perak and the malays: sarong and kris

8/14/2019 Perak and the Malays: Sarong and Kris

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PERAK AND THE MALAYS.


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1NCHE MA1DA, PRINCESS Of PERAK, HER HUSUAND, NAK.ODA TRONG, AJSJD AT1ENDAN1S.


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PERAK AM) THE MALAYS"SARONG" AND "KRIS."

MAJOR FRED. McNAIR(Late Royal Artillery)

COLONIAL ENGINEER AND SURVEYOR-GENERAL, STRAITS SETTLEMENTSLATE OFFICIATING H.M. CHIEF-COMMISSIONER, PERAK ;FELLOW OF THE LINN^AN SOCIETY, ETC. ETC.ASSOCIATE INSTITUTE CIVIL ENGINEERS.

MALAY WOMAN.

Illustrate!) toith thirteen (Engrvtbtngs bg |. Anight, from ^hotogwyhs taken tj) the Author.

LONDON:TINSLEY BROTHERS, 8, CATHERINE STREET, STRAND.1878.

[All Rights of Translation Reserved.]


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CHARLES DICKENS AUD EVANS, CRYSTAL PALACE PRESS.


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PREFACE.BEING in England on a few months' leave of absence,for the purpose of recruiting my health, after a severeattack of jungle fever, contracted in Perak, it occurredto me that a brief account of that comparativelyunknown country and its people might not be alto-gether unacceptable to the English reader.

This Malayan State, it will be remembered, cameinto public notice in 1875-76, through the murderthere of the British Kesident, and the despatch byour Government of a combined naval and militaryforce to exact satisfaction for the outrage.

As I accompanied the Governor of the StraitsSettlements on his progress through the country justprior to the disturbances, and was also with theforce subsequently sent there, I enjoyed exceptionalopportunities for observation, of which I availedmyself, in making the notes which have since beenembodied in this work.


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vi PREFACE.

I may say in addition, that my general knowledgeof the manners and customs of the Malays has beenacquired during a residence of over twenty years inthe Straits Settlements.

I am indebted to the Eeports which have beenmade from time to time by the various officers of theGovernment for the confirmation of my xDwn opinions,and also for much valuable information gleaned bythem in portions of the country which it was notmy good fortune to visit.

For much of the past history of the Malays I haveconsulted the works of Crawfurd, Newbold, Loubere,Pritchard, Pickering, Marsden, and Dr. Vincent ;Moor's " Notes on the Archipelago," and the ColonialState Papers these being among the principal autho-rities that have treated of the origin and progress ofthis peculiar and wide-spread race ; while, as the workis intended for general reading, I have thought itbetter to omit all scientific terms.


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CONTENTS.CHAPTER L

PAGBPerak Preliminary sketch Extent of the country A run upa river Coast-line Malays and Chinese The river andits tributaries Geographical features Gounong PondohBukit Berapit Absence of roads 1

CHAPTEE II.Elephant-tracks Navigable rivers Climate Lakes Geo-

logical features 16

CHAPTER III.Mineral productions Graphite Galena Antimony Iron-Tin and tin-mines Gold and gold-washing Deserted

workings 25CHAPTER IY.

The ancient knowledge of the mineral productions of Perakand the peninsula Solomon's ships Gold, apes, andpeacocks Opinions of early writers Ophir 39

CHAPTER Y.Yegetable productions Ferns Timber-trees IndiarubberYaried foliage Flowers Palms Bamboos ... ... 47

CHAPTER YI.Fruits : The durian Mangosteen Shaddock Ananas Bread-fruit Cashew Nam-nam Wholesome nature of fruits... 59

CHAPTER YII.Yegetable-food supply Curries and their preparation -

Kachang The gourd family European vegetables HerbsIndigo Pepper Gambier Sugar Coffee TobaccoCinchona Rice-growing Clearing the jungle Medicinaland poisonous plants 65


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viii CONTENTS.

CHAPTER YIH.PAGENoxious animals The python Yarieties of serpent LeechesThe tortoise and turtle Dangerous sauriaiis Govern-ment rewards Fish and fishing Yarious methods ... 7$

CHAPTER IX.Sea-fish Delicacies for the table Condiment and caviare

Shell-fish and pearls Coral-groves The Malay fishermanThe skipjack The kaylong 86CHAPTER, X.

Insect pests Strange beetles The leaf insect Fireflies ATartar Fine field for the entomologist 94

CHAPTER XI.Birds : The argus-pheasant " Coo-ey " Fatal crowing QuailPeafowl The peacock of the Old Testament Artificial

hatching Talking birds Pets Humming and sun birdsBirds of prey 99

CHAPTER XH.Malay buffaloes and their domestication The elephant DeerWild-boar The Malay bear Black leopard Tiger and

trapping Monkeys Domestic animals 112CHAPTER XIII.

The people of Perak Bugis Korinchi Rawa and MandelingCannibalism The Malay Wild tribes Jacoon, or Sakai3 Diseases 130'

CHAPTER XIY.Dress The Sarong Dress of the Bugis Dress of the Malay

European costumes Ornaments Coquettish toilets ... 144

CHAPTER XY.The villages of Perak Inhabitants Causes of depopulationWar Extent of population Bird-scaring Malay dwel-

lings Untidy habits Bathing House-building Chineseand convict labour 155


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CONTENTS.CHAPTER XVI.

House-building Inche Maida Campongs Picking thecocoa-nut Preparations Poultry Sambals ... ... 167"

CHAPTER XVII.Pood Tobacco Opium-smoking Betel-chewing ToddyArak Domestic implements Dammar Metal-workGold filigree ... ' 177

CHAPTER XVIII.Chinese tallymen Debt - slavery Slave -hunting Punish-ments British influence Difficulties of Residents ... 190

CHAPTER XIX.The Malay character Dealings with chiefs Mr. Muntinghe at

Palembang 201CHAPTER XX.

Propitiatory offerings Superstitions Ideas of creation Con-version to Islamism 218

CHAPTER XXI.Religious ceremonies Sacrifices Marriage Teeth-filing

Wedding-feasts Funerals Salutation Polygamy . . . 231CHAPTER XXII.

The kris : Sizes Damasking The execution kris The swordof state The klawang The parang The limbingSpear of state Blowpipes Poisoned arrows FirearmsMatchlocks Lelahs Stockades 238

CHAPTER XXIII.Swimming Music Games : Ball-play Chess Cock-fightingThe national sport 260-

CHAPTER XXIV.Seafaring Boat-building The dragon boat Sampans PrausLittle Mercy Piratical craft 269


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CONTENTS.

CHAPTEE XXV. PAGEThe Jugra piracy A native's evidence in a native court Theexecution kris An execution The Sultan on piracy . . . 282

CHAPTER XXVI.Titles of chiefs Taxation and tolls The Sultan's slaves-

Sultanas Court observances The royal family Ancientdescent Vanity and superstition A Malay document . . . 290

CHAPTER XXVII.The Malay language Its origin Connection with ArabicRhymes and poetry, proverbs and sayings Love songsLiterature Quaintness of expression Letter-writing A

Malay interpreter 30$CHAPTER XXVIII.

Ancient history Menang Kabau Migrations Arab associa-tions Cinnamon Early trade in spices Malays in Mada-gascar The Aurea Chersonese Opinions of the ancientsVoyagers of the past 319

CHAPTER XXIX.First migrations Voyages to the East Diaz Vasco di GamaThe Eastern passage Sumatra The Acheen kingMalacca First mention of Perak Treaty with SiamDisturbances 332

CHAPTER XXX.The Laroot riots The Muntri Fresh disturbances Rival

factions British intervention Insult to our flag SirAndrew Clarke Plans for pacifying Disarmament of theChinese Chiefs' disputes Proposal for Residents ... 348

CHAPTER XXXI.The Pangkore treaty Deposition of Sultan Ismail SultanAbdullah Mr. Birch's appointment Troubles with the

Sultan His reproof by the Governor The proclamationsThe murder of Mr. Birch Lieutenant Abbott and Mr.Swettenham at the Residency ... 361


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CONTENTS. xi

CHAPTER XXXII.PAGEThe attack on Passir Sala Eepulse Burial of Mr. Birch and

Captain Innes Proceedings of the Government Re-nforcements from China Capture of Passir Sala Mr.Birch's dragon boat Troops from India Proceedingsof the northern column Qualla Kungsa and Kota Lamah 375

CHAPTER, XXXIII.The southern column Blanja The march through the jungle

Stockade-fighting Capture of Kinta Flight of IsmailThe Terrachee valley The stockades at Bukit PutoosCaptain Channer's attack The rising at Klang Sup-pression of the revolts 389

CHAPTER XXXIV.The capture of Ismail Escape of Maharajah Lela Taking

of the Datu Sagor Charges against Abdullah Arrestsof the chiefs Their transportation The Perak regalia ... 404

CHAPTER XXXY.Hints to settlers The climate Safety of life and propertyHealth Diseases to guard against Supplies Sport

Food A Christmas dish Dress Itinerary of the Ulu, orUpper Perak country 414CHAPTER XXXYI.

An ascent of Mount Ophir from Malacca The hot springsChabow On the track Night in the jungle Camping-out Gounong Padang Batoo Tondoh Cry of the argus-pheasant Ledang The view from the summit Thedescent A fine field for the naturalist 426

CHAPTER XXXVII.The future of Perak Capital and labour Advance in civilisa-

tion The food supply Convict labour A Malay sayingPolicy with the people Civilised Malays Sir JamesBrooke Wheeler Woodford Birch , 444


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LIST OF ILLUSTKATIONS.1NCHE MAIDA, PRINCESS OF PERAK, HER HUSBAND, NAKODA TRONG,

AND ATTENDANTS FrontispieceMALAY WOMAN Vignette

TO FACB PAGBCAMPONG ON PERAK RIVER 57PERAK ELEPHANTS 117"WILD TRIBES OF PERAK, OR " SAKAIS." 138RESIDENCE OF PRINCESS OF PERAK AT QUALLA KUNGSA 169PERAK CHIEFS AND ATTENDANTS 201GENERAL ASPECT OF A MALAY VILLAGE ON A RIVER BANK ... 229THE RESIDENT'S BOAT 273EX-SULTAN ABDULLAH AND CHIEFS OF PERAK 297SITE OF THE GRAVES OF MR. BIRCH AND CAPTAIN INNES 377JUNCTION OF KUNGSA AND PERAK RIVERS AT QUALLA KUNGSA ... 421'ffHE PRESENT RULER OF PERAK RAJAH YUSUF AND HIS TWO SONS 444


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it -r-rSARONG" AND KRIS.

CHAPTER I.Perak Preliminary sketch Extent of the country A run up a

river Coast-line Malays and Chinese The river and itstributaries Geographical features Gouuong Pondoh BukitBerapit Absence of roads.

IT is hardly too mucli to assume that, prior to 1875,when the sad news reached England of the rising of apeople under British protection, and the murderof Mr. Birch, the state of Perak was, to the ma-jority of people, a tewa incognita. They knew, ofcourse, that the Malay peninsula was a long tongueof land stretching nearly to the equator, and that itwas in close proximity to Sumatra and Java, withinnumerable islands generally known as the Malayarchipelago ; but saving those interested in the BritishStraits Settlements Singapore, Malacca, and Penang

it may be taken for granted that few people wereaware that a large and rich territory, ruled over by asultan and his petty chiefs, had been, so to speak,


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SARONG" AND "KRIS."placed under the wing of the British Government,whose representatives, under the name of residentsand assistant-residents, were at the court of the ruler,to counsel and advise for the better management of acountry whose people were suffering from anarchy andmisrule.

Picture this tropical land : Not a sun-baked regionof parched desert and insufferable drought ; but a richmoist country, almost touching the equator, but rarelysuffering from excessive heat ; a land of eternalsummer, where refreshing rains fall ; where the mon-soons blow regularly ; where the frightful tempestsof the east are unknown ; and which is, for the mostpart, covered with a luxuriant vegetation, the produceof a fertile soil.

This Perak pronounced as though spelt Payrah isone of the largest of the native states into which theMalay peninsula is divided, and lies upon the westerncoast, having there, for its ninety miles' boundary-line, the bright prau-traversed waters of the Straits ofMalacca. To be geographically accurate, its boun-daries north, south, and east may be named as thestates of Quedah or Keddah, which in the nativelanguage signifies an elephant-trap ; Salangore ; Pa-hang, and Tringanu. These are all native states,whose rule and people are very similar to those of theland in question.

Perak signifies silver a name given to it not fromthe abundance of that metal, for its existence has been


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PERAK.

little traced, but probably from the vast amount ofsilvery-looking tin which has been, and promises stillto be, one of its principal productions. Takenroughly for we are yet dependent upon nativesources for our knowledge of its unsurveyed boundariesthe depth inland of the state is about forty-fivemiles, thus giving an area of somewhere about4000 square miles, of a land metaphorically flowingwith milk and honey; but badly ruled, thinly in-habited, poorly cultivated, and asking the direction ofWestern capitalists, and the busy hands of the Chinesepeople to make it one of the most productive underthe sun.

The nature of the country may be seen if we takea rapid glance through it by means of its great water-way, the Perak river, which intersects the wide centralplain from north to south, and fairly divides the state,having west the fertile lands reaching to the sea, andon the east the gradually-rising country to the centralridge of mountains the backbone, or watershed, ofthe whole peninsula whose mineral resources areonly known from the rich treasures in gold and tinthat have been, in the course of ages, washed downinto the alluvial lands.

Sailing, steaming, or even paddling up one ofthese Perak rivers, we have on either hand, if thetide be down, the regular mud-banks of a tropicalshore, with the dense mangrove forest standing up inits labyrinth of water-washed roots, as if nature had


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SARONG" AND " KRIS:set the example, followed by tlie dwellers in the land,of building a rough scaffold, on which to support thetree-trunks, high and dry above the flood. If, on thecontrary, the tide be up, right and left the mangroveforest seems to be growing directly out of the river,the stream passing unhindered among the roots. Thesilence is solemn in its intensity ; for, save the plashingof the water to paddle or screw, not a sound is to beheard, and the traveller seems to be penetrating intoone of nature's unexplored retreats, as he looks invain for some trace of life beside that of the densevegetation on either bank.At last he sees it in the shape of a white eagle,gliding with silent wing athwart the stream ; andfarther on, suddenly, from some exposed mangroveroot, there is a flash of blue, and, like a vivid azurestreak, away darts a kingfisher, one of the brilliantly-feathered birds of the country, disturbed while waitingfor its gorgeously-scaled prey. As the light-wingedbird disappears, and the eye is still filled with itsbeauty, the ear is at last saluted with a sound tobreak the utter stillness of the river, for there is adull heavy splash, an eddying in the water, as, fromamidst the mud or mangrove roots, a huge alligatorrushes into the stream, the traveller being, perhaps,in time to see a portion of its rugged, muddy-hued,loathsome body ; and he may be fortunate enough tosee, just upon the surface, the two hill-crowned eyesand long snout of some other reptile, the head turning


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PRELIMINARY SKETCH.

slightly from side to side, as its owner sends a shudderthrough the spectator, who knows that the monster ison the watch for prey.As the boat glides on and on, beyond the tidalinfluence, the character of the forest changes : themangroves give place to jungle growth, and oneither side, columnar and beautiful, rise the statelygrowths of palm, with their wondrously-straighttrunks and tufted heads.

Suddenly the first trace of human habitationappears, in the shape of a Malay campong or villagea cluster of houses of bamboo and other wood, ina grove of cocoa-nut palms and other fruit-trees. Thehuts are raised on posts, so as to be beyond the reachof flood and noxious beast, and look neat with theirwoven sides of split bamboo or reed, while their roofsare thatched with attap, an arrangement of the palm-leaves, that grow close at hand.

If the campong be of any extent, there is probablya mosque ; while, secured to bamboo posts, or runup safely on the mud, are the boats of the people.These boats

play a prominent part in the daily lifeof the Malay ; for, roughly speaking, Perak is now aland of jungle, and its rivers are the highways, uponwhich its villages are built ; while its roads are onlya few elephant-tracks but little used, and pathwaysthrough the jungle known to the country peoplealone.

Continuing our course either up the main stream


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"SARONG" AND "KRIS:or one of its tributaries, the jungle disappears hereand there, to give place to traces of cultivation,where padi or rice is grown in the low, moist, alluvialsoil. As we still ascend, the native boats, or sampans,may be met coming down with the stream, ladenwith produce, or containing some fisherman, equippedfor his pursuit.

As we ascend higher, it is to find that the streamgrows more rapid, and if in a small boat, poling, oras we should call it punting, our skiff against thestream, is the custom adopted. And now, from timeto time, fresh traces of the sparse population of thecountry appear, battling with the ever-encroachingprimeval forest. Buffaloes are seen, standing knee-deep in the river-edge ; children approach the river-bank to stare at our boat ; and then there is theforest once more, the gliding river with increasingshallows, and higher still the rapids.

The coast-line is broken with endless numbers ofmangrove-fringed creeks, and small tidal estuaries,and these have ever been the hiding-places of themuch-dreaded praus, those famous piratical craftwith which the name of the Malay has so long beenassociated. The principal rivers that here formestuaries are the Perak ; the Krean and Bernam,which form the northern and southern boundaries ofthe state ; the Laroot river, which drains the principaltin-land ; and the Dinding, off which lie the islands ofthe same name.


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MALAYS AND CHINESE.These islands, like Penang to the northward, havenow become British territory, and afford capital

anchorage between them and the shore, with anample supply of fresh water to be obtained on theprincipal island, Pulo Pangkore. This is the largestof the group, and, unlike the greater proportionof the mainland, is now becoming rapidly peopledby the Malays and Chinese ; these latter making abusy home wherever there is gold or tin to bemined, or money to be earned by straightforwardindustry. Here at Pulo Pangkore they are mostlyemployed as woodcutters, and in making lime, forwhich abundant material is found all round the island,in the shape of the limestone coral and madrepores.

This zoophyte-produced limestone, as seen froma boat, when peering down through the limpid water,presents a scene of wondrous beauty, with its manytints and shades of colour, forming a perfect sub-marine garden of endless loveliness, through whoseflowers and shrubs glide the brilliant fish of thetropic region, clad in armour whose hues are at timesdazzling, and far outrival the corals amongst whichthey rove. The dry coral is easily burned by theChinese into lime, and procures a high price forbuilding purposes at Penang. The Malays, on thecontrary, occupy small tracts of land, which theyplant with fruit-trees, principally the plantain orbanana, and the chumpada or small jack- fruit, avariety of the bread-fruit of Polynesia.


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"SARONG" AND "KRIS.'The Dutch were the former occupants of this

island at the time that they held Malacca, and theremains of their fort and factory are still to be seenclose to the shore, and within reach of Anson Bay.

The Perak river is a fine broad stream, averagingfor the first fifty miles about one-fourth of a milein width, navigable for about one hundred and eightymiles from its mouth an assertion that sounds some-what paradoxical, when the limits of the country aregiven as only ninety miles from north to south. Itsserpentine wanderings, however, fully account for this.Although navigable to so great a distance, this is onlyfor boats : still goodly vessels may make their way upfor forty miles to Durian Sabatang, after which thedraught of boats must become smaller and smaller,while in Ooloo, or Upper Perak, rapids are encounteredin several places, long before the sources are reached,at a range of hills, called Titti-Wangsa, in the adjacentstate of Quedah.

These rapids in the ascent of the river aregenerally passed on rafts, which are very skilfullyconstructed by the Malays, out of the large hollowbamboos of the country, lashed securely together withrattans. They will readily make a raft of this kindfifty feet long and six feet wide, containing upon it apalni-thatched house. Two men paddle, while twomore stand fore and aft with long poles, by means ofwhich they keep the raft clear of boulders, as onentering the rapids it glides frequently between rocks


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THE PERAK RIVER.only eight or ten feet apart, contact with which wouldmean an utter collapse of the light raft, and tooprobably a fatal accident.

The most dangerous of these rapids is one knownby the Malays as Jeram Panjang, at the presentknown boundary of Perak, towards the state ofPatani. Here there is a huge boulder, and beforeattempting to pass it the boatmen make certain pro-pitiatory offerings, in the shape of bananas and betel-nuts, accompanied by a speech, in which leave isasked to go down the rapid. It is no light task thisrapid, for the fall amounts to a dozen feet in the spaceof forty yards, through a passage only from ten tofourteen feet wide. To prevent accidents rattans aresecured to the raft to hold it back ; but in spite of thismany accidents occur amid the rush and turmoil ofthe hurrying waters, which eddy and form dangerouswhirlpools, and lives have occasionally been lost.Some idea of the difficulties of the navigation in thesehigher parts of the river may be formed, when it isannounced that according to a late voyager Mr.Daly down the stream, there wrere over fifty rapidsthe most dangerous being the above-named, andone known as Jeram Kling.

These rapids are not the only obstacles to thenavigation, for after the freshets the trunks of largetrees are frequently brought down, many of whichstrand in the shallows, and form those dangerousimpediments which the Americans call " snags," and


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10 "8AEONG" AND " KRIS."" sawyers," and which are fatal to the unfortunate boatthat encounters them in its way. Like most rivers ofits kind, the Perak has a large bar at its mouth, ofsufficient importance to necessitate careful pilotagethrough the channel, for large vessels inward oroutward bound.

Of its tributaries the principal are the Plus,Kungsa, Kinta, and Batang Padang rivers, all risingin the east and north-east, amongst the heights of thecentral range; while numerous streams ofminor growthtend to make the state an admirably-watered country,and, as already intimated, form the highways for thelimited commerce that is carried on.

This is no land of huge volcanic peaks, for themountains only attain to an average altitude of 5000or 6000 feet ; 7000, as far as present surveysgo, probably being the extreme. Here the ancientforest reigns supreme in all its grandeur ; in fact,with few exceptions, as soon as the river-banks,with their sparse villages, are left behind, thetraveller plunges into the jungle, and then finds theland almost wholly uninhabited, save by a few wildtribes, who migrate from spot to spot, as they aremoved by their superstitious reverence for good orevil omens.

The general knowledge of the eastern portion ofPerak is at present very imperfect ; and though theMalay peninsula has been crossed to the north andsouth, so far it is probable that no European has


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GEOGRAPHICAL FEATURES. 11made his way through Perak to the opposite coast,thus leaving open a goodly exploration for anyoneof adventurous mind. The indefatigable Eussiantraveller, Baron Maclay, has traversed a considerableportion of the interior ; but the information heobtained from native sources was, on the whole, socontradictory and untrustworthy as to be but of littlevalue.

There are two minor ranges between the highermountains and the seaboard, and, running almostparallel with the backbone of the peninsula, they formthe valleys of the Perak and Kinta rivers. The rangenearest the sea contains several tolerably high moun-tains, the principal of which are Gounong Booboo andGounong Hijau "gounong" being the Malay termfor a mountain, as " bukit " is for a hill. Theascertained height of Gounong Booboo is 6100 feet, thelatter being only a little lower. Other eminences areknown, as the North and South Mounds, and BukitSigari, or the False Binding. The most peculiarmountain of the country, however, is one known asGounong Pondoh, lying a little north of the directroute between the mouth of the Laroot river andQualla Kungsa, one of the principal stations of theupper Perak river.

Gounong Pondoh is a singular eminence, standingalone, and rising out of the plain like a hugebeehive ; for it is one mass of red and white limestone,about 1000 feet high, bare and time-worn in places,


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12 "SARONG" AND "KRIS."and perforated with the caves peculiar to this forma-tion. This eminence is distinctly seen on enteringthe mouth of the Laroot river, and also forms avery prominent object from Qualla Kungsa on thePerak river. A similar hill is found in the neigh-bouring state of Quedah, and is there known as theElephant Eock. It is likewise of limestone, and itspeculiar formation must be a problem for geologists.

The caverns of these limestone hills are wellworthy of a visit, and make no great demand on theexplorer. In the case of the Elephant Eock there isfirst a stiff climb over the rocks to reach the archedentrance, which is richly fringed with the stalactitescommon to limestone caves. One of these stalactiteshas been broken, and on being struck by the club ofthe Malay guide, the peculiar sonorous tone emittedreverberates through the cavern with a hollow roar.During a visit in 1872, torches were lit which displayedon all sides the peculiar shapes taken by the congela-tions of lime-charged water, these shapes beinggrotesque in the extreme, some even assuming astrong

resemblance to the human profile, with flowingbeard and locks, carved in white marble by someclever sculptor's hand. Some idea of the extentmay be gained when it is mentioned that the roof issome seventy feet above the floor, while large un-explored passages extend in different directions.Prevalent as are the stalactites, their correspondingstalagmites are comparatively few. Many, however,


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J3UKIT SEBAPIT. 13

are doubtless buried beneath the excreta of bats,which covers the floor to a great depth ; and doubtlessbelow this the geologist will find many relics of theolder fauna of the peninsula when the time for excava-tion comes.

On the occasion of this visit the party had anarrow escape, for one member was moved with astrong desire to let off a rocket in the interior of thecave; a proceeding which would probably have re-sulted in bringing down tons of stalactites on his com-panions' heads. He was however stopped in time.The cavern is entered from the land side, and themountain is completely pierced, so that the explorercomes at length upon an opening of some fifty feet bythirty, looking straight out to sea through a gloriousfringe of stalactites and ferns, giving the opening, withits ferny and mossy terraces, the aspect of a beautifulproscenium, from which the eye is taken with regret.

The road mentioned as extending from the mouthof the Laroot river to Qualla Kungsa is notable asbeing one of the principal in the state, and has beendeveloped, under the management of the British Kesi-dent, from a mere elephant-track into one suitable forthe transport of produce. The mention of a roadsome twenty-seven miles in extent may sound a trifle,but in a land where the rivers form almost the solemeans of intercommunication, the existence of onegood road, setting aside the military advantages,means the opening out of the country to a new form


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14 "SARONG" AND "of traffic. This road leads through the pass of BukitBerapit, a ravine of great beauty though of novast extent. The granite crops out here of a finegray variety, similar to our Aberdeen ; tall forest treestower up, rich in their gorgeous greens, whilst at theirfeet cluster ground-orchids quaint and curious in form,and far more beautiful than the stunted kinds seenin our hothouses at home. In clearings where theforest gives place to the traces of former cultivation,fruit-trees are found in abundance, the Malaysplanting extensively wherever they settle. Clumpafter clump of fruit-bearing trees is passed, lend-ing the beauty of their foliage and burdens to thescene, already brightened here and there by bubblingstreams of delicious water, rushing over the rocks ofthe narrow gorges on their way to swell the Larootriver below the pass.

The trees here are frequently grand in their growth,rising up without a branch a hundred feet before inter-weaving with their fellows to form a shade so dense,that farther in the forest a dim twilight reigns even atnoonday.

This road passing through Bukit Berapit dividesthe district of Laroot -from Perak proper. It wascommenced by Captain Speedy, Her Majesty's Assis-tant-resident at Laroot, with the aid of the Muntriof Perak, one of the principal officers of the Sultan'slittle court, and one who has for many years claimedto be the governor of the above district. It was


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ABSENCE OF ROADS. 15

pushed on with vigour by the civil and militaryauthorities during the disturbances of 1875-76, and aline of telegraph was laid along it to connect themilitary post of Qualla Kungsa with the anchorage inthe Laroot river at Teluk Kartang, the nearest pointto our old settlement at Penang.A good idea may be formed of the primitivenature of the country, when it is considered that thisis the only road worthy of the name. There are,however, certain tracks important from their com-munications, not from their condition. One of theseleads from a place called Boyah, north of Sengang, onthe Perak, to Kinta, a place of importance from itshaving been the old seat of the Government ofPerak. This track passes through several villagesduring its course of about forty miles ; while a backpathway of about twenty miles in length will takethe traveller again to the river at a village calledBlanja, where, if the Perak be crossed, a couple offresh tracks diverge, each of which leads to the seaby communication with the rivers Trong and Binding,whose mouths are about twenty-five miles apart.A road to connect the mouth of the Perak riverwith Banda Baru, the Eesidency, is in course of con-struction, and this will do away with the necessity fora long and tedious journey along the serpentinewindings of the lower reaches of the river. Besidesthis there are a few jungle pathways, as intimated,only known to the natives, and but little used.


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CHAPTER II.Elephant-tracks Navigable rivers Climate Lakes Geological

features.

LIBERALLY supplied as they have been, then, by naturewith water-ways, in the shape of rivers, the necessityfor roads does not seem to have occurred to theMalays, especially as they are by nature essentially asea-going and boating people ; and consequently theyfor the most part build their campongs or villages onthe river-banks ; and where elephant-tracks do existthey are mostly in places where it has been foundconvenient to carry tin to the nearest market, ob-taining in return rice, salt, and salt-fish, which formthe staple food of the Malays.

During the petty war which followed the murderof Mr. Birch, one of these elephant-tracks wastraversed by General, now Sir Francis, Colborne,K.C.B., with his little force, which marched throughthe jungle from Blanja to Kinta; but it was onlywith great difficulty a difficulty which will beunderstood when it is stated that the elephant, fromnotions of safety, always plants his feet in the


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ELEPHANT TRACKS. 17tracks of his fellows who have gone before, fromtime immemorial, with the natural result that thetrack becomes a series of pit-holes, almost im-passable for travellers on foot.

Before quitting the subject of the rivers, a fewwords must be said respecting the more importanttributaries of the Perak namely, the Kungsa. atwhose confluence the important station of QuallaKungsa, or mouth of the Kungsa, is situated theBidor and Batang Paclang, which unite and enter thePerak about fifty miles from its mouth. Up to thispoint ships drawing not more than thirteen feet ofwater may be navigated. It was here that HerMajesty's war vessels lay at anchor during the dis-turbances. This place Durian Sabatang as it isnamed has been chosen from its natural advantagesas a most desirable place for a permanent station, andit is believed that the authorities have definitelydecided upon erecting one here.

The river Kinta, perhaps after the Perak themost important of those in the state, rises in themain range, and after running in a southerly direction,enters the Perak at Qualla Trus ; but it bifurcatesabout six miles before joining the main stream, andforms a delta, upon which is situated the village ofBanda Baru, the seat of the Eesidency. This is novery cheerful spot, lying low, and being uncomfortablyswampy, and it is probable that on the erection of astation at Durian Sabatang, the Eesidency will be


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18 "SARONG" AND "KKIS."removed to what will probably become the principalport of the south. This is the more probable thatat this point an alteration becomes necessary in thenavigation, vessels of lighter draught being required,and from the swift nature of the stream the process ofpoling being adopted ; though after what has beendone in the way of constructing large steamersdrawing only a foot or two of water, and with stern-paddles, for the shallow American rivers, the want ofdepth in the Perak will not stand in the way of itsbecoming the great water-way of a large commerce,running as it does north and south through the wholestate, and even at Qualla Kungsa, one hundred andfifty miles from its mouth, being over two hundredyards wide.

The Bernam and Krean have already been men-tioned, not as tributaries of the Perak, but as runningdirect into the Straits, and important, the former asforming the southern boundary between Perak stateand Salangore the latter as dividing the state fromProvince "Wellesley, our British possession, and thestate of Quedah on the north.The soil on the banks of these rivers is generallya light sandy loam, which easily washes in during theannual freshets, with the natural consequence thatsandbanks frequently obstruct the navigation. These,and the many other hindrances in the shape of tree-trunks, will doubtless be cleared as the country be-comes more opened up ; but, in spite of the admirable


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NAVIGABLE RIVERS. 19

supply of water-ways, and the convenience of thestreams for bringing down the mineral produce of thecentral ridge of mountains in which they rise, thenecessity becomes every day more apparent for theconstruction of large trunk-roads, with cross-roads-communicating with the river.

Abundance of material exists for this purpose,except on the actual banks of the rivers near the sea,where the constant recurrence of mangrove swamps,necessitates the formation of the well-known roadcomposed of trunks of trees laid side by side, andcalled " corduroy/ 7 or else the excavation of deeptrenches, to obtain sufficient soil to raise the surfaceof the road above the reach of the water in the tidalswamps ; for unless this is done to the extent of at leasttwo-and-a-half feet above high-water mark, the roadis soon perforated by land-crabs, and becomes useless.

The rivers become swollen with mountain torrents-during the rains, rising several feet, for the averagerainfall in Perak is from sixty to ninety inches ; andat such times navigation becomes difficult or im-possible. There is no distinction of spring, summer,autumn, and winter here ; for the year is divided intotwo seasons, ruled by the prevalence of the monsoons,that from the north-east beginning about the middle ofOctober and lasting to the middle of April, while thatfrom the south-west prevails during the rest of the year.The word " monsoon " is too often associated in people's-minds with a time of storms, but in these regions it


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20 "SARONG" AND "KRIS."applies only to the direction of the winds, which blowsteadily from these quarters for six months alternately.For Perak is no land of typhoons and hurricanes,but is an equable region, a land, as has been intimated,of eternal summer to the European, which, by theway, is looked upon by him as no advantage ; for themonotony of such an unchanging season becomeswearisome in the extreme.

The north-east monsoon is, so to speak, the dryseason, though a dry season proper does not exist ; forthere are constant showers which lighten the air andmake the climate pleasant and easy to bear. The dayperhaps has been hot, steamy, and oppressive, whentowards evening the clouds are seen to gather blacklyover the mountains, and a steady downpour sets in,accompanied by thunder and lightning, the lattermostly of the kind known as "sheet." As the rainceases there is a delicious freshness in the atmosphere,the oppression passes away, and the air is for the timebeing redolent of the sweet after-shower scent ; thoughit must be said that the flowers of this region areogreatly wanting in the delicious odours of those oftemperate climates a fact probably to be attributedto their rapid growth and development from a well-watered soil, and from, an atmosphere laden withmoisture to the greatest degree.

During the prevalence of the south-west monsoonthe heavy rainfalls occur, with storms and electricaldischarges, which last for many hours.


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CLIMATE. 21

The heat is never great, and bears no comparisonwith that of India, a singular fact when it is con-sidered how near Perak lies to the equator. On theplains the mean annual temperature is about 79degrees, but in the morning the thermometer fre-quently falls as low as 74 degrees ; while in theascents of the mountains that have been scaled theMalays have been known to complain bitterly of thecold. There is this peculiarity in the climate, thatbefore rain the air becomes very oppressive, from theamount of moisture with which the atmosphere issaturated ; and this, with the sudden nightly falls ofthe mercury, is the principal cause of disordersamongst the Europeans.

These diseases take the form of fever and rheu-matism. On the whole, however, the climate isdecidedly healthy ; though, as in almost any part ofthe world, a night's rest at the foot of hills, or anylow-lying swampy ground, may result in an attack offever. These are facts apparently known to thenatives, as shown by the construction of their hutsupon piles of bamboo ; though the seeking of pro-tection from wild beasts and from floods doubtlesshas had its influence.

Lakes seem to have, so far as is at present known,little to do with the physical features of Perak. Hereand there the rivers widen into lagoons, and a lake ofsome extent has been seen, but not surveyed, in thecentral part of the country ; but probably such lakes


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22 "SARONG" AND "KRIS."ns exist are dependent upon the freshets of the rainyseason.

Very little has been ascertained as yet as to thegeological features of the country ; but one of nature'ssingular changes of surface is very plain here in theway in which she is constantly denuding the highergrounds, and carrying down, by means of the rivers,the superabundant soil which constantly adds to thecoast-line. This is especially marked in the Larootdistrict, where small tracts of new land have beenbrought under cultivation, so that where at no verydistant period the tide ran, padi, or rice, is nowshowing its luxuriant growth.

The primitive rock that which forms the mainrange of the country seems to be that hard stone sofamiliar to us in the sculptures of the Egyptians, andknown as syenite, while here and there, as in the passat Bukit Berapit, a fine-grained granite crops out,equal to our own Aberdeen. In this pass there is alsoquartz rock, and it is possible that here the granitepasses into syenite. The most important rock, how-ever, is an argillaceous talcose schist, for in this isto be found the principal mineral deposits of thecountry.

For some distance from the coast the land is lowand swampy, but, gradually rising, a better class ofcountry is reached, where the soil has been washedfrom the hills, and this is as fertile as that towardsthe sea is sterile and unproductive. There are, how-


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GEOLOGICAL FEATURES. 23

ever, plains near the coast of higher elevation thanthe ordinary tracts, and these are cultivated by thenatives, who plant maize and fruit-trees, and, whereirrigation is available, they grow their staple food-rice.

Farther inland, the plains, which are to be foundof greater extent in the Perak than in the Kintavalley, are broken up with natural sand-ridges, whichlighten the soil, and make it very well suited for thecultivation of rice ; and, from their appearance ofhaving been more under the plough than at thepresent time, give evidence of the existence of a farlarger population than now exists in the country.Undoubtedly the richest soil in the valleys is that com-posed of the debris of the mountains proceeding fromthe decomposition of the felspar in the granite. Thisdebris, mixed with the decayed vegetable matter, hasgradually subsided into the low lands, and now offersitself for cultivation. There is no trace of volcanicaction in the peninsula, saving a few hot springs exist-ing at Malacca ; and, near as Perak lies to the greatvolcanic band which contains the craters of Java andSumbawa, earthquakes are unknown, though slightshocks have been felt at Singapore. The country is,however, peculiarly rich in minerals, and these willundoubtedly lay the foundation of its future prosperity.

Fossils are rarely found ; but at the mouth of oneof the rivers there are very curious deposits of theordinary cockle-shell, raised up into heaps many feet


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24 . "SARONG" AND "KRIS."

high, and looking as if they had been left there bythe action of some eddy ; though when and how, it isimpossible to say, for they lie high and dry upon theshore.

In northern Perak a limestone formation is prettyprevalent, as opposed to the ferruginous sandstonesand shales of the south. Large slabs of slate are tobe found in certain of the rivers : it is tolerably soft,but not bituminous. From indications, there seemsto be a rich deposit.

Hard sandstone and ironstone rocks are to befound jutting out from the banks of the upper reachesof the Perak river, but the ironstone is not affected bythe magnet. Here again, too, quite inland, traces ofshells are found in positions eight or ten feet abovethe level, as if left by the receding sea. This isespecially noticeable at the base of Gounong Wang, ahuge limestone hill.On the whole, so far as the country has beenexplored, the palaeontologist does not find rich andcurious stores awaiting him, and has to be content withexamining boulders of granite, veined with quartz,sprinkled with large grains of felspar, and showingtheir character plainly in the smooth-washed sides inthe rapids above Qualla Kungsa. Now and then,though, he may be rewarded with a fossil, traces beingseen of what is evidently petrified wood; but untilthe country is more opened out, organic remains arenot likely to reward his search.


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CHAPTER III.Mineral productions Graphite Galena Antimonj* Iron Tin and

tin-mines Gold and gold-washing Deserted workings.

IF the visitor to Perak turns his attention to minera-logy, rich stores doubtless await him, especially as ascientific search, although proposed, has not yet beenundertaken by the Government. In 1854, the writerdiscovered graphite or plumbago, in one of thestates south of Perak; and though brought intonotice at the time it has since passed out of mind,but there is every reason to believe that depositsexist. The same may be said of galena, which hasbeen found in the Bindings, and of which there arevaluable mines in Patani, just to the north. This oreof lead was known to be a mineral of the peninsula asfar back as 1616, but its actual site and locality neverappear to have been traced until very recently byMr. Fisher.

This may seem a poor argument as regards Perak,till it is understood that the states north and southare really only portions of the same country, pierced


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26 "SARONG" AND "KRIS."

by the same range of mountains, and separated onlyby a comparatively few miles.What is wanted is for exploring-parties to traceeastward and examine the mountain-ranges with theirravines, so as to reach the matrices of the metallicstores that are tolerably-plentifully obtained even nowin the lower lands. Traces of hidden wealth havefrequently been found. Of gems, there are diamondsand garnets, in what number it is impossible to say,and amethystine quartz exists in great beauty.A curious discovery of silver antimony was madenot far south of Perak. On one occasion when aquantity of stones were taken into Singapore jail forthe convicts to break, one was found to be a mass ofantimony. The explanation given was that the lumpwas one of the stones that had been used by theMalays for attaching to the anchors of their boats ;and in this way it had probably been brought overfrom Borneo, where the ore is known to exist. Searchnear the spot where the stone was picked up provedfruitless ; but it is a far more reasonable surmise thatsilver antimony exists in the Malay peninsula if not inPerak, and that it will some day reward the explorer'szeal. This is, of course, surmise, but to it may beadded the reports that in the mountain-ranges ofthe Laroot district copper with bromide and sulphideof silver have been found. There is no reason whythey should not exist, though in a land of goldand tin.


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MINERAL PRODUCTIONS. 27On the whole, iron is abundant in Perak, and exists

in the form of the peroxide, and as a cellular clayironstone known as laterite ; but so far no attempt hasbeen made to reduce these to the metallic form. Thelate Mr. "Westerhout stated that he had had specimensof copper brought to him from the interior of thecountry ; but he died before it was possible to takeadvantage of the discovery, and the rich metal there-fore lies waiting for the explorer's hand.

Coal has been found, though as yet small inquantity, and of no great commercial value. Investi-gation, however, would probably result in the discoveryof any or all of the above minerals in abundance ;and even if it were barren of result, the prospecting-parties would be amply rewarded by the opening outof new lodes of tin and gold, which not only exist,but have been mined here from time immemorial.The bright silvery metal tin is worked in Perakto a great extent, and though obtained in a clumsyprimitive way, the yield is very abundant, and wouldbe far greater but for the evident depopulation of thecountry. The metal has been attractive enough tobring the busy Chinaman by the thousand, and gowhere you will through Perak, he is to be encountered,patient and busy, digging, washing, and melting theore.

It seems odd in a land where gold is found intolerable quantities, that tin should be looked upon asthe principal metal. This however is easily explain-


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28 "SAEONG" AND "KRIS."able from the greater "ease with which it is obtained.A chief here reckons his wealth in his bhars or slabsof tin; and when, as in a late act of piracy, a rajahwas brought to book by one of Her Majesty's cruisers,the offender was mulcted, not in so many hogsheadsof palm-oil as on the west coast of Africa, nor in somany peculiarly-shaped dollars as in China, but in acertain number of slabs of tin.

All over the country deserted tin mines are to befound. In the south, in the neighbourhood of theBatang Padang, and Bidor rivers, they are frequent,but at the same time there are many mines beingworked. In each case examination shows that the tingravel has been brought down by floods from themountains some miles to the east and north ; but theidea of going to the mineral fountain-heads neverseems to have occurred to the Chinese, though some-times, like the Malays^ they object to any suchproceeding on account of the mountain jungle beinginfested with evil spirits, to whom they might giveoffence. Yet at the same time it is found that thenearer the mountain, the better is the yield of theore, which is found in small black granules, similar tothose seen in a quartz specimen of tin ore fromCornwall.

In these southern parts, want of capital and thedifficulties of carriage seem to prove great drawbacksto the successful carrying

out of the work ; and theconsequence is that Laroot, in the extreme north of


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TJLV AND TIN MINES. 29the state, where the deposits are rich, and carriagecomparatively easy which last has its due effect onthe food supply draws to itself the principal portionof the tin-mining energy.

The principal mining stations of Laroot are Thai-peng and Kamunting. This portion of the state iswell deserving of a visit, from its being the busiestand most thriving ; standing out, as it does, in strongcontrast to the sleepy agricultural portions, where theubiquitous Chinaman is not at work. At Thai-pengis the dwelling of the Assistant-resident, CaptainSpeedy, a gentleman who, by his energy, has pro-duced peace amongst the rival factions of the Chinese,given protection and safety, and fostered the miningenergy to such an extent that the mining towns arethronged, there are Chinese shops, and the general airof the place betokens prosperity.

The Resident's house here is a large native struc-ture upon an eminence. It looks, with its woodensupports, palm-thatch, and extensive verandahs, pre-cisely adapted to the climate ; and here the easternelement shows out strongly, in the Chinese going andcoming in their peculiar costume and parasol-shapedhats, while the Resident's police swarthy Sikhs, inwhite puggarees stand about awaiting orders, or onduty.

Thai-peng village, or town, as seen from the As-sistant-resident's house, is a busy place, with longthatched buildings by the hundred. Fences and


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30 "SARONG" AND "KRIS."watercourses intersect the land, and here and theresupplies of water are dammed up for the purpose ofwashing the tin.Much will have to be done to improve the processof obtaining and smelting the tin, as the natives arewasteful and extravagant, with the consequence thathigh prices result. Unfortunately the trade has oflate been bad, the duty high, and Australian tinhas begun to compete favourably with that of theStraits ; but as the latter is stream tin, and in abun-dance in Laroot, without seeking in the matrix, it isprobable that it may soon recover its old position inthe market, though perhaps not at the earlier prices.What is really wanted to make the tin deposits ofLaroot highly profitable is the introduction of Britishcapital and machinery, with British enterprise. Thenthe ore would be obtained, washed, and smelted withthe smallest loss ; and here, in a land where shaftsthat take years to dig, and require fortunes to besunk, are not needed, but where the ore is reachedafter removing a few feet of superficial soil, there mustbe temptations enough for the Cornish miner, when-ever a settled rule has made the country safe andthis must ultimately come.

The method of procuring the ore or " biji timah "-tin seeds is very simple. The Malays clig a few feetdown in a favourable spot at the base of the hills,,take up the clay, which contains the tin in smallnodules, and carefully wash it in. running water, made


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MINING. 31

to flow over it by means of artificial channels. Theore is then, when dry, ready for smelting, which isalso performed in a very primitive manner. A fur-nace is built up of clay, with a hole beneath ; theore is placed in the furnace between layers of char-coal ; fire is applied, and forced into a powerful glowby means of very homely bamboo bellows, whichkeeps up sufficient blast to cause the golden-orangemolten metal to trickle into the receptacle below, fromwhich it is ladled into moulds, to form slabs or ingots,weighing two catties (equal to 2| lb.). Sometimes,however, the Chinese mould is adopted, in which aslab weighing fifty catties is cast.

The Chinese are wasteful enough in their way ofobtaining the tin, but they are far in advance of theirunprogressive neighbours, bringing simple machineryto bear where necessary ; and their process is ad-mirably described by Captain Speedy, the Assistant-resident at Laroot.

According to his report, the tin lies at a distanceof from twenty to fifty feet from the surface, graduallydiminishing towards the hill-sides, where it is notmore than six feet down ; and as it lies horizontally,the following arrangements are made : The jungle iscleared and the mine marked, water is brought by aditch from the nearest stream, and then the exca-vating commences.

At about six feet down water begins to rise fromthe soil ; and to get rid of this, and also to utilise the


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32 "SARONG" AND "KRIS."water from the stream as a motive power, an ingeniouschain-pump is made, by constructing a long woodentrough of three planks, each one hundred feet inlength ; and this is placed with one end resting onthe bank, the other sloping to the water in the lowestpart of the mine." A wooden chain with small oblong pieces of woodplaced at right angles to the line is fitted accuratelyinto the above-named trough. The wooden chain isendless, and is passed round two wheels, a small oneat the lower end of the trough and a larger one at theupper end. This latter is a water-wheel, and isturned by a constant stream flowing over it. Eoundthe axle of this wheel are cogs, each of which in turn,as the wheel revolves, draws up a joint of the endlesschain through the trough, and as each joint fits ac-curately into the trough, they bring up in successiona quantity of water, which, on reaching the mouth ofthe trough, falls into the channel by which the waterwhich turns the wheel is carried off, and is thus alsotaken away out of the mine and conducted to thenext, where the process is repeated. The small wheelat the lower end of the trough regulates the chain,and guides the wooden joints into the trough, causingeach to take up in succession its quantum of water,and by this means the mine is emptied/ 7

Their tools are very poor, consisting of only acommon hoe and a small flat cane basket. Withthese the whole of the work is done, the baskets when


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TIN WASHING. 33

full holding about four pounds of earth. One of thesebaskets is placed at either end of a stout bamboo,balanced over a labourer's shoulders, carried off andemptied, while the men with the hoe scrape togethermore soil and fill other baskets.What an English navvy, armed with spade, barrow,and pick would think of the oblique-eyed, childish-faced Chinaman and the amount of work he doesmay easily be imagined. Still the slow tortoise wonthe race ; and whereas our navvy demands so manypounds of meat and so many pots of beer per diem,Ah Sin is content with a little rice, some freshwater, and, for his grand relaxation, a tiny pipe ofopium.

The washing, as performed by the Chinese, is verysimple. The ore is found at Laroot in a stratum ofwhitish clay, which is washed in long open troughs,water passing freely through, carrying off the soil, andleaving the ore at the bottom, for it is prevented fromrunning down the inclined trough by means of barsof wood nailed across the bottom, and against whichthe heavy grains rest. On this plan the Chineseseem in advance of the washing on inclined planes atthe Cornish tin mines, the crossbars being a^ veryefficient way of arresting the ore.

The melting process is very similar to that ofthe Malays, but more elaborated, and is carried outon rather a larger scale, and in place of the bamboobellows a very ingenious plan is adopted. The trunk


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"SARONG" AND "KRIS.of a tree about eighteen inches in diameter, and tenfeet long, is carefully hollowed out, and closed at eitherend. " A long pole with a circular piece of wood at oneend, fitting exactly into the bore of the tube, acts as apiston. In order to secure the tube being perfectlyair-tight, the end of the piston is well padded withfeathers. Valves are placed at each end to allow theair to enter, and in the centre the nozzle of the bellowscommunicates with the furnace by means of a smallair-passage. On the piston being drawn out, the airin the higher portion of the tube is forced down thenozzle, and on being drawn back the air in the furtherpart of the tube is similarly drawn into the furnace."The charcoal is soon brought to a white heat, and asthe molten tin drips through, fresh layers of ore andcharcoal are added, the fluid tin being ladled out intothe moulds already mentioned as being sometimesadopted by the Malays.

The value of the tin exported in the seven yearsprior to 1874 was upwards of a million and a quartersterling, this being the produce of thirty mines. Itmust however be added that these figures \verederived from native sources, and may have beenexaggerated ; for Captain Speedy 's estimate of theproduce for 1875 was in money value a million and ahalf of dollars. Since then, however, the number ofChinese miners has largely fallen off, probably inconsequence of the disturbances. Under a morefavourable system there is every probability of their


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GOLD WASHING. 35

being re-collected, and the works attaining to greatprosperity.

Anyone who has had experience of the lamentably-slow process of obtaining Cornish tin, and the vastsums of money adventured without result in thatgranitic peninsula, will see what an opening is herein Perak for British capital, especially as the climateis healthy and Coolie labour comparatively cheap.Much store as the Malays of Perak lay by tin, theyare not blind to the charms of gold, and, to theirtaste, it is best of a dark-red colour. It is no un-common thing, when journeying through the interior,to come upon a Malay, or even a boy, washing thesoil left by some ancient flood. The quantity obtainedin this way is necessarily very small ; but still itis to be procured, and the nearer the mountains areapproached the richer is the find ; of course pointing tothe fact that there lies the matrix from which, by thedecomposition of the quartz, the gold has been washeddown.

In some of the tin mines worked by the Chinese,especially in the south, in the neighbourhood of theBatang Padang river, the soil is first washed for thetin ore, and afterwards undergoes a second washingfor gold, which is found in small quantities, but stillsufficient to repay the labour. One peculiarity in con-nection herewith is that the gold is found at depths ofthirty to forty feet below the surface, and invariablyin connection with the trunks of large trees, in every


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36 "SARONG" AND "KRIS."stage of decay a fact pointing to the tremendousfloods that must have taken place at the time of thedeposition of the metal.

In the north, one of our Government officialsdescribes the neighbourhood of the Krean river asshowing a formation having much the appearance of agold-bearing country, such as he had seen in Australia,and offering tempting places for a prospecting-party toexamine the junction of the granite and slate ; addingthat, if gold were not found, the search would pro-bably result in the discovery of tin or some othermetal. That gold has been found in large quantitiesin the Malay peninsula, is proved by the vast numberof old workings surrounding the base of Mount Ophir,to the north-east of Malacca ; and if with their pri-mitive ways of working, sufficient could be found bythe people of bygone ages, modern appliances shouldresult in securing a rich return.On the eastern side of the Perak river itself, ata place called Kleian Bronsong, there is an alluvialdeposit which yields gold, and it is washed out of thecreek, during the rainy season, by the Chinese andMalays, who however are idle during the dry times,for want of water. Among other places on the Perakriver where gold is found, washing of the deposit iscarried on by Chinese at Campong Cherako, and thereare several abandoned gold mines at a place calledChigar Gala, one of the largest villages on the river,and lying above the station at Qualla Kungsa. In fact,


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HIDDEN TREASURES. 37so abundant is gold, that before now the writer, whenwandering about, has with very little difficulty washedspecimens of the precious metal from the river beds,where it mostly occurs in little globular forms, likesmall or dust shot. Mr. Daly, the Governmentsurveyor, who observed this during a journey takento determine the northern boundaries of Perak,remarks that it would be interesting to thoroughlyinvestigate these gold deposits, and describes themetal he has seen as being "rough and shotty," andhaving the appearance of not having travelled far;while, judging from the quartz, slate, and otherpebbles found in the river, he believes that the matrixwill be found in the quartz reefs lying embeddedbetween the granite and slate.

Enough has been said to show that plenty oftraces of gold are to be found, little as the countryhas been explored. What stores the jungle-hiddenstreams, running up to the mountains, conceal in oldenmines or untouched virgin pockets, time and theceaseless energy of the Anglo-Saxon alone will show.As to the Malays, they are too accustomed to alaissez-aller style of life to make any energeticattempts to discover and work the metallic treasures,while the efforts of the Chinese, with their primitivetools, are not likely to greatly influence the yield ofthe precious metals.

Eecompense of some description is almost certain toreward the explorer, for, as has been before remarked,


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38 "fil&OJra" AND "KRIS."the finding of a rich lode of metal of any kind is areward not to be despised; and it is questionablewhether the discovery of the Burra Burra coppermines in Australia was not a more worthy one thanthat of the gold ; while as to Perak, if instead ofmetal a good vein of coal could be found, the finderwould be a benefactor to the state.


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CHAPTEE IV.The ancient knowledge of the mineral productions of Perak and

the peninsula Solomon's ships Gold, apes, and peacocksOpinions of early writers Ophir.

BRITISH tin was an article of export to the islands ofthe Eastern Archipelago up to the year 1618, and itis difficult to trace the time when it was first dis-covered in Perak and the other portions of the Malaypeninsula. De la Loubere, the French envoy to the-King of Siam, in the years 1687-88, wrote an accountof that people, and he states that all the calin or tinin Siam which country then embraced a considerableportion of the Malay peninsula was sold by the kingto strangers as well as to his own subjects, except thatwhich was dug out of the mines of Jon Salam orJunk Ceylon, in the gulf of Bengal, "not above thedistance of a man's voice from the coast of Siam," andwhere there is loadstone ; for this being a remotefrontier, he leaves the inhabitants in their ancientrights, so that they enjoy the mines which they dig,,paying a small profit to the prince.Mr. Walckenaer, the German traveller, thinks that


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40 "SARONG" AND "KRIS."the word kalah calin tin, was derived from themodern Quedah, the Portuguese corruption of Kecldah.Masudi speaks of the fourth sea of India that ofKalah Bao or the sea of Selahat, which had shallow-waters, and was full of small islands containing tinmines, where the natives used poisoned arrows ; anexact description of the straits of Malacca and selahatis certainly the Malay for a strait.

The Arabian term cassider, derived from theSanscrit kastina, applied by the Phoenicians to tin,as in our own Cassiterides, or tin islands, off Cornwall,seems to imply that they derived their knowledge ofmetal in the first place from the East, or through theArabians ; and tin is not found anywhere nearer tothem than in the Indian Archipelago. These latter,in the Middle Ages, seem to have adopted the Hindooterm kola or quota for tin, although kasdin is the trueArabic. Our name tin is traced to the Malay wordiimahy but how this came to pass is not very clear.

The Sanscrit kala literally means black, so thatit does not seem necessary to go far to trace theapplication of the word by the natives immigrantfrom India, to the black mineral grains found asstream tin ; and its adoption by the Siamese andArabians at a later day, to distinguish the tin of theIndian Archipelago from that of Great Britain.

Among other writers, Dr.Vincent, in his "Periplus,"published in the year 1800, speaks of tin as being animport into Africa, Arabia, Scindi, and the coast of


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THE ANCIENT KNOWLEDGE. 41Malabar ; and as an article of commerce broughtfrom Britain in all ages, and conveyed through theMediterranean by Phoenicians, Greeks, and Eomans, tothe Eastern seas ; but says it was only during the pastfew years that it had reached China in British vessels.Of the ancient history of the gold of the Malaypeninsula much may be said, for it has been famedfor its production from all ages. This peninsula wasthe Aurea Chersonesus of the ancients, and althoughthe evidence is not conclusive that Josephus is rightwhen he says that the Mount Ophir of Malacca, somehundred and fifty miles south of Perak, and called bythe modern Malays Gunong Ledang, is the Ophir ofSolomon, there is much that is in favour of this sup-position ; and being a subject of such great interest,it may be worth while to investigate the question,even at the risk of being somewhat tedious.

It may be taken as a matter of fact, that from thevery earliest ages there was intercourse between theArabians and Malays ; and hence it is reasonable tosuppose that the precious metal gold, would, withspices,

be amongst the articles of trade. From theearliest times we know that the Arabians sent intoSabea both spices (frankincense) and gold, but whetherthe latter came from Sofala, on the east coast of Africa

the sea-port of the Mount Ophir of Bruce and LeGrande or from the Mount Ophir of Malacca, is anopen question. There is also, it should be added, aMount Ophir, or the Golden Mountain, in Sumatra;


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42 "SABONG" AND " KRlS."but this may be left out of the argument, as the namewas conferred upon it by Europeans at a comparativelyrecent date.

Lassen, the orientalist, has placed Ophir, the originof Solomon's gold, somewhere about the mouth of theIndus ; and his hypothesis, says Mr. Crawford, isfounded on some resemblance between the Hebrewand Sanscrit names of the commodities brought fromthis ancient spot. The nearest resemblance is in thewords for an ape, that in the Hebrew being Jcoph orJcof, and in Sanscrit, Mpi or Jcopi. Mr. Crawford,however, in view of all the difficulties connected withits geographical position, comes to the conclusion thatthe Ophir of Scripture is simply an emporium whereSolomon's fleet obtained " gol'd, silver, ivory, apes, andpeacocks ; " and he fixes this emporium somewhere inArabia, either at Sabea, or at a spot on the southerncoast. But as we read that the ships of Solomon" came to Ophir," it is more natural to conclude thatthey went to a place bearing that name, and not to aconvenient emporium, where the gold of Ophir andthe other commodities were exposed for sale. Thequestion then seems to lie between the Ophir of theeastern coast of Africa and that of Malacca.

There are many things in favour of the mount inthe Malay peninsula being that of Scripture, and theidea is supported by many writers. For instance, Dr.Kitto, in his Encyclopaedia, states

that the natives ofMalacca call their gold mines " Ophirs ; " to which may


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SOLOMON'S SHIPS. 43

be added, that the Malays being a decidedly non-progressive people, their term probably comes fromtime immemorial. De P. Poivre, a French author,writing in 1797, gives the same statement, adding of thenatives of Sumatra on y trouve plusieurs mines d'or,que les habitants de Malacca et de Sumatra nomment" Ophirs" He, too, adds that the mines of the ad-jacent places are richer than all those of Brazil andPeru.

When we consider the objects sought, we find thatthey were apes, peacocks, ivory, and gold. Now,though the ape proper is not indigenous to the Malaypeninsula, monkeys of large size abound ; it is thehome of one of the most beautiful of the peacocks ;ivory, if not abundant, is procurable, for elephants areplentiful ; spices follow as a matter of course, for thisis the very centre of the production ; and gold isworked to the present day. Gold, apes, and ivory arecertainly found in Africa, but the other articles wouldhave to be brought from the Eastern seas.

To go back to the ancients for support of thetheories that Solomon's vessels may have traded withthe Malays : Pliny tells us that Eratosthenes speaks ofMeroe, India, and the Thinoe ; and Agatharcides, acontemporary of the latter, about 104 B.C., says ofSabea, now Yemen, or "the blest": "The peopleare robust, warlike, and able mariners. They sail invery large vessels to the country where the odoriferouscommodities are produced ; they plant colonies there,


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44 "8MONG" AND "KRIS."and import from thence the ' larimma/ an odournowhere else to be found ; in fact, there is no nationupon earth so wealthy as the Gerrhei and Sabei, as beingthe centre of all the commerce which passes betweenAsia and Europe." The sam^ writer also refers to theMaldive and Laccadive islands, and coupled with theseis a reference to Malacca or the Golden Chersonese.

According to Dr. Vincent, the Chinese had notthen passed the straits of Malacca; but the Malaysseem in all ages to have traded with India, andprobably with the coast of Africa, and he ends bysaying :" All this induces a belief that in the very earliestages, even prior to Moses, the communication withIndia was open, that the intercourse with that conti-nent was in the hands of the Arabians, that Thebeshad owed its splendour to that commerce, and thatMemphis from the same cause came to the same pre-eminence, and Cairo succeeded to both in wealth,grandeur, and magnificence."

If then, as this evidence would show, the com-munication with India and its isles was open beforethe time of Moses, and in the hands of the Arabians,who from the earliest ages had an intercourse with theMalays, the inference that can be drawn from thismay be left to everyone to judge of as he pleases.

There is, however, another significant point whichfavours the belief that the gold of Ophir was obtainedfrom Malacca, for amongst the articles of export to the


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OPHIE. 45

Ked Sea in the time of the " Periplus," which givesau account of the navigation of the ancients, from theeast coast of Africa down to Sofala, gold is notmentioned, but only " ivory, rhinoceros-horn, andtortoise-shell of a good sort, but inferior to that ofIndia." Dr. Vincent, the last editor and exponent ofthe work, is so struck with this fact, that he confessesto feeling " some degree of disappointment in notfinding gold, as the fleets of Solomon are said to haveobtained gold from this coast.' 7 He however gets overthe difficulty by saying: "Our present object is notthe trade but the geography."

In later days namely, in the fourteenth centuryBarbosa says that gold was so abundant in Malacca

that it was reckoned by the bhar of four hundredweight. In 1615, also, we read in the State Papersthat at Acheen, in Sumatra, the admiral's galley hada turret built in the stern, covered with plates of gold

a sure sign of the plentiful supply of the metal.Later still, in "Herbert's Travels," prioted in 1677,he says that Malacca had the name Aurea given toit, on account of the abundance of gold carried thitherfrom Menang Kabau, in the neighbouring isle, Sumatra;and again, Valentyn says, in 1737, Acheen exportedgold by the thousand ounces at a time.To come down to our own days : Mr. Logan esti-mated the total produce of gold in the Malay peninsulaas twenty thousand ounces per annum only. Thisdoes not arise from the mines being worked out, but


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46 "SARONG" AND "KRlS."from the gradual depopulation of the country, and thefacile way in which tin is obtained and sold by theChinese, leading to the temporary abandonment ofthe search for the more precious ore.

In addition to this, the discoveries of gold in otherparts of the world have taken off the attention ofEuropean capitalists from the mines of Malaya ; andthough an attempt was made recently to work thegold mines of Chindrass, near Malacca, the adven-ture failed from the want of mining skill and properappliances. What is required for the proper develop-ment of the acknowledged valuable mineral resourcesof the peninsula is as was some time since suggested

that a practical mineralogist and geologist shouldbe sent out from England, to examine and give copiousreports of the capabilities of the country, so as to drawpublic attention to it at home. This step has not yetbeen taken, but it is not too late to adopt the sugges-tion ; and the outlay on such a survey, if judiciouslycarried out, would be amply returned to the Govern-ment and to the colony.


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CHAPTER Y.Vegetable productions Ferns Timber-trees Indiarubber Varied

foliage Flowers Palms Bamboos.

IN few parts of the world are the wonders of thevegetable kingdom to be seen in greater perfectionthan in the Malay archipelago ; and Perak possessesits full share of these glorious productions, for themoist hot climate favours rapid growth, to an extremedegree.

On quitting the river-ways, and plunging into thejungle, the traveller is at once in a world of wonders.In almost every instance he is confined to the foresttrack, for the jungle is literally impenetrable. Hugetrees tower up a hundred and a hundred and fifty feetwithout a branch, and then weave and interweave inthe most extraordinary manner.. These are the pillarsand supports of creepers and parasites innumerable,among which the most prominent are the variousvarieties of the rattan cane the common cane of theshops, but which here winds and runs to the lengthof two and even three hundred feet. A soft greenishtwilight generally prevails in these dense parts of the


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48 "SARONG" AND "KRIS."forest ; but where there are openings that admit ofthe sun, flowers principally orchids add their beautyto the scene.

Wherever a watercourse is found, there, with theirlace-like fronds, tree ferns spring up to fifteen andtwenty feet in height, drooping gracefully over themossy rocks, and beneath them may be seen anabundance of the lesser variety of ferns, chiefly ofthe Pteris family. Soon, again, appear the beautifulquaint-blossomed orchids, principally the Dendrobiuniand Vanda varieties, hanging in rich clusters from thetrunks and branches of the forest trees. The elk-hornhangs pendent in masses of many feet in length,and, deeper in the jungle, lycopodiums, and the manyvarieties of moss which flourish in moist situations,carpet the earth.

It is a carpet, however, that is untrodden ; forunless a way be cut by means of the heavy knife orparang of the Malay, progress even of the slowestnature is impossible, and the beauties of the groundorchids which spring up in the clearer spots aredoomed to flourish and fade unseen. In these densewoods ebony is sometimes found, though not in anygreat profusion, and it is not used by the Malays.There is an abundance, though, of excellent timberfor building purposes, which to a great extent isfelled and squared by the Chinese. The chief of thesewoods some of which are hard and very durableare the marbow, and the damar laut, the maranti, and


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INDIAEUBBEE AND GUTTA-PERCHA. 49the serayah. There are many others of admirablequality which it is needless to name.

One timber tree promises well. It is known bythe Malays as the scum. They say that if placedover piles used for jetties it will resist the action of theteredo, or boring-worm ; for the worm, after devouringthe wood attacks that of the ordinary piles, and iskilled from, the action of the acids of the two, andif this be the case it will be a valuable timber topossess. Further proof however is needed of itsqualities.

Teak, though found at Penang and Singapore, andabounding in the jungles of Siam, oddly enough doesnot grow in Perak. There are plenty of fine durablewoods, though, to make up for the deficiency. Neitherhas the camphor tree been found, though believedto exist at Salangore, but the gutta tree is tolerablyplentiful, and its curious gum is extracted by cuttingdown the whole tree, tapping it on the under side,and allowing the gutta to exude into vessels placedfor its reception. This gum is frequently used bythe young Malays to catch birds, forming a mostglutinous bird-lime. The name by which it is knownin England gutta-percha many people may not beaware, is rather a redundant one, percha being onlythe native name for Sumatra, whence the gutta wasperhaps originally brought. The indiarubber tree,with its glossy green leaves, is one of the manytrees of the wood; but its juices are not com-


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50 "SARONG" AND "KRIS."monly extracted, though used also occasionally asbird-lime.

One very hard wood, called by the Malayskamooning, is obtained from a slow-growing flower-bearing tree. It is of fine grain, takes an admirablepolish, and is used to ornament the hilts of krises,and to make into fancy or useful articles, such asboxes, cigar-holders, and watch-cases : the late rajah ofa neighbouring state was a great adept at turningthis wood in his lathe.

It is no uncommon thing in the depths of thesejungles, as night sets in, to see glades lit up with whatseem in the distance to be so many pale lamps burningwith a mild radiance, but which prove on closerinspection to be a very curious kind of phosphorescentfungi, of considerable size, the light being probablyproduced by their decomposition. At times too,during a journey, the native guide points out the ipoh,or upas tree, and announces that it is poisonous ; butthe stories of its deadly nature are apocryphal ; andthough the tree may possess poisonous qualities,beyond tradition the Malays seem to know very littleabout it.

Another famous tree flourishes here, namely, thebanian ; but, growing as it does in the dense jungle,where it has to struggle for its existence in a verysmall space, there are none of the wonderful wide-spreading specimens

such as are said to shelter aregiment on an Indian plain. To revert however for


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WOOD OIL. 51a moment to the upas : it is perhaps too much, to saythat an approximation to its branches, or sleepingbeneath its shade, may not be highly injurious,,especially when it is an established fact that thepoison alder of Virginia acts upon the skin, if ever solightly touched, with the greatest virulence, producingall the symptoms of poisoning to a marked degree.The upas, however, does not seem to have beentested, and possesses perhaps a far worse name than itdeserves.

The bombax, or cotton tree, is here in two varieties,,but probably imported. The kayoo puteh, literallywood white, is a tree whose name has been corruptedinto the cajeput of the Pharmacopoeia. It yields avery valuable green oil, which is used for medicinalpurposes. Large quantities of wood oil, or kayoo-minyati, are also obtained by the Malays, by cuttinga triangular hole right into the trunk of a forest tree,,and placing therein a cup or half a cocoa-nut shell.Fire is then applied, and the oil is melted and dripsinto the cup. This oil forms a kind of varnish, andis used for the interior woodwork of their houses,and sometimes as a medicine.

One of the prettiest trees is the waringhan, with itsbirch-like growth ; it is a species of ficus, and deserves-to be called the most ornamental in the peninsula,,though the beautiful growths are endless, even as theyare peculiar. Amongst the ornamental trees, though,must be classified those which blossom. One of the


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52 SARONG " AND "KRIS."finest of these is called by the Malays dadap. Itbears a beautiful flower of a brilliant scarlet, and isutilised largely in the coffee plantations of Java as aprotection to the young trees from the ardent sun.Another blossoming tree is the chumpaka, of whichthere are two varieties, the one bearing a yellow, theother a pure white flower, and both diffusing whatis comparatively rare a delicious scent. These arefavourite flowers, and are often used like the whiteblossoms of the jasmine and the sweet-scented star-shaped bunga tanjong by the women to ornamenttheir hair, while the natives of India in the peninsulaoffer them at the shrines of their god.

One of the especial features of the jungle is thebeauty of tint and mottling of the foliage, and thisrelieves greatly what would otherwise seem sombreand monotonous. Almost side by side may be seengrowing leaves of a bright yellow and others of richly-tinted reds, while close by are displayed infinitevariegations, in different shades, of purple mixed withsplashes of white, as if all colour had been withdrawnfrom the leaves. Undoubtedly the beauty of nature'sgardening in these eastern forests has had somethingto do with the taste that has of late set in for foliaceousplants. The foliage, too, of the hill-sides in Perak iswondrously beautiful, displaying every tint of leafage,from pale yellow, through infinite shades, to thedarkest green, with here and there clusters of brightblossoms peering out, amongst which may frequently


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FLOWERS AND FOLIAGE. 53be seen what is known as the Pride of the Forest, ablossom of a deep red and yellow. There is alsothe blossom of the kamooning tree, which stronglyresembles that of the orange, and emits as sweet ascent. Though no scented flower, there is a modestplant found occasionally that is a pretty and familiarobject to every European, and takes attention whenits tree-like relatives weary the eye. This is ouradiantum, the pretty little maiden-hair fern, and itis principally found growing in the laterite clay iron-stone soil. The first discoverer of this little favouriteis said to have been Archdeacon Hose, and the habitatwas Malacca.

Though Perak can hardly be called a land of flowers,still there are many of very great beauty, and thiswant of gorgeous petals is made up for by the coloursof the leaves. The orchids however are very beautiful,both the large parasitical and the ground varieties.The scorpion orchid a wonderfully-accurate copy ofthe poisonous creature from which it takes its name-abounds, as does a magDificent creeper which would bea great acquisition to a European garden, from its richmaroon blossoms. Climbing plants are very commonin the jungle, running up the trees in a straight linesimilar to the strands of our close small-leaved ivy,and often to a height of thirty or forty feet. Butperhaps of all the climbers the most striking arethe nepenthes, or monkey-cups, which are seen inevery opening. Those grown in our hothouses


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"SARONG" AND "KRIS.

poorly set forth the beauty of the varieties of thissingular plant. Here they may be seen growing inclusters of fifty or sixty together, close to the ground,and with pitchers of ten or twelve inches in length.Others, again, are seen ascending the forest trees,sun-seeking from a shady spot. They are generallygreen, but variegated with purple and red, speckled,splashed, and striped, and many of them fringed in amost beautiful manner. They all contain water, manyover half a pint in quantity ; but it generally seemsto be of a viscid nature, and not tempting as abeverage.

Water-lilies abound wherever they find a suitablehabitat in the lagoons formed by the many streams ;while the lotus is found in great perfection, sendingup from its floating leaves its bright blossom-cups ofred, blue, and silvery-white.

perak and the malays: sarong and kris

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