hom these people were at
war, and he was, therefore, according to native custom, deemed also to
be an enemy. FRANK HATTON joined the Company's service with the object
of investigating the mineral resources of the country and in the course
of his work travelled over a great portion of the Territory, prosecuting
his journeys from both the West and the East coasts, and undergoing the
hardships incidental to travel in a roadless, tropical country with such
ability, pluck and success as surprised me in one so young and slight
and previously untrained and inexperienced in rough pioneering work.

He more than once found himself in critical positions with inland
tribes, who had never seen or heard of a white man, but his calmness and
intrepidity carried him safely through such difficulties, and with
several chiefs he became a sworn brother, going through the peculiar
ceremonies customary on such occasions. In 1883, he was ascending the
Segama River to endeavour to verify the native reports of the existence
of gold in the district when, landing on the bank, he shot at and
wounded an elephant, and while following it up through the jungle, his
repeating rifle caught in a rattan and went off, the bullet passing
through his chest, causing almost immediate death. HATTON, before
leaving England, had given promise of a distinguished scientific career,
and his untimely fate was deeply mourned by his brother officers and a
large circle of friends. An interesting memoir of him has been published
by his father, Mr. JOSEPH HATTON, and a summary of his journeys and
those of WITTI, and other explorers in British North Borneo, appeared in
the "Proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society and Monthly Record of
Geography" for March, 1888, being the substance of a paper read before
the Society by Admiral R. C. MAYNE, C.B., M.P. A memorial cross has been
erected at Sandakan, by their brother officers, to the memory of WITTI,
HATTON, DE FONTAINE and Sikh officers and privates who have lost their
lives in the service of the Government.

To return for a moment to the matter of fault-finding, it would be
ridiculous to maintain that no mistakes have been made in launching
British North Borneo on its career as a British Dependency, but then I
do not suppose that any single Colony of the Crown has been, or will be
inaugurated without similar mistakes occurring, such, for instance, as
the withholding money where money was needed and could have been
prof