[2] From April 1870, Cowie was hired as the chief engineer of Argyle under Captain Peter Orr and left Glasgow for Singapore on his 21st birthday.

The Sultan permitted Cowie to build a port for his goods at Timbang Island in Sandakan, creating a British presence in Borneo.

Cowie, along with two friends – Carl Schomburgk and John Dill Ross – founded the Labuan Trading Company, whose main task was to evade the Spanish naval blockade and bring weapons, opium, tobacco and goods to Sulu.

In 1878, Baron von Overbeck and Alfred Dent approached Cowie knowing he has friendly with the Sultan of Sulu, asking for help in arranging land concessions in Borneo.

As the political situation was favourable to unilateral treaties, Cowie told the Sultan to leave the Spaniards to his country, helping foreign powers to take parts of the Sultan territory while expecting the Spanish would wish to avoid diplomatic involvement with the interests of other colonial powers.

On 12 July 1887, Cowie handed over his franchise rights to the British North Borneo Company and returned with his family to England.

Due to the lack of transportation to move goods in the island, Cowie sought a concession to build a rail network from the West Coast Division to Sandakan.

His indomitable zeal and enthusiasm displayed in the interests of the British North Borneo Company, were the means of raising it to prosperity.