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Thomas Bradley Harris (October 29, 1826 in
In August 1865, the American consul in
Harris however died of malaria on May 22, 1866 while Torrey was in Hong Kong trying to raise additional funds for their colony.
Torrey buried him on the top of a nearby hill, now known as Governor's Hill where Harris had built his house on the slopes of the hill and laid a path down to the jetty by the river. A powerful granite block, which is said to require six water buffaloes to carry it in a two-days effort from a nearby quarry to the grave, marks his last retirement. Torrey made the following inscription to this tombstone:
The coffin with the mortal remains was exhumed shortly afterwards and brought back to the United States.
Thomas Bradley Harris (October 29, 1826 in New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
; – May 22, 1866 in Ellena, Borneo
Borneo (; id, Kalimantan) is the third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia. At the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, in relation to major Indonesian islands, it is located north of Java, west of Sulawesi, and e ...
) was an American businessman and co-founder of the American colony of "Ellena" together with Joseph William Torrey
Col. Joseph William Torrey, Rajah of Ambong and Marudu, (April 22, 1828 in Bath, Maine; – June 22, 1885 in Boston) was an American merchant, president of the American Trading Company of Borneo and co-founder of the American colony "Ellena" ( ...
on the island of Borneo.
Early life
Harris was born in New York on October 29, 1826. He was a professional merchant for ship equipment at the corner of South Street and Maiden Lane. At the first, he was working alone but later with his business partner named Nathan Gilette Pond, where they established the Harris & Pond company. The business premises had already opened by his father in 1805, and since working there they began to exported large quantities ofbutter
Butter is a dairy product made from the fat and protein components of churned cream. It is a semi-solid emulsion at room temperature, consisting of approximately 80% butterfat. It is used at room temperature as a spread, melted as a condim ...
to British Hong Kong
Hong Kong was a colony and later a dependent territory of the British Empire from 1841 to 1997, apart from a period of occupation under the Japanese Empire from 1941 to 1945 during the Pacific War. The colonial period began with the British ...
. This export business was so successful that the trademark was soon copied by other exporters and stuck on its own goods.
Further career
In 1862, Harris left New York to set up his own branch of business in Hong Kong and put an end to unfair business competition in his country. He left his wife Sarah Louisa née Seymour and his children in Walton, New York, where his father James Harris had already retired from the company in 1857.Ellena Colony
In August 1865, the American consul in Brunei
Brunei ( , ), formally Brunei Darussalam ( ms, Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jawi: , ), is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Apart from its South China Sea coast, it is completely surrounded by th ...
, Charles Lee Moses concluded a 10-year lease with the Sultan Abdul Momin and his successor, Pengiran Temenggung who guaranteed land rights in various areas in the north of Borneo.
Looking for a quick profit, the consul immediately sought buyers for his concessions following the signing of the lease. He raised the interest among his countrymen including Joseph William Torrey
Col. Joseph William Torrey, Rajah of Ambong and Marudu, (April 22, 1828 in Bath, Maine; – June 22, 1885 in Boston) was an American merchant, president of the American Trading Company of Borneo and co-founder of the American colony "Ellena" ( ...
and Harris. In October 1865, Torrey and Harris, together with Chinese lenders Lee Assing and Pong Ampong under the American Trading Company of Borneo decided to build a colony in the area of today's Kimanis
Kimanis (Chinese: 金馬利) is a town and also a parliamentary constituency in Papar District, West Coast Division of Sabah, Malaysia. It is located approximately 45 kilometres south of the city of Kota Kinabalu, halfway between Papar and ...
. Taking note of the fact that the acquisition of the concession of Moses was also recognized by the Sultan of Brunei, Torrey made a new concession letter drawn up on November 24, 1865 at the Brunei Palace provided with the seals of the Sultan and three of his ministers. In December 1865, Torrey with 12 Americans and 60 Chinese founded the colony of "Ellena" with Harris was appointed as vice-governor.
The position of Ellenas in the mouth of the sluggish Kimanis River was unfortunate and favored the outbreak of malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. ...
and other diseases. Ellena soon failed as the colony lacked a solid financial base, and Torrey was forced to leave his own colony to Harris a while to look for investors in Hong Kong and Shanghai
Shanghai (; , , Standard Chinese, Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four Direct-administered municipalities of China, direct-administered municipalities of the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the ...
.
Later life and death
Harris however died of malaria on May 22, 1866 while Torrey was in Hong Kong trying to raise additional funds for their colony.
Torrey buried him on the top of a nearby hill, now known as Governor's Hill where Harris had built his house on the slopes of the hill and laid a path down to the jetty by the river. A powerful granite block, which is said to require six water buffaloes to carry it in a two-days effort from a nearby quarry to the grave, marks his last retirement. Torrey made the following inscription to this tombstone:
The coffin with the mortal remains was exhumed shortly afterwards and brought back to the United States.
Notes
References