CO882-(2-3) — Page 279

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19. There are inconveniences of several different kinds which can be imaginad az arising out of the appointment of permanent Residents at the several States, diffusimus kind with the characters of the different Chiefs, and I may add with the characters oftha different European officers. The Malays are generally a lethargic sort of people, winch addicted to a blind fallowing of the "Customs of the Ancestors," then they aaO A nervous, shy, sort of people, and withal very touchy and ceremonious, and with high notions of their own dignity. And, given such a people, and put down among them an European officer, whoes sole duty it would be to be giving good advice, and afiqun shinat time I should expect to find a feeling of worry, and annoyance, and exmintaation, springing up in the minds of the Chiefs against their perpetual visitor and his perpetund advice, however wise the advice might be, and however discreetly given. And there would be also the danger of injudicious advice being given and taken, leading to much unpopularity of the rulers, and disaffection on the part of the subjects, as would lead to complications very embarrassing to the Government, to'whose ill advise they would be more or less attributed.

20. If the policy of Her Majesty's Government were to keep pushing our influenes in those countries, and becoming virtually the governing power, the appointment of permanent Residents would probably be a step in the right direction. But this I understand from the Secretary of State's despatch is not the course that is designed, and that what is desired is to interfere as little as possible, compatibly with saving the countries from open disorders, and for the rest to treat the native Governments and mative institutions to be things to be improved as occasions may show to be possible, but in the main to be recognized as they are, and their self dependency rather encouraged by a wholesome neglect, than weakened by perpetual training and fostering, and in this view I am strong in my opinion that the occasional visits of an European Officer to the States will be better adapted to the purpose than his continual residetan; an officer arriving at one of these States, fresh from interviews with the Governor, and being about to return and report to the Govamor,--and fresh also from visits to the neighbouring States, and being about to visit auch States again before long, would be listened to, I think, in a way that the Resident Officer would not be; while, on the other hand, he would find it more saay to restrict the exercise of his influenes to the limits desired by the Government, and from his intimate acquaintanos with the afkirs not of one State only, but of all of them, and from his continually recurring interviews with the Governor, he would be better able to understand distinctly what those limits should be, and get a clear and consistent view of the policy of the Goverment, an it regards the States considered individually, and as regards the system of Stases on the Peninsula generally.

C. J. IRVING.

Inclosure 8 in No. 85.

(Signed)

Mernorundham by the Prosawer regarding Native States, with reference in Secretary of State's despatch of 20th September, 1878.

SINOR 1857, when I was Magistrate of Malacca, and part of the time in change of that Settlement an Acting Besident Councillor, I have had no personal communie with

any of the native Chiefs between Malacca and Province Wellesley, and all I know about them is from hearsay or the newspapam. I am not, themefore, in a position to speak on information within my own personal knowledge, but, as an old resident of upwards of 30 years in these Settlements, I have no hesitation in mying that it would have been beneficial to humanity, as well as to trade, if the English Government had, years ago, taken a larger and more familiar friendly interest in the surrounding nativa katos, and that such friendly interference, if juduriously applied, would have been equally advantageous to and appreciated by the people of those States.

9. The state of things in Parak and Selangore appear to have been getting from bad to worse, and to have reached such a point that, eran for humanity alone, some decisive action is needed by a strong hand to step in and, winy further bloodshed. The question then arises, What is best to be done under the sirenasiances ? Not only in there a fearful waste of life going on, but the valuable trade with ébora commácine in destroyed. From a long experiance of the natives, I am motiefed they are amona to reason, and will follow the advice of any European whom they respect, and they believe is acting for their good, and I believe if Residenta waon appointed the different native States, they would be readily received, and, if peopesły

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be looked up to, and exert a great and beneficial influence. not be men of great ability, who would probably only look to the appointment as a Such Residents need stepping-stone to something better, but urbane, practical men, who have no aversion to the natives, but a desire to improve and push them forward; who would argue with the Chiefs in a pleasant, not domineering way, and point out to them the advantages of the European system in opening up a country by roads and canals; in collecting the revenue and controlling the expenditure; impressing at the same time upon them that, introducing a regular system of taxation, instead of levying fines or squeezing rich subjects, when money was required, was more beneficial to the ruler, as well as to the subject.

3. I think there should be a Resident with the Sultan of Perak, and an Assi¬tant Resident at Laroot, a Resident with Tunku Dis Udin, with whom, I think, the Sultan of Salangore should live. The Resident at Perak might be a kind of Consul-General, have a small steamer at his disposal, and fie required to visit the other Residents once in three or four months, and then personally report to the Governor. Such a system would, I believe, be advantageous to those States and to British commerce.

W. W. WILLANS, Colonial Treasurer.

(Signed)

Inclosure 4 in No. 85.

Memorandum by the Attorney-General regarding Native States, with reference to Despatck from the Secretary of State, dated 20th September, 1873.

I HAVE read this despatch with care, and I trust I may, without impropriety, say with much gratification, as the opening for a course of policy which, I think, can safely be followed by this Government; and which will be attended, not only with benefit to these Settlements, but will secure a prosperous future for the neighbouring native States.

The Secretary of State directs that the Governor is carefully to ascertain the actual condition of affairs in each State, and this affords room for a first remark, that the records of Government really afford little means of acquiring such information as would suffice to ground any useful action.

Government has from time to time required information on these subjects, and has deputed officers, more or less conversant with native affairs, to visit the States; but these officers have acted without reference to, or even knowledge of, previous action, and without any defined system. The consequence is a mass of conflicting statements, out of which it is impossible to extract any reliable and consistent information, as was recently found in the cases of Perak and Salangore, in dealing with both of which States it was found to be necessary for the Governor to go himself and collect information before acting.

The fact which must strike everyone conversant with the affairs of the Peninsula, is the absolute inability of the native rulers to maintain order without assistance from an authority superior to themselves. This is exemplified in the difference now existing between the States of Quedab or Johore, and the States lying between them. The Siamese Government assists Quedah, and the British Government assists Johore, consequently order is preserved in both. It is only necessary to refer to the very slight assistance given by this Government to Johore to understand how little, beyond moral influence, is required.

In the other States, however, where there is no such assistance, physical or moral, disorder reigns supreme in all, although it is only the tin countries which attract attention, owing to the value of their trade.

The first step likely to remedy this unfortunate state of affairs would, I think, be the appointment of officers of Government to reside in the States, measure already asked for by the Rulers of Salangore and Perak, the two most important, owing to their large tin trade.

Such is the influence of the British Government in the neighbouring Malay Staten, that the mere fact of the residence in any State of a Representative of the great Government would of itself give stability to the rule of its Chief, and establisk order in the country.

These officers could keep the Central Government informed as to what was going on in their respective States, and thus enable Government to direct the general policy from head-quarters.

Their duties would, at first, be not merely to advise the Chiefs, but to show them

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