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back, as Mahomedan law required, to her family, that is to her brother Sultan Ali. When the Sultan felt himself dying, he sent messages, asking to see his sister, and to see the Raja Muda. But the Raja Muda would not, or at any rate did not either go himself, or send Raja Tipah. Then came the news of the Sultan's death; and at this point there is an important divergence in the way the story is told by the two parties. The Bandahara's partizans say, that as soon as Sultan Ali died, the Raja Muda was summoned to the funeral, but that he would not cone; and that Raja Tipah, in despair at finding that the Raja Muda was not going to take her up to Sayang, in time to be present at her brother's obsequies, made it known that she would give herself to any man who would rescue her, and take her to Sayang; that a certain Raja Dowd, a younger brother of Raja Mahdi, offered to do this, and effected her escape; but that instead of taking her to Sayang, as he had promised, he carried her away into Salangor territory (I believe to the Hulu Bernam). The story on the Raja Muda's side is, that Raja Tipah had no reason to think that she would not be taken to the funeral, and that she ran away with Raja Dowd, because she was in in love with him. Both parties are agreed as to the fact of the residence in Salangor, and also in the fact that the Raja Bandahara (Sultan Ismail), after his so-called accession, sent elephants for them, and brought them to Guntar,t his own place of residence, to which he had returned from Sayang; and that after the expira- tion of the interval required by Mahomedan law, they were married, with the full consent of her family.

17. On the death of the Sultan, which happened, as I have already stated, on the 25th May, 1871, the great men of the country were, in accordance with the received practice, summoned to meet together at Sayang, for the purpose of burying the deceased Sultan, and installing his successor. The following is a list of the persons who attended :-

Nobles of the 1st class:-

Raja Bandahara. Tumunggong.

Tunku Mantri.

Nobles of the 2nd class :-

Maharaja Lela.

Panglima Guntar.

Datoh Shakgor or Sagah.

Nobles of the 3rd class :-

Sri Maharaja Lela, and others.

I am not quite clear as to the point when the Tunku Mantri arrived, whether before or after the funeral, but I know that he was there, and that he acquiesed in, if he did not promote the proceedings of the conference.

18. When the news of the Sultan's death reached the Raja Muda (I shall now give his version of the story) he says (in a letter to the Governor, which I shall presently refer to), that "circumstances prevented" his going to the Sultan Ali's funeral; but though in this way he admits and explains his absence from the funeral, he does not mean it to be understood that he refused to go to it. His story, as I gathered it from his own narrative, and from a more detailed account given me by one of his adherents, an old man named Sa Indra Maharaja, is to the following effect: That after the news of the Sultan's death had been received, and two days after the flight of Raja Tipah, the Raja Muda sent a letter by the hands of Sa Indra Maharaja, addressed to the Raja Bandahara at Sayang, in which he stated, that as soon as the Laksamana, who was at that time down at the Qualla, abould return, they would come together up to Sayang; his object in waiting for the Laksamana being, that it was the custom for the Laksamana to escort the Raja Muda on such occasions. That the Bandahara having read the Raja Muda's letter, sent him back a message by Sa Indra Maharaja, advising him to come up the river as far as Campong Gajah-Sa Indra Maharaja's own place--and to wait there until after the funeral. That the Raja Muda complied, and went up to Campong Gajah (where, I may add, he remained living up to the time of his starting for Penang). That at the time of the Raja Muda's arrival at Campong Gajah, the funeral had not taken place, but that no communications were made to him asking him to go. That Sa Indra Maharaja was told by the Panglima Guntar and others, that it was not advisable for the Raja Muds to come up to Sayang on

• There is a contradiction in my notes at this point, and I am not quite sure whether it was before or after

the news of Sultan Ali's death was received that Raja Tipah eloped with Raja Dowd.

+ The River Goatar is a branch of the Perak, flowing into it from the south. The Bandabara's residence is some distance up this river.

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account of the business about Raja Tipah. (From other sources I heard that one of Sultan Ali's sons was furiously incensed against the Raja Muda for his conduct in the matter, and would probably have attacked him if he had made his appearance); but that as soon as the funeral was over, they would all come down to the Raja Muda at Campong Gajah. That the Raja Muda was led to believe that the Raja Bandahara was going to be appointed a sort of Acting Sultan for a few days, so that the late Sultan's body might be interred (as the practice of the country required), in the presence of his successor; but that as soon as the funeral was over, the Bandahara would hand over the insignia of the kingdom to him; and this was the view of some, at any rate of those who were present at the conference. That the Raja Muda continued under the belief that the insignia would be handed over to him for a considerable time after the conference had broken up, and the Bandahara had returned to the Hulu Guntar; and that he did not realize the fact that he had been duped and ousted out of his rights, until his eyes were opened to the Bandahara's real feelings in regard to him, by his consenting to the marriage of Raja Dowd and Raja Tipah; he having, up to that time, believed the Bandahara to be his friend, and to have accepted the Sultanship only in trust for him, and with the intention of giving it up to him as soon as he left Sayang.

19. The Bandahar's story, as told by the Tunku Mantri, is a very different one, and is to the following effect:-That after the conference had assembled at Sayang, every effort was made to induce the Raja Muda to come up and perform his duties; but that after the disgrace thrown upon him by the flight of his wife, he was ashamed to show himself. That repeated messages were sent to him, but that he kept himself out of the way, and would not see the messengers. And that it was not until after every effort in this way had been exhausted, and the corpse had been kept unburied for upwards of a month, that it was decided to break through the ordinary rule, and make the Bandahara Sultan instead of the Raja Mudu. That this was understood by all present to be a permanent arrangement, and that it had been subsequently assented to by those of the nobles who were not present, including the Laksamana (the Tunku Mantri's father-in-law), who is now the most energetic supporter of the Raja Muda. That the Bandahara, thongh not of Royal blood, had claims to consideration from his personal character, from his having served as Bandahara for three reigns, and from his attachment to Sultan Ali's family, the eldest of whose sons he had made Bandahara, (thus restoring the original practice to which I have referred in para- graph 13). And that, finally, independently of the special circumstances which had led to the Raja Muda being passed over, it was considered that he was a person unfit to govern, being addicted to opium-smoking, and leading an idle and debauched life.

20. Such are the two versions of the story. It is very difficult to form an opinion a to their comparative claims to belief, nor is it worth while, perhaps, to expend much con- sidoration on the subject. One thing is quite clear, that there are two claimants to the Throne, and that each of them has his supporters, and each of them his own version of the circumstances that have occurred since Sultan Ali's death. And the most desirable course seems to be to dismiss from consideration these irreconcileable stories, and to go direct to the several persons concerned, and inquire of them-not what they said, or did not say, on past occasons, or what they meant, or did not mean, on past occasions-what they mean, and intend now. This, indeed, is the course that was proposed by the Tunku Mantri, as will presently be seen, and which is now about to be carried into effect.

21. After the Raja Muda had become conscious of his real position, he appears to have taken no active steps to assert bis rights for some months, but to have remained at Purbayan in great discontent, but without forming any plan as to how to better his position. And he might, I think, not improbably, have continued to have acquiesced in his position, had he not been stirred up to action by the man named Bacon, to whom I have referred above. However, this is only a surmise, and it is quite possible that the Raja Muda, with his chief supporter the Laksamana, may of themselves have resolved on prosecuting the former's claim, and that Bacon is simply a man whom they have made use of to put them in the way of communicating with the English Government. Be this as it may, a resolution was come to on the part of the Raja Muda and his adherents, about the beginning of this year, to represent their case to the Colonial Government. And with this view a letter was addressed to the Governor, bearing the seals, not only of the Raja Muda bimself, but also those of the Shahbandar. Laksamana, Maharaja Leja, and the Datoh Shakgor. The two latter, it will be seen, (paragraph 18), were present at the conference at Sayang. The Shahbandar and the Laksamana were not present on that occasion. The Tunku Mantri says, that they afterwards acquiesced, and did homage to the Raja Bandabara. The Laksamana says, he did not; and I suppose the Shahbandar would say the same. And I suppose that the Maharaja Leia and the Datoh Shakgor would say if they were asked, that they intended the Bandahara only to be Sultan temporarily;

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