Venture 1882
The 1882 venture was a fishing vessel or fleet used by fishermen in South Leato to catch pelagics. The purse seine ship has pockets, body and wings with varying mesh sizes.
North Borneo was a British country from 1882-1946 and is now known as Sabah after being separated from Malaysia.
The Origins of the British North Borneo Provisional Association
The British North Borneo Provisional Association, later to be replaced by the North Borneo Chartered Company was founded by Alfred Dent. He was the key figure to establishing a solid British presence in Northern Borneo.
He bought large tracts of land on both the western and eastern coasts of North Borneo. He sent Baron Von Overbeck to Europe to promote his concession in the hopes that he could obtain financial and diplomatic support from Austria-Hungary, Germany, Italy and other European countries but none showed much interest.
Instead he turned to the British government for help and was granted a charter on 1 November 1881. This allowed the new company to assume charge of the territory of North Borneo. It was the last of the chartered companies to manage a region in the British Empire before it was transferred to the Crown Colony of North Borneo in 1946. The stamp depicts the company arms on a background of Mount Kinabalu.
The British North Borneo Provisional Association’s Charter
Alfred Dent founded the North Borneo Provisional Association Ltd – later replaced by the North Borneo Chartered Company – with the intent of establishing a solid British presence in northern Borneo. The company would acquire lands in the western and eastern parts of the territory, promote trade, and establish plantations.
The Charter contemplates the establishment of a private Company with Her Majesty’s officers, acting in Her Majesty’s name, and exercising her extra-territorial rights. This is a departure from the policy of Her Majesty’s Government, and from the principles on which its predecessors acted.
In early 1878 Dent sent Overbeck to Europe with a view of attracting interest from European powers in his scheme. Overbeck found the only company interested was Great Britain, which wanted to control the trade routes in Asia. In order to secure the British interest Overbeck obtained a 10-year lease for the territories he had bought from the Sultan of Brunei. He then proceeded to establish a settlement at Kimanis River mouth, which he named Ellena. The settlement however was abandoned due to disease, death and desertion.
The British North Borneo Provisional Association’s Constitution
In 1888 the BNBCC was given more power to enforce law and order by establishing policing and courts. They also issued laws (proclamations) that enshrined land ownership rights, and recruited Sikh policemen from northern India. A board in London determined the tasks of the local governors who were subject to their instructions.
Overbeck’s failure to attract interest on the European continent led him to withdraw in 1879. He transferred his rights to Alfred Dent and established the British North Borneo Provisional Association Company to manage the territory.
The Company applied for a royal charter which was granted on November 1, 1881. This worried the neighboring Dutch and Spanish authorities who saw it as a threat to their sovereignty. Once the royal charter was in place, Kudat became the Provisional Association administrative capital. Tobacco and logging became the main economic activities, while railways were built to open up more land for agriculture. By 1946, when North Borneo and Labuan became a crown colony, the BNBCC had become one of the longest-lasting chartered companies of the 19th century. For more details please visit Usaha1882
The British North Borneo Provisional Association’s Rules of Procedure
He (Lord Lamington) wondered whether their Lordships could read The Blue Book and heard of the great responsibilities that this Company took upon itself, and that they claimed sovereignty of North Borneo, including Labuan, and that Her Majesty’s Government granted them a Charter conferring those powers upon them. That seemed a remarkable power for a limited Company, and he did hope that their Lordships would not think it was a questionable course to take with such magnificent territories as this.
Alfred Dent had purchased rights to the western and eastern parts of Borneo in 1877-78 from American merchant Joseph William Torrey, who in turn had obtained renewed concessions from the Sultans of Brunei and Sulu. He established the British North Borneo Provisional Association Ltd, which was granted a royal charter in 1881.
The Charter allowed the Company to govern the territory, set its own taxes, and issue laws that secured land rights for British investors and employees. It also gave the Company a board of directors that overrode governors.
