The Sultan is the Suzerain Lord of all the possessions of the present Rajah, with the doubtful exception of Sarawak Proper, and Great Britain is the Protector of Sarawak and Brunei alike, yet the Sarawak _Gazette_, the official organ of its Government, thus refers to the Brunei under British protection: ‘Brunei has long been a disgrace, a blot on the map of Borneo. There murder and robbery thrive, and criminals from all around find a refuge from the punishment merited by their evil deeds, with the knowledge and sanction of the Sultan, and under the protection of the British flag.’ To use an expressive, but not very elegant, phrase, the writer has ‘let the cat out of the bag.’ It is probably true that the British Government would not permit Sarawak to seize Brunei and depose the Sultan, but there are other and more peaceful means of putting an end to Brunei, if it be the sink of iniquity described. Already the Kadayans are taking up their permanent residence in Baram under the Sarawak flag, and many Borneans and Kadayans are moving to Limbang; while a certain number have already established themselves in Padas under the flag of the North Borneo Company. By degrees the population of the capital will completely disperse and settle in the surrounding districts, and the capital will cease to exist as a centre of authority. That the inhabitants of Limbang rejoiced to be placed under the protection of the Sarawak flag there can be no doubt. I knew them well, and how they suffered from the exactions of the Pangerans and their rapacious followers, and no one would have more rejoiced than myself to hear they had been put under Sarawak rule in a less forcible way. As poverty increased in Brunei, so had the exactions augmented, and Limbang, being near, suffered the most. Perhaps some of my readers may think that in this case ‘the end _did_ justify the means.’ At all events, that appears to have been the view taken by our own Foreign Office. As far as I can judge from the notices in the Sarawak _Gazette_, and from my private correspondence, neither the Missions nor education have made much progress, though there are schools at the capital, and both the Anglicans and the Roman Catholics have establishments in the country. The Mission schools appear to educate from two to three hundred pupils, but little is evidently done at the out-stations, and the Dyaks in general are left to themselves, although at one time the field appeared most promising. I fear that the explanation is that the true missionary spirit is dead in our Church. It is no longer looked upon as a field for talent, and those who would not pass muster in an English parish are sent off to vegetate in a Bornean out-station, where their influence is _nil_. I notice it reported in a private letter that the Catholic Mission is the more prosperous, as it appears to be well provided with money, erects substantial buildings, and has a very competent staff.