97 



Bat a^n. although in the Treaty there h no 

 specific metition made of our obligation to defend 

 the king: *>f Kedah from his enemies, there is aa 

 ambiguity in the termination of it which would 

 lead to the conclusion that there was a special 

 reference to this letter of the Governor Gene- 

 ral- The paragraph, to which I allude, runs 

 thu^, "These fourteen articles being settled and 

 ** concluded between Bis Majesty and the Rng- 

 " lish Company, the countries of Pnrlis and Que- 

 '* dah, and Pulo Pinang, shftU be aa Ofte country, 



and whoever shall depart, or deviate, from any 

 *• part of thU agreement, the Almighty punish 



and destroy him— he i^hall not prosper.*' 



The most remarkable expression in this con- 

 clnding paragraph is the sentence in which it is 

 declared that " tiie countries of Purlin and 

 *' Quedah, and Pulo Pinang shall be fw ene 

 ** country." That such was the real meaning of 

 the British Government at the time that rhe 

 Treaty was signed^ there can be little doubt, 

 and the contrariety of its subsequent actirms 

 to its real wishes is to be traced to the unfor- 

 tunate Treaty of Siani. Kedah, unliappily for 

 herself, was not luffieient^y versed in all the 

 chicanery of politic*, and took the phrai^e with 

 all sincerity of heart in its 9traif*bt- forward 

 meaning* viz. that, if twa countries be as me, 

 their interests must of necessity be the same, and 

 consequently that, whichever nation shouid be 

 involved in disputes with a foreign power, the 

 other was bound in honor to make common cause 

 with it, U is foreign to ,my purpose to attempt 



