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Enclosure 15. in No. 48.
SULTAN ABDULLAH to GOVERNOR SIR W. Jervois.
(After compliments.)
We inform our friend that we have received our friend's letter dated 27th September, and we have weighed our friend's words.
We thank our friend for his letter and the good advice in it.
We have given to our friend's officers, Mr. Birch and Mr. Swettenham, a letter for our friend, which we hope will make us lasting friends with the English Government, and to show our friend our sincerity, and how we bope only in our friend's assistance, we now make known to our friend that we give to our friend's Resident in l'erak and to those officers whom our friend may send to assist him full powers to fix and collect all taxes, abolishing those which appear to them unadvisable. We give them full power also to appoint and remove all officers in the districts and villages of Perak, and also to administer justice either personally or by deputy throughout Perak.
We trust that in giving this letter to our friend, together with that already handed to Mr. Birch and Mr. Swettenham, we are giving our friend a proof of our sincerity and our desire to, in future, carry out our engagements and work with our friend's officers for the good of our country.
What has passed we trust our friend will forget in our desire for future good government.
October 2, 1875.
Enclosure 16. in No. 48.
Proclamation.
By the Sultan of Perak.
We, the Sultan Abdullah Mahomed Shab, son of the late Sultan Jaffir Al Muatham Shab, Sultan of Perak, lately entered into an engagement with the British Government at Pulo Pangkore.
We then engaged to receive an officer of the British Government to be British Resi dent in the country of Perak, and to take his advice in all the affairs of the Government of the country.
We consider that if a country is to be well governed it is before all things necessary to have justice; now, therefore, we acknowledge the British Residents, and any other British officers appointed by his Excellency the Governor of the three countries, Singa- pore, Penang, and Malacca, to reside in Perak, to be Judges in Perak, and we give those officers complete power to punish all crimes and try all cases. They can sit severally or together on inquiries, and no one else whatsoever other than these officers can impose fines or imprison in any way whatever.
Now we make known to all our subjects that these officers are acknowledged and accepted judges, and we now command all our subjects to obey all the orders (or laws) of those judges for ever.
So
Cases of life and death will be tried by two Judges sitting together. Should a sentence of death be passed it cannot be executed until it has received our assent. also the aforesaid Judges shall always have power to appoint magistrates in Perak, and the powers of the magistrates shall be fixed by the said Judges in order that the magis- trates may try such cases as the Judges think should be tried by them: moreover, all cases bearing on Mohammedan religion, such as marriage and so forth, can be inquired into and settled by Malays. These Malays will be appointed by the aforesaid officers after consulting with us and the "Waris Perak."
Written on the 2nd October 1873.
Enclosure 17. in No. 48.
Proclamation.
By the Sultan of Perak.
On the 20th January 1874, we entered into an engagement with the British Government. In that engagement it was agreed that a British Resident should be placed in Perak, whose advice should be followed in all the affairs of the Government of Perak.
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Now it has become necessary to examine into and alter the whole present system of taxadon in Perak; for in several places there are taxes which ought to be put a stop to. It is also necessary to raise money to pay fitting allowances to us and to certain Chiefs of Perak, and the expenses of rightly administering (lit. taking care of) the country. Now we, Sultan Abdullah Mahomed Shab, son of the late Sultan Jaffir Al Muatham Shah, in possession of the throne of Perak, the blessed of God, with all its provinces and dependencies, make known to all the inhabitants of Perak that from this day we acknowledge the British Resident and all other British officers appointed to Perak by his Excellency the Governor of the three countries, Singapore, Penang, and Malacca, to be our representatives to carry out in our name all the affairs of our country, as well as to collect and expend all the revenues of our country, and to appoint all the Datus and Punghulus, and to dismiss them if it appears right to the aforesaid officers, and, in fine, to set in order all the affairs of this country.
Now, this we make known to all the inhabitants of our country, in order that they may all obey all the orders, laws, proclamations, and notices of the aforesaid officers, as though they were orders, laws, or proclamations from us.
Written this 2nd October 1875.
Enclosure 18. in No. 46.
"Straits Settlements Government Gazette " Extraordinary of October 15, 1875. Proclamation.
By bis Excellency Sir William Francis Drummond Jervois, Companion of the most Honourable Order of the Bath, Knight Commander of the most Distinguished Order of St. Michael and Saint George, Colonel in the Corps of Royal Engineers, Governor, Commander-in-Chief, and Vice-Admiral of the Colony of the Straits Settlements, &c. &c. &c.
Wm. F. Drummond Jervois.
WHEREAS on the 20th day of January 1874, an engagement was entered into at Pulo Pangkore between certain Chiefs of Perak among themselves and with the then Governor of the Colony of the Straits Settlements, Colonel Sir Andrew Clarke, R.E., K.C.M.G., C.B., on behalf of the British Government, whereby after reciting that a state of anarchy then existed in the kingdom of Perak, owing to the want of settled government in that country, and the non-existence of any etficient power for the protec tion of the people, and for securing to them the fruits of their industry; that large numbers of Chinese were employed and large sums of money invested in tin mining in Perak by British subjects and others residing in Her Britannic Majesty's possessions, and that the said mines and property were not adequately protected; that piracy, murder, and arson were rife in the said country whereby British trade and interest greatly suffered and the peace and good order of the neighbouring British Settlements were sometimes menaced; and after further reciting that certain Chiefs of the said kingdom of Perak for the time theu being, had stated their inability to cope with their then difficulties, and together with those interested in the industry of the country, had requested assistance; and that Her Majesty's Government was bound by treaty stipula- tions to protect the said kingdom and assist its rulers. Articles of arrangement as therein specified were agreed to with a view of establishing order and good government in the State of Perak:
And whereas the then Governor of the Straits Settlement on the 2nd day of November 1874, issued a Proclamation informing all people that a letter had been received from the Right Honourable the Earl of Carnarvon of Highclere Castle, Newberry, High Steward of the University of Oxford, Constable of Carnarvon Castle, Doctor of Civil Law, Principal Secretary of State to Her most Gracious Majesty, Victoria, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Queen and Empress of India, Minister of the Great Queen, in which the Minister of the Great Queen, giving the orders of the Great Queen's Government, says that the said engagement is approved of by the Great Queen, and the Minister charges the governor to acquaint the several Chiefs who have entered into these agreements that Her Majesty's Government will look to the exact fulfilment of the pledges which have now been voluntarily given, and will hold responsible those who violate the engagement which has been solemnly agreed upon:
And whereas copies of the said Proclamation in the Malayan language were delivered to all the Chiefs who signed the said engagement, and were distributed throughout the country of Perak, and otherwise made known to the Chief and people of Perak's
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