Appointment to Limbang

His Highness the Rajah has been pleased to make the following appointments to date from the 1st January, 1902:

F. F. Boult, Esq., to be Cadet in the Sarawak Service to date from the 5 ultimo, to do duty at Limbang.

As a Cadet which was the lowest rank of the Brooke administrators, Francis earned a monthly salary of between $100 and $120 Straits Dollars. Under his terms of service, he would be eligible for two years of leave at half pay after 10 years of employment.

Limbang was a fairly recent acquisition of Rajah Charles Brooke. In 1890 he was finally able to purchase Limbang from the Chartered Company of British North Borneo. He had shown interest in the cession of the Baram area to Sarawak from as early as 1868 when he became Rajah.

The area was a fertile one but exorbitant taxes by the Brunei pangirans and senseless killings had driven many of the native tribes out of Limbang into the areas controlled by Sarawak. For Rajah Charles Brooke, it was a matter of waiting for the right moment to bring Limbang into the fold of Sarawak, and sending his Sarawak Service men Like FF Boult to administer these once hostile regions.

On February 2, 1902, Francis left for Limbang on the Kaka, arriving at his destination on February 4.