I CONSTITUTION OF THE NEGRI SEMBILAN. 11 



Jelebu (September, 1886), and Sri Menanti (June, 1887), were 

 brought under British Protection. 



Finally, by the agreement of August, 1895, the 

 Confederation of all the States, with one British Eesident as 

 Adviser to the Chiefs, was arranged. 



Such was the condition of affairs when I assumed my 

 duties as British Eesident early in 1897. Apparently every- 

 thing was in order, but enquiry proved that in matters relating 

 to the constitution and Malay customs the greatest disorder 

 prevailed. The Yam Tuan of Sri Menanti had not been 

 installed : he had merely been declared to be Yam Tuan by 

 British authority in June, 1887 : there had been no formal 

 creation of a Yam Tuan since the installation of Tungku Antah 

 his father, and even then the Eembau and Jelebu Chiefs had 

 not attended : of the four Lawgivers, Johol alone admitted 

 allegiance to the Yam Tuan : the other three declared that they 

 were absolutely independent and that their independence had 

 been recognised by the wording of the agreement of 

 August, 1895. 



The secret of success with Malays consists, to a great 

 extent, in the recognition of the fact that the mainspring of 

 their life, political and social, is built upon the word "adat." 

 Their customs are their inheritance : they regard them as their 

 birthright and they are an absolutely conservative people. 

 I hope that it is not unfair to say that some English 

 adminstrators, who have been very popular with Malays, have 

 fallen into the error of pandering to the Malay veneration for 

 custom. They have put off reforms forgetting as it were that 

 many Malays possess that true conservatism which while 

 tenacious of the constitution, is ready to accept useful measures 

 of reform. 



My experience had taught me that the Malay is a very 

 reasonable person, and the Malays of Malacca and of the 

 Negri Sembilan at all events have in a comparatively short 

 space of time consented to the demolition of their ancient but 

 obsolete land customs. It was not without a considerable 

 show of opposition that their consent to that demolition was 



R. A. Soc. No. 46, 1906 



