CO882-(2-3) — Page 644

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

TPIEC.O. 882

תוח

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

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

6th Nov. 1871. With five sub-

enclosures.

9th Nov. 1875.

126

which I had not received at the time that the latter Despatch was forwarded to your Lordship.

2. In paragraph 4 of that despatch I described the escape of Sub-Lieutenant Abbott, R.N., from Campong Gaja, on the shore opposite Passir Sala, and the action taken by him on his arrival at the Residency at Bandar Bahru. I now enclose a copy of a report addressed by him to Captain Stirling, R.N., senior naval officer, which gives full informa tion of his proceedings and of the evidence which he obtained from Sepoys, boatmen, &c. relative to the murder of Mr. Birch.

3. In the sixth paragraph of Despatch No. 327* I mentioned that Mr. Swettenham, upon arriving at Bandar Bahru, immediately took over charge of the Residency from Sub-Lieutenant Abbott, R.N., and that he politely yet firmly requested Sultan Abdullah and his followers, who had come to Bandar Bahru at Sub-Lieutenant Abbott's request, to move a little further down the river. I now enclose a copy of the letter which Mr. Swettenham addressed to Sultan Abdullah on that occasion.

4. I enclose a report from Captain Speedy dated November 9th, forwarding two With two sub-statements from the sergeant of police at Gunong Pondok on the Larut-Qualla Kangsa Road, and stating that the reports which were daily received from Perak were all expressive of hostility towards the British.

enclosures.

9th Nov. 1875.

5. I enclose likewise an extract from a letter addressed to me by Major Dunlop, by which your Lordship will observe that my determination to hold Bandar Bahru meets with his entire concurrence. I may mention that I at first contemplated withdrawing to Durian Sabatang, to which point the river Perak is navigable for gunboats; but having satisfied myself that the communications between Bandar Bahru and Durian Sabatang could be safely maintained, I ́determined to retain possession of the Residency.

I have, &c.

(Signed)

The Right Hon. the Earl of Carnarvon,

&c.,

&c., Colonial Office.

&c.,

W. F. DRUMMOND JERVOIS.

Enclosure 1. in No. 99.

The Residency, Bandar Bahru, Perak, November 6, 1875.

SIB,

I HAVE the honour to report to you, for the information of his Excellency the Governor of the Straits Settlements, the following events that have occurred in Perak since the 1st November instant.

Mr. Birch desired me to accompany him in his mission up the Perak River to post the recent proclamation of the Governor and the notices connected with the future adminis- tration of the Government of Perak, and we left together, ourselves in the large boat, mounting a 3-pr. brass gun, attended by a sampan panjang, with 10 Sepoys of the Resident's guard armed with Snider rifles and a small mortar, and by another sampan panjang fitted up as a cooking boat, at about 5.30 on the evening of the lat November. We stayed at Passir Panjang, where we dined, and pushing upwards immediately after dinner, we moored our boats at Passir Sal, near the Maharajah Leia's house, between 10 and 11 p.m., and slept there for the night.

A little after 6 o'clock on the following morning I crossed over to the opposite bank (Campong Gaja), to shoot there, everything being quiet when I left, and when after about three hours' shooting I returned to the river bank, I observed the Datu Sagar beckoning to me in an excited manner, and when he approached me with a number of armed nien, he said Mr. Birch was dead, several Sepoys killed and others fled, and advised me to fly into the jungle. I, however, preferred to take to a Sagor, accompanied by two boys (Solomons and a boatman), and we pushed to the middle of the river. One boatman soon deserted, and having only a pole and paddle, we had great difficulty in managing the boat, a well-directed fire being kept up from the right bank principally for halfway to the Residency, which I reached, however, without accident

about 10.30 a.01.

Here I found one of our boats had already arrived with the intelligence, having on board the body of Mr. Birch's'interpreter, Arshad, who died on the way down, and nine Sepoys (two of whom were severely wounded, and one slightly wounded), and both Mr. Birch's private servants.

• No. 82.

127

The big boat and one sampan panjang, containing the brass gun and mortar and (ammunition, two blue ensigns, one union jack, several boxes of official records, #100 in money, and some of Mr. Birch's and my property fell into the hands of the Passir Sala people.

I then proceeded to call together Captain Welner, Mr. Bacon, Mr. Keyt, and Inspec tors Warne and Lagis, to resolves upon the best measures to be adopted.

We decided to despatch the "Pluto immediately to Penang to communicate with the Lieutenant-Governor; telegraph to Sir William Jervois, and ask for assistance; to inform the Sultan Abdullah of what had occurred; and to send Mr. Warne back to Pankore to be at his post, with orders (if necessary for their safety) to withdraw the police from the Bruas and Teluk Batu stations, and concentrate at the Dindings.

I then proceeded to fortify the island on which the Residency stands, as the beat defensive position, and there to concentrate all the Sepoys and arms and ammunition.

I next examined what arms and ammunition we had in store, paraded the Sepoys, gave them their orders, and kept a strict watch throughout the night, as we had reason to suspect an attack.

On the following morning our scouts, a few Chinese who volunteered to give us every assistance, brought us intelligence that armed parties had assembled at night on both banks, to attack us within a very short distance above the Residency, but had changed their minds and returned.

I had a stockade constructed on the 3rd, and ran a rough chevaux-de-frise of strong sticks round the island, and used every other precaution, according to our means, to hold our position this night, which passed off without any incidents, excepting the wounding of a Sepoy (Kurruck Singh) by the accidental discharge of a rifle during a false alarm.

I deemed it best simply to protect the Residency for the present, and to adhere to this policy until reinforcements should have arrived, or other instructions from Penang by

the "Pluto."

The four men of the "Thistle" who were left with me were detailed to work the three guns we have here (a Vavasour、9-pr., a brass 12-pr. howitzer, and a mortar), and other- wise to make themselves useful.

The Sepoys, numbering about 50 active men, were our only other force. They are, with two or three exceptions, recruits from the neighbourhood of Lahore, in India, and are still far from perfect in the use of arms, and are to a great extent wanting in disci- pline. But they did their duty well.

On the morning of the 5th Mr. Swettenham arrived from Qualla Kangsa, and assumed civil charge of the Residency.

I append a list of killed and wounded, and letters that passed between the Sultan and myself; also depositions of the most reliable witnesses of the murder of Mr. Birch.

Before concluding, I feel it due to them to state that I was greatly assisted in my operations by the members of the Resident's staff, viz., Messrs. Bacon and Keyt, and Police Inspector Lagis. Mr. Keun also proved useful in attending to the sick and wounded.

I have, &c. (Signed) T. F. ABBOTT,

Sub-Lieutenant

Commander F. Stirling, H.M.S. "Thistle,"

Senior Naval Officer, Straits of Malacca.

J

The list of killed and wounded is not enclosed, but will be forwarded by the first opportunity.

H.M.S." Thistle," November 9, 1875. Forwarded for the information of his Excellency the Governor of the Straits Settle-

(Signed) F. STIRLING, Commander and Senior Officer, Straits of Malacca.

ments.

Sub-Enclosure 1. to Enclosure 1.

Mustapha (Mr. Birch's Cook) states. At half-past 8 this morning Mr. Birch called to me and asked for soap and a towel to go for a bath. I gave them. My master ordered breakfast, and I went to prepare it. I saw a number of sepoys and boatmen, whilst I was cooking, rush into a sampan panjang, which capsized. They swam to another sampan panjang ; I joined them and came down the river to Bandar Bahru.

Q 4

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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

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Reference -

C.O.

882

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-

| COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference

TELCO. 882

3

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-

COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH NOT TO

128