91.4 An hiftorical idee omt of the Inter courfe Book 1. 
6E ; to ..'bring to a Concluffon, and had for many Months 
a f £er jjgpt a fair Correfpondence with the Natives i ftill 
A they harboured in their Minds a fecret Refentment of the 
sc former Injuries they had buffered, which they concealed 
45 under a Cloak of Friendfhip, and feeming Satisfaction 
4 4 of my Adminiftration, till they had brought the whole 
Country into a Combination, and being fenfible how 
5 4 brifkly our Fortifications were carried forward, took 
44 the Opportunity of Revenge before our Brick-buildings 
44 could be finiihed, and at a Time, as they thought, we 
44 fhould have no Ship in the Road to afiift us ; but the 
44 Metchlapatam very fortunately arrived a few Days be- 
“ fore they put their Defign in Execution. Not long be- 
44 fore this Rebellion, a Difference had happened between 
44 Dupatty Benterin and See Gibb , Captain of the China- 
44 men, and Undertaker of the Company’s Sugar and Ar- 
44 rack Plantations. The Dupatty is one of the fecond 
44 Men in the Kingdom, and Governor of Dufanor , a 
44 Town of that Name, fituate on the Side of the River, 
4 6 oppofite to the Company’s Sugar and Arrack Plantations. 
44 He is a Perfon well beloved among the Natives, being 
44 efteemed a Prieft amongft them,' and always thought 
54 to be a good Friend to the Englijh . 
5 4 The Difference firft began by the Chinamen killing 
4(5 Tome of the Dupattays Buffaloes, that had broke through 
44 feme of their Fences, and done fome fmall Damage 
44 to the Plantations, and indeed, the Fences were not fo well 
44 fecured as they ought to have been ; and this they af- 
44 firmed to me they had done, by an Order given them 
44 by Mr. Farmer , when Deputy- Governor. But confider- 
44 ing the ill Confequences that might attend granting 
44 fuch Liberty to the Chinefe , I immediately forbad them 
44 doing the like for the future, and obliged them to 
44 make the Dupatty Satisfaction for fome Buffaloes they 
44 had killed, and if the like fhould happen again, I pro- 
44 mifed that the Dupatty fhould make good to them what 
44 Damages the Plantations appeared to have fuftained, 
44 provided they kept their Fences in repair. Notwith- 
44 Handing what I had done in this Affair, fome of the 
46 Dupatty * s People, out of Revenge, got into the China 
44 Compound, in the Night-time, and killed one of See 
44 Gibb’s Slaves, as he was ffeeping in his Houfe. The Da- 
44 patty’s Brother was feen, and known to be one of the 
44 Company j whereupon he was taken and brought to the 
44 Fort, where he was put into the Cock-houfe for about 
44 twenty-four Hours, till he could be brought to his Trial ; 
44 when he was acquitted, without any further Punifh- 
64 ment, there being no plain Proof, that he was the Per- 
44 fon that adually committed the Murder, though by 
44 the Evidences that appeared againft him, there was 
44 circumftantial Proofs enough to have condemned him. 
44 However, out of RefpeCt to the Dupatty , whom I al- 
44 ways efteemed to be my Friend, and being well ac- 
46 quainted with his Intereft, and the Influence he had 
44 over the Country People, I thought it convenient to 
44 pafs the mo ft favourable ConftruCtion on this Accufa- 
64 tion, which I accordingly did, and made the Dupatty 
44 and See Gibb fhake Hands, and promife Friendfhip to 
44 each other before they parted, and fo they remained 
44 for fome Time after, till the Dupatty had got his Forces 
44 together in his Dufan , and then he again renewed this 
44 Difpute, refenting the Wrongs they had received from 
44 the Chinefe , as alfo the Difgrace of having his Brother 
44 put in the Cock-houfe , and brought to his Trial, not- 
44 withftanding I had been fo favourable to him on this 
44 Occafion, and under this Pretence our Trouble com- 
44 commenced. Thomas Cook. 
The two following Letters were intercepted by the En- 
glijh in the Year 1 7 1 7, which fhews, that the Natives had 
formed this Confplracy fome Time before it was put in 
Execution. 
44 This comes from Sultan Manfore , Raja Guillamot, 
44 Dattue Pandajh , all the great Men in Bandat , Sapoolo , 
64 and the Overfeers of Trade in Bant ay an, and Tego Loora j 
64 to Datta Raja Eppaffo, with all the Proateens and Le- 
44 mi cot as, from Sablat at Cot town, to Calaboon, Surambe, 
44 and Malacca. 
44 Raja Epuaffo’ s Letter fent by Tuan Mallin and Du- 
H patty Loora Sambelan, is received, which we like very 
44 well. We are now affuredly certified the whole Conn- 
“ try as far as Abong, likewife Tuan Be Goono with his 
44 People, will unanimoufly join us, and when this ar- 
“ rives, , fend Tuan Mallin into the Country, to advife, 
44 that we intend utterly to deftroy the Englijh , and rafe 
44 the Settlements throughout the whole Coaft, becaufe 
“ they have broke Faith, and become quite otherWife 
44 to what they formerly were. We ffiall proceed as foon 
44 as die Feftival is over, therefore would have you Datta 
44 Raja Quajfo difpatch a Meffenger with your real Senti- 
44 timents of this Affair, fignifying alfo how the Proateens 
44 and Lemicotas are affected.” The Anfwer. 44 This 
44 Letter comes from him that eats nothing, to Raja Man- 
44 fora , and Sultan Guillamot , alluring them, that he will 
44 gather together all thofe like himfelf, with the moft va- 
44 liant Men hereabouts, and march directly againft Ben- 
44 coulen, therefore defires the Affiftance of Arms, which 
44 yourfelves and Raja Pajfajfer muft not fail to fend to 
44 Tuan De Goono , who is refolved, if the Kings are 
44 agreed, to be their Ally, and you may depend on his 
44 Fidelity, for he knows not how to tell a Lye : When he 
44 comes down from the Country, will bring over to his 
44 Intereft the People of Serangi to Bencoulen , and Lout 
44 Cowt, with thofe belonging to Pangarran Munco 
44 Annoom , even as far as Pollombong. This is what I 
44 promife to do, defiring your Letter in Anfwer to it. 
44 So God blefs and keep you in all your Undertakings ; 
44 give my Service to Dattoo Raja Epyaffof Faithfully 
tranflated per 
Robert Dymond , Linguift. 
44 Found at Tanjoong Arang , up Sablat River, by Orang- 
44 kio Bandaharrah Munco Raja , January the 2 7th, 1717, 
44 while Mr. Farmer was Deputy-Governor of the Weft 
44 Coafts of Sumatra.” 
Notwithftanding the Natives had thus driven the En- 
glijh from Bencoulen , they buffered them in about a Year’s 
Time to return again, and go on with the Fortifications 
at Marlbrough Fort, without Oppofition. It is true, 
there had been fome Englijh Chiefs fent thither, who were 
not endowed with fo much Difcretion as they ought. 
Thefe Gentlemen, by an imperious and affuming Behavi- 
our, had highly provoked the Natives ; but this being ve- 
ry tolerable in comparifon of the Tyranny the Dutch had 
exercifed in every Place where they prevailed, the Mal- 
lays, upon the Expulfion of the Englijh, began to be un- 
der terrible Apprehenfions left th t Dutch fhould come and 
fettle amongft them by Force, and put an iron Yoke up- 
on their Necks, as they had upon their Neighbours. They 
foon laid aflde their Refentment therefore, and over-look- 
ing the Indifcretions of the Englijh Chiefs, gave all En- 
couragement to our Countrymen to fettle among them ; 
and it was very happy for the Englijh, that they removed 
from Bencoulen , for there were buried Multitudes every 
Year, whereas a late Chief of Marlbrough Fort affaires 
us, that during the whole Year, they did not bury one 
Gentleman ; fuch a Difference there is in the Situation of 
thefe two Places, notwithftanding they are no more than 
two or three Miles afunder, and Marlbrough Fort be- 
ing much more defenfible in its Situation than Fork Fort j 
for at Marlbrough our People are not fo apprehenfive of be- 
ing furprized by the Natives as formerly, if there fhould 
happen any mifunderftanding between them again. By this 
Means the Britifh Commerce is greatly extended on this 
Iffand of Sumatra, and with very good Effedt. 
16. The Company of late Years have been extreamly at- 
tentive not only to the general Characters, but fo far as it 
has been poflible for them to be informed as to the Edu- 
cation, Genius and Behaviour of their Chiefs ; by which 
wife and prudent Condudt, they have given quite a new 
Face to their Affairs, and if it had not been for the fetting 
up new Companies in different Parts of Europe, by which 
their Trade has certainly been very much hurt, they muft 
by this Time have been in a Condition to have almoft 
doubled their Dividends j yet I cannot but acknowledge, 
upon this Occafion, that as thefe new Companies were 
eredled abroad chiefly from the Opinion that Foreigners 
entertained of the Profits that were made by our Company, 
