PAL RAJA HAJI. 
the grave to prevent the abstraction of the body. Regarding this 
the Dutch record is silent. It was not until a few years ago, when 
the new High School was being built, that the bones of the 
deceased warrior were disinterred and taken to Riouw where they 
now le. With their removal the Malacca Malays lost a place of 
pious visitation and payment of vows (bayar niat). 
This paper would not be complete without a translation of the 
Malay prose account of Raja Haji’s war with the Dutch, which is 
to be found ina MS. chronicle of the Malayo-Bugis Rajas of the 
Straits of Malacca, written by Raja Ah, of Riouw, in A. H. 1288, 
and called by the author “‘ Tubfat-el-nafis.” It is always interest- 
ing to note the point of view from which the native historian 
regards events. The version which the Malays possess as history 
is as follows :— 
“ Sultan Mahmud was reigning in Riau* and Raja Haji had not 
long been Yang-di-per-Tuan Muda when the Yang-di-per-Tuan 
of Selangor, Sultan Saleh-ed-din fell ill and soon afterwards died.” 
“ Information of this event was duly forwarded by his chiefs to 
Riau and Raja Haji appointed his successor. Raja Ibrahim, son 
of the deceased Sultan, became Yang-di-per-Tuan Besar and Raja 
Nala was made Yang-di-per-Tuan Muda.” 
“ Raja Haji had governed Riau and its dependencies as Yang- 
di-per-Tuan Muda for about eight years when there befell an 
ordinance of God, who is all-powerful and who causes His will to 
operate upon all His servants according to His plans and makes 
them know how despicable is this transitory life with its passing 
pleasures, so that they may not love this world but set their 
affections on a hereafter which shall be enduring and the pleasures 
and kingdom of which shall be exceeding great, as God says in 
the Koran: ‘ When ye shall see it—that is, the life hereafter—ye 
shall see delights and a kingdom that are exceeding great.’ In 
several succeeding verses are described the insignificance of this 
world and the pleasures of the life to come.” 
* Riaw is the transliteration of 5-4)» the town which the Dutch 
call “Riouw” and the English “Rhio.” This is probably connected in 
derivation with & ety riyuh or riauh, noise, noisy, loud sounds (of joy or 
distress), but in Von De Wall’s Malay Dictionary the words are given as 
quite distinct re rijau, naam der bekende hoofdplaats, and é) rijgauh, 
luidruchlig ; woelig. 
