dispute that ihose. who had thus invested their 

 proijerty, had not a shadow of rig lit to demand 

 the ititerference of Goveriuoent. Finding that 

 the speculation in the Linggy tin was a pn^htable 

 one* they, on their own responsibility, without 

 even soliciting the guarantee of Government* ' 

 risked their property in the adventure. Nay, the 

 very insecurity of the speculutton appears to have 

 entered into the calculaiioni* of the nierchauts 

 from the beginning, as is evident irom the reduced 

 price which they paid ibr the tin, and yet. 

 when the long expected event arrives, they coolly 

 demand the Hi>si^tance of Government. No really 

 British property js embarked in the concern, 

 the traders being either Dutch or Chinese resid- 

 ing today under the protection of the British flag, 

 and equally willing to live, if need be. under that 

 of France, Ru.ssia, or any other power, who may 

 be in pojisession of Malacca. 



As the Government could not interfere on be- 

 half of the merchants, these latter endeavoured 

 to recover the money, which they had advanced 

 on private speculation, by private etfbrts. One 

 of these, a wealthy Chinese, chartered a small 

 brig, called the Catharine, aod despatched it to 

 Linggy with a Dutchman on board to act the 

 part of snpercargt*— Tlie Dutchman* on his arri- 

 val od" the river, feigned uiter ignorance of the 

 Malayan language, and conversed with Syed 

 Sabban by means of an interpreter, pretending 

 that the ve.sse1 had arrived from some other port. 

 The Jang de Pertuan Mordah, being completely 

 deceived, allowed the Catharine to complete her 

 cargo of tin, the duties on which her fictitious 



