170 THE INDEPENDENT NATIVE STATES 



him by blowing up his house in Penang, an attempt which must 

 have cost him his life had he been in the house as was supposed. 



When it is added that several of H. M.'s Gun-vessels had for 

 months been endeavouring to put down this piracy between 

 Penang and Pulo Pengkor without securing a single pirate,* whilst 

 the atrocities seemed on the increase, some idea may be obtained 

 of the state of Larut and Perak in January, 1874. 



For Perak, though by no means in the condition of Larut, was 

 hardly to be looked upon as happy and prosperous. Cursed by the 

 possession of two Sultans, (for even one, reigning in undisputed 

 and therefore good tempered sway, is hardly a blessing in a coun- 

 try when acting by the light of Malay justice) each supported by a 

 number of influential Chiefs, each levying taxes as though he alone 

 were Sultan, and each endeavouring as best he might to injure the 

 adherents of the other, whilst independent bands of robbers under 

 the leadership of Chiefs who called themselves Eajas marauded 

 undisturbed in the interior, Perak, the most populous and most 

 beautiful of Malay States, was rendered almost intolerable even to a 

 people whose perceptions have been dulled by the oppression of 

 generations, and many of whom are slaves and the offspring of 

 slaves. 



Let us now turn to Selangor — Selangor which can boast a 

 longer catalogue of crimes, whose name, even amongst the Malay 

 States themselves, has ever been a bye-word for piracy and intes- 

 tine strife. But though it is necessary, for a comprehension of the 

 future events in Perak, to have a knowledge of what were the 

 positions of the various actors there, and what circumstances 

 brought them into those positions, it will not be necessary to 

 describe so fully the previous doings of the Selangor B-ajas. 



To fix the date when disturbances first began in Selangor 

 would be difficult, as internal quarrels and strife seem to have been 

 its normal condition, and that not affording a sufficient field for 



* I call these men " pirates" because though originally, and to the 

 end mainly, this was a party fight, one faction at least was driven to such 

 extremes that they attacked indiscriminately all boats they could find passing 

 the coasts of Perak and Larut, murdered their crews and carried off the cargoes. 



