1836.] States in the Interior of Malacca. 67 



They have no vote in councils, and their influence must be almost 

 entirely personal. 



Laksdmana. — The Laksdmanas&re also two, Passar and Khatib. The 

 navigation of the river and maritime matters are entrusted to these 

 officers. 



Panglimas. — The war-chiefs, or Panglimas, are four in number, viz. 

 two Panglima Prangs, Pandika Raja, and Panglima Dallam. Their 

 duties are similar to those of the former Panglimas of Naning. 



Pertdma. — There is another officer, appointed by the Iang de pertuan 

 Besdr, whose functions, fortunately for the liege subjects of Rumbdwe, 

 are seldom called into exercise. This is the Pertdma, or executioner. 

 The modes of putting criminals to death are generally confined to the 

 Panchong "«.s^* and Sdlang "«Jl*u, 



The former is decapitation : the latter has been already described. 



Passing up the Rumbdwe river, on some high ground on the left bank 

 between Sempong and Pddas, a leafless, blighted tree was pointed out 

 to me by one of the Laksdmanas who stated the foot of it to be the 

 place where criminals, subjects of Rumbdwe, were put to death by 

 Sdlang 'iJLi*. 



Religion. — The inhabitants of Rumbdwe, like those of the other states 

 of the interior, with the exception of the aborigines, profess the tenets 

 oilsldm. They are divided into seven Mukuns, or parishes, to each of 

 which is attached a mosque, with distinct establishments of priests, as 

 in Naning. 



A Kazi named Ha'ji Hashim Sri Lummah presides over the whole. 

 The religious customs, fasts, and festivals are similar to those observed 

 in Naning. 



Visit to Rumbdwe. — As Rumbdwe has seldom been penetrated by Eu- 

 ropeans, the following memoranda, from my note book, of a visit paid 

 to the chiefs at its capital, Bander, in 1832, by the then Governor of 

 the Straits, the-Honorable Mr. Ibbetson, and Brigadier Wilson, C. 

 B. may not perhaps be wholly devoid of interest. 



Early on the morning of the 21st October, I joined from camp at 

 Alorgajeh, the Governor's suite at Tdbu, the principal village of 

 Naning, and late the residence of the ex-Panghuld Dholl Sayad. 



After breakfasting under one of the thatched quarters that had es- 

 caped the pioneer's axe and brand on the late evacuation of this out- 

 post, the party started on horseback along a foot-path, through a wood- 

 ed country with the Rumbdwe hills on the right, to Chirdna pdtih, the 

 last village of Naning. This was formerly a populous place. And the 

 residence of the ex-Panghuld's sons, but we found it now entirely de- 

 serted, and its houses falling into rapid decay and ruin. Here it was 



