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(Telegraphic.)
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No. 47.
Mr. IRVING to the EARL OF CARNARVON.
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Received, November 22, 1875. Communication open við Siberia. Governar left Aglain for Perak Friday morning. Ignorant whether troops coming from India. General Colborne with 300 18th left for Perak Thursday, also Ringdove and Egeria troops. Shelled and took four stockades on Monday at Passir Sala village, where Birch was murdered, and returned to resi dency. One native police wounded. Birch's property found in Maharajah Lela's house. Full telegrams sent Ceylon Wednesday by mail,, stating danger of national rising as reason for demand for troops; subsequent information strengthens belief in such danger. Satisfactory news from Davidson, Salangore, to 8th instant.
No. 48.
GOVERNOR SIR W. JERVOIS, K.C.M.G., C.B., to the EARL OF CARNARVON.
(Received November 22.)
(No. 291.) MY LORD,
Government House, Singapore, October 16, 1875. In my Despatch, No. 268, dated 18th September, I reported to your Lordship that I had returned to Singapore after making a tour through Perak, on which occasion I made the acquaintance of both the principal and the minor Chiefs of that State, and had an opportunity of personally ascertaining the feeling of the country respecting the present condition of its affairs.
I propose in the present Despatch to inform your Lordship of my proceedings during that tour, and of the course of action which, on a review of the circumstances previous to my visit, and of the events immediately subsequent to, and consequent upon it, I have been led to adopt.
2. Your Lordship is so fully aware of the circumstances which led to British inter- vention in Perak that I need here only briefly refer to them. The enclosures of my pre. decessor's Despatch, No. 43, dated February 24th, 1874,† in the Blue Book laid before Parliament in 1874, afford full explanation on the subject. It will suffice, therefore, for me here to observe that such intervention was rendered unavoidable by the fact that the peace of our own Settlement at Penang was seriously endangered by the disturbed state of Perak. In Larut, one of the provinces in that State, faction fights raged between different tribes of Chinese, directed and supplied with funds by bodies of their country. men who resided in Penang. These disturbances were fomented by the Chiefs of Perak, some of whom espoused the cause of Ismail-a man of Sumatran descent—who, in opposition to the principles of Perak succession, had been placed upon the throne, whilst others supported the claims of Abdullah, who was of royal blood on the father's side, and in the direct line of succession.
The election of Ismail was attributed by Abdullah and his party to the Mantri of Perak (sometimes, but improperly, called the Mantri of Larut), a man whose machina- tions and designs have for long been a source of danger to his country. The Mantri was at this time actively supporting one faction of Chinese in Larut, so that eventually the Malay question of the Perak succession became identical with the Chinese struggle in Larut each of the two great rival factions receiving respectively assistance from the party of one of the claimants to the throne.
3. In the beginning of 1874, the Chinese disturbances were happily put an end to by Sir Andrew Clarke, through the instrumentality of Mr. Pickering, who induced the Chinese head men to come to an amicable arrangement. At the same time, with a view of obtaining a settled government in Perak, many of the Chiefs of that State were called together at Pulo Pangkore by Sir Andrew Clarke, and under his countenance and approval, they proceeded to depose Ismail and to elect Abdullah Sultan of Perak. At that time an engagement was entered into between the British Government on the one side, and Abdullah and certain chiefs on the other, by which it was arranged that British officers were to be appointed respectively as Resident and Assistant Resident in Perak; and that their advice was to be taken and acted upon on all questions other than those touching Malay religion and custom.
Amongst other clauses, it was arranged that the collection and control of all revenues, and the general administration of the country should be regulated under the advice of the Resident and Assistant Resident.
• No. 13,
↑ No. 6% of Command Paper [C. 1,111], July 1874.
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4. On the 2nd November 1874, a Proclamation, approved by your Lordship's Despatch No. 165 of 17th December 1874,* was issued by my predecessor, informing all people that a letter had been received from your Lordship (referring to your Lordship's Despatch No. 114, dated 4th September),† stating that Her Majesty's Government will look to the exact fulfilment of the pledges given by Sultan Abdullah and his Chiefs, and would hold responsible those who violate the engagements which they had solemnly agreed upon.
5. On the 22nd April 1875, Sir Andrew Clarke found it necessary to address a letter of remonstrance and reproval to Sultan Abdullah (copy herewith), informing him that he was breaking the engagements which he had made at Pangkore, and stating the relations which should exist between the Sultan, as the advised, and the Resident, as the adviser, whether in respect to collection of taxes, the control of revenues, or the administration of justice.
6. I assumed the government of this Colony on the 10th of May last, and on the 13th of May Mr. Birch, the British Resident in Perak, addressed to me a letter from Bandar Babru, stating that Sultan Abdullah showed “a desire to break all his engage- ments at Pangkore.” I enclose a copy of this letter. Your Lordship will observe that it draws an unfavourable picture of the man who had been placed upon the throne through our instrumentality.
7. I find that, previously to the date of the Pangkore Engagement, Abdullah had been represented to be a man of vicious habits and indifferent health, and, as such, be had been considered unfitted to assume the sovereignty. At the meeting at Pangkore, it He appears that he spoke and acted well, and gave promise of being a good Sultan. soon, however, relapsed into the former habits with which he had been credited. He surrounded himself with bad advisers, by an exceedingly immoral collection of slave The women, prostitutes, and concubines, and has become an babitual opium smoker. qualifications necessary for a Ruler, and which it was hoped would be found in him, are wanting, and, in lieu thereof, we find imbecility, weakness, and duplicity.
8. Under Clause IX. of the Treaty, the Sultan was to receive a fixed sum from the Civil List; but, immediately after consenting to this clause, and affixing his chop to the Treaty, he commenced" borrowing money from Chinese, and incurring extravagaut expenses.
9. Under Clause X. the collection and control of all revenues was to be regulated under the advice of the Resident; but, in direct opposition to this engagement, and in spite of several warnings from the Governor, he farmed the Perak taxes to a Singapore Chinaman for 26,000 dollars per annum, and received 15,000 dollars of this sum in advance. Moreover, in order to meet the expenses- entailed by his extravagance, he has resorted to a system of squeezing his subjects, who are thus doubly taxed.
The plan which he has generally adopted has been to send persons of no influence, but of unscrupulous character, to distant parts of the State, and there levy these illegal taxes. Notwithstanding the frequent admonitions of the Resident on this point, reminding him that by adopting this course he was directly violating the engagements made at Pangkore, he persisted in these illegal attempts to extort money.
10. Again, with regard to Clause VI. of the Treaty, wherein it is laid down that the advice of the Resident should not only be asked but also acted upon on all questions other than those touching Malay religion and custom, Abdullah has not acted upon this advice, except on a few rare occasions, and then not until the Resident had held out- threats of the Governor's displeasure and possibility of bis being dethroned.
For example, a scheme of taxation for Perak was prepared by the Resident, submitted by him to Sir A. Clarke, and met with the approval of the Government. This waI pointed out to Abdullah, who professed perfect acquiescence in all its principles, but, as euch detail of this scheme was matured, and laid before him for his chop, he put off the question with frivolous excuses, and this scheme of taxation, for easily raising a revenue in the country, and for enabling it to pay its debts and develop its resources, has been kept in abeyance solely from his vacillation.
On every occasion that the Resident pressed him not to postpone these matters, be professed acquiescence, but as soon as the paper was produced and his chop asked for be immediately framed some excuse for further delay.
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11. I enclose some extracts from the Reports of the Resident, dating from the commencement of his appointment in Perak, in November last, and from these extracts, your Lordship will observe that Abdullah's character and line of action have been such as I have described them to be. Your Lordship will also find mention of the same subject in the 10th and 11th paragraphs of the enclosed Report of Her Majesty's Resident in
• No. 78 of Command Paper (C. 1,111], July 1874,
↑ No. 63 of same Paper,
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