I wonder if you could get permission to use the existing series of maps at the WHKMLA Historical Atlas? They're pretty basic - is that the level of detail you want? Or maybe more importantly - do they portray the view of Brunei ownership that your paper covers? Way I understand it a lot of the Bruneian (is that a word?) suzereinity was rather theoretical.

I hope you realize that you just sent ten to a hundred people off on delightful rabbit trails of varying length, looking into Borneo history & mapping :-)...