Heritage Snippets of Sarawak
By Alex Teoh
IN the collection of various national libraries, Perpustakaan Negara Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur, National Library of Singapore and the British Library, London, list a peculiar title. Printed in 1898 by a Singapore printer, this title is a card cover book, of dimension smaller than A5 size.
The table of contents shows fourteen chapters with more than 260 pages of plain text, without any illustrations or pictures. It was advertised for sale in August 1898 at various major merchants in Singapore.
Who was the author?
Archibald Allison, a native of Scotland, was a mining engineer who came to Sarawak in 1882. He worked for the Borneo Company Ltd at the quicksilver (mercury) and antimony mines at Tegora, near Bau. He took charge of the mine’s operations for more than ten years. He also travelled through Brooketon (present day Muara in Brunei) and Brunei. At the end of 1893, he appears to be dismissed. In 1895, he then worked for New Central Borneo Co. Ltd, in the coal mines of Labuan Island. But in the following year, he was asked to leave.
Book review
A book review of the title was printed in a Singapore newspaper on 19 August 1898, stating “Borneo used to be famed for pirates. Mr. Allison alleges that the pirates there at the moment are certain managers of mining companies and officials in Sarawak, Labuan and North East Borneo. The book contains a report of alleged persecution and wrong doing suffered from them by the author”.
The book detailed a listing of events chronologically with company names, the people involved and its location. Anyone from Sarawak, Brunei and Labuan may be familiar with some of these place names and their historical context. It does makes interesting reading with some details of quicksilver mining in Tegora, coal mining operations in Brooketon and Labuan at the turn of twentieth century.
Curiously, it also described the first local postage stamp issue of Brunei. John Robertson (Manager of Central Borneo Company in Labuan) and William Cowie (Managing Director of Chartered Company) were joined partners in getting this concession from Sultan of Brunei.
The stamps were issued on 22nd July 1895, in various value from 1 cent to $1. However, the stamps were only valid for postage in Brunei and Labuan. Overseas mail from Brunei had to be despatched from Labuan on prepayment or the equivalent rate in Labuan stamps. After 1906, when Brunei became a member of Universal Postal Union, Brunei stamps were valid for overseas postage
(Standard Stamp Catalogue of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei, International Stamp & Coin, page. 1).
For those unfamiliar with local history and venues, the title can be read as an intriguing adventure in Borneo, with a fair share of “humbugging” (sic), corporate sabotage, arson and attempted poisoning (possibility making a great plot for the next Borneo movie).
Some following events
Having been dismissed, Allison left for home. However, he had the intention of righting himself. He complained that he had highlighted the alleged mismanagement to the Rajah of Sarawak but did not receive any response.
Allison took matters legally and filed a case against Borneo Company at the High Court in London in 1895.
While the legal case was pending, he resorted to the pen and print to expose these alleged deeds.
Allison published two titles, The Real Pirates of Borneo and How the Church Mission People are treated in the East, both along the same theme and message.
He claimed to have discovered corruption within these companies. He attributed to Alfred Hart
Everett and his brother E.E. Everett and H.H. Everett, John Robertson (Manager of Central Borneo
Company) and the Singapore accountant and lawyer, St. John Hughes (Bob Reece, Some Sarawak Curiosities in the British Library, Borneo Research Bulletin Vol. 37. 2006, page 62).
Shortly after the publication and sale of this title, the Sarawak government filed a defamation case against the author in Singapore. The legal proceedings after some postponement and appeal, ruled the author liable and was fined $100 or in default one month’s imprisonment. Allison paid the fine to avoid going to prison. The printer, Kim Sing Press received a legal letter to destroy the books and not to do any more work for the author.
In the following year, another libel action was in court against Allison. St. John Hughes sought damages of S10,000 arising out of the publication of The Real Pirates of Borneo. Again, the defendant (Allison) was ruled liable, and the plaintiff (St. John Hughes) was awarded $2,000 in damages and cost. The book merchant, Messrs. Kelly & Walsh’s Singapore who stood as a witness in the trial, destroyed the remaining unsold supply of the title (therefore maybe a reason so few copies of this title survived).
These court hearings were reported in the Singapore newspapers throughout 1898 and 1899.
To date, not much is known of what happened to Archibald Allison following this, but sadly, the Straits Times newspaper reported in August 1899 that Archibald Allison was declared a bankrupt.
However, this did not stop Allison from seeking justice through the power of the printed word. He published another title, Singapore Law and Lawyers through another printer in Singapore, Yu Shing Press. This 16-page pamphlet is an account of his personal experience dealing with lawsuits, lawyers and the courts in Singapore.
It remains an open question if any of these allegations by Allison have any truth and will make an interesting topic for further research.
References:
- Bob Reece, Some Sarawak Curiosities in the British Library, Borneo Research Bulletin, Vol. 37, 2006, Pages 59 – 64
- How the Church Mission People are Treated in the East, Kim Yew Hean Press, Singapore, 1898
- Standard Stamp Catalogue of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei, 25th Edition (2002 – 2004), International Stamp & Coin Sdn. Bhd. Malaysia.
- Singapore Law and Lawyers, Yu Shing Press, Singapore, 1899
- The Real Pirates of Borneo, Kim Yew Hean Press, Singapore, 1898
Alex Teoh, a friend of FOSM, is a paper and book conservator of rare manuscripts, collectible prints, antique maps, photo albums and antiquarian books. His focus is on the local material culture of the written text in Southeast Asia. His interest is also in the material culture and documentary heritage of Borneo.
“Heritage Snippets of Sarawak” is a fortnightly column.
— DayakDaily
