RAJA HAJI. Dal 
“The beginning of the events which led to Riau being embroiled 
in war, and eventually being captured, is ascribed to two different 
causes. The first account, which I have obtained from the local 
histories of Siak and Selangor, corroborated by the statements of 
old men who were alive at the time of the events about to be 
described and took part in them, is as follows :—Raja Haji, the 
Yang-di-per-Tuan Muda of Riau, made a convention with 
the Dutch East India Company by which it was agreed that 
the enemies of the Company should be the enemies of Raja Haji 
also, and that all prizes and booty should be divided equally 
between the allies, if Raja Haji took part in the operations. Sub- 
sequently there came to Riau a vessel, belonging to enemies of the 
Dutch, and she anchored at Pulau Bayan. Thereupon Raja Haji 
caused information to be given to the Governor of Malacca, and 
there came a Dutch ship from Malacca which attacked the one 
anchored at Pulau Bayan and the latter was captured and taken 
away to Malacca with all her cargo. There she was adjudged to be 
a prize according to the custom of war. Nevertheless, Raja Haji 
did not get any share. He started for Malacca to enquire as to 
this and got as far as Muar, where he was met by a Dutch official 
sent by the Governor of Malacca to discuss the matter with him. 
The name of this gentleman, as given in the chronicle of Selangor, 
was Sefor Bram, but some people say that his real name was 
Abraham Vergil.* The Capitan Malayu of Malacca accompanied him. 
Raja Hajirepresented to the two agents of the Governor of Malacca 
that the prize had been taken in consequence of information given 
by him, and further that she had been taken in the harbour of Riau, 
in his territory, and demanded his share. The agents of the 
Governor of Malacca refused to entertain his complaint and hence 
arose misunderstandings and dissatisfaction which culminated in 
war. This is one account of the origin of the war, as set out in 
the chronicle of Selangor and as given by old men who have related 
what they knew.” 
“But there is another account which I have found in the chronicles 
of Lingga and Riau, compiled by Ungku Busu, the father of Ungku 
Awak of Dungun. According to this, Raja Kechil, Tin Dalam, the 
Yang-di-per-Tuan of Trengganu, took counsel with Captain Klasi + 
* Vergil is evidently an attempt at Velge, the name of a well-known 
Malacca family. But the emissary was not called Abraham Velge, but 
Abraham de Wind. See Begbie’s narrative above. 
y Captain Glass, an Englishman, is mentioned in connection with 
Trengganu by Begbie, The Malayan Peninsula, p. 88. 
