From the deep well (35 ft.) on the Oltice Hill, water is uow ted down to a tank capable of holding 2,000 gallons in the centre of the settlement, by moans of galvanised iron spouting, a distance of 583 yards, The water is derived from a spring which wolfe up at the bottom of the shaft and i It being the wot season ay at present whether We hear, but not through an official channel, that the Government are offering liberal terms to gambier and p-per planters from the Straits Settlements, where suitable land is becoming ditticult to acquire. Land, we believe, is or will be offered without premium for 99 years for the firat three years, no rent; after three years, a rent of 10 cents an acre or in het thereof an export royalty of 10 cents per picul on gambive and 20 cents per picul on pepper; acreage to be calcuated on the basis of two thirds uncleared land in addition to the amount cleared at the end of the first three years, i after three years, GB acre cleared, then, if required, acres would be granted.
We hear to remove his Head-quarters from Kudat to Sandakan and that the Lead-quarters of the Police will be similarly removed to Inspector A. do Fontaine will reside in futuce,—China Mait.
The old year out and the now year in, Che old one has passed away. Ite record is perhaps not i we expected, tut, before torn ga definite opi: we for the various wfligial reports which will, no doubt, soon appear. Ina new country, in the tropics, where In. ropean cwt-door labour is imp sssible, pee gress does not make such rapid strides as in, lot us say, Australia or Cw 10 forest, (or, are we to call it, Ube jungle is, however, falling fast before the plant axe in the Sandakan district, ant the prin cipal company there established is, at at, taking vigorous steps to develope the re-swurees of the large tracts of land it has the soil by planting, growth by exporting timber Agent of the An of Melbourne, after tra ug incessantly through all parts of country available for cultivation duri half the past year, has selected and paid the first instalment on close upon 100,000 acres in different localities, at Banguey island and on the Kast Coast.
In the Government Experimental Garden at Silam fifty acres are now under cultivation with coffee (Arabica and Liberica,) cocoa, cardamoms, cinchonas, and tes, and another thirty are rowy cleared. The various plants, with fow exceptivus, are doing well, experience has been gained and seedings have been distributed amonget English and Chinese planta:
Trade was not good during 1883, and there was a large falling off in the quantity of gutta exported. There have, however, recently arrived from Sarawak over 100 sea Dyaks, who have discovered a good gutta district in the Kinabatangan, and the result of their energy will become apparent in the trade returns of the new The want of i ease in the Trade was to some extent dus to the absence of native collectors of jungle produce, the Sultan of Sulu, whenes formerly large number came over, having taken steps to put a stop to emigration by making a permit compulsory, for which a fee is charged. Apart from this, trade in all Malayon countries appears ave bs different during tie past years, and r complaints from our neighbours in Labuan and Sarawak and Sainples of rock sent for assay to England on the recommendation of Mr, A, H.
Everett have given indications of aliver and copper. Lhe ore is the sano as that which has been profitably worked by an English company is Sarawak, It was found near Tambuyukan, a spur of the 1 thd neighbourhood crests of te Company sincerely to be hoped will be shown in fol-up this indication, Professor Milne, of the Imperial college, Tokio, Japan recently satin Mr. Daly'soullection at Kustat, specimens of the rocks to be found in different parts of the country, and states that they sre certainly ' te rocks in which one would be encouraged to look for minerals." There is now also talc ground to expect that minerals, including native ore of bismuth, will be discovered the Segama district, on the Bast Coast, Goal, ws was to be expected, lins boon met with in several localities. "The finds, however, have not been of a nature to ins duce the Government to work them, and probably no attempt will be made until the result of Messrs. Cowie Iros's experi-tut Moara, near Brunei, becomes known, Thy rush of Hongkong Chinese to Sans akan has settled down to a steady thirty or forty by exch voyage of the steamer. Many of the first comers were dissntistivd with their introduction for the first time to @ tropical forest-covered country, so different to thole precoussived ideas and whut they been accustomed to in their native land. They have returned to their own country. those who remain show every confidence in the laud they interest of the Straits Settien in the country has been well maintained from the very first, Pheso enterprising people, fern long renee in Singapore, Malacca, Penang the Protected States, are fully ted with the characte of countries, and clu not expect ities, he result is a steady increase in the Revenue.
The spirit farm has been well sold; the opium farm for 1884 has been leased for a little more than double the figures reached in 1883; for a farm of pork for consumption a large number of tenders were reed, and a revenue half ax large again which had been estimated for the new year has been obtained, offer of $9,000 for the Gomanton hi nests for 1884 has boon received, which will leave a net profit to the Government of $6,00J—an encouraging increase, for the income from this source for the yenrs 1830-1883 only totalled 36,077. This was exclusive of the export duty of ten per cent ad valorem, which will be receivable also during the present year, Communication with China will probably be undertaken, during 1884, by the Chinn and Manila Steamship Company, and thug
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.