HISTOEY OF KEDAH. 35 



by Wan Yahaya Haji and also to the account in the " Straits Direc- 

 tory.*" Ahmad Taju'd-din Halim Shah began his reign at Kuala 

 Kedah. In 1821 the Siamese invaded Kedah and he fled to 

 Province Wellesley and Klawai. The Siamese ruled Ivedah for 23 

 years, dividing it into four parts: (1) Kedah, (2) Setul ruled by 

 Tunku Bisun. (3) Perlis ruled by Sayid Husain Jamalu'd-din, 

 (4) Kubang Pasu ruled by Tunku Anum. In six years the popu- 

 lation was reduced from 180,000 to 6,000. In 1831 -Sultan Ahmad 

 Taju'd-din was removed to Malacca; in 183b having got permission 

 to leave Malacca for a visit to Deli he went to Bruas and prepared 

 to attack Kedah, when a British gun-boat captured and took him 

 to Penang. In 18-13 Kedah, the division, was restored to him under 

 Siamese protection and he returned to reign at Kota Kuala Muda, 

 us Alor Star was overgrown with forest. He was buried at Lang- 

 gar. Later Kubang Eusa was restored to Kedah, but Perlis remains 

 independent and Setul is still a part of Siamese territory. 



In 1909 suzerainty over Kedah and Perlis was transferred by 

 Siam to Great Britain. 



There are two interesting points in the "Kedah Annals " which 

 deserve remark. Allusion is made to the fact that Gunong Geriang, 

 Gunong Jerai and Gunong Jainbul were once islands (J. E. A. S., 

 S. B. 72, p. 69). Xow geologists tell us this is true, but it was 

 thousands of years ago, too far back for tradition to have come 

 down : so that presumably Malays must have observed the evidence 

 of sea-shells inland and drawn haphazard the correct conclusion. 



Again, the " Annals " record a Kedah legend (which I shall 

 show in the next Journal to be of foreign origin) as to the found- 

 ing of Perak (ib., p. 62 and Xo. 9. pp. 85^86 and J. E. A. S., 

 April 1905) and say that the palace of the Kedah Eaja who became 

 the first ruler of Perak was erected at Pulau Indra Sakti. But 

 according to Perak history recorded in the Misa Melayu, an 

 XYIIIth century history of that state. Sultan Iskandar who came 

 to the throne in 1765 A.D. was the first ruler of Perak to build a 

 palace on an island down the Perak Elver, called Chempaka Sari, 

 till he changed its name into Indra Sakti. The legend of the 

 " Annals " is a late interpolation. But does it refer to an earlier 

 Pulau Indra .Sakti? Did Kedah ever hold continuous sway over 

 the northern part of Perak. before the present Perak dynasty 

 was founded? On these points there is no evidence. 



I am indebted to Mr. CO. Blagden for much valuable inform- 

 ation towards the preparation of this paper : and in connection 

 with it should be read his article in this number of the Journal on 

 " The Empire of the Maharaja." 



H. A. Soc. No. 81. 1920. 



