300 MALAY LAW IN NEGRI SEMBILAN. 
Malacca or the Muar River came as settlers. They came in 
search of pastures new, possibly on account of troubles and 
disturbances in the State of Menangkabau in Sumatra, just as 
we did in leaving English shores for the continent of America. 
There were no Rajas or Warriors on the look out for conquest 
and plunder, merely peaceful emigrants from Sumatra who 
hoped to find fertile and rich countries in which they might 
quietly settle and make their home. Nowit is more than pro- 
bable that all these settlers came from the interior of Suma- 
tra. They were accustomed to mountainous, hilly districts 
where existed rich alluvial valleys in which they knew they 
would find soils fertile and easy of irrigation. ‘Thus, taking a 
number of the States as instances, we have Rembau and 
Naning both inland from Malacca and within easy reach of high 
mountains—Lédang (Ophir) on the one side, and the range of 
hills from Gunong Tampin running to the North. Those who 
penetrated here were evidently not piratically inclined, they 
came to cultivate, to live and let live. Then, we have Sungei 
Ujong where all the original settlers are to be found at Pantei 
(at the foot of Gunong Berembun) and in the upper reaches 
of the Linggi River, though later they occupied the Coast, in 
contention however constantly with the Rajas of Selangor 
(very piratically inclined gentlemen ), who did all they knew 
to harass the people of the interior. This is a very possible 
explanation of the claims of Selangor to Lukut and Sungei 
Raya, which can only be viewed in connection with some such 
piratical occupation, and not from any real territorial rights. 
Malacca was a very ancient Sultanate dating from even before 
the Muhammadan religion reached the Straits of Malacca. | 
add this, as it might be said, in speaking of territorial rights, 
“Then why did not the Negri Sembilan possess Malacca ?” 
Again the Sultans of Malacca and of Menangkabau were ap- 
parently closely related, the Negri Sembilan settlers acknow- 
ledging the Sultanate of Malacca supreme, as it was, in the 
Malay Peninsula, and when this Sultanate was driven by the 
Portuguese to settle in Johor, they acknowledged the ancient 
Sultans of Johor, of which the present Sultan is only a distant 
connection. 
