CO882-(2-3) — Page 498

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

PC.O. 882

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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-

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Revenues on Tin.-From the materials at our disposal it is difficult to trace the various charges in the method of charging and collecting the revenue on the tin. The facilities for collecting on the river are so great, however, and the practice is now so well understood, that we may take it for granted that, in future, the regular authorized revenue will be collected in this way. It will probably be sufficient for the present to confine our attention to the authority exercised by the several persons who have at different times levied duties, to ascertain, if possible, what rights each individual had, and bow those rights have been transmitted, so as to enable us to arrive at a conclusion as to who is entitled to collect the revenue at the present time.

Disturbances in 1830.

After the great disturbance among the miners in Sungie Ujong in 1830, when the Chinese, presuming on their numbers, attacked the Malays, but were defeated, and had to abandon the mines, their property was confiscated, and four-ninths of the amount of con fiscation was assigned to Rajah Alli, as the Eam Tuan Besar, the Klama taking the other five-ninths for himself.

Pretensions of Rumbowe. This is said by Captain Begbie to have been the first profit derived by Rumbowe from the Lingie, that is Sungie Ujong, mines; and it was given for these two reasons, besides superiority of power-first, that the colony of Lingie was founded by Rumbowe people; and, secondly, that the tin, on being sent down the river, must needs pass the Rumbowe post at Sempang.

To our ideas of the present day the reason founded on superiority of power was the more available one. The colony of Lingie, which is a mere trading depôt for Sungie Ujong, was founded by the five Bugghese families led there, in 1783, by Inchi Ahman, the first Datu of Lingie; and, except that Inchi Kattas, the second Datu, came from Rumbowe, after the peace was established, it cannot be said that Rumbowe had much to do with the founding of the colony, although it must be admitted that some Rumbowe men joined the Settlement after it was formed. The second reason is obviously unten- able. It will be remembered that the authority to which the share of confiscated property was given is the Eam Tuan Besar of Rumbowe, not the Punghulu of Rumbowe, nor the Eam Tuan Besar of the four States, as neither office was ever lawfully held by Rajah Alli. It was an encroachment, and was the commencement of a system of exaction, which was soon followed by regular attempts on the part of the Rumbowe people to levy duties on the imports and exports of Sungie Ujong at Sempang and other places on the river.

There is confusion in this statement of Captain Begbie, unless the assignment was made so late as the end of 1832, as Rajah Labu was still Eam Tuan Besar in 1830. It was not till September 1832 that Rajab Alli was made Eam Tuan Besar,of Rumbowe. It may have been that the four-ninths were given to Rajah Alli as Eam Tuan Muda of the four States.

Syed Sabban's attempt at Sempang.

Origin of Claims.—At the time the office of Eam Tuan Muda was created for Rajah Assil, at the end of the last century, one of the sources of revenue provided for the Eam Tuan Besar, namely, the right to levy a duty of 2 dollars a bahr on all tin going from *Sungie Ujong to Malacca, was made over for the support of the Eam Tuan Muda. It is to be remembered that the duty was originally established in favour of the Eam Tuan Besar, whose jurisdiction extended over the other three States of the confederation as well as over Rumbowe, but the appointment of Rajah Alli as Eam Tuan Besar was not recognized by Sungie Ujong, and after the last legitimate Fam Tuan Besar, Rajah Labu, had ceased to rule, in 1832, the tax failed for want of authority. In fact, it does not appear that it was levied at any time till the attempt was made by Syed Sabban in

1832.

When Rajah Labu, the last Eam Tuan Besar, had been got rid of, and the Naning war was over, Syed Sabban set to work to utilize his position, and claimed the right to lery this duty.

Syed Sabban had had sufficient sense not to embroil himself too far against the British Government in the Naning war, and had early left the side of the Punghulu of Naning. After the conclusion of the war, therefore, he thought he could presume on the assistance or neutrality of Government to establish the asserted right of the Eam Tuan Besar and Muda to levy a duty on the trade of the Lingie River, and accordingly issued the following Proclamation:-

The Proclamation.-General Order by the Eam Tuan Besar and Eam Tuan Muda,

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with the concurrence of Punghulu Lelab Maharajah, to Orang Kaya Kattas, the Chief (Datu) of Lingie

"That we make known to you that upon all tin which is exported by the River Lingie we peremptorily impose a duty of 3 dollars per bhar, because we have referred the case to Malacca, to the Governor of Pinang, and the Resident Councillor of Malacca— therefore this order is issued to the Chief of Lingie that all who bring down tin (from Sungie Ujong) must go to Sempang to pay the duty.

Written 23rd January, 1833 (Hegira 1248)."

It will be observed that this document was so worded as to give an impression that it was issued with the sanction of the British Government. The opponents of Syed Sabban refused to pay the duty, on which Syed Sabban applied to Government for aid to enforce payment, but aid was refused. At the same time complaints were made to Government by the traders against this exaction, but the complaints met with no attention till April, when Mr. Ibbetson, the then Governor, issued the following Pro- clamation:-

Governor's Proclamation.-" The Honourable R. Ibbetson, Esq., Governor of Prince of Wales' Island, Singapore, and Malacca, hereby notifies and makes known that, with respect to the territory of Sempang in the interior of Sungie Lingie, Rajah Alli, the Rajah Besar of Rumbowe, and the Rajah Muda, with their people, lave given intimation to him, the Governor, of their intention of levying a duty on tin there. The Governor, in conse- quence, makes known to all whom it may concern that these matters do not pertain to him, nor is it in his power to interfere, because that place is not within the jurisdiction of the Honourable Company. They, the Chiefs, are in error to suppose that he, the Governor, has any authority at Sempang.

"Written at Singapore, 27th April, 1833."

Opposition of the Traders. It would seem that the orders of the Supreme Govern- ment of India against interference in the Native States must have been particularly strong at this time to require such action against persons closing a public river, our own boundary, to trade; but the Naning war had just then closed, and doubtless Government was anxious to escape another war.

Those interested in the trade were therefore forced to take their own measures for protecting their rights.

After a

One Chinaman chartered a small English brig, the "Catherine," and sent her up the river for tin with a Dutch supercargo on board, who pretended ignorance of Malay. He promised to Syed Sabban, as soon as he had got his cargo of tin on board, that he would account for the duties, the following day; but he left the river the same night without paying. Syed Sabban complained to Government, the vessel having been under British colours, but got no satisfaction. Open war was then declared, Syed Sabban, Rajah Alli, and the Punghulu of Rumbowe on one side, and the Klana and Inche Kattas, the Datu Muda of Lingie, backed by the traders, on the other side. long struggle Syed Sabban was defeated. The immediate cause of his want of suc- cess, probably, was that he lost the aid of the Punghalu of Rumbowe by not accounting fairly to him for his share of the revenue. The Punghulu at last sided with the Sungie Ujong people; and in 1836 Rajah Alli and Syed Sabban were driven out, and retired to Tampin, with which district they had a natural connexion, as Rajah Alli was the great grandson of Rajah Adil, the second Menangkabowe Ruler, whose second wife was the daughter of an Inche of Tampin.

Attempts by Kattas.-In 1841 Inche Kattas, the Datu Muda of Lingie, commenced to levy 2 dollars a bhar on tin at Permatang Passir; but as he did not share with him, the Klana came down personally and put a stop to the levy.

Advances to the Miners.-About this time the Malacca merchants advanced money directly to the miners. The leading men on the river beside the Klana were Koolup Tungal, the Datu Bandar, Inche Kattas, the Datu Muda of Lingie, Jallal Udeen, Hajee Mahomed, Hajee Mahomed Sallih, and Lebby Koolup.

Complaints in 1844, 1846, and 1848.—In 1844, İ846, and 1848 complaints were made by the Malacca traders of injury done to their trade by the exactions of the native chief on the river; and Lebby Koolup and others, who will be mentioned further on, brought themselves prominently to notice.

The Rawa War in 1848.

The Rawa disturbances in 1848 are of sufficient importance to justify a few words giving an account of another and a most serious misfortune to the Sungie Ujong miners.