BORNEO is not only one of the most fertile countries in the world, but one of the most productive in gold and diamonds[71]. Its camphor is the finest known, and it is thought capable of producing every kind of spice. Its eastern coasts, which abound in sago, also furnish a greater quantity of birds'-nests, sea-slug, and other commodities in great demand in the Chinese market, than the other islands of the East; but the interior has never been explored by Europeans. It may be conjectured, that the ignorance of the state of the country is one of the principal causes that no European settlement on it has hitherto proved advantageous, but has generally been abandoned after a short trial. The only exception to this observation is the Dutch settlement of _Bánjer-másin_, which continued from 1747 to 1810, when it was formally abandoned by Marshal Daendals to the Sultan, by agreement, for the sum of fifty thousand Spanish dollars. The Sultan soon after sent an embassy, inviting the English to settle; and previous to the conquest of Java, the Earl of Minto received the ambassadors at Malacca, and accepted their invitation. The only territory to which the Dutch had any claim on the island of Borneo, was the coast from _Súkadána_ to _Mempáwa_; this territory they acquired by virtue of a cession from the Sultan of Bantam in 1778. They destroyed _Súkadána_, and established factories at _Pontiána_ and _Mempáwa_, which however they abandoned as unproductive after a period of fourteen years. In no other part of the island of Borneo has there been any European settlement. The English, in 1772, intended to have established a factory at _Pásir_, but they abandoned the design on some commotions taking place in that state. Its object was to make _Pásir_ a depót for opium and India piece goods, and for the contraband trade in spices. In 1774, a short time after the first settling of _Balambángan_, Mr. Jesse was deputed as Resident to Borneo _proper_, and concluded a treaty with that state, by which he acquired for the settlement of _Balambángan_ the exclusive trade in pepper, stipulating in return to protect Borneo from the piratical incursions of the _Súlu_ and _Mendanáwi_ men. Neither of the parties, however, fulfilled its agreement, though the Residency at Borneo was continued for some years after the first breaking up of the settlement of _Balambángan_ in 1775.