NOTES ON TWO PERAK MANUSCRIPTS. 187 



well known Mansur Shah. The circumstances of his death 

 are not related, though the Achinese account states that, 

 like many other kings of Acliin, he came to a violent end. 

 The author of the historical sketch under notice simply 

 " states that the King of Achin went across to Perak to 

 " amuse himself, and to visit his relations and to re-organise 

 " the kingdom of Perak. When he returned from his visit 

 "to Perak and reached Kwala Aehih he died. The name 

 " by which he was known after his death was " Sri Pa da 

 1 la i ighat d i Ju vala." 



The conclusion of this little work shews, I think, that it 

 was written out for one of the late Bandaharas of Perak, I 

 obtained it from the late Raja Osman, the last Perak Ben- 

 dahara. The final paragraph records how the office of 

 Bandahara, which had always been held by a Chief, was for 

 the first time vested in a Raja in the person of Raja Kechil 

 Muda the son of Sultan Mahmud Shah (Murhom Muda di 

 Pulo Besar Indra Mulia). In the words of the historian, 

 " he took the title of Raja Bandahara Wakil al Sultan Wazir 

 u al Kabir and ruled over the country of Perak. He lived at 

 " Sayong by the long sandy shore. After he had ruled 

 " Perak for a long time he returned to the mercy of God 

 " most high and was known after his death as Murhom 

 " Sayong di Pasir Panjang" 



The title of Raja Bandahara was first used in the time of 

 Sultan Iskandar (Murhom Kaliar) A.D. 1756 — 1770. 



The second manuscript is a historical work entitled " Misal 

 Malayu," or u An Example for Malays," which relates the 

 principal events of the reign of Sultan Iskandar of Perak 

 (Murhom Kaliar), of his immediate predecessors Sultans 

 Mohamed Shah and Muzafar Shah and of his successor 

 Sultan Mahmud Shah. Sultan Iskandar was Raj a Muda dur- 

 ing two reigns before he himself succeeded to the throne. 

 His actual reign as Sultan lasted for fourteen years, but he 

 must have governed Perak de facto for a very much longer 

 period. He seems to have been the strongest of the Perak 

 sovereigns and the days of Murliom Kahar are still spoken 

 of in Perak as a kind of golden age, when everything was 

 peaceful and prosperous, when chiefs obeyed the Sultan and 

 the ryots followed their chiefs cheerfully! 



The author of the Misal Malayu was Raja Cholan, who 

 received the title of Raja Kechil Besar in the reign of Sultan 

 Muzafar Shah. He is remembered in Perak by the name of 



