The People.—The population consists of three classes, the Dyaks or Dayaks, who are the aboriginal heathen inhabit ants, and constitute the great bulk of the population; the Mohammedans or Malays—for this name is extended so as to include all professors of Islam, whether true Malays, Buginese, Java nese, Dyaks, or Arabs; and the Chinese. The Dyaks live chiefly in the interior, and employ themselves with tillage and the collecting of gutta percha, resin, gums, ratans, gold dust, and wax. They are divided into numerous tribes. The Malays (taking the name ethnographi cally) dwell on the coasts, are traders and bold sailors. They are more civil ized than the Dyaks, cultivate the grounds around their houses, lay out gardens, keep cattle, and live partly by fishing. The Chinese, chiefly from Can ton, have penetrated far into the in terior. They engage in trade and min ing, are unwearied in their efforts to make money, and then return to their native country. They have always en deavored to live as independent repub lics (kong-si) under chiefs chosen by themselves, and according to Chinese laws. In 1857 the Chinese living in Sara wak rebelled, and were nearly extermi nated. The Dutch were also compelled to put them down by force of arms, and have imposed a poll tax. The women of Borneo, except the Dyak, weave cotton fabrics, make earthenware, baskets, and mats of beautiful designs and colors. In the district of Banjermassin are fac tories of weapons. The principal ex ports are gold, gold dust, diamonds, coal, ratans, gutta percha, edible nests, cot ton, wax, timber, dye woods, mats, res ins, sandalwood, camphor, etc.; the im ports, earthenware, iron, steel, and cop per work, piece goods, yarns, woolen and silk fabrics, medicines, provisions, wines, spirits, rice, sugar, tea, tobacco, opium, trepang, gambir, gunpowder, etc.
Political Divisions.—Borneo has never formed a political unity, and there is no native .designation for the island as a whole. The name Borneo (Burnes or Brunel) in fact properly applies only to the Malay kingdom on the N. W. coast; and Kalamantan or Kalamantin, some times quoted as a general appellation, is also of limited purport. The following are the present political divisions: (1) Brunei.—This originally included nearly the whole of the N. W. of the is land. The Sultan has absolute author ity. In 1847 he undertook not to sur render any of his territory to any other power without the sanction of the Brit ish Government. Capital, Brunel, 20 miles from the coast, on the river of the same name. Pop. 25,000. Its area was reduced by the erection of (2) Sarawak into a practically inde pendent principality by Sir James Brooke (1841-1868).
(3) North Borneo.—This territory consists partly of a portion of the old kingdom of Brunel, partly also of dis tricts on the E. coast, claimed by the Sultan of the Sulu Islands. Against
the British occupation of the Sulu terri tory, a protest was made by Spain, which had for some time been gradually incor porating the Sultan's possessions. As a matter of fact, the British North Bor neo Company has been successful in ap propriating and developing its terri tory, which, with an area of 30,709 square miles, and a coast line of 900 miles, is now divided into the East Coast residency and the provinces of Dent. Keppel, and Alcock, and has its capital at Elopura or Sandakan, the largest settlement, with 5,000 inhabitants. The population of the territory is estimated at 500,000.
(4) Dutch Possessions. — By far the largest part of the island is ruled di rectly or indirectly by the Dutch, who have divided it into the residency of the Western Division of Borneo, and that of the Southern and Eastern, the former having Pontianak as the seat of gov ernment, the latter Banjermassin. Be, sides a number of smaller dependencies, the Western Division contains the king dom of Landak, Tayan, Mampawa, Suk adana, Simpang, Matan, Sekadow, Sin tang, Sambas. Pop. about 450,000. States forming the Southern and East ern Division are Kotaringin, Banjer massin, and Martapura. Pop. about 783,000. Chinese, Malays, etc., are for bidden to ascend the river higher than the Kanpore Pilany. The same is the case with the basins of the Kapuas Mu rurg, known as the Little Dyak district. The population of the whole of the Dutch portion of the island is about 1,280,000.
(5) The Island of Labuan, off the coast of Brunei, has belonged to the Brit ish since 1846.
The chief towns in Borneo are Sam bas (10,000), Pontianak (9,000), Ban jermassin (30,000), Brunel (20,000), and Kuching (12,000).
History.—The Chinese had commer cial dealings with Borneo as early as the 5th century, but they made no settlement for a long time after. The Malay king dom of Borneo proper dates back to the 13th century. Another Malay settle ment of later origin, Sambas, was at first dependent on Johore in the Malay Peninsula. Sukadana was founded by Hindu Javanese from the kingdom of Majapahit (see JAVA), and spread its influence on the whole S. part of the W. coast. Mampawa was a Buginese set tlement, and Pontianak was founded as late• as 1771 by a colony of Arabs, Ma lays, and Buginese. Islam began to be preached by Arabs from Palembang in the 16th century.
The Portuguese effected a settlement in 1690 at Banjermassin; from thence they were, however, soon expelled. The Dutch succeeded in concluding a treaty 4 commerce with the princes of Banjer massin. They erected a fort and factory in 1643, and a second in 1778 at Pon tianak. The British made unsuccessful attempts in 1702 and 1774 to effect a settlement in Borneo, but, during the 19th century, they acquired a prepon derating influence on the N. W. coast.