86 



subject dispassionately— to argue tliepm and cms 

 without reference to party — and to preserve the 

 tone of impartiality, which should ever charac- 

 terise discussions of this nature, is no easy ta&k ; 

 but I trust, that, while the following details are 

 borne out by sober and incontrovertible facts, no 

 bias will be betrayed in the argument of the ques- 

 tion — nooflPence wantonly given— -uor lightly con- 

 ceived. 



I have already in my notices of Malacca allud- 

 ed to the aggressory spirit of the Siamese, but, 

 in discoursing of those states which from their 

 greater proximity are more liable to such irUerfe- 

 rence» the subject becomes more prominent, in- 

 asmuch as every record of the petty stales is 

 stained with acts of Siamese oppression. Few 

 of these small sovereignties could hope to main- 

 tain a single banded contest with the strength of 

 Siam with the slightest pro^^pect of success, and 

 they were not suffic iently united amongst them- 

 selves to makr the ratine of one state that of the 

 whole. 



1 must take a rapid view of some of the princi- 

 pal of these states. 



Salangor was formed principally by an emu 

 gration from Celebes and has ever been totally 

 independent of Siam. In 1783 this state joined 

 its forces with those of Rhio, and blockaded &la- 

 lacca, but, on arrival in the following year of 

 a fleet from Holland, the Rajah of Salangor fled 

 to Pabang, whilst the Dutch seized upon liis 

 country. In 1785 he collected about two thou- 

 sand people of Pahang, and surprized the Dutch 

 garrison killing one of the sentries and the Chiefs 



