PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
C.O. 882
3
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-
COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO
122
attracted by the lucrative speculations in tin mining in the neighbouring province of Larut.
3. The soil în Perak, however, is said to be very rich, and I hope to encourage some of the planters in Province Wellesley to take land and cultivate tobacco, for the growth of which, I am informed, large tracts of it are well adapted.
I have, &c.
(Signed)
A. CLARKE.
P.S. I also inclose copy of a letter I had to write to the Sultan, in consequence of His Highness having (in the absence of Mr. Birch in Penang, where he had been compelled to go for medical aid) attempted the imposition of some new taxes, and had desired to condone by a money payment a bad case of murder.
Sir,
Inclosure 1 in No. 35.
Penang, April 2, 1875.
IN obedience to your letter of the 13th March, (received on the 28th), I have the honour to forward the following short report.
2. I arrived in Perak in November last, and since that time I have inspected the whole Perak river as far as Bulu Miniya, where the first rapids commence, a distance of This point is about due west about 180 to 200 miles by the winding course of the river.
of the northern end of the Larut range, where the Sipatang takes its rise on the sea side of the range.
3. I estimate the population along its banks at about 80,000, who live on the edge of the banks, in most cases, amongst luxurious topes of cocoanut.
4. I have also inspected up to the rapids in each, the Bidor, Batang Padang, and Plus rivers. The Bidor and Batang Padang come from the eastward, and both fall into the Perak at Durian Sabatan, about thirty-five miles from the mouth, and the Plus also coming from the eastward, joins the main river at Jogagala, about 180 miles along its course from the sea.
5. These rivers have no large population, but both the Bidor and Batang Pandang have several very promising villages, and probably about 1,500 people on each. The head of one, as far as you can go in a boat, is about eighteen miles from that of the other, walking overland, and both issue from the same range, from another part of which flows the River Kinta, which enters the Perak at Passir Panjang, about a mile from the spot where the Sultan's new residence is being erected, and forty-five miles from the Qualla (or mouth of the river). This last river I have not been able to inspect.
6. The Perak is also reinforced by another river, the Dedags, but this is merely a drainage river of the lands to the north of the main river, and runs parallel to it for about 40 miles, entering it at Kotastio, 5 miles from the sea.
The country
7. The population along both these rivers will be about the same. along the Dedap is only fit for sugar and paddy, and is almost all the way tidal.
8. On the Kinta River, and its three or four branches, there are probably 2,000 people. This is a rapid stream like the Bidor and Batang Padang, and very rich in mines of tin, while at Bidor a considerable amount of gold is mixed with the tin. The Chinese number about 2,000 at Kinta, and 1,000 at each of the other rivers; while perhaps 300 are employed on the Sala mines, which are situated at the foot of the hills at Qualla Kangsa, about 150 miles up the river, and where a road exists to Larut, passing through the first large range which you see from the sea, close to a remarkable bill called Gunong Pondoh, abounding in caves in Limestone rock, where much nitre is found.
9. In the valley along this road runs the Kangsa stream, coming down from this Limestone rock, and the villages here are very fine, with about 1,000 inhabitants.
10. On my arrival I made it my especial duty to make myself acquainted with the Sultan and all his Chiefs. He was then living in boats up on the fresh water at Passir Panjang, having deserted Batarabit on account of the cholera. With him were the Chiefs Ho who almost always attend him. The Laxamana, Shahbandar, Rajah Makota, and Mata Mata. At times these Chiefs exercise some influence over him, but at others none. is generally also attended by three young Rajabs, his cousins, of whom Rajah Dris is intelligent, and a young man of promise, and by a half-brother, Rajah Musa. I can say nothing in favour of these young Chiefs, as they all indulge in the baneful habit of opium smoking, so prevalent among the Rajahs of Perak. Rajah Dris, who did so, is doing all he can to give it up, and I think he is likely to succeed.
11. The Sultan, when living in this way in boats, carries about all the ladies and
123
women of the household, and is always difficult of access; but the great drawback to his usefulness is the opium smoking. If he would give that up, he has plenty of sense, and would then have the courage to think for himself, and I have every hopes that, when his new house is built, he would endeavour to do so. At Batarabit he can have no induce ment to come out of his room. The house compound is a most unwholesome swamp of green stagnant water, and the paths and streets sloughs of slippery mud.
12. Where his new residence has been chosen, he will have flower and vegetable gardens, beautifully clear fresh water, dry roads and paths, with pleasant sand banks in the
river.
13. As soon as I had made the acquaintance of all these lower Chiefs, I proceeded to see the Ex-Sultan Ismail at Blanja, and there I met Rajah Yusuf, who considers he ought to have been Sultan, as being the elder branch of the family; but when Sultan Ally came to the throne, and it fell to his lot to choose a Rajah Muda, he would not choose Yusuf, on account of his unpopularity, and elected Abdullah, the present Sultan.
14, Ex-Sultan Ismail generally resides at Blanja, as his new mines are more accessible from there, but his family all reside at Kinta, at the head of the river of that name, to which he goes overland by elephants from Blanja. From here is a very short road to the sea by a foot or elephant path to the river Bruas, by which route he gets his supplies and sends away his tin. From here I went to Sayung, where the Rajali Bandahara has lately taken up his residence, on his late father's (Sultan Ally's) land, near another Chief, the Sri Maharaja Lela.
15. On my way up I passed the residence of and visited Maharaja Lela and Datu Sagor. I met the Mantri and Tumongong afterwards, and these, with two minor Chiefs called Paduka Rajah, living at Pulo Tija, and Toh Rana Palawan at Teluk Baru (since dead), embrace all the Chiefs of the country, with the exception of Panglima Kiuta, whom I have as yet never met. He remains always at Kinta in charge of the Regalia.
15. I made known as widely as I could through the country the ratification of the Pankor Treaty. By the whole of the ryots of the country the presence of a British officer is hailed undoubtedly with delight. They at last have a glimmering hope that he will be some protection to them, however slight, against the oppression of the petty Rajaha-not so much the Chiefs above-mentioned, as a lot of offspring of former Sultans and Rajahe, who still call themselves Rajahs, who will not work, as they consider it infra-dig., and who, till now, would find a riot who did not give them what they demanded, and who were no means sparse in their demands for whatever they required.
by
17. When I was in Perak last May the complaints of this sort of thing were very rife, but I have not had more than three or four cases before me within the last three months, and the most troublesome young Rajabs, who resided at Kota Lama, have entirely given up their evil doings. This case is a very fair proof of how influence may be exercised over them. When in Perak in May of 1874, they were levying black mail with a large party of armed men at Gunong Pondok, but the Mantri, at our suggestion, disarmed them, and the Rajahs fled.
18. Captain Speedy, Mr. Swettenham, and I, accompanied by the Mantri and Laxa- mana, went to Kota Lama, and they refused all intercourse: at-last, in January, they came in to me on my sending for them. They promised amendment, and have never done anything since, to the great relief of that part of the country, of which they were the
constant terror.
19. I next turned my attention to inquiries as to the taxation of the country, and 1 found that no system of any sort existed. "Till August the Sultan lived in a sort of hand- to-mouth way, and got money where he could, honestly and his just dues, and when he could not, moved and quartered himself and family upon some man, who was obliged to provide for him.
20. The Customs duties on which he principally relied were collected by the Shah- bandar and Mata Mata, who kept no accounts, and took what they chose for themselves, At last, in August, the Shahbandar let a portion of those Customs duties to Mr. Cheng Tee for 26,000 dollars a year, for ten years, and received nearly half of one year in advance. He gave a large portion to the Sultan, and a sop to the Laxamana, and took tolerably large share himself. At the same time the Shahbandar retained some of the duties in his own hands, and still allowed the Mata Mata to collect others. I therefore found all imports and exports examined three times. Mr. Cheng Tee kept an account, and the other two kept none. I have reorganized all this, and all are now being being collected at Cheng Tec's station, under supervision of one of my officers, who keeps the accounts.
21. Every Chief in his own place took something. A royalty of 5 dollars on every bbar of tin was taken respectively by the Punghulu at the head of the Bidor and Batang
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
2T
Reference :-
COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO