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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

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Reference :-

TIC.O. 882

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

3 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

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My journals, which accompany this report, furnish full details of all the circumstances that happened during my whole stay in Sungie Ujong.

I have, &c.

(Signed)

W. A. PICKERING, Chinese Interpreter, Straits Settlements. His Excellency Sir Andrew Clarke, C.B., K.C.M.G.,

Governor and Commander-in-chief, Straits Settlements.

Sir,

Inclosure 19 in No. 12.

Office of Inspector-General of Police, Straits Settlements, Singapore, December 29, 1874.

I HAVE the honour to forward, for the information of his Excellency the Governor, the following report of my proceedings as Commissioner in Sungie Ujong from 26th November, the date of my landing at Lakut, till 15th December, the date of my departure from Ampayan. My instructions, as contained in the Acting Military Secretary's letter of the 25th November, were-

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1. To take steps to restore tranquillity to Sungie Ujong.

2. To relieve Mr. Pickering, should I find it true that he was surrounded by a force of Malays, headed by the notorious pirate Rajah Mahmood.

3. To occupy the country, if necessary, for the protection of British interests and trade, and more especially to secure the safety of our lighthouse at Cape Rachado.

To give effect to these instructions, I had placed at my disposal the following force, viz., 4 officers, 40 seamen, and 20 marines of Her Majesty's ship "Charybdis," under Lieutenant Jones, R.N., and 20 non-commissioned officers and men Royal artillery, with a 7-pounder mountain gun, and 2 officers and 50 non-commissioned officers and men of the 1/10th regiment under Captain Tatham, Royal Artillery. I had also with me an inspector and 50 native police.

This force was landed from Her Majesty's ship "Charybdis," at the landing pier on the Lukut river on the afternoon of the 26th November, and encamped for the night in the court-yard of Rajah Bot's house, stores, &c., were also landed and preparations made for an early march on the morrow, 27th November. The expeditionary force left Lukat for Sungie Ujong at 545 A.M., a small detachment of marines under Lieutenant Montgomery, R.M., together with a few police remaining at the former place to protect our depôt of provisions and keep open our communications.

Considerable difficulty had been experienced in obtaining coolies, and I soon found that those we had were overladen. Our road, at best a mere jungle path, winding through swamp and forest, was very trying to men unaccustomed to jungle-travelling, and to add to the discomfort, it rained all day. We arrived at Bambau, which is supposed to be a little more than half-way, between 2 and 3 in the afternoon. Here the men were allowed to rest for a short time, and such of the coolies and stores, guns, &c., as we found it impossible to get further that day, were left in the few huts there are at this place in charge of some artillery men and 20 police. The main body pushed on 3 or 4 miles further, but as night was coming on when we reached the new Datu Bandar's house, and I was not at all certain that the road to Ampayan by Rassa was open, we stopped for the night at this house.

November 28.-Early this morning we started for Ampayan, cheered by the news that Mr. Pickering was there quite safe, and that the Datu Bandar and Rajah Mahmood were in Kapayang. At Rassa we found everything burnt, houses, godowns, and forts, and the Chinese villages we passed through were all stockaded, and crowded with men, whom the disordered state of the country had thrown out of employment. About a mile from Ampayan I met Mr. Pickering and Lieutenant Palmer, 1/10 Regiment, who had been sent with twenty soldiers from Malacca a few days before by the Lieutenant- Governor to relieve Mr. Pickering. At their suggestion the European officers and men were quartered in the bungalow on the hill above the Chinese village of Seramban. Soon after our arrival I had an interview with the Datu Klana, and informed him of my instruc- tions. He said he was very grateful to the Governor, and that he placed in my hands full powers to do as I thought best for him and his country. That there never could be peace as long as Rajah Mahmood remained in the country, and that he hoped we would drive him away from Kapayang. From Mr. Pickering I learnt that with the assistance of Serjeant Kierman, two policemen, and twenty Arabs, he (Mr. Pickering) had driven Mahmood out of Rahang and Rassa, and that Mahmood was now with all his men at

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Kapayang, I determined, therefore, to see for myself what kind of place this was, and accordingly between 1 and 2 in the afternoon started for Kapayang, taking with me Mr. Pickering, twelve men of the 10th Regiment, under Lieutenant Peyton, and twenty policemen, under Acting Superintendent Hayward. We went by the direct road from Serambung to Kapayang. I bent party of the same strength under Lieutenant Palmer to reconnoitre the road from Rassa to Kapayang, a road about which Mr. Pickering could obtain no reliable information. My instructions to both parties were to avoid as far as possible any collision with the enemy, and not to fire unless first fired upon. The day was very wet, and our road for about a mile after leaving Seramban was through worked- out tin, mines. We then entered the jungle, and marched about two miles and a half when we suddenly emerged from the jungle and came in sight of Kapayang. Trees had been felled in several places so as to lie across the path. We advanced cautiously till we were about 350 yards from the stockade, finding good cover amongst the debris of worked- out tin mines. Here we were seen and at once fired upon. The war gong was beaten, and a continuous fire was kept up on us, the shots, however, falling 100 or 200 yards behind us. As we saw a number of men running about the campong, I gave orders to the 10th to fire. They fired very steadily, and forced the enemy to remain under cover within their kubus or little forts. I was able to make out pretty well the position of these forts and of the path to the right of the stockade, the only then known way of approach; and believing we should not have a better opportunity of attacking and preventing the escape of the rebels than the present, I sent back to Lieutenant Jones and Captain Tatham to ask them to bring up the rocket tube and gun with all available men. We waited in front of the stockade for about half-an-hour, and then withdrew in order to arrange with Lieu. tenant Jones and Captain Tatham a plan of attack. About midway we met Lieutenant Jones and the sailors with the rocket tube, and Lieutenant Huntley with the men of the 10th, Captain Tatham was following close behing with the gun. After consultation we decided to go forward and try the effect of a few rockets. The men were fresh and keen, and a visit to the spot would give officers and men some idea of the work that lay before them on the morrow. At this time heavy firing was heard from the direction of the stockade, and I felt sure that the other reconnoitring party had been discovered and fired upon. This turned out to be the case, and shortly afterwards we met Lieutenant Palmer and his party returning. As soon as we showed ourselves at the stream in front of Kapayang we were exposed to a very heavy and continuous fire; but our men managed to get into good positions under cover without loss. The rocket tube was put up on the spit of jungle in front of the stockade, but we found that the range (about 400 yards) was too short for effective practice with the 24-pounder rocket. One rocket passed through ■ large house in the stockade; but it was soon seen that until our gun arrived we could not hope to drive the enemy out of the fort, which commanded the pathway to our right, leading into the stockade. All the ground in front and on the left flank of the stockade was wet paddy land, and along the road we must approach in single file to the assault. The gun did not arrive for fully an hour after us; the small number of coolies obtainable on such short notice, and the obstructions thrown across the road, delaying it. Indeed, when the carriage was put together and gun mounted it was found that night was closing fast, and that the smoke of our own and the enemy's fire, owing to the heavy rain, bung in a cloud over the paddy land and quite obstructed the view. We consequently decided on retiring for the night. The only casualty occurred at this time, one of the sailors named Chambers being struck in the back by a rifle bullet from the stockade, and dangerously wounded. We found that most of our coolies had deserted us, so the troops were themselves obliged to carry the wounded man and most of the stores back to the bungalow. After a wet and trying march through the jungle we arrived at our quarters about 9 P.M. The conduct of the men was admirable, and they showed great steadiness under fire. The men in the stockade must be desperate characters, no ordinary Malay would bave remained and returned such a steady fire.

November 29.-Early this morning I went to the bungalow and arranged with the officer in command a plan of attack. Mr. Pickering accompanied me and assisted us by Whilst the his advice, he being the only one who had actually been into Kapayang, troops were parading, letters from his Excellency the Governor was brought in from Lukut, the bearer of one being Inche Karree, the son of Datu Bandar. Finding he had offered to the Governor to surrender his father, Rajah Mahmood, and others, and to pay the expenses of the expedition, I considered it advisable to try him, and I accordingly gave him a draft of agreement in Malay, and promised to suspend operations for twenty-four hours to enable him to fulfil his promises. As I was desirous of seeing him safely into Kapayang, I took a small escort of soldiers and sailors, and proceeded to that place. When we arrived about 100 yards from the end of the jungle I halted the party, and