indeed, the available services of such a man, presuming
they are available, may be considered a piece of good fortune."

CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS.

[First Edition.]

The recent proceedings of Government in following up the impression
made upon Malay piracy, as related in these pages; the appointment
of Mr. Brooke as British Agent in Borneo, armed with the moral and
physical power of his country; the cession of the island of Labuan to
the British crown; and the great advance already made by the English
ruler of Sarawak, in laying broad foundations for native prosperity,
while extending general security and commerce; all combine to add an
interest to the early individual steps which have led to measures of
so much national consequence.

Deeply as I felt the influence of that individual on the condition of
Borneo, and the Malayan Archipelago generally, while employed there,
and much as I anticipated from his energetic character, extraordinary
exertions, and enlarged views f