the golden chersonese and the way thither-及43准
梓囚徒貧圭鮗 ○ 賜 ★ 辛酔堀貧和鍬匈梓囚徒貧議 Enter 囚辛指欺云慕朕村匈梓囚徒貧圭鮗 ● 辛指欺云匈競何
!!!!隆堋響頼紗秘慕禰厮宴和肝写偬堋響
Swettenham察the Assistant Colonial Secretary察affirms that it is hardly
an exaggeration to say that every man above twenty years old had killed
at least one man察and that even the women were not unaccustomed to use
deadly weapons against each other。
The history of the way in which we gained a footing in Selangor is a
tangled one察as the story is told quite differently by men holding high
positions in the Colonial Government察who unquestionably are ;all
honorable men。; Our first appearance on the scene was in 1871察when the
Rinaldo destroyed Selangor察for reasons which will be found in the
succeeding letter。 In November察1873察an act of piracy was committed on
the Jugra river near the Sultan's residence。 On this Sir A。 Clarke
the Governor of the Straits Settlements察with a portion of H。B。M。's
China fleet察went to Langat and induced the Sultan to appoint a court
to try the pirates察three of the ships and two Government Commissioners
remaining to watch the trial。 The prisoners were executed察the
war´ships patroled the coast for a time察and everything became quiet。
In 1874察however察there were new disturbances and alleged piracies察and
Tunku Dia Udin察the Sultan's son´in´law and viceroy察overmatched by
powerful Rajahs察gladly welcomed an official察who was sent by Sir A。
Clarke察 to remain with the Sultan should he desire it察and察by his
presence and advice give him confidence察and assistance to carry out
the promises which he had made察─which were察in brief察to suppress
piracy and keep good order in his dominions察not a difficult task察it
might be supposed察for it is estimated that he had only about two
thousand Malay subjects left察and the Chinese miners were under the
efficient rule of their ;Capitan察─Ah Loi。
In January察1875察at Tunku Dia Udin's request察a British Resident was
sent to Selangor。 Some time afterward the viceroy retired to Kedah察and
the Sultan has been ;advised; into a sort of pensioned retirement察the
Resident levying察collecting察and expending the taxes。 Sir Andrew
Clarke was very fortunate in his selection of the Sultan's first
adviser察for Mr。 Davidson察according to all accounts察had an intimate
knowledge of the Malays察as well as a wise consideration for them察he
had a calm temper and much good sense察and is held in honorable
remembrance察not only for official efficiency but for having gained the
sincere regard of the people of Selangor。 His legal training and high
reputation in the colonial courts were of great value in the settlement
of the many difficult questions which arose during his brief
administration。 He was succeeded in 1876 by Mr。 Bloomfield Douglas察who
has held the office of Resident for six years。
The revenue of Selangor amounted in 1881 to 47045 pounds察derived
mainly from the export duty on tin察the import duty on opium察and the
letting of opium and other licenses and farms。 The expenditure was
46876 pounds察the heaviest items being for ;establishments察
;pensions察─and ;works and buildings。; The outlook for Selangor appears
to be a peaceful one察and it is to be hoped that察under the energetic
administration of Sir F。 A。 Weld察its capabilities will be developed
and its anomalies of law and taxation reformed察and that both Malays
and foreigners may experience those advantages of good order and
security which result from a just rule。
LETTER XIV
The S。S。 RainbowSunset at MalaccaA Night at SeaThe Residency at
KlangOur ;Next´of´Kin;The Decay of KlangA Remarkable
ChinamanTheatrical MagnificenceMisdeed of a ;Rogue Elephant;;A
Cobra A Cobra
S。S。 ;RAINBOW察─MALACCA ROADS察February 1察5 P。M。
I am once again on board this quaint little Chinese steamer察which is
rolling on a lazy ground´swell on the heated察shallow sea。 We were to
have sailed at four P。M。察but mat´sailed boats察with cargoes of
Chinese察Malays察fowls察pine´apples察and sugar´cane察kept coming off
and delaying us。 The little steamer has long ago submerged her
load´line察and is only about ten inches above the water察and still they
load察and still the mat´sailed boats and eight´paddled boats察with two
red´clothed men facing forward on each thwart察are disgorging men and
goods into the overladen craft。 A hundred and thirty men察mostly
Chinese察with a sprinkling of Javanese and Malays察are huddled on the
little deck察with goats and buffaloes察and forty coops of fowls and
ducks察the fowls and ducks cackling and quacking察and the Chinese
clattering at the top of their voicessuch a Babel
An hour later察 Easy ahead察─shouts the Portuguese´Malay captain察for
the Rainbow is only licensed for one hundred passengers察and the water
runs in at the scuppers as she rolls察but five of the mat´sailed boats
have hooked on。 ;Run ahead full speed ─the captain shouts in
English察he dances with excitement察and screams in Malay察the Chinamen
are climbing up the stern察over the bulwarks察everywhere察fairly
boarding us察and with about a hundred and fifty souls on board察and not
a white man or a Christian among them察we steam away over the gaudy
water into the gaudy sunset察and beautiful察dreamy察tropical Malacca
with its palm´fringed shores察and its colored streets察and Mount Ophir
with its golden history察and the stately Stadthaus察whose ancient rooms
have come to seem almost like my property察are passing into memories。 A
gory ball drops suddenly from a gory sky into a flaming sea察and
;With one stride comes the dark。;
There is no place for me except on this little bridge察on which the
captain and I have just had an excellent dinner察with hen´coops for
seats。 These noisy fowls are now quiet in the darkness察but the noisier
Chinese are still bawling at the top of their voices。 It is too dark
for another line。
British Residency察Klang Selangor。You will not know where Klang is
and I think you won't find it in any atlas or encyclopedia。 Indeed察I
almost doubt whether you will find Selangor察the Malay State of which
Klang is察after a fashion察the capital。 At present I can tell you very
little。
Selangor is bounded on the north by the ;protected; State of Perak
which became notorious in England a few years ago for a ;little war察
in which we inflicted a very heavy chastisement on the Malays for the
assassination of Mr。 Birch察the British Resident。 It has on its south
and southeast Sungei Ujong察Jelabu察and Pahang察but its boundaries in
these directions are ill´defined。 The Strait of Malacca bounds it on
the west察and its coast´line is about a hundred and twenty miles long。
From its slightly vague interior boundary to the coast察it is supposed
to preserve a tolerably uniform depth of from fifty to sixty miles。
Klang is on the Klang river察in lat。 3 degrees 3' N。察and long。 101
degrees 29' 30; E。 I call it ;the Capital after a fashion察─because the
Resident and his myrmidons live here察and because vessels which draw
thirteen feet of water can go no higher察but the true capital察created
by the enterprise of Chinamen察is thirty´six miles farther inland察the
tin´mining settlement of Kwala Lumpor。 Selangor thrives察if it does
thrive察which I greatly doubt察on tin and gutta察but Klang is a most
misthriven察decayed察dejected察miserable´looking place。* The nominal
ruler of Selangor is Sultan Abdul Samat察but he hybernates on a pension
at Langat察a long way off察and must be nearly obliterated察I think。
*Kwala Lumpor is now the most important mining entrepot in Selangor
and in 1880 the British Resident and his staff were removed thither。
It is a great change from Malacca in every respect。 I left it with
intense regret。 Hospitality察kindness察most genial intercourse察and its
own semi´mediaeval and tropical fascinations察made it one of the
brightest among the many bright spots of my wanderings。 Mr。 Hayward
took me to the Rainbow in a six´oared boat察manned by six policemen
completing the list of ;Government facilities; as far as Malacca is
concerned。 The mercury was 90 degrees in my little cabin or den察and it
swarmed not only with mosquitoes察but with cockroaches察which察in the
dim light察looked as large as mice。 Of course察no one sleeps below in
the tropics who can avoid it察so as the deck was thick with Chinamen察I
had my mattress laid on a bench on the bridge察which was only occupied
by two Malay look´out men。 There is not very much comfort when one
leaves the beaten tracks of travel察but any loss is far more than made
up for by the intense enjoyment。
It was a delightful night。 The moon was only a hemisphere察yet I think
she gave more light than ours at the full。 The night was so exquisite
that I was content to rest without sleeping察the Babel noises of fowls
and men had ceased察and there were only quiet sounds of rippling water
and the occasional cry of a sea´bird as we slipped through the waveless
sea。 When the moon set察the sky was wonderful with its tropic purple
and its pavement and dust of stars。 I have become quite fond of the
Southern Cross察and don't wonder that the early navigators prostrated
themselves on deck when they first saw it。 It is not an imposing
constellation察but it is on a part of the sky which is not crowded with
stars察and it always lies aslant and obvious。 It has bec