THE DUTCH IN PERAK. 261 
and wished for an audience with His Highness. The Laksamana and Shah- 
bandar went to the Sultan and told him that seven sloops had arrived with an 
Embassy from Batavia and that an audience was demanded. The Sultan was 
displeased at this news and he referred the matter to the Raja Muda and the 
‘Chiefs. And the Raja Muda and Chiefs discussed the matter as follows: 
“ The arrival of the Hollanders in numbers in our country is certainly very 
“annoying, for the island is not yet fortified; the best way will be to put 
“them off for three days, after which we will bring them before the Sultan.” 
‘This was the resolution of the Raja Muda and the Chiefs and three days’ delay 
was insisted on. Then the inner fort was made, and by the help of God and 
his Prophet and by the majesty of the Sultan it was completed in three days, 
and guns then were ranged all round it. And all the weapons and war mate- 
rials were collected. Then the agreement with the Hollanders was carried out, 
and they came up the river to Pulo Champaka Sari, and all the Rajas, Princes, 
Chiefs, hulubalangs, bantaras and ryots assembled, every one fully armed 
and equipped, and all of high wmank being beautifully dressed. Sultan 
ISKANDAR ZULKARNEIN himse!f wore the full dress of his rank. All the 
war material and weapons of all kinds were ranged round, rows and 
rows of them, and when all was prepared in the customary manner His High- 
ness came out into the front hall of audience ( balei pengadap ) and seated 
himself on the throne faced by the Raja Muda and all the Rajas, Princes, Chiefs, 
etc. And the Sultan’s guards were all in waiting, each performing his ap- 
pointed office, some with istinggars, others with muskets, blunderbusses, pistols, 
or spears and shields, etc., etc. All were drawn up in this way when the Com- 
Missary and Capitan Malayu and ARIFIN ALBARAK entered escorted by the Lak- 
samana and the Shahbandar and followed by a number of soldiers fully armed 
with muskets, blunderbusses and pistols, for they came solely with the design 
of carrying things with a high hand. When the Ho!landers reached the end 
of the dbalei, they all lifted their hats and bowed to His Highness, but they 
Were wroth when they looked on-his face and when they saw all the Rajas 
and Chiefs and the royal state of the Court and the mien and bearing of the 
hulubalangs, officers and guards. They were quite confounded and struck 
with alarm and with fear of the Sultan, so that with the help of God and his 
Prophet, added to the good fortune which attended His Highness, the Hol- 
landers could not longer entertain any evil designs against him. Then the 
letter which they had brought from Batavia was duly received and its con- 
tents were satisfactory, and the presents too were accepted, all beautiful of 
their kind. And each of the Panglimas of the embassy was honoured 
by the Sultan with a helping of sirih (sirih sachepir), which they 
received with every respect and honour and placed on their heads and then 
ate. The conversation which followed was extremely agreeable and most polite, 
and elegant expressions were interchanged. In fact, they behaved with much 
humility, being struck with the magnificence and grandeur of the Sultan, and 
they did not venture on anything hostile. As for their requests, they were not 
numerous and, so far from being heavier, they were rather lighter than for- 
merly ; these amounted to a request that they might be permitted to buy three 
hundred bharas of tin, which were to be furnished in three days’ time. On the 
fourth day five hundred bharas of tin were furnished, all of which were bought 
by the Dutch. Then the Sultan ordered an answer to be written to the Com- 
pany at Batavia to be accompanied with presents, and both letter and presents 
were duly prepared by the Raja Muda and the Chiefs in accordance with cus- 
tom. There had been presents for the Raja Muda also from Batavia, and he 
too sent a suitable return. When all this was ready, the Commissary made 
out a letter to add to the permanence of the alliance of the Dutch with the Raja 
