314 
REPORT ON THE ISLAND OP BANKA. 
years later, the same government had not the means to suppress. Ma¬ 
ny of the old inhabitants of Plembang, whom I interrogated, speak 
at the present time with rapture of the prosperity which was enjoyed 
by all conditions of people during this reign, and the truth of their 
relations is confirmed by the documents preserved at Batavia. 
Sultan Ratu Achmat Nadja Mudin, who in the last year of his 
reign was called Susunan Ratu, was at his death succeeded by his 
son under the title of Sultan Mohamed Baha Udin, whose reign 
was protracted to the year 1803. Nothing remarkable distinguish¬ 
ed the first period: a diminution was gradually experienced in the 
annual proceeds of Banka which was ascribed to an exhaustion of the 
richest districts in which the mines were worked; those of Minto and 
Belo were almost entirely abandoned by the Chinese, and left to the 
Malays and original inhabitants. 
From the year 1785 a new era commences in the history of Ban¬ 
ka, distinguished by a succession of calamities which gradually effect¬ 
ed almost the complete ruin of the island. Those persons who on 
account of their intelligence and residence on the spot must he sup¬ 
posed best qualified to form an opinion, unanimously consider these 
calamities as the consequence of the war in which the Dutch had 
been engaged with the princes of Rhio and Linga. These were 
the descendants ot the Malay princes of Johore; and without tracing 
the circumstances which had occasioned their removal, it may be 
sufficient to remark that, having abandoned their capital at Johore, 
they retiied to the islands at the extremity of the peninsula of Ma¬ 
lacca and established themselves on Bintang and Linga, which ac¬ 
cording to Valentyn, had been conquered by their ancestors in 1600. 
The prince first in rank occupied Rhio, on the former island, with 
the customary presumptuous title of Yang di pertuan Raja; and 
against this capital the expedition of the Dutch was principally 
directed. In later periods the residence of the first prince has been 
transferred to Linga, while the younger prince, Raja Muda, resides 
at Rhio. They have both preserved that character and disposition 
in later periods, which even at a time when they were more respect- 
sable was often attributed to them. Limited not so much in fcerrito 
