A TRANSLATION OF THE KEDDA ANNALS. 48J 
this last direction is clearly a clerical error, for it would lead into the 
sea, and the intention of the author and his naming of Siam Lan - 
chang indubitably indicate that the direction , was easterly % and 
that the route terminated close to the sea on the gulf of Siam. 
This if N. N. E. instead of N. N. W. would bring the end of the 
journey very close to Ltgor, which solution I am the more disposed 
to adopt, because this town lies on the present direct line or route 
to Siam from Kedda, and has always been up to the present day 
in close connection with Kedda. 
Sixthly—That when Kedda began to be thus visited by Indians, 
and became a trading port, the Siamese established a regular 
provincial government there, and appointed governors under the 
titles of Phriya or Phraya. But that the Hindu chiefs substituted 
within their own jurisdiction and amongst their own people the 
title of Raja. That special deputations of officers also of high rank, 
were sent from the capital of Siam to instal each successive go¬ 
vernor in his office, and that where no political obstacle interfered, 
the succession to this office, as is the case with regard to other 
Siamese provinces, was allowed to descend from father to son. 
The later history of Kedda may be thus shortly summed up. 
I have indeed had no means beyond oral traditions for filling up 
the blank from the period when Islamiem was introduced up to 
about that when the British appeared in the seas to the eastward. 
The country was attacked on several occasions and overrun by 
the Achinese and the Illanoon pirates, and perhaps by other mau- 
rauders, with whom its population from its agricultural habits 
seems to have been unable to cope, and it was often called upon 
by the Siamese to join in their wars against Ava. 
The Rajas after their conversion to Islamism doubtless began to 
dislike their rulers on account of their religion, which was Bud¬ 
dhism, and watched for an opportunity to cast off their allegiance 
to Siam. But they found it dangerous to call in the aid of any 
one of the Malayan states further east, because it was just as likely 
as otherwise that any such ally would find it convenient to gratify 
the feelings of his piratical followers by keeping possession of the 
country after having freed it from its state of subordination to Siam. 
When, however, Europeans began in numbers to navigate the bay 
of Bengal, and Portuguese usurpation and aggression had ceased 
in the Malayan Peninsula, the Kedda Rajas thought that it 
would be a grand stroke of policy to ally themselves with one of 
the European powers, and if possible with the preponderating one. 
Overtures were accordingly made to the Dutch, who were, on the 
decline of the Portuguese, the most influential nation to the east¬ 
ward, but nothing worth recording was concluded. Some pre¬ 
liminary negotiations were also entered into with the French but 
these also proved unsatisfactory. 
The British soon after entered on the field, and as they were in 
quest of a settlement, the then Raja of Kedda eagerly met their 
