RICH REEFING COUNTRY IN BORNEO.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 301, 22 September 1888, Page 4

RICH REEFING COUNTRY IN BORNEO.

The steamer Mogul, from Foochow, arrived at Thursday Island on the 12i.1i, and left again the same afternoon. She is laden with tea and rice principally. Robert Sefton, well-known on the '-.Northern goldHelds, is a passenger for Townsville. He has lately spent a considerable time in British and Dutch Borneo, and speaks' very highly of the diamond lields' of Landak, in Western Borneo, and also of the alluvial gold prospects. He reports the existence of extensive fields of quartz reefing country, where reefs exist larger than any he saw in Queensland, all yielding colours of gold. Extensive areas have been worked successful^' for diamonds and alluvial gold for many years, but the] natives have not attempted deep sinking or reefing. The Dutch Government and the native Rajahs are offering every inducement to Europeans to take up country and work* it for minerals. Mr Sef ton has applied foi; about 100 square miles of mineral country » 16 miles of wiiich are for reefing purposes.' In western Borneo the country is magnificently rich for agricultural purposes. It is principally jungle, and is well watered. There are several rivers which are navigable for about 200 miles from the coast. All tropical fruits grow in remarkable profusion. The natives treated him well. British Borneo he considered extremely unhealthy.