OUTLINE OF THE HISTORY OF THE BINDINGS. 43 



transferred to the Settlement of Penang by Ordinance IX of 

 1890. 



Although the contemporary history of the Bindings only ex- 

 tends over a period of 17 years, it cannot be said to have 

 been an uneventful one, as two out of the first four Superin- 

 tendents met their deaths while holding the appointment, and 

 a third was seriously wounded. It is to be hoped, however, 

 that the tragic era has passed, and that a peaceful and pros- 

 perous future is in store for a district which, when developed, 

 should be a valuable accession to the Colony. 



In concluding this account, it may not be out of place to 

 give a brief description of the district under notice. It con- 

 sists of Pulau Pangkor, Pulau Sembilan (the Nine Islands), 

 lying about 10 miles to the South of Pangkor, and the strip 

 of territory on the mainland already alluded to, which is 

 bounded on the North, East and South by Perak, and on the 

 West by the sea. The northern boundary is 8 miles in length, 

 the eastern 22 miles, and the southern 5 miles, while the 

 length of coast line, roughly speaking, is between 25 and 30 

 miles. The area of this portion of the district is about 200 

 square miles. The island of Pulau Jarra, called by the Malays 

 Pulau Temurah, is also a dependency of the Dindings. It is 

 about half a mile long forming a rounded hill 500 feet high, 

 in the middle of the Straits of Malacca, with 25 to 40 fathoms 

 all round. 



It has two rivers — Sungei Bruas at the northern end, a nar= 

 row winding stream, which is a good deal used, nevertheless, 

 for bringing down timber and jungle produce from the inte- 

 rior; and Sungei Binding opposite Pangkor, which for about 

 15 miles from its mouth is a fine deep river, navigable for the 

 largest vessels. At a place called Kota Siam it divides itself 

 into three branches — Sungei Kota Siam, Sungei Sigari and 

 Sungei Raja Itam — the latter of which is navigable for launches 

 for some 5 or 6 miles above Kota Siam, or about 20 miles in 

 all from the mouth. The late Penghulu, Haji Mahomed Akib, 

 is fond of relating how he once piloted H. M. S. Iron Duke up 

 to Kota Siam and back. 



At Kota Siam there is an old earthwork which, the Malays 



