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It is very unfortunate that just at this crisis, I have received a most imperative order from Colonel Anson to send Captain Rankin and 50 rank and file of the Goorkhs Regiment off at once to Lookoot.

I have to request therefore that the 200 men of the Buffs which I hear are held as a reserve in Penang, may be ordered at once to Malacca.

There are still unpleasant rumours going about relative to the native States on our frontier which makes it very desirable that we should have a sufficient force here to meet any emergency, and these present riots make it all the more important that it should arrive at once.

I am, &c.

(Signed)

C. B. PLUNKET,

To his Excellency the Governor, Straits Settlements, Penang.

Acting Lieutenant-Governor.

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This worry and confusion must be my excuse for the very hurried and imperfect

report I sent you yesterday of the affair at Paroe.

His Excellency Sir W. D. Jervois,

SIR,

Penang,

Enclosure 4. in No. 128.

Yours very truly, (Signed)

V.B. PLUNKET.

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From COLONEL ANSON to the Acting Lieutenant-Governor, Malacca.

SIR,

I HAVE the honour to request that you will immediately, and without fail, send Captain Ranken and 50 rank and file of Her Majesty's 1st Goorkha Regiment to Lookoot in the steamer "Louisa," accompanied by so many boats in tow (as far as possible) as may be necessary, and that you will instruct Inspector Cartwright, whom I ordered to remain at Lookoot, to use every exertion to provide coolie transport, and to facilitate the march of the detachment to Rassa.

I have, &c. (Signed) A. E. H. ANSON,

Residency, Sungie Ujong, December 14, 1875.

Colonel.

Enclosure 3. in No. 128.

I HAVE had a very busy and anxious time of it the last week in consequence of the continuation of these Chinese riots.

DEAR SIR WM. Jervois,

Malacca, December 18, 1875.

I am in great hopes, however, that we have seen the worst of them, and that the ordinary state of things will soon come round again.

Fortunately the disturbances have been confined almost entirely to the country, we have been making many arrests to day.

and

The Arabs have been very useful as a flying column under Superintendent Hayward, as far as striking terror on the rioters, although they have not had an opportunity of a

any engagement with thein.

The country is still, however, in a very disturbed state, and, even supposing matters do not take any bad turn, it will be some time before all the marauding bands of coolies can be dispersed,

The Punghulus and Malay ryots are behaving very well and render us every assistance, and the principal Chinese merchants are doing all they can do strengthen my hands.

Mr. Trevenen also, who came up here with the Araba, is a great support to me, and if he can be spared to remain here until all is quiet, I shall not require any other assistance.

I wish at the same time to urge again the necessity of a proper reinforcement of troops for this station. We have now only 50 Goorkhas left here with no European officer over them who can speak their language. And Captain Vaughton, who is in command of them and the detachment of the 10th, is incapacitated from active duty from recent dislocation of right shoulder.

I do not think that we should have less than 200 Europeans stationed here, with a small party of artillery, just now at least, when there are so many conflicting rumours from the native States, and the people more than usually subject to panica.

I shall furnish you at the first possible moment with a detailed report of these riots, also with all the information I have been able to gather with regard to the attitude of the native States in the neighbourhood to us, but to do so properly I must wait until I have a little relief from the worry of the past few days.

Lieutenant-Governor's Office, Malacca, December 25, 1875.

I HAVE the honour to forward to you a detailed statement of the events connected with the riots from the first breaking out on Tuesday the 7th instant, down to the present date.

The original cause, as in most occurrences of this kind, was of a most trifling nature, but having assumed the character of a quarrel between three secret societies, the consequences at once became serious.

put down.

No precaution could have been taken by the police to prevent the riots breaking out, and on the whole I think we may congratulate ourselves that the riots have been so soon Lamentable as the loss of life and destruction of property has been, bad not the head men of the three societies exerted themselves as they did to restrain their followers after the apology made by Boon Swee, results might have been as disastrous as in the Penang riots of 1867.

I wish particularly to bear witness to the untiring zeal with which Mr. Boon Teong, manager of the Opium Farm, Mr. Tek Cheang, a Justice of the Peace, and Mr. Tek Guan, brother to the Siamese Consul at Singapore, have assisted me in dealing with these riots, and I think some expression of your Excellency's recognition of their services would be highly appreciated.

His Excellency the Governor,

Straits Settlements.

I am, &c. (Signed) C. B. PLUNKET,

Acting Lieutenant-Governor.

Tuesday, 7th December 1873.-At 11 p.m. a Chinaman named Chye Hoon, a member of the Ghee Boo Society, got into a row while attending a Malay " Jogay" at Boongah Riab, in the town of Malacca, and was beaten by a man named Kin Choo, nephew to Boon Swee, the head of the Holi Beng Society. Owing to this fact, the assault upon Chye Hoon was taken up as an insult to the Ghee Boo Society.

Wednesday, 8th December 1875.-Chye Hoon, the man who had been assaulted the previous day, according to the usual practice of Chinese in such cases, made his com- plaint to the head man of his society, and the same day Kim Choo got, beaten in town by some of the Ghee Boo men.

Thursday, 9th December 1875.-Kim Choo, in return, took out a summons at the police court against three men of the Ghee Boo Society, and no further disturbances happened that day.

Friday, 10th December 1875.-Two men belonging to the Hoh Beng Society were attacked and beaten in town by men of the Ghee Boo Society. The men who were beaten reported the matter to their head man, Boon Swee.

Boon Swee referred the parties to Boon Teong, the manager of the opium farm, a very influential man in settling all such quarrels, but they were so excited and exacting that he gave up the attempt, and recommended them to make their complaints before the magistrate.

The same day, therefore, they went to the magistrate's court and took out a warrant against six perвопв.

The town began now to get excited, and there were several assaults made during the day by men of one society against men of the other.

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Mr. Hayward, Superintendent of Police, called the heads of the two societies together

in the evening. The head men agreed to arrange matters, and were sent to Mr. Boon Teong to draw up an agreement.

"

Mr. Boon Teong told them to come the next day, and the night passed off quietly. Saturday, 11th December 1878.-In the morning the head men went to Mr. Boon Teong and professed their wish to settle their quarrel.

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