174 VOLUNTEER POLICE FOR PROVINCE WELLESLEY. 
at the assailants, and the latter, unable to force an entry, set fire. 
to the house and burned it down, the Chinese escaping behind by - 
making a rush, headed by their buffaloes. Lately, within about one 
mouth, three serious crimes were committed on my land towards 
the boundary pillar. Some Chinese, who had opened a shop on 
the bank of the river at one of the landing places, were robbed 
and two of them murdered in a cruel manner by a gang of Malays 
soon after nightiall. A Chinese hawker, belonging to another 
shop, was murdered during the day, for some dried fish and other- 
articles of trifimg value which he was carrying. When I last 
visited this district on the lith instant, I found that one of “my 
Malay tenants had had his house burned down in the previous 
night. Whilst he was asleep some one had first planted bamboo 
spikes along the path leading to the house to lame the inmate in 
seaping, or his neighbours should they come to his assistance, 
and had then set fire to it. 
The Chinese shopkeepers have lately been disarmed by the 
Police, although they remained quict, attending to their own busi- 
ness, during the recent disturbances in Penang, and they are now 
entirely at the mercy of the bad cs of the Malays. 
The Malays, although in most places sufficiently numerous to 
defend themselves opr gang “robbers, are unable to do so from 
want of concert and ouidanc When a eee is attacked, the 
neighbours usually remain abot pay im the fear that from 
want of suflicient support they may be wounded or killed by the 
robbers, and partly in the fear that if seen With them they may 
be suspected of being confederates. The robbers have, in almost 
all « cases, fire-arms, which very few of the Malays possess ; their 
attacks are sudden, they discharge muskets and use savage threats, 
and they are led, or believed to be led, by Panglimas, of whom the 
in great dread, as many of the: are noted for their 
boidness, strength, dexterity and ferocity, and boast of and are ~ 
ne Moca 
credited with, being invulnerable. Henee it happens that at pre- 
sent a gang of ten or twenty robbers may march through the most 
populous villages, plunder houses and retire with complete impunity. 
The Malays of a including those of the boats and rafts 
on the river, all carry arms. Jf our Malays are entirely disarmed 
they will be more exposed than ever to visits of marauders from 
beyo nd the frontiers. 
} u 
on 
Most of the so-called Pézghilus have been appointed by the 
Pénghiilr oe or Police » Inspectors, without autho ony from Gov- 
ernment. Some are inen qual lifled by position and character for 
the post, aie are of bhai eputation, or unable to write, or other- 
