MALAY LAW IN NEGRI SEMBILAN. 313 
decided that this was unconstitutional, that the Chiefs had not 
met for the purpose of receiving a newly elected Lembaga, but 
to deliberate on the shortcomings of the existing one. The 
answer was couched in these terms. Again the demand was 
made, and again it was refused. Nothing more occurred at 
the time, but the Penghulu and Waris applied for the arrest 
of the ringleaders in this unconstitutional proceeding. This 
was granted andthe arrests were made. The defence was 
that the tribe was dissatisfied with its Chief, that the tribe had 
the right of electing its Chief. Against this it was urged that 
there could be at no time two Chiefs in the same tribe. That 
the Penghulu had not acknowledged the dismissal of the exist- 
ing Chief, that the action of the disaffected members outside 
the Penghulu’s Balei was not customary, and that the pri- 
soners had been guilty of attempting to make disturbances in 
the tribe in no way warranted by the constitution. The ring- 
leaders were comparatively heavily fined and the original com- 
plaints against the Chief were again referred for enquiry to the 
Council of Chiefs ( Warzs serta orang yang dua Oblas). 
In 1887, the Rembau Chiefs were all divided against the 
Penghulu. The point at issue was that of revenues from 
waste lands. The question commenced to assume a very 
serious aspect when a force of thirty or forty armed Malays 
stopped a Chinaman, to whom the Penghulu had granted 
forest land for planting, from felling the forest. This act on 
the part of the insubordinate Chiefs resulted in a very elaborate 
enquiry. Lhe disaffected Waris urged that they had never 
received any part of revenues and the Chiefs of tribes urged 
with the disaffected Waris that they were entitled to re- 
venues from waste lands in the vicinity of their holdings. 
The Penghulu and his friends, however, denied the statements 
of the disaffected Waris. They also brought up a point of im- 
portance, viz., that if the Waris had a grievance they should 
do everything they could to settle it inthe tribe. If they could 
not that they should together bring the matter to the Peng- 
hulu’s Balei. This had not been done and the Penghulu had 
been ignored throughout. The disaffected Datohs at the en- 
quiry all asked to leave the Balei of the Penghulu and urged 
