pf^: X 1 jT^^Hi^^ ^^^^U^^^ m^^^l^0l^ j4 '**^4sCidfi^^^fc^^l / / UCSB LIBRAIX BRITISH MALAYA BRITISH MALAYA AN ACCOUNT OF THE ORIGIN AND PROGRESS OF BRITISH INFLUENCE IN MALAYA BY SIR FRANK^,SWETTENHAM,K.C.M.G. LATE GOVERNOR &c. OF THE STRAITS COLONY & HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR THE FEDERATED MALAY STATES WITH A SPECIALLY COMPILED MAP NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS RE- PRODUCED FROM PHOTOGRAPHS 6f A FRONTISPIECE IN PHOTOGRAVURE 15>W( LONDON i JOHN LANE THE BODLEY HEAD NEW YORK: JOHN LANE COMPANY MDCCCCVH Plymouth: william brendon and son, ltd., printers PREFACE is an article of popular belief that Englishmen are born sailors probably it would be more true to IT ; say that they are born administrators. The English- man makes a good sailor because we happen to have hit upon the right training to secure that end ; but, though the Empire is large and the duties of administra- tion important, we have no school where they are taught. Still it would be difficult to devise any responsibility, how- ever onerous and unattractive, which a midshipman would not at once undertake, though it had no concern with sea or ship. Moreover, he would make a very good attempt to solve the problem, because his training fits him to deal intelligently with the unexpected. One may, however, question whether any one but a midshipman would have willingly embarked upon a voyage to discover the means of introducing order into the Malay States, when that task was thrust upon the British Government in 1874. The object of this book is to explain the circumstances under which the experiment was made, the conditions which prevailed, the features of the country and the character of the people ; then to describe the gradual evolution of a system of administration which has no exact parallel, and to tell what this new departure has done for Malaya, what effect it has had on the neighbour- ing British possessions. A comparison is also drawn between the progress made in the Malay States under British protection and the other States of the Peninsula, vi PREFACE whether independent or under Siamese control. In order to give the reader an intelh'gible account of these matters, it has been necessary to deal briefly with the early history of the Malays and of those Settlements forming the British colony of which the capital is Singapore. The main idea is to set out accurately the important facts which led to the intervention of Great Britain in the domestic affairs of the countries now known as the Federated Malay States, and to record exactly the steps by which they have been led to their present position as Dependencies of the British Crown. The unique character of the experiment and the success which has attended it are sufficient reasons for describing the efforts which have raised the Malays to a condition of comfort and happiness never before known in their history, and have conferred benefits on Chinese, Indians, and British alike, while open- ing a new and valuable market to British manufacturers. A further incentive was supplied by the desire of the writer to tell truthfully a story never yet told, though the facts, as far as they concern the Federated States, are no discredit to the British nation, either as the paramount Power in Malaya, or simply as a friend who can sym- pathize with, and be generous to, a poor neighbour, with- out considerations of self-interest. I have felt the disadvantage of writing from intimate knowledge of the events of my time, and, while I could not kill the personal pronoun, for it has a thousand lives and some uses, I have made an effort to scotch it. My thanks are due to Mr. Basil H. Soulsby, F.S.A., of the Map Department of the British Museum, and to Mr. C. Atchley, I.S.O., Librarian of the Colonial Office, for their kind assistance. F. A. S. 19 July, 1906. —— CONTENTS CHAPTER I PAGE The Outward Appearance of the British Possessions IN THE Straits of Malacca i CHAPTER n Malacca—Early History 12 CHAPTER HI Pinang—Early History—Lord Minto's Expedition to Java 33 CHAPTER IV Singapore—Early History— Sir Stamford Raffles . 62 CHAPTER V The Straits from 1825-67 The Arrangement made to Settle the Claims of the Sultan and Temenggong IN Regard to Johore 78 CHAPTER VI The Straits from 1867-73 Sir Harry Ord's Adminis- tration—Anarchy in the Malay States . 104 CHAPTER VII The Malay : his Customs, Prejudices, Arts, Language, AND Literature 133 —— — viii CONTENTS CHAPTER VIII PAGE 1874 Sir Andrew Clarke—British Intervention in THE Affairs of the Western Malay States . .173 CHAPTER IX 1875-6 Sir William Jervois—British Resident of P^rak Assassinated—Punitive Expedition . .194 CHAPTER X The Evolution of the Residential System—Tin Mining —What the Malay States owe to Chinese Labour AND Enterprise—Roads—Railways . .216 CHAPTER XI The Continued Evolution of the Residential System — Revenue Farms—Education — Land Settlement — Irrigation — Rubber Cultivation — Currency — Pahang 245 CHAPTER XII 1895-1906 Federation and its Results .... 272 CHAPTER XIII Concerning the Malay States which are not in- cluded IN the Federation 306 CHAPTER XIV How the Development of the Malav States has af- fected THE NEIGHBOURING BRITISH COLONY, AND THE Relations of Both with the Colonial Office— The Singapore Harbour and Docks—The Civil Service—The Malay Administrator—The Future OF British Malaya 33° Index 347 ILLUSTRATIONS Admiral the Hon. Sir Harry Keppel and the Author on a terrace of government house, singapore, February, 1903 Frontispiece From a photograph by Mr. A. W. Bean, of Singapore. PAGE Group of Tamil Women, Province Wellesley ... 4 From a photograph by Mr. L. Wray, i.s.o. Malacca River 6 From a photograph by Mr. Alleyne Ireland. Malay Village in Keppel Harbour, Singapore ... 8 From a photograph by Lambert and Co. Government House, Singapore 10 From a photograph by Lambert and Co. The Real Malay Lion . 14 From a photograph by the late Mr. F. Duberly. Chinese Actors 38 From a photograph by Lambert and Co. A Chinese Junk and a Malay Schooner 56 Photographed by the author. CoLLYER Quay and Johnston's Pier, Singapore ... 66 From a photograph by Lambert and Co. Entrance of Singapore River 82 From a photograph by Lambert and Co. Cavenagh Bridge and Government Offices, Singapore . 102 From a photograph by Lambert and Co. Indian Jugglers 108 From a photograph by Lambert and Co. PfiRAK Elephants 114 Tin Mines at Larut 116 The P£;rak Valley from the Cottage 118 From a photograph by Mr. L. Wray, i.s.O. The Batu Caves, Selangor 124 From a photograph by Lambert and Co. X ILLUSTRATIONS PAGE Group of Malay Sultans 128 From a photograph by Lambert and Co. Malay Shawls 134 A Sarong Batek 136 Malay Gold Work 138 Malay Niello ib. Malay Gold Work 140 Vessels of Suasa 142 A Niello Basin . 144 Some Specimens of Malayan Ornament 146 Starting for a Picnic 150 Kedah Plaited Work 152 A Malay Girl 154 From a photograph by Lambert and Co. Malay Fabrics 156 A Trengganu Shawl 158 Malay Silver Ware 164 The Gamalan 168 From a photograph by Lambert and Co. A Malay House 186 From a photograph by Lambert and Co. Elephants crossing P£rak River 202 From a photograph by Lambert and Co. Weapons in PSrak Regalia 210 From a photograph by Mr. L. Wray, i.s.o. Chinese Children 232 From a photograph by Lambert and Co. Railway Construction 238 Railway Construction 240 Railway Construction 242 An old Mosque and a Malay Graveyard .... 252 From photographs by the author. Kuala Lumpor in 1884 274 Taken for the author. Government Offices, Kuala Lumpor 276 Government Offices, Kuala Lumpor ib. From photographs by Lambert and Co. Perak Railways, Gunong Pondok 280 ILLUSTRATIONS xi PAGE Victoria Bridge, PIirak 284 From a photograph by Lambert and Co. On the Residency Terrace, Kuala Kangsar .... 288 From a photograph by Lambert and Co. Conference of Chiefs, 1903 292 From a photograph by Lambert and Co. Football in Kuala Lumpor, 1903 298 From a photograph by Lambert and Co. Kuala Lumpor and Back of Government Offices . 304 From a photograph by Lambert and Co. Bull-Fighting, Kelantan 316 From photograph by the author. Trengganu 320 Taken for the author. A Cocoanut Plantation 330 From a photograph by Lambert and Co. Smelting Works in Keppel Harbour, Singapore . 332 From a photograph by Lambert and Co. The Singapore River 334 From a photograph by Lambert and Co. Mr. G. p. Owen and a Singapore Tiger 338 From a photograph by Lambert and Co. The pictures in this book are reproduced, by kind permission, from photographs by Messrs. G. Lambert and Co., of Singapore, by amateurs, who are duly named, and a few are from photographs taken at various times by direction of the Government of the Colony or the Federated Malay States. The pictures of Malay art ware are from vessels and fabrics in the possession of the author. BRITISH MALAYA CHAPTER I THE OUTWARD APPEARANCE OF THE BRITISH POSSESSIONS IN THE STRAITS OF MALACCA England to Pinang, by way of the Suez FROMCanal, is a voyage of about eight thousand miles, and the last stage of it, from Colombo to Achin Head, the northern point of Sumatra, is practically due east. Turning that corner, the vessel steams down the east coast of Sumatra and then crosses to the Malay Peninsula, Pinang being a very small island at the northern end of the Malacca Strait, just off the coast of what used to be part of the Malay State of Kedah.