PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :—
TIITLCO. 882
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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
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18. The mandarins of China, while often conniving at clan feuds, and using them as excuses for extortion, crush with a vigorous hand when discovered any attempt to form a secret society; to even belong to one is a capital offence. The Chinese Goverment know by sad experience what powerful engines the Hoeys are against any settled rule or good order.
The universal opinion of every respectable Chinese in the Straits Settlement is, that the recognition of the Hoeys, or Heaven and Earth Societies, is a disgrace to our Government.
19. These associations are not to be confounded with "Friendly Societies;" of the latter each Chinese clan or tribe has one, and they deserve every encouragement.
Secret societies, on the contrary, answer no one good end, and their power is immense for terrorism and evil; the head men are almost invariably persons of the worst character, such as brothel or gambling-bouse keepers, endued with great talents for intrigue, and a certain rough eloquence; at their orders the members are ready to commit any violence.
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20. By the working of secret societies the larger and more dangerous portion of the Chinese community are ruled, not by our laws, but by the wills of the head men ; better classes, such as large shopkeepers and rich merchants, through terror and want of moral courage, dare not assist the Government with information, but, like the Parisian bourgeoisie before and during the Cominune, only look on till their lives and shops are in danger, when they cry out for protection against their own countrymen.
The European inhabitants of the Straits know very little about the inner habits of the Chinese or the working of the Hoeys; they can only deplore the disorder; the class of Chinese with whom they come in contact is generally that which is not mixed up with the dangerous societies.
21. By perpetuation of the “Preservation of the Peace Act," and by the registration of the societies as "Dangerous," an Inspector General of great abilities and firmness, or an energetic Superintendent of Police may, to the neglect of his other duties, keep some check on the head men, but any weakness shown is sure to be followed by periodical riots and disturbances.
With a man of less energy and knowledge of the Chinese character than Major Dunlop the Straits Settlements would soon become unbearable; in spite of the un- wearied watchfulness of himself and his subordinates in Penang and Malacca, during the year 1874 there were several attempts at riot in Singapore; in Penang, fights took place between two societies, during which men were killed, women ravished, and houses burned.
S me months ago Malacca was disturbed by a serious riot, accompanied by much violence and damage to property.
In Larut the long continued quarrel between the Ghee Hin and Hye San Societies (Lee Kwan and Go Kwan) was only settled by the int rference of Sir A. Clarke, after costing the lives of some thousands of peo ›le, and the desolation of a whole country; besides spending to Penang, where the Mantri of Larut's house was blown up, and one of our police murdered.
At Singapore, in October 1872, a riot took place and the military had to be called out; in D cember, the same year, oisturbances between two societies were accompanied by loss of life and destruction of property.
Again, in 1871 (Nov.), Singapore was the scene of a disgraceful riot, by which busines was stopped for a week, and the combatants were only brought to terms by starvation, after committing much murder and arson.
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Some ten years ago l'enang was given over for weeks to the quarrels of two secret soci-ties; the loss of life and destruction of property was never known, but is acknowledged by the Chinese to have been enormous.
In Larut, too, within six months after the establishment of peace in January 1874, there were one or two attempts at disturbances, and not till after the deportation of ten of the chief conspirators, and the use of wholesome severity towards the rest of the malcontents, was the danger averted.
In Sungei Ujong, as 1 have said before, during 1874, serious riots occurred, with considerable loss of life.
22. Every riot is a source of profit to the head men, as subscriptions are levied for the payment of lawyers and false witnesses, and for the support of the families, in China or elsewhere, of the men who may be killed, or who may be sentenced by our laws to death or penal servitude. Much of the money thus collected goes no further than the pockets of the chiefs of societies.
When not engaged in prosecuting their quarrels, the bead men find profitable em. ployment in coolie stealing, extorting money from brothel-keepers, or in managing gambling houses.
With a constant influx of the criminal population of the South of China, the police of our settlements have plenty to do, without the addition of a recognised and organised system of lawlessness.
23. Our complicated system of law, adapted to the wants and comprehension of a highly civilised nation, opposes great obstacles to the dealing with these evils; more- over, I am sorry to say (without wishing in any way to reflect disparagingly on the profession generally), there are lawyers who, forgetting their duties as Englishmen, are not ashamed for the sake of gain, to encourage the Chinese in their disorders, and by their conduct in court bring disrespect on the law, and diminish the wholesome fear of the Government and its officials, without which it is impossible to rule the Chinese, above all Orientals.
24. In addition to the social evils caused by the Hoeys, politically they would prove a great source of weakness to our Government in case of war with any European naval power.
An emissary amongst the head men, with sufficient power of bribery, could easily induce them to give us so much trouble as would very seriously embarrass us in the defence of our Colonies, from any attack of our European enemy.
25. My views on the above subjects will, I believe, be corroborated by the police authorities, the magistrates, and by the respectable part of the native community, I have had great facilities afforded ine for being acquainted with the Hoeys, by my constant attendance at the Police Office and the various Courts,
Besides this I have had charge of the registration of the "Dangerous Societies,” in Singapore and Penang, and am acquainted, on pretty intimate terms, with all their head men, who know that my assistance in anything lawful is always at the service of Chinese,
In January 1874 I was sent up by Sir Andrew Clarke to Penang, to endeavour to settle the Larut troubles; whilst conducting the arrangements, which ended success- fully in the surrender of the piratical boats, their arms and men, and in the establish- ment of peace, I was constantly associated with the heads of the great Ghee Hin, and other societies.
The leaders admitted me to their meeting-houses and councils, where I had every opportunity of learning the working of the societies and their objects. The registra tion of the societies is a mere farce, the real records are kept back, and the books, lists, &c., brought for the inspection of the authorities are composed for the purpose of misleading the Government.
26. If the above be the results of our past policy in small and compact settlements like Singapore and Penang, where we have the full power of the executive, what may be expected if the same policy be extended to a large and wild tract of country like the West Coast of the Malay Peninsula.
27. We cannot shut our eyes to the fact that peace in the Malay States means a large influx of Chinese; this involves our interference to keep the peace.
The men who find the capital for mining or agricultural purposes are for the most part naturalised or born British subjects, and the labourers are all connected with our colonies by the secret societies, so that any disturbance in a Native State injures the trade of our people, and endangers the good order and tranquillity of our settlements. Furthermore, we have a moral duty to protect the Malays from majorities of Chinese, and to protect the turbulent Chinese from massacring each other.
28. To endeavour to carry out these objects with the system of rule pursued in the Straits Settlements during past years would give more trouble than the govern- ment of all our other small colonies put together.
29. The above premises being allowed, it would seem advisable to try and discover a mode of government productive of better results than the past has been. I am of opinion that such a mode will not be difficult to find.
30. In the foregoing remarks I have given the dark side of Chinese character, and, doubtless, for natives of a Celestial Empire the Chinese are much given to strife and petty fends; indeed, when viewing their divisions and animosities, Virgil's question "Tantæne animis Cælestibus iræ "? often occurs to my mind.
But, on the other hand, they have a bright side when governed firmly and justly, according to rules they can intelligently appreciate; no people on earth are more amenable to law than the Chinese, and when thus ruled they will make any country flourish and prosper. ·
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