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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

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amongst them, however wise the advice, and however discreetly given, and that a very great danger would always exist of the resident officers giving injudicious advice.

15. I am, however, of opinion that no moral good whatever would be derived from the appointment of such an officer. It would be merely prolonging the system which has existed for years past under both the Indian and Colonial rule in dealing with the independent Malay States, and which system has been productive of so much disadvantage.

16. I have been placed in a position which enabled me to feel keenly the want of some organized system. I found no fixed department for dealing with native States, and no regular records, while I was able to gather very little practical information from any of the officers who had hitherto been detached from time to time to pay the occasional visits, which, in the course of the correspondence herewith transmitted, are sometimes alluded to. This periodical visiting, without any consistent plan or fixed policy, and on one occasion by one officer, and on the next occasion by another, have clearly never been productive of good, and I am not prepared again to recommend the adoption of such a system, even in an organized and more regular form.

17. The Malays, like every other rude Eastern nation, require to be treated much more like children, and to be taught; and this especially in all matters of improvement, whether in the question of good government and organization, or of material improvement by opening means of communication, extending cultivation, and fostering immigration and trade.

Such teaching can only be effected by an officer living on the spot, whose time should be devoted to carefully studying the wants and capabilities of each State, the character of the Sultan and his Chiefs, and to making himself personally acquainted with every portion of the country, and thus fitting himself for the post of Counsellor when the time for opening up the country arrives.

18. But apart from the Malays themselves, who are very sparsely scattered through each of these countries, and are by no means numerous although they are the ruling nation, we have to consider the immigrant Chinese, who form the only industrial population, and are the backbone of all trade and commerce throughout the Malay Peninsula; and they would feel no certainty whatever that things will not at once relapse into their old position, were we not to grant, what they all so earnestly plead for, a resident British officer.

19. The effect of this feeling of security on the part of the Chinese who flock into our own territories everywhere, as they likewise do into those of our Dutch neighbours, is to be seen in the native State of Johore, where His Highness the Maharajah has about 60,000 Chinese, planters, and miners engaged in the interior. It is true that we have no English Resident at the Maharajah's Court, but His Highness' almost daily intercourse with the members of this Government, and the enlightened policy which he pursues as a result of this intercourse, are well known by the Chinese and thoroughly appreciated by them.

20. But, even in this territory, I have already seen enough of the state of His High- ness's financial arrangements to make me feel how important it is with a native Chief, however enlightened and anxious to improve, to place near him a responsible adviser-an officer of experience, responsible to his own Government-who will give to the Chief sound and disinterested advice as to the expenditure of his revenues. A native Ruler. anxious to develop the resources of his country, and surrounded by European Agents and employés, becomes an instrument in their hands, as to the schemes and projects he under- takes, and is liable, even in Johore, to receive and adopt anything but sound advice, and to embark in undertakings involving anything but profitable expenditure.

21. I may also refer your Lordship to the upper part of the Malay peninsula, where, in the neighbourhood of Mergin and Tennasserim, piracy of the worst description was at one time rife, but has now completely disappeared since that country has been settled under British officers.

22. The feeling of security which is at once created by such appointments is very apparent in the Settlement of Deli, on the opposite coast of Sumatra, where, since the Dutch Government appointed a Resident, several European plantations have been opened up, and Chinese pass over there in considerable numbers.

23. One of the great difficulties which meets us at the outset in every one of the States of the peninsula, even in Johore, is our absolute ignorance of the geographical or physical features of the country beyond the actual banks of the large rivers, and those only for a few miles from their mouths, as high as our steam-launclics have been able to make The extraordinary part of it is that this ignorance is not confined to ourselves, but extends equally to the native Rulers, who have been hitherto content to confine their travels to the main rivers, and who know nothing whatever of the interior of their several countries, but by report from their various subordinate head men: and, as a proof of this,

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I may mention that only a few days ago the Maharajah of Johore invited an officer of my Government to assist him in an exploring trip up the finest river in his territory, which he had never visited before.

Kedah forms some exception, as a road runs through it, across the peninsula, to Siam, along which there is constant traffic, both by elephants and horses.

24. These, my Lord, are the broad reasons on which I have come to the conclusion that, if we desire to bring about any radical change in these States, we can only effect permanent good by the appointment of resident British officers.

In coming to this conclusion, I am supported in the strongest manner by the Members of my Executive Council, with one exception; and I therefore have no hesitation in earnestly recommending your Lordship to accede to what I have shown to be the universal desire of every one in any way connected with these countries.

25. In the "Précis of Perak Affairs," by Mr. Skinner, to which I have before alluded, your Lordship will find a short résumé of the course of recent events in the kingdom of Perak, and especially in the district of Larut. On reports of some of the proceedings of Her Majesty's ships "Thalia" and "Midge," at the end of September, I find an endorse- ment by Sir H. Ord leaving the papers for my consideration, and remarking that he had proposed to make them the subject of a despatch, but affairs had followed each other so rapidly that it was impossible to do so.

This rapid course of events had by no means diminished when I arrived, and very shortly culminated in the outrages and acts of piracy which compelled me to interfere.

26. It will be seen from this Précis, since all the correspondence between the Govern- ment and the Rulers of Perak and Larut has been collected and arranged, that these disturbances have been going on with more or less severity, but without intermission, since August, 1872, and arose from disputes between two tribes of Chinese, the See Kwans and Go Kwans, who were contending for the possession of the valuable tin mines in the Larut district, and situated on the river of that name.

27. It is, I think, unnecessary here to enter into occurrences previous to recent events, and I shall therefore take no notice of what took place between 1826, the date of the last old Treaties with the Indian Government, and 1862, when it would appear Governor Cavenagh demanded from Perak 17,447 dollars, as compensation to recoup the See Kwan Chinese, for losses sustained by them from the Go Kwans, which side the present Mantri (Ngah Ibrahim) then espoused. The Sultan at once acceded to this demand, and stated that Ngah Ibrahim had agreed to pay the money, and added, at the end of his letter, that he nad "confirmed the Government of Larut on Ngah Ibrahim, with full powers in all affairs, so that he can himself govern the country, with the advice of the Laksamana." It is worth while observing that the Government then stepped in to obtain compensation for the very tribe (See Kwans) whom we lately disarmed, and who, till then, were in possession of the rivers and boats.

28. The Mantri from this date, as far as I can learn, enjoyed all the revenues of the Laroot district, which were by no means inconsiderable, as in 1872 (a bad year owing to the war and constant disturbances) the royalty of one-tenth on tin alone in the district of Perak must have amounted to 186,000 dollars.

29. The first symptoms of disturbance at the mines arose in February, 1872, when the Go Kwan faction was driven out, and the fighting was soon over. At this juncture the Mantri asked for aid against the Go Kwans, and petitions were sent in by them complaining of the Mantri's conduct, when a letter was written to him expressing the confidence of Government that he would do what was right.

30. In September, 1872, the Go Kwans petitioned this Government, stating their losses at 300,000 dollars, and accusing the Mantri of duplicity in taking side against them, but were informed that the Government could not interfere.

The Rajah Mudah (Abdullah) about this time openly sided with the See Kwans, and began to collect revenues in Laroot district, as an integral part of the Kingdom of Perak, of which he claimed to be the rightful Sultan.

In October the See Kwans were driven out, but the fighting continued between these rival factions till February 1873, when an Order in Council was issued prohibiting the exportation of arms and ammunition to Laroot. By this time the Mantri Had again joined the Go Kwans, but his alliance with them was of little use to him, and he thought it wiser to leave Laroot, and took up his residence at the Krean.

31. At the end of February be petitioned the, Government for assistance against the Chinese factions, and stated that open plundering was now going on even on the high seas near Laroot. In May the See Kwans commenced a regular blockade of the rivers, which

* The Auditor-General, and he only in preferring an itinerary to a resident British officer. [133]

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