1898.] on Sir Stamford Baffles and the Malay States. 763 



justified its reputation for acts of piracy as in the closing months of 

 the year 1873. 



For particulars of the terrible sufferings and terrible oppression 

 of the Malay working classes, men and women, it would be well to 

 consult the reports written by the Residents and forwarded to the 

 Colonial Office. Briefly, it may be said that, while the facts were 

 more than enough to justify the interference of Great Britain, far 

 too long delayed, it happened that at this very time influential Malay 

 chiefs in Perak, Selangor and Sungei Ujong sought the assistance of 

 the Governor of the Straits Settlements to put an end to a state of 

 affairs which had got beyond their control, and in Perak the claimant 

 to the supreme power asked that a British officer might be sent to aid 

 him in the administration of the government of the country. 



This was the moment at which it was decided to interfere for 

 this purpose, and what is known by the Treaty of Pemkore was the 

 result. The Governor of the Straits Settlements went to Perak, 

 taking with him the officers considered best qualified to assist 

 in the difficult task of pacifying Malays and Chinese, putting 

 down all violence with a firm hand, healing old sores, making, or 

 attempting to make, reconciliation of quarrels, restoring to their 

 homes women who had been captured and carried into slavery, and 

 dividing the mining lands between opposing factions of Chinese. 

 All this was done, but not all at once — this and a great deal more — 

 and while it is interesting to tell in a few words the result to-day 

 of the experiment made twenty- four years ago, it is still more 

 interesting to note the means by which that result has been brought 

 about. 



A few figures and one or two facts will best illustrate this result. 



In 1874 a rough approximation of the then population was 

 assumed at 180,000. In 1891, when a fairly reliable census had 

 been taken, the population of the four protected states was 424,218 ; 

 whilst the last census raises the population to 610,093. 



The total land revenue in 1875 was 866 dollars; in 1895 it had 

 reached 511,237. 



The total revenue of 1875, the first year in which it was at all 

 regularly collected, was 409,394 dollars; in 1896 it amounted to 

 8,434,083. 



Tlie value of the total imports and exports were in 1876, as far 

 as then could be ascertained, a million and a half dollars; m 1896 

 it just touched fifty millions. 



In 1874, beyond an occasional native path or elephant track 

 through the jungle, no road existed; now a network of well graded 

 and macadamised roads traverses these States. In addition, railway 

 works have been carried on, and are being rapidly extended, and last 

 year's revenue from these was a little over 300,000 dollars. 



Irrigation works have made good progress. 



In civil administration the establishment of judicial and police 

 tribunals, schools, hospitals, as well as police stations aud gaols, all 



