CO882-(3-4) — Page 129

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Te To Ti

سليبيا

C.O.

Reference :-

882

3

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-

COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH—NOT TO

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I have also requested Captain Murray, who is acting as Commissioner with the military detachments in Ulu Moar, Sri Menanti, and Jumpole, to make it known to the Visaffected chiefs that Tunku Antar has come in, and has been received by me in a friendly spirit, and that, if they also come in, they will be received in a similar manner. I have further ordered Captain Murray to endeavour, in every way, to dispel the idea that a reward has been placed upon their heads.

7. I am in hopes that by these measures I shall secure their surrender, and thus effect a great step towards the pacification of the States near Malacca, and facilitate the working of the policy which I have already submitted to your Lordship, should it meet with the approval of Her Majesty's Government.

I have, &c.

(Signed) WM. F. DRUMMOND JERVOIS,

The Right Hon. the Earl of Carnarvon,

B.

&c. Colonial Office.

&c.

HER BRITANNIC MAJESTY'S ACTING RESIDENT, SALANGORE, to the Hon. the COLONIAL SECRETARY.

SIR,

Resident's Office, Klang, Salangore, May 9, 1876.

I HAVE the honour to inform you that yesterday I received the following information from a man of the naine of Mamarasat, a brother of the Datu Dagang of Langat.

Mamarasat has recently returned from Sri Menanti where he states he saw Tunku Antar whom he terms the Yam Tuan of Sri Menanti.

Tunku Antar is living at Campong Si Patang at Jellabu, and alleges that the late disturbances at Sungie Ujong were not caused by him but by the Datu of Johole, Datu Moar, Datu Terrachee, and Datu Gunong Passir.

The Tunku Antar is willing to give himself to the Sultan of Salangore on some person being duly authorised by his Highness to receive him, but he strongly objects to passing through Sungie Ujong.

The Sultan will deliver over Tunku Antar to me or any other officer appointed by his Excellency the Governor to receive him.

Mamarasat states that the kind treatment of the ex-Sultan Ismail of Perak in Singapore has created a very favourable impression, and has given Tunku Antar faith in the clemency and justice of the British Government.

Although it may be easier to accept the surrender of Tunku Antar at Jellabu by an officer under the British Resident of Sungie Ljong, and convey Antar direct to any place appointed by his Excellency, I would submit it may be deemed expedient to give the Sultan of Salangore another opportunity of proving his loyalty to the British Govern- ment when an occasion such as the present one offers itself.

Should his Excellency decide in taking advantage of the Sultan's mediation, I will take the necessary steps to send Tunku Autar from Langat to where directed.

To the Hon. the Colonial Secretary, Straits Settlements.

No. 32.

I have, &c.

(Signed) B. DOUGLAS, R.N.R., H.B.M.'s Acting Resident, Salangore.

SIR HARRY ORD, C.B., to COLONIAL OFFICE.

(Confidential.)

MY LORD,

50, Gloucester Gardens, Hyde Park,

July 19, 1876.

I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of Mr. Herbert's letter, confidential, of 15th July 1876,* enclosing a correspondence that has passed with Sir W, Jervois, respecting the small native States in the neighbourhood of Malacca, and requesting to be furnished confidentially, for your Lordship's information, with an expression of my opinion on the proposals which the Governor has recently submitted for governing some of these States under British protection. With this request I have now the honour to comply.

• No. 27.

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2. Before proceeding to consider the Governor's proposals, it may be as well to review briefly the history of the States to which he refers, to see what are our present relations with them, and how they have been brought about.

3. The negri Samtilan" or Nine States, as they were formerly called from their number, are now composed of the three large Provinces of Sunghie Ujong, Rambowe, and Johole, the three smaller ones of Sri Menanti, Datu (or Ulu) Moar, and Jumpole, and two still smaller called Kapess and Eenas, said to be in Johole. Each of these States is governed by a chief called a Panghulu, or Datu, and the three larger ones with Sri Menanti, were at one time under the authority of a head ruler called the "Zam Tuan Besar," the five smaller ones being subject to the Sultan of Johore. Since 1869, when the last "Zam Tuan" died, the office has not been filled up, and all the States, great and small, have been governed, or perhaps it would be more correct to say mis-governed, by their Datus, the smallest having apparently become the refuge of all the bad characters of this part of the Peninsula.

4. Notwithstanding the unruly and turbulent character of their population, which has always made them a source of anxiety to the Straits Government, it cannot be said that these States have given it much trouble, the Naming War being really the only occasion up to 1875, on which we have come into actual collision with them. Quarrels between Sunghie Ujong and Rambowe as to their respective rights to levy tolls on the Linghy River have been of frequent occurrence, and in 1855 we interfered, and pulled down the stockades they had erected, driving out Syed Ahmat, who had been the principal aggressor. In 1872-3 difficulties of the saine sort again arose, and I was urged to support Syed Ahmat, who had then become Datu Klana of Sunghie Ujong, but knowing his history and character I declined to do so. Soon after I left the Colony Sir A. Clarke turned his attention to the case, and in 1874 assisted Syed Ahmat with the boats of the squadron to remove the stockades, and re-open the river. In December 1874 the Datu Banda, a high official of Sunghie Ujong having quarrelled with the Datu Klana, a force was sent to the assistance of the latter, which drove the Datu Banda out of the country, and on peace being restored, Sir A. Clarke, at the Datu Klana's request, appointed a resident to his Court.

5. In 1875, whilst Sir W. Jervois was engaged with the disturbances in Perak, an attack was made by Malays from the interior of the "Nine States" on the residency of Sunghie Ujong. A force was sent under Colonel Anson, which had some difficulty in clearing the country of the invaders, who were found to come from Sri Menanti, Ulu Moar, and Jumbole. Eventually the Resident was re-established in Sunghie Ujong. Colonel Anson appointed a high officer of the State, Datu Sultan, a son of the late Datu Klana, to be "Zam Tuan Besar." Strongly armed police stations were established in the different States, and peace being apparently restored the troops were withdrawn.

6. Sir W. Jervois states that his inquiries satisfied him that the cause of this attack was the dissatisfaction felt by the rulers of the neighbouring States with the Datu Klana in consequence of his being supported by the local Government. One result of this seems to have been that they deposed him from office some time in 1875, but that by the interference of Government he was restored. I may here add that I had a good deal to say to this man in 1872-3, and formed a very bad opinion of him, which I left recorded in some correspondence for Sir A. Clarke's information.

7. In April 1876 another attack was made by a band of freebooters from the two small States of Kapass and Eenas, this time on one of the police stations in Jumpole, but it was repelled without much difficulty, and with the view of preventing a recurrence of these disturbances Sir W. Jervois has now put forward the scheme for the administration of these States which is under consideration.

8. Whatever may have been the cause of the first of these attacks it cannot be doubted that the complications with the "Nine States" in which the colony is now involved, have their origin in our interfering in their internal affairs. Until 1874 there had been, no greater difficulty with them than was created by their occasionally stopping the transit of the Linghy River. This might easily have been put an end to by the Governor, with the more extensive power of interfering in native affairs which had been conferred upon him, but he preferred taking up one of the rival chiefs and making use of him to put down the other. Then came the appointment of a Resident, and an inter- vention in the administration of the affairs of the State. The jealousy of the

neighbouring tribes being then excited, and prompted perhaps by an apprehension that

40283.

Negri

= State,

Samtilan = Nine.

† Zam Tuan = Chief.

E

Besar Great.