on 

 on 



I MARITIME CODE. 



the Malays in the Straits of Malacca ; and may have given rise to 

 that sanguinary disposition by which they are usually character- 

 ised. 



Those of Siak have a peculiar interest from the long established 

 connection between that State and the Undang undang source in the 

 interior. The Siak River takes its rise in the Menangkabau country, 

 and has obviously been the principal outlet from the rich and po- 

 pulous countries in the interior, of which so little is known. 



The Malay customs and usages on the West Coast of Suma- 

 tra, I apprehend to be so much blended with those of the more ori- 

 ginal inhabitants of the Island, that even if there was a State 

 among them of sufficient importance to have its own Institutes, it 

 would scarcely deserve consideration in the general arrangement 

 of what is purely Malayan ; and they are, consequently, unattend- 

 ed to. 



Of the Malay Peninsula, the principal States entitled to notice 

 the "Western side are those of Kedab, Malacca, and Johor ; and 

 the Eastern those of Trengganu, Patani, and Pahang. From 

 these I have obtained and collected several copies of the Undang 

 undang Kedah, the Undang undang Malaka, and the Undang an- 

 dang Johor. The States on the Eastern side of the Peninsula, 

 with the exception of Patani which has been considerably influ- 

 enced by the Siamese, seem generally to have admitted the superi- 

 ority of the Malay Government, first established at Singapore and 

 afterwards at Johor. 



On the Island of Borneo, the several Malay States have Re- 

 gulations and Institutes peculiar to each ; not differing in any 

 material degree from those of the Peninsula. Some of these I have 

 already obtained, and others are in part transcribed. 



The Malayan Code, stated to have been compiled during the 

 reign of Sultan Mahmud Shaw, of which I have three copies, treats 

 principally of commercial and maritime usages ; and is, in. these 

 branches, intended to form the text; whilst the Institutes of 

 Johor, from the intimate connection which appears always to have 

 existed between Malacca and the Southern part of the Peninsula, 

 may Ik: useful as a supplement on these points ; at the same time 

 thai it will branch out into civil and criminal law generally 

 and ilu general principles of communication between the different, 

 • ' tes. 



