470 TRAVELS IN THE EAST INDIAN ARCHIPELAGO. 



coast of the island, in 1509, this empire was evident- 

 ly in its decline; and though the rajahs of Achin, 

 Pedir, and Pase, acknowledged the sultan of this 

 country as their superior, they only paid him a 

 small tribute, and were really independent princes. 

 The empire at that time included on the east coast 

 the area between the rivers of Palembang and Siak, 

 and on the west coast from Manjuta, near Indrapura, 

 as far north as Singkel, at the mouth of the river of 

 that name, which is the outlet of the great Lake Aik 

 Dau, in the Batta Lands.* Afterward the Rajah of 

 Achin, whose daughter the sultan had married and 

 slighted, took possession of the west coast, as far 

 south as Bencoolen. In 1613 his successor claimed 

 no farther south than Padang, and he actually gov- 

 erned no place south of Barus. 



In 1680 the Sultan Alif died, leaving no heir. 

 Dissensions at once arose, and the empire was ul- 

 timately divided between three princes, who each 

 claimed to be the regular successor to the throne, 

 and assumed all the extravagant titles of the pre- 

 vious sultans. These princes severally resided at 

 Suruasa (on the Dutch maps Soeroeasso), which is 

 situated two miles south of Pagaruyong, on the 

 banks of a small stream that flows southward and 

 empties into the Ombiling, at Pagaruyong (on thf 

 Dutch maps Pager Oedjoeng), and at Sungtarap (in 

 Dutch Soeng Tarap), a kampong three miles north 

 of Fort Van der Capellen. The Dutch treated the 

 Prince of Suruasa with the greatest distinction, but 



* Vide Marsdcn's "'History of Sumatra," p. 322 ct seq. 



