The American Trading Company of Borneo was a chartered company formed by Joseph William Torrey, Thomas Bradley Harris together with several Chinese investors shortly after the acquisition over a parcel of land in northern Borneo from the Sultanate of Brunei.[1] The first American settlement in the area soon was named "Ellena",[2] although it was abandoned later due to financial difficulties, diseases and riots among the workers.[3]
History
In 1850, the United States and Brunei signed a commercial treaty, which was activated in 1865. Out of this agreement, C.L. Moses, the then US First Consul to the sultanate, was able to secure a lease of a large territorial concession in North Borneo.[4] The grant was made in an effort by the Sultan, who still had to address internal power struggle,[5] to solve the problems of rebellion and piracy in North Borneo.[6] Moses concessions were immediately sold to Torrey, a Hong Kong merchant. Together with his associates, Torrey founded American Trading Company in their attempt to develop plantation agriculture at Kimanis in 1865.[4] This group then sold the lease to Austria's consul in Hong Kong.[6]
