affection, was summoned to Makcca, but he po- 

 sitively refused to obey the requisition , it is un- 

 certain whether his contumacy arose from appre* 

 liensions of being brought to a sharp reckoning 

 for his offences, or from laboring under the idea 

 that, if he once placed himself within the reach 

 of the superior power, he would be corapelled to 

 ^bmit to the levying the tenth of the produce of 

 Nai)nmg. a measure which was then originated 

 for the first time with respect to the Malacca 

 lands, 



That the British were fully jusliaed in adopts 

 ing thi9 plan with regard to Nauoing, there can 

 be no question. By referring to the former pa- 

 gesofihis work, my readers will at once per^ 

 ceive that the tenth was specifically insisted on 

 m the Dutch Treaty of [fi43-44, and continued 

 to be binding on Narming foi- upwards of a hun- 

 dred years. True it h that, in 1746, it was re- 

 placed by an annual tribute of 400 gantanga of 

 paddy, but the cause of this substitution is evi- 

 dent, viz. that, for the two preceding years, the 

 tenth produced only 200 gantangs;"in other 

 words, the Dutch, who were entitled to a tenth 

 by Treaty, levied ^Jfih by intimidation. 



This reasoning is founded on the assumption 

 that Namiing only produced 2,000 gantang^ of 

 paddy annuaHy, an amount, hijwever, which I 

 have little hesitation in asserting that 1 believe tell 

 considerably ghort of the actual quantity raised! 

 If. on the one hand, Nanning really produced oo 

 more than the 2,000 gantangs, the contemplated 

 levying of the tenth would have been a real boon 

 for which the inhabitants shouhl have felt ex- 

 tremely grateful ; or even granting her annujQ 



