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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

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TEPH C.O. 882

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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

(No. 322.)

No. 79.

GOVERNOR SIR W. JERVOIS, K.C.M.G., C.B., to the EAR OF CARNARVON. (Received December 18, 1875.)

MY LORD,

I HAVE the honour to forward for your Lordship's information copy of the pro ceedings of the Legislative Council on the 29th ultimo, and 5th instant, relative to Perak affairs. I have already communicated to your Lordship the greater part of the matter contained in my statement, but I wish to draw attention to the remarks of some of the members of the Council thereon.

Government House, Singapore, November 15, 1875.

1 have, &c.

(Signed) WM, F. DRUMMOND JERVOIS.

The Right Hon. the Earl of Carnarvon,

&c.

&c.

&c.

Enclosure in No. 79.

STRAITS SETTLEMENTS.-LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. Singapore, October 29, 1875.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

PRESENT:

HIS EXCELLENCY THE Governor.

His Honour the Chief Justice. The Hon. the Officer Commanding Her

Majesty's Troops.

the Acting Colonial Secretary. the Attorney-General.

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the Treasurer.

The Hon. the Acting Auditor-General.

the Colonial Engineer.

H.A. K. Whampoa.

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T. Shelford.

"

R. Little, M.D.

R. B. Read.

"

STATE OF PERAK.

The Governor made the following statement relative to the State of Perak and the policy of the Government therein,-- GENTLEMEN,

Some two years ago, the Malay Peninsula was, in some places, a scene of discord and strife, and in order to preserve the peace of our settlements, we were obliged to intervene. I will not weary you by dilating upon the history of this intervention, which is so well known to you all;-suffice it to say that in Perak, to which State I am now confining my observations, the question of the Laroot disturbances and the Perak succes- sion, which hinged mutually the one upon the other, were dealt with; the Pangkor engagement was entered into; and British Residents were appointed in the State.

The action taken by Sir A. Clarke met with your unanimous approval, and the Colony is justly grateful to him for the measures then adopted.

That this Residential system was an advantageous step, there is no gainsaying; but it will now be my duty to show you in what respects it has failed in Perak, and the steps which I have taken to secure a remedy.

The appointment of Residents was, as you know, approved by Her Majesty's Govern. ment, who laid down that they would look to the exact fulfilment of the pledges which bad been given by Abdullah and his chiefs, and hold responsible those who violated the engagements which they had solemnly agreed upon. A proclamation was issued to this effect, and circulated throughout the State; and Abdullah especially was repeatedly reminded of the engagements which he had made. But with so little effect that, in April last, Sir Andrew Clarke was obliged to write him a letter, remonstrating with him for not taking the advice tendered to him by the Resident, and reproving him for com- mitting acts contrary to the promises which he had solemnly made. This letter also laid

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down his position in respect to that of the Resident, in matters connected with the collection and control of the revenues and the administration of justice.

Although these remonstrances emanated from the Governor who had been instrumental in placing him on the throne, Abdullah paid little or no heed to them. Three days after my assumption of office, I received a letter from Mr. Birch informing me that the Sultan showed "a desire to break all his engagements at Pangkor," and painting him in very unfavourable colours.

I find that at the time of the Pangkor engagement, Abdullah,contrary to the reports which had been previously made respecting him, and which represented him as vicious in character, feeble and weak in health, spoke and acted in a manner which gave promise that he would well discharge his duties as Sultan. But, from all I can learn, this apparent improvement in his bearing and conduct was due to his having temporarily abandoned the pernicious use of opium. Shortly after his accession, however, he speedily relapsed into his former bad habits. He has, moreover, shown much duplicity, and this, combined with immorality and excess, will account for his having become unpopular with the people, whilst the prevalent habit of opium-smoking, to which he is addicted, has been the great stumbling-block to the conduct of business and to the ready inter- course of the Resident with him.

I will now briefly call your attention, gentlemen, to a few particulars as to the manner in which the Sultan has broken the pledges which he made to the British Government. By Clause VI. of the Treaty, you will find that it is laid down that the advice of the Resident must not only be asked on all questions other than those touching Malay religion and custom, but that that advice must also be acted on by the Sultan. But he has scarcely ever done so, and never of his own accord; but only when the Resident bas told him that he would otherwise be visited with the Governor's displeasure. One example will suffice to exemplify the manner in which Abdullah's obstinacy and disregard of the Resident's advice hindered the progress of business; and in which his vacillation has greatly taxed the Resident's patience. I may here state that Mr. Birch has, in my opinion, always adopted a most conciliatory tone towards Abdullah, and has exercised great patience in his dealings with him. Perak, upon the first arrival of the Resident, was without any system of taxation or method of collecting revenue; each chief levied illegal taxes upon the river on which he dwelt, or squeezed the people immediately under his sway,

either by imposing absurd fines, or by negotiating loans which were never to be repaid. A scheme of taxation was therefore prepared by the Resident, and met with the approval of my predecessor. The principles of the scheme were explained to Abdullah, who was told that it had met with the approval of the Government. He did not offer objection to any particular, but expressed himself as perfectly willing to carry out the whole measure as framed. But the details of this measure which the Sultan had been advised to adopt, and to which he had expressed a ready acquiescence, could only become law by receiving his signature and chop as a token of his assent. The detail was matured; the Resident explained it to the Sultan, who expressed himself satisfied with it; his chop was required to give effect to the document; but, impelled, either by his innate obstinacy, or by the evil counsels of the advisers whom he always has about him, and who are anxious for a continuance of the old system of squeezing and oppression, he has invariably postponed the necessary ratification of the detail, and has invented frivolous pretexts for further delay.

Thus this scheme, devised as it was for the benefit of the country, the establishment of a revenue, and the liquidation of State debts, has been kept in abeyance through the vexatious behaviour of the Sultan. When taxed by the Resident with the inordinate postponement of the measure, he always expressed acquiescence, but with no other result than some further excuse for delay when he was asked to affix his chop to the

paper.

By Clause IX. of the Treaty, you will see that Abdullah was to be given a fixed income from the Civil List, instead of depending for his means upon the amount which he could squeeze from his subjects. Instead, however, of living within such fixed income, he had no sooner affixed his chop to the Treaty than he thought that his position A Sultan of Perak was such as to entitle him, notwithstanding the Pangkor engagement, to borrow money largely and to incur many extravagant expenses.

Again, you will perceive that under Clause X., the collection and control of the revenues was to be regulated under the advice of the Resident. Now, in spite of this engagement, and several admonitions from the Governor, he let the Qualla Perak farms to Mr. Cheng Tee for the sum of $26,000 per annum, of which sum he received for himself #15,000 in advance. To show you, gentlemen, the absurdly low sum for which these farms were let, and the consequent disadvantage at which the revenue of Perak was

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