PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
سانس
Reference :-
CO. 882
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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH—NOT TO
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the nature of the case will admit of, and proceeding, as soon as possible, to organise a Resident's guard and police of such force as you may think proper.
His Excelicacy desires that you will at once publish notices far and wide
recalling all fugi- tives, promising them protection, and taking special steps for having such of them as possessed property restored to the possession of that property, and providing them all with waste land to cultivate, if they wish to cultivate. The system of collecting revenue on imports
should occupy your early attention.
You will send in a regular monthly report of progress, and a monthly statement -howing the revenue and expenses of the country, which you will take under your special harge, being assisted by such officers, clerks, &c. as may be sanctioned by his Excel- lency, on your representation after arrival at Klang. A steam launch will be provided for you at once, to enable you to visit the several places of trade and population in Salangore, and his Excellency desires that you will take an early opportunity of seeing the Sultan of Salangore at Langat, and that you will enter upon such relations with his Highness as will enable you, in gaining his confidence, to be of real service in securing the peace and prosperity of his country."
16. Your Lordship will observe that these instructions are so couched that the Resi- dent became the agent of the Governor rather than the adviser of the Sultan and Vice- roy; in fact, I may say the latter position was never taken up, and that the entire control of the affairs of this State of Salangore has been concentrated in the Resident.
17. Upon referring to paragraph 10 of your Lordship's Despatch, under acknowledg- ment, your Lordship states that you have always understood that the British officers "connned themselves to advising and assisting the native authorities," and that, until the receipt of the intelligence of Mr. Birch's death, your Lordship fully believed that such a system was "in force in Perak as well as in the neighbouring territories."
With all deference, I think that your Lordship has misconceived the position of affairs, for both from Despatches and Reports (especially the latter) which were forwarded to your Lordship, before my arrival in the Colony, it appears to me to be clearly shown that the position which the Resident assumed towards the States, was not merely that of an adviser. I will confine the following remarks to the State of Perak.
18. In Sir A. Clarke's Despatch to your Lordship, dated December 30th, 1874, he points out that Mr. Birch was "in every way, eminently qualified for undertaking the task of initiating all the practical measures essential for the future administration of a semi-civilized country." He further states, that Mr. Birch possessed "in a remark- able degree, untiring physical energy and endurance, powers of infinite value to one whose duties will necessarily entail upon him constant exposure to climate and weather."
Assuming that it was the duty of the Resident practically to take upon himself the administration of the affairs of the country, such qualifications were doubtless invaluable for the work which had to be done, and which has been more or less done, in all the States to which Residents have been appointed, but they are not the qualifications for which an officer would be selected if he were only intended to be a passive adviser.
19. But, it is to Mr. Birch's Report on Perak, dated 2nd April, and forwarded to your Lordship with Despatch No. 121, of 26th April 1875,† that I would beg especially to call your Lordship's attention, as showing that, in his position as Resident and nominal adviser, Mr. Birch really performed all those duties which, in paragraph 8 of this Despatch, I have stated must be performed by a Resident when the ruler is power- less, even if willing, to carry out the advice tendered to him.
From paragraphs 2 and 74, your Lordship will observe that, after having made the acquaintance of the Sultan, Mr. Birch was travelling, in various parts of Perak, for some five months.
In paragraph 11 there is no mention of any advice tendered to the Sultan, but a hope is expressed that, when the Sultan has a new house, that he would give up opium smoking and think for himself.
In paragraphs 16, 17, and 18 he mentions that the complaints of illegal fining and oppression, which came before him (Mr. Birch), were on the decrease.
In paragraphs 19 and 20, he mentions that he bad reorganised the system of collecting the imports and exports, and that it was now under the supervision of one of his officers who kept the accounts.
* No.74 of Command Paper [C. 1,111], July 1874. † No. 26 of Command Paper [C. 1,390] of August 1876.
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In paragraph 27 he states that he had submitted a scale of duties to the Governor, who had approved of the same.
In paragraphs 30 and 31 he states that he hopes to have a short code of laws ready for the Datus, and that the Datus and Sultans in many cases referred the ryots to him, for the settlement of complaints.
In paragraph 40 he states that he is unable to deal with the appointments of Punghulus and Datus until he had become personally acquainted with the topography of the country.
In paragraphs 62, 72, and 73 he states that he intended or proposed to have police stations at various points.
Finally, in paragraph 90, he states that the British ̃Administration in Laroot has been very successful.
20. Now, my Lord, I would beg to observe that although this Report admits of no doubt that the Resident (backed by the terms of the Pangkore engagement which, as I have stated in paragraph 12, virtually threw the Government of the country into his hands) had assumed powers far beyond that of an adviser and counsellor. Your Lord- ship, in acknowledging the receipt of the Report (No. 120 of 15th July), states that you had read it with much interest, and that
be still further developed.
you trusted that peace and prosperity will 21. I certainly always considered, as I have stated in paragraph 9, that the Colonial Office understood that the relation of the Resident to the ruler was far beyond that of a mere adviser, and I was strengthened in that belief by the apparent acquiescence of your Lordship in Reports such as that to which I have referred. When, therefore, J arrived here and found, as I have stated in paragraph 9, that each Resident was prac- tically administering the Government of the State to which he was accredited, I considered that I should only be carrying out the views of the Colonial Office in sup- porting such system, and endeavouring, if possible, to bring it to a successful issue. would beg to point out to your Lordship that this system was not introduced by me, but that I found it in operation, and, as I have explained, I considered it, under the circumstances of the case, a logical consequence of our intervention.
22. Soon after my arrival here, I recognised that the success of the system as it existed was, amongst other conditions, dependent upon the amenability of the ruler. When the Resident and the central authority acted in harmony, and when the views of the former were cordially supported by the latter, comparative success accrued. But when their mutual relations were distinguished by disunion and discord, rather than by harmony and unanimity, and when the central authority would not submit to be strengthened by the moral and material force which the Resident could bring to bear, failure, either total or partial, was the inevitable result.
23. Now, I beg your Lordship to observe that, on my arrival here, I found that the success of the residential system in the States of Salangore and Perak presented a very marked contrast. In both these States, as well as in that of Sungie Ujong, the Residents had the conduct of affairs in their own hands, but different results had ensued, for the reason that the relations between the Resident and the ruler were marked respectively by the opposite features which the system is capable of presenting, and which I have explained in the previous paragraph,
24. In Salangore, as your Lordship justly remarks, in paragraph 15 of your Lord- ship's Despatch under acknowledgment, comparative success bad attended this system.
This is to be accounted for by the fact that Tunku Kudin, Viceroy of Salangore, recognising that his position as ruler of a Malay State is that which I have described the position of such rulers to be generally (in paragraph 7), has trusted implicitly in Mr. Davidson, the Resident, and has, together with the Sultan, who is also amenable, immediately ratified any measures proposed by Mr. Davidson, knowing that such measures were for the good of the country. Mr. Davidson has felt himself obliged to take all the duties of the administration of the country, as stated in paragraph 8, into his hands, but, in this also, Tunku Kadin gives him all the assistance he can, and co- operates with him to the utmost of his ability.
25, But I would, however, observe that this condition of affairs in Salangore does not possess the elements of permanency. In the event of anything bappening to the central native authority, there is a possibility that his successor would not submit to be guided by the decisions of the Resident. In that case a state of things would ensue somewhat similar to that which I found existing in Perak.
And here I may remark that Mr. Davidson has had considerable difficulties to contend with in Salangore, and that he has been successful in putting down and preventing distur- bances by the cordial support he has received from the Viceroy whilst acting in his name, B 2