INTRODUCTION. 



When an individual voluntarily obtrudes 

 himself on the notice of the public, the eon- 

 elusion is inevitably drawn that he eiiher is 

 really in possession of information Jutherfco 

 not given to the worlds or that he is induc- 

 ed by vanity to suppose that insi lucubrati- 

 ons are worthy of perusid. 



A btief and candid statement of my mo- 

 tives will best plead my apoiog}'^ for having 

 ventured fiom the calm of private life hito 

 the ftrena of criticism, Having been called 

 to take an active part iu the disturbances 

 prevalent in the interior of the Malayan 

 Peninsula, I was natinidly anxiouf* to as- 

 certain the gi'ounds of the dispute, and the 

 relative footing of the contending parties — 

 this dcfejire led me to nearch into the anci- 

 ent Dutch records, and I found myselfj as 

 I proccededj obliged to extend my research- 

 es to uther portions of the MaUiyan em- 

 pii*e, wliieh I had not originally contempla- 

 ted to explore. 1 do not mean to insinuate 

 that I nndertook the Herculean taf^k of 

 wading through the whole of the^e records, 

 which fin six large chests, and some of 

 which are witten in such ancient Dutcli 



