PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference:
TULLIIC.O. 882
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO
4 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
SIR,
22
Office of Principal Civil Medical Officer, Straits Settlements,
Singapore, December 13, 1876.
I HAVE the honour to request you will be good enough to bring to the notice of his Excellency the Governor that a year has now past since I was wounded on the march to Kinta, and that some months have now elapsed since his Excellency forwarded my application for compensation for the consideration of the Secretary of State. I have there- fore to beg that his Excellency the Governor, if he sees no objection, will again on my behalf address the Secretary of State on the subject.
am, &c.
(Signed) H. L. RANDELL, Principal Civil Medical Officer, Straits Settlements.
To the Hon. the Colonial Secretary,
Straits Settlements.
No. 45.
GOVERNOR SIR WM. JERVOIS, K.C.M.G., C.B., to the EARL OF CARNARVON. (Received January 13, 1877.)
(No. 429). MY LORD,
In my despatches to your Lordship, No. 176, of 20 April, and No. 196, of 13 May, I made certain recommendations respecting the policy to be pursued towards some of the so-called "Nine States," and proposed that a British Resident should be appointed for the States of the Upper Muar.
Government House, Singapore, December 13, 1876.
2. In your Lordship's despatch, No. 196, of the 19th August,† your Lordship informed me that Her Majesty's Government were unwilling to depart from the policy laid down in your Lordship's despatch, No. 135, of the 1st June, or to allow any extension of the system of Residents until they had further experience of the working of those already established. Your Lordship desired me to reconsider the question, and impressed upon me the necessity of adhering to a line of policy which would, as far as possible, avoid a further extension of our political responsibilities in the Malay Peninsula.
3. Upon receipt of your Lordship's despatch, I lost no time in again turning my attention to the subject, and, as regards the proposal made in my despatches, Nos. 176 and 196, I will now only observe that as it is not in accordance with the policy of Her Majesty's Government, it appears unnecessary for me to enter into explanation respecting the criticisms upon the plan which I have hitherto suggested.
4. In paragraph 19 of my despatch, No. 369, of the 18th October, § written soon after the receipt of your Lordship's despatch under reply, I stated that not only had Tunku Antar surrendered, but that the Datu Moar, another of the principal and previously hostile chiefs, had likewise submitted, and that I had been able to withdraw the military detachment from Jumpole.
5. In considering the plan which it would be desirable to adopt for the Government of the States in question, on the basis laid down by Her Majesty's Government, it appeared to me essential that the principal chief should be chosen with regard to the preference of those chiefs who would have to act under him.
""
6. On the point whether there should be one chief over the whole of the "Nine States or not, I found no reason to change the opinion expressed in paragraph 4 of my despatch No. 196, that it would be impracticable to appoint such a chief. The Datu of Rambowe and the Klana of Sungie Ujong would especially object to such a scheme, and the State of Jellabu has an "Eam Tuan" of its own, a brother of Tunku Antar.
7. Under the circumstances I arrived at the conclusion that the best course to adopt would be to hold a meeting of the chief of the States of the Muar Valley, provided they could be induced to come in. In my despatch, No. 216 of 7th June, I informed your Lordship that Tunku Antar has promised to endeavour to bring in these chiefs, and that I had written to Captain Murray, Assistant Resident in Sungie Ujong, to dispel their fears. I also communicated with the Maharajah of Johore on the subject.
8. Having been informed that there was every prospect of their coming in, I made arrangements to meet them at Luigga, on the Muar River, but before these arrangements were matured, a steamer belonging to the Maharajah of Johore arrived at Johore, bringing down Tunku Antar, the Datus of Ulu Moar, Jumpole, and Terrachi, Beginda Tan Mas, the representative of the Datu of Johole, and representatives of the Datus of Gunong Passir and Eenas.
* No. 82, of " Eastern No. 17 A.,” and No. 19, of "Eastern No. 20,”
‡ Not printed. § No. 7.
† No. 67, of Eastern No. 20.
| No. 31, of Eastern No. 20.
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9. I must here again bear testimony to the assistance which I have received from the Maharajah of Johore. Having informed His Highness of my wish to see the Chiefs of the States in question, if they could be induced to come in, he sent some of his officers up the Muar River by Luigga and Sejamet to endeavour to communicate with them, and, with the aid of Tunku Antar, to induce them to have an interview with me, with a view of arranging a settlement of affairs. The result of this mission was that these Chiefs, accompanied by some 80 followers, many of high rank, came to Johore. I enclose a list of those who thus arrived.
10. Upon hearing of the arrival of the Chiefs at Johore, I sent for those who represented the States of Ulu Moar, Sri Menanti, Jumpole, and Johole, and had a long private conversation with them. I then discovered that the Chiefs present were unani- mous in desiring that Tunku Antar should be their controlling head. They stated that he had superior claims to Tunku Ahmat, and that the latter had always lived as a private gentleman near his cousin Tunku Antar, and although they professed themselves willing to adopt any arrangement that the British Government might desire, they did not agree in the representations that had previously been made to me respecting the superior influence of Tunku Ahmat.
11. Though still holding the opinion that Tunku Ahmat was the best qualified person to be placed at the head of a confederation of these small states, as being an older man than Tunku Antar, and probably more likely to be amenable to the advice of a British Resident, had the appointment of such an officer met with the approval of Her Majesty's Government, I felt that it would be undesirable to press his claims against the strongly expressed wishes of the Chiefs, having regard to the policy which it is now desired to pursue towards those states. I therefore, with the assistance of the Maharajah of Johore and his officers, put myself in communication with Tunku Antar and with the other Chiefs concerned, and arrived at an understanding with them as to the arrangement to be made for the future government of those states.
12. The arrangement I have made with them is, that the states of Sri Menanti, Ulu Moar, Jumpole and Johole, together with the districts of Terrachi, Gunong Passir and Eenas, shall form a confederacy under an "Eam Tuan," who will reside at Sri Menanti, each district and state being governed by its own Datu, under the "Eam Tuan." Sungie Ujong, Rambowe and Jellabu will be independent states, under their present rulers. Johole, which had previously desired to remain separate, has, your Lordship will observe, joined the Confederation. Moar will, as heretofore, be under Sultan Alli. It will be remembered that the district of Moar was allotted to Sultan Alli, when he was deposed from the government of Johore, in favour of the present Maharajah's father, and, as I have previously explained in my despatch No. 196 of 13th May, the excep- tional position of the old Sultan renders it undesirable to mix him up with any plan for the confederation of the adjacent states. As regards Jellye, which completes the catalogue of the "Nine States," it is far in the interior, and has had no relations with this government, nor has it at present with other states with which we are concerned. In the event of any such relations being established, Jellye may follow the example of its neighbour Jumpole, and join the Confederation.
13. It should be observed that the title by which Tunku Antar is to be recognised is not the higher one of "Eam Tuan Besar," held by the chief of the "Nine States," when formerly Sungie Ujong, Rambowe, and Jellabu were included in the Confederation, but the lower one of plain "Eam Tuan," denoting that his authority will be confined to the new Confederation of smaller states, by whose chiefs he has been selected; and it is distinctly provided that he shall not interfere with the three larger states, each of which is now by its own desire, to be separately governed by its own chief.
14. In connexion with the arrangements for this Confederation, I did not, of course, lose sight of the position of Tunku Ahmat, and I instructed Captain Murray to com- municate with him, and to inform him of the wishes that had been expressed by the chiefs respecting Tunku Antar being made "Eam Tuan." Captain Murray accordingly invited Tunku Ahmat to stay with him in Sungie Ujong, and explained to him the state of affairs. I am happy to say that the result has been that Tunku Ahmat has promised to live peacefully under Tunku Antar; at the same time stipulating that the "Eam Tuan" shall treat him with proper consideration. I have seen Tunku Antar specially on this point, have impressed upon him the necessity of maintaining a good understanding with bis kinsman, and he has promised to do so. He has engaged also to consult with the Maharajah of Johore, in case any difficulty should arise in any matter relating to the government of the Confederation.
No. 19, of "Eastern No. 20.”
Enclosure 1.
C 4