THE STRAITS SETTLEMENTS, &C. 31 



all to this unsatisfactory state of things, and to prevent the Chi- 

 nese from forming themselves, as it were, into independent colonies 

 on the mainland. Their secret societies would be a danger to the 

 British Settlements, and the inland Chiefs were quite unable to 

 control them and to keep them under. Sir A^'deew Claeke said 

 m the sitting of the Legislative Council, in September, 1874: — 

 " Our mission as a civilized nation in the middle of semi-civilized 

 '* people is not only that of trade, but the higher duty, which we 

 " as Englishmen owe to our flag and our Queen. By the spread 

 *' of other European nations in this part of the world our interests 

 "also want a larger field of operation." 



After the punishment of the Chinese disturbers in Perak, he 

 called the heads of the kongsis together to Pangkor and the result 

 of this was that piracy and wars among the Chiefs ceased, and a 

 year later Larut had again a population of 35,000 souls, and a 

 revenue of $30,000 a month. Indeed, the Chinese were beginning 

 themselves to have enough of it, and it only required a strong 

 leading and organising hand to settle the existing differences. One 

 of their Chief s was heard to exclaim at this time: — "When the 

 " British flag is seen over Perak and Larut, every Chinaman will 

 "go down on his knees and bless God." This was probably a Gro 

 Kwan. 



Now an attempt had to be made to settle the differences of the 

 Malay Chiefs in Perak. They too all came to Pangkor and their 

 mutual relations towards one another and towards England were 

 defined by the Treaty of Pangkor of the 25th January, 1874. By 

 it Perak came under English protection, a piece of land in Perak 

 on the other side of the Krian Eiver was joined to the Province, 

 and the Binding Islands and a piece of the mainland on the Pang- 

 kor Eiver under the name of the "Bindings" were joined to 

 Pangkor, where now for the first time an English Settlement was 

 established, at first under the authorities at Singapore, and after- 

 wards and now under Penang. The different States had to pay the 

 cost of the former armed interference. At the request of the Sultan 

 of Perak, the Straits Government sent a Eesident there in 1874 

 to lend the Native Government "active advice and assistance." 



Selangor and Sungei Ujong, too, placed themselves under British 

 protection, after K" Langat, the place of residence of the Sultan 

 of Selangor, having been punished again for the usual acts of rob- 

 bery and some disturbances in the interior having been settled by 

 the intervention of the Straits Government. 



