T h e Naning War, 1831-32.

S l ~ a r fro111
t the pereii~lialla~lclproblen~,the Sani11.g Wai: was
the only event of iinportance i n the history of ;\lulac.cil, clnriilg the
period 18.24 to 1SG7. The episocle was an egregiocs blunder.
Hasty actioii basecl 011 insufficient and incorrect iilfornlatioli lei1
to two i1iilitsl.y esl)eclitioiis whose el1)loits borclerecl on Ihe farcical.
The result mas that after nine months' cal~l>ajgnt~relvehun.c!red
I'nclian troops overca~liea l e v hunderecl badly-armed nilalars, a i d
oBtained for the Company ,an a i l ~ ~ ~revenue ial of perhaps $11001 a t
;I cost of ;E10~0,00~0. IYhile th'c, ilislogal intrigues of D u t c l ~
nierchants a t J5alacca were partly responsible for the war, a n
.tllmost eqnnl sliare of the blanie must be borne by Fullerton, the
Governor of the Straitc Settleaients, aucl Lewis, the Buperintenclent
.of Lailcls a t 3Ialacca.
K a l ~ i n gwas a s n ~ n l liillallcl state of about 200 square a~iles,
bet~veenlie~libaunncl Xalacca Territory, and only about teu niiles
fro111 the ton.11 of Malt~cca. By the census of IS29 the populatio~l
u7as estiil1atecl a t 4SS5 Yalays, of rnho~llsome 12-00,weie me11 able
to bear arms. (I) Cranlfur~ldescribed it as " a poor unprofitslble
~)crssession,for the n i o d part covered with jungle." (' j It proclu~ecl
rice, t i n aild such typicn! Straits proclucts as rattans, p:uiibier and
.fruit. The annual revenue was about $3,090.(')
This little state nras one of the 3rd to be fomldecl by the
.?reat illfins of Iilalnys from Meiiangkabau i n Sumatra iu the
sisteeiitli -ancl s e ~ e n t e e n t hcenturies, ancl was one of the ear;iest
.members of the loose collfederacy ~vhichlater becanle knomi! as
i
the Xegri Sein1)ilan. Like its neighbours, it acltno~vl~edgeclthe
snzeraiilty of the Sultan of J o l ~ o r e . ( ~ )During the eighteenth
century ;\;a.iiing becaille vir tnaJ.1~indel)e~iden.tof J'ohore, liht the
other principalities i n Negri Sembilan; and j.11 1.75.7 the 'Snltmi of
Johore ceiled his n o a ~ i ~ mrights l of suzerainty t o the
Over n century earlier however Naniilg Ilad becoille to some
extent n L)utch depenclency. E-Io~vcon~pletethe subjection was
is still ui1certaii1, owing t o the ravages of time ~ ~ mhite t d ants
j11 the 1.Iutch records at Blalacca. The eviclence vhich is available
ho~veverseeills to prove that i t was more n o ~ ~ i i n athan l real. In
(1) S. S. R.,Vol. I69 : 9 u g . 8, 1829.
( 2 ) Crawfurd, Desel.iptix-e Dietio~iary, " 290.
( 3 ) .Moor "Notices of the India ~lrchipeligo," article by Lieutellal~t
~ & s l , o l d , 246.54.
(4) U"il~kil~so~~,"Malay Pnpel.S: Motes on Segri Sembilan," 12.
.- .J. R. A. S. S.. B., LXVI, 7.5. Miiller.
. (5)

1'92.31 Royn.1 8-aiic Society.

 liGiS a Dutch force in\-adec! S a i l i n g a11d oibtai,iled a treat!- -!)I n.1iic.I~
the M a l a p bound themselres t o paj; a yearly tribute of one tent11
of their procluce. T h e chiefs n-ere to collie annually to bralt~cca
to do hoillage, a n d were t o accept Dutch advice i n carrving on t h e
government. Despite this treat). hovel-er, t h e D u t c h of Malficca
seem t o have l i ~ e c li n n o small dreacl of t h e "traitorous anrl -
nierciless M~enilngknl~on.s."(~) I11 t h e eighteenth century the
chieftainsl~ipsbece111e l i e r c d i t ~ r yi n t h e falllily of Abclul Said, t h e
ruler ageillst whom the n-ar of 1831-32 urns fought; b u t enc.11 c11ie.f
before his accessioll ~ v a scoilfiriilecl. ,1 the Dntcll. (')
I11 spite of the Dutcli rights their s u z e r n i n t ~n-as al)pnreutl~-
l ~ l u c h illore llo~llinai ill l~ractice t h a n i n theory. 'i'!ie Jlaiays
(
bitterly resented the li~cessity0.f jjaying a tent11 of their c o p s as
tributr, alid the D u t c h found themselves unable t o c ~ l l c c i by
peaceful nieans i1iol.e t h a n n small fractioll of tile full a1110~111t.
They did riot attempt t o enforce their legal rights by conclue~ing
Kaning, llectluse they saw t h a t no revenue n-hich conlil 1,ossibly
b.e obtaineil fro111 such a small a n d poor state ~1-0u1drepa)- the cost
of a war. About l7G5 t h e 1)ntch comm~lte;l.t h e tenth i o n 1-lonllnai
yearly trillute, of 4Oil) galltangs or q11al.t illeaslires of 11a6~1~-, a110~t:
one thonsanclth of t h e total crolts. ($) Brarlilell, ,z Straits official
who lnacle a careful study of tlie Dutch records a t B'lnlacca, belie.\-ecl
t h a t they rarely interfered mith t h e internal gorerilnleilt of ?Caning,
nrhich ~ v a serclusirelg nlanageil, eve11 t o nlatters of life and cletitl~,.
by its Malay cl~iefs. 111 suj.>]~ort of his contention Braclclell p o i ~ ~ t e c l
out t h e significant fact t h a t 11~11ilet h e n h o l e of JIalac-a Territory
was grnntecl o u t t o the Proprietors, none of Nazlillg Tras tllus.
treated. ( 3 ) Tl'ilki11~011agrees wit11 Braddell's opillioll of the Dotch
positioll i n Knnil!p.('O) I11 sliort, n ~ h i l e t h e Dntcll descr.,beil
Nailiilg a s p a r t of X ~ l a c c nTerritory, i n practice they seen1 t o Iiaue
colltellted themsehes n ~ i t hn nominal suzerainty. .4i the st:me
time the legal rights g i ~ e nt o t h e Dutch bj- the treaty of 164:3 t o
co~ltrolthe acl~llinistrationallil receive t h e f u l l teuth continned to,
esist on p a p e r T h e lnistake macle by Gorernor F u l l e ~ t o l lanti, his.
(-"o~uncilwas t h a t they failed t o realize t h a t these rights had beconle.
\
obsolete froill l o ~ i gdisuse, so that tlie Malays liad forgotten t h a t
they h a d ever existed.
D u r i n g the l r s t E r i t i s l ~occul~ationof Nalacca, fro111 179.3 t~
1818,K8aniug was r e g ~ r i l e i las p a r t of the conquered t e l ~ i t o r gbut
little attention v a s paid t o i t excelrt tllat i n 1S:Ol a treaty was.
lllacle with Abdul Sairl, the nen- Penghuln or chief of x,aning, by
Colonel Taylor, t h e British Xesident a t Malacca. B y this eugnge-
( 6 ) Begbie, "Malay Peninsula," 51-39. Ke\rbold, ''Str:~itj. o f
Malncca, " I, 198-222.
(7) Ibid., I, 235-36. Begbie, "Millay Peninsula," 60-G2.
( 8 ) S. S. a n d P.. Vol. 363. xol-. 2 5 . 1831. No. 69-70. J . R . '4. S. 8.- B.,.
,
SIII~$8. W.
E. askel el^.
( 9 ) J. I.A,, 5 3 .I, 198-200. T. B ~ a d d e l l .
(10) n ' i l k i ~ ~ s o ">inlay
l~, Papers: Kotes 011 Kegri Sembilan," 26-2i.
J~.ur.nal ilIcilnyccrr B,t.nncl~ [Vol. I, P a r t 11,.
 illeilt K A I I ~ prolllise(1
II~ that i t wo~ilcl be faithful ancl obeilient,
mould conilnit 110 act of hostility against the C'o111pany, ancl n-oulrl
trade only with i\<alncca. Article I:[I clistinctl!- affirmecl the light,
of the British to receive n tenth of all procluce, ~ l t l l ~ l l l gon
h account
of the poverty of the people i t was co~llillnteclto a yearly payn~ent
of 400 gantangs of paddy, (the same tribute 11-11ich the Dutch had
receivecl). This n-as to be paid tls a token of ~ubmlssion ~1.11en
the Penghulu or one of his chiefs cailie to Jlalficca to yaj- his
allllual holllage.(ll) It n-as d s o declared that ~v!ie~ieverthe post.
of I'enghulu becanle ~ a c a n t ,the British coulcl either confirnl the
39alay candidate or apl~oiiitsonle other person i n s t e ~ ~ d This . trvnty
was k t e r regarclecl Isy C;ol-ernor Fullerton i s a clear proof t l i i ~ t
Xaning was an integral part of j\alacca; but 3r~clllelltook an
i o ~ p b s i t evie~v. H e contenclecl that it shon-ecl that "Nauing u-as
treated rather as a protected state than as part 0.C Maiacca, as t h e
European governments jn these countries do not nlal;e treaties \\-it11
their own subjects."(12) The J?enghulu " continued to csercise
esclusil-e jurisdictioll in Saning, ere11 to the po-o.er of life ~ i l t i
cleat11 R S l~efore,till :1S,0'7." -rllen Farqnhar: the British R s i d e n t
a t i\falacce, depri~eclhill1 of the pon-er of passing the cleat11 sentcllce.
Apart froill this no clla~igeTI-as ~iiacle.(I") There a1:pears to br n o
,

evidence to sho~vthat the Pellghulu or his chiefs callle to dl'niacca

during this period to pay their yeilrly homage.
Matters relllaiilerl i n this coliditioil until lS27, n-hen G o ~ e ~ . n o r
Fullert.011 begal his investigiltions into the land clnestions of
Malacca Territory. Iris attention was iintnrnlly nttracted t o
Naning, nncl since little n-as knon-11 about i t he ordered Len-is, the
Su~erintendent of Lands a t Malacca, to lllake inclni?~es iuto
its status, ancl the for111 of land-tenure prevtlililig there. (I4) Len-is
was the 11-ell-intentione evil genius of the Sailing Y a r . A n
esa~lliilatioilof the Straits records froill 18-28 to 1831 shon-s that
he was one o-F the ~varnlestadvocates of the full exercise of every
British legal right i n Xaning. ITe x i s also stirred to inclignatio~~
by the tyrauily which tlie Penghuln practised upon his s u b j ~ e t s ~
a ~ l durgecl British intervention to protect them. I-Ie completely
misjudged tlie llalays' attitude for he believed that there ~ o n l r l
be no resistance, and that they ~vonldn-elcome lil~erationfroill their
tyrant. As a matter of fact, this n-as the very last thing they
wanted, ancl they fought harcl to prevent it. Lewis iudortunatel!-
had n e a t inflnence with the Governor. and his advice overbora t h e
opinFoiis of the ~ l ~ e ~ u bofe r sthe ~ e n i ~ Council,
l;~ who opposecl the
rigorous ellforcelnellt of tlie C'onlpnny's legal riphta. (I5) T h e
-
(11) Aitehison, "Treaties," I, 395-96.
(12) J. I. A., New Series: I, 199: Braddell.
(13) Ibiil.. 199.
(14) S. s.R.., Vol. 1 7 5 J u l y 5, 1327. Fullertou's Minute. S.S.R.,
Vol. 116: Feb. 28, March 7 n~iilMal.ch 13. 1827.
(15) F o r ~ e \ \ . i s 'character aiid i~lfluellcer. especinlly his despatches
in S. S. R., 169; passim, niid B. Pol., R n l ~ g e126. 1-01. 4: Oct. 23, 1329,
NO. 2-5.
19251 Roynl Asiatic Society.
 1)ersonality of C40~~cl.110:.F u l i e r t o ~ r-eellls
l also t o h t ~ v e1na.zl1i i j f l ~ ~ i i c ~
i n shaping tile course of the llegotiation w i t h Nailing. F~lllerton
n-as a illail of 1-igor011~'and i l e t e r n l i ~ e dcharacter, who l~reierreda n
aggressive t o i~ pnssive 1)olic)- %-Ileaever ~)ossible. H e was also
soillethiilg of a legalist: once he hail ascertainecl t h a t t h e D11t~h
had 1)ossessed certilin theoreticnl rights, he rcgarclecl it a s srdficieilt
renson f o r the ~C'oii~l~any t o exercise tliel?~;ancl lie ~vasetlasiclt: RS
irrelevant the fact t h a t they had ]lot been enforced o r a11 indefinite
l~eriod. Another I:i~ttorwhic11 colitributed largely to the Council's
lilistaliell ~ ~ o l i cKils y insufficient iufolnlation. I~zxris began h i s
investigations il~t,othe status of Xtlning i n 1827, but his filial
report m-as not snl)mittecl until March 11, l~?Ir?!). ("') ;3'lean\rIlile
t h e C'ouiicil liad t o decide Ion i t s policy 1 y means of thc yartiill-
~ e l ~ o r~t s~ ~ l l ihe
c l isubmitted frolil ti~llmet o time. C1;7llort11lint~ly his
(, inforlllatioll jvns not only i ~ l c o i l ~ j ~ l e 1)~lt
t e , was nlso misleacling.
1'11 1831, after t h e 71 a r hail l ~ r o k e n out, Ihbetsoa, Pullerton's
successor, Ilail the Dutch records reesa.li~inecl. I3e then fouilcl t h ~ t
J1ev.i~a l ~ dFullerton had 1)een iilistakel~i n c o n t e n ~ l i ~ l.that g I2'al:ing
I\-as a n integral p a r t of Malncca Territory, a n d was fully urtder
British sovereigllt:-. Fullerton's ol)l!onents on t h e 1)'ens~lgCouncil
11-ere s h o v n t o have been correct \\-fie11they o1)posed t11. i:o~-er.11or's
policy. (") I f the facts discovered i n IS31 httd co~llet o light three
Teilrs ei~rlier,the S a i ~ i i l gT a r n-onlcl ne\.er have occurreil.
;lLclul X i l i d , t l ~ ePenghulu of Ksiiing, nras not the ru,lil tu
s u b ~ l l i t o t h e c u r t i ~ i l ~ n e of
n t his ponrers. H e elljoyed tlie reputatioil
.of being a lllali of ullusual sanctity, both alllollg his o~vilpeople a n d
tlie SIalag-s of the neighbonring states. Arrogalnt a n d ambitions, he
esploit,ecl the venei.ation of the 3Ialays, a n d aped the titles ailcl
l ~ r ~ c t i c of
e s JIananr Shah, t h e great fifteelltli ceatnry Sultan ullder
~ r h o n l the Empire of 34alacca li~a8clreached the height of its
g!~~ry.<'8) Furthennore Abclul ,Said was deceived -to I;ls o1v11 nil-
tloilig b j designing coun.sellors, seine of 1vho111 11-ere Dutch
~ ~ ~ e r c h aofn t3sJ i l l a c ~ ~ .They el~couragetlhim to refuse. the cleillailds
of t h e C.'onll)any, l ~ e r s u a d i ~hill1 ~ g t h a t Fullerton's orders were the
jrresl~onsibleactious of A s ~ h o r d i l i ~ official, te whose superiors would
I I ~ allow T ~ ~ hi111 to go t o n-ar. T h e y n~isliedt o bring on a war, be-
c:wilse of tlie great proiit which t l ~ e yn-oulcl mal<e by selling stores
t o the trooj>s.(I9)
The, first iln1,ortaut rliscussion of t h e status of Naning took
place a t a iileeting of t h e Penang Council on J a n u a r y 30, 182s.
L e u i s sub~llittctl,a report on the Dntcli archives so far as he hat[
e z a m i w i l them. T h e irreconcili~bleclivisjoil of opinion ss t o t h e
~'osition of Sailing, ,.i\-l~ichcolltinuecl througl~out the n e s t t3ree
jears, manilested itself a t this first nleeting. Garling, the Resident
(16) S. S. I?., 169:. >,lnuell 11, 1s".
(17) B. S. a ~ i dP., 363: NOT.2 5 , 1531, Xo. 69-70,
(18) Eeghie, ' ' Jlalay Pei~il~sula,'"61-62, 150, 157.
(19) S. S. R.,'IF9: J u l y IS, 1829. J. I. 9., N. S., I, 216, ~.J3raclciell.
Jo~ir.ncll lIn7nyu:iz BI-nizc l ~ '[Yol. I, , P a r t . 11,
C!ounc?illor o f Malacca, argued tliat the eridknce, incomplete tllougli
i t 11-as, " rather fayours tlie inclepenrlence of Sailing." H e coul;t
see n o ground 011 wllicli t l ~ eCoillpaly conlcl claim tlie sovereignty.
c1eiliallc.l. t h e teutli, o r estenil the jurisdiction of t h e Recorder's Court
t o Naning. Fullert.oi1 was colirrincecl thilC Naning n-as as completely
uncler British so~:ereigxt!- as Jfsalacca Territory. F a r fro111 being
n tributary ruler, tlie P e ~ i g h u l nwas, lilx the other Penghulus of
3falaccn Territory, a petty reyenue and 1)olice oficer Eor his olrrn
district. T h e Gorer1lor believed t h a t the C'oi~-~pan]ll l ~ c lfull right
t o le-i7!. the tenth, ancl, t o esteiiil to Xaning t h e jurisdictioll of 'the
Xecorcler's Court. F o r the tinle 11eii1g l i o ~ r e ~ ehe r ilecidecl t o let
iiiatters remaiu as they were, 'and to r e f r i ~ i af ~ o mattenlpts to le.\-y
tlie t ~ i i t l lor assert the Court's jnrisdiction.('")
F o r sel-era1 months this policy n-as aclhered to; but i n J u l y 1Sj?S
Le~vis, t h e Super.i~itenilentof Lands a t Jlalacca, urged t h a t f o r
financial reasons Nailillg shoulcl no longer be eselllpt. fro111 t h e
te.nt11. T h e tenth lerircl on t h e crops of BI+ilacca. Territory n.ap
co'llecteil when the &[days brougllt their procluce t o the to~~711 of
Jtnlacca f o r sale. T h e crops of Kaning came to t h e sanle marlieti
and it was l ~ a r i lt,o ilistinguish betryeen thenl. 111 consequence,
much J!lalacc.a ~roclisce\ITIS limliellr to esca.pe t h e tn5-. Furtllerillore
lie cstinlateil the Kauing tenth to be .i\rortll a b o r t $4500 a year, n
nlelcolvc ailclitioll to the reyegue. Ii,e tlierefore adviseil t h a t snlall
p.e~~sions be givc11 t o the Peiig!iulus a1111niillor chiefs of .Xaniug, t o
iil~luce t h c ~ nt o aet 8,s the C'ompxnj's local re-i-enue-o.fficers.(?')
T h i s despatcll persuadecl Pullertoll t o alter his S a n i n g policy,
o v i n g t o Lenis' representations that Kaliing could be brouglit ulider
t h e same system of acli~lillistrntioli21s Malaccn Territory by anlicable
arrallgemeilts ~ v i t htlie Penghnlu. ('3 T h e Got-ernor therefore
directecl that Lewis should levy the tent.11 on X a n i n ~ alld ) that small
.pensions sl~oulrlbe give11 t o t h e l'enghulu alid S L I ~ L(the I S four
assistant-chiek). I11 retun1 they n e r e t o perfornl the duties of
the other penghulus i n iValacca Territory, viz., t o collect the tecth
and maintain order i11 their o ~ v ndistricts. ( ? 3 )
L t n i s n-as sent to Xaning to cnrrg out t h e dcsirecl arrange-
ments. T h e l'enghulu and the otlier chiefs .\rere ansious t h a t their
jurisdiction shoulcl 11ot lie interfered with, ancl n e r e stroligly op110sed
to the tenth. Lewis 11eld o u t n o h o p s of their prayers being
grantecl. H e clisco~erecltha,t the raayats were grou~lclclo~viiby nil
incredible degree of tyranny ancl op!)ression, a n d felt '' persuaded
t h a t the inhabitants will quietly acquiesce i n t h e order." (?') 011
(20) S. S. R., 165 : J a n . 30, 1525. S. .S. R.,130 : Aug. 24, 1829.
(21) S. S. R., Vol. 165: J u l y 24, 1525.
. . ( 2 2 ) S.S. R.., Vol. 130: Aug. 24, 1829. Ibid., 184: Latters to the
Directors of April 18 a11d May 2, 1529. B. Pol., Range 12G, Vol. 4 :
Oct. 23, 1529, Nos. 2-8.
(23) S.,S.R., Vol. 1%: A i ~ g .14, 1.525. Ibid., 168: Bug. 25,. 1598.
(24) Ibid., 169: J m l u n ~ p , 1520. Il)id., 168: Oct. 10, 1828. Le\vis7
Report.
19251 Roynk dsicrfic Society.
 Tovenlber 13, lSdS the Straits Gorerllllient approl-ed Leu~is' com-
~ n u n i c a t i o n st o t h e Penghnlu. ('j)
T~ev-isl~inlself~ r a stoo ~ l l u c hoccupied wit11 the 31alacca lrullcl-
settlement t o return t o S a n i n g , but he s e r t liis agents to collect the
tenth. They ]net with such o]>l)osition t h a t they askecl t h a t s e ~ ~ o g s
m i g h t be sent for their protection.' There was a di.crision of opinion
in t h e P e ~ i a i l g(louncil on the a d v i s a b i l i t ~of seildi~lgtroops, some
,of the mem1)ers heing as 1:efore f a r fro111 conrinced t h a t the Coinpally
11ail ally right to l e ~ ythe tenth. It o.as decidecl that the IJarIcl
Del)artment should t r y t o persuacle t h e people t o pay, but should
n o t use troop:: to compel them. If the l\l'ala)-s rcfused to do so,
the matter n-a:: t o be left i n abeyance u n t i l t h e arrival of Fullerton
.at 3lalacca in a. fen. weeks' time.('c) Braddell collsiclered t h a t
." this delaf a1111llesit,e.tioa hat1 a bad effect, as i t i~lfla~llecl the mind
(
.of the I'engbulu, a n d laid t h e iooi~clationf o r the resistance ahieli
lras aftern.i~rd.: es1)eriencecl." (?')
Shortly lrel'ore this time, i n Decealber 1828, a n event occurred
~r-hie11lllacle the Go\-ernor and Lewis still nlore deterillillecl t o bring
S a n i n g under t h s complete control of llalizcca. A murder mias
~coniniittedill S n l ~ i n g ,ailcl t h e Peughulu vindicated t h e ends of
justice by fining the l'amilg of tlie ~ i c t i m("1 . T h e Penang Council
regardecl his action as illegal, since a t sarious times the Dlltch hzd
i:~rhiilil&iit h e Pengliulus of S a n i n g t o try r a ~ e sof mu.rd,r, a n d i n
I S W l i n r q ~ : l i ~ rthe
, Resident of Malacca, hacl repeated the pro-
ltibjtion.!"') K O action n7as taken lionrever, I~ecausei t ~ ~ r o u lpro-
d
l ~ a b l yhaye led t o f l ~ r t h e rinjury t o the fanlily of the lllnrclered man,
since t h e Company 11ad no officials i n N a n i n g ; but the Penghnlu
n-as inforrueil t h a t i n future sucli cases must be tried a t 1\Ialaeca.(")
On F e l ~ r o n r2,~ 1520, ailother ineeting of the Council nras held
t o decicle what policy sl~oulclbe ailoptecl In view of the refusal to,,
pay the tenth a n d the I'engll~ulu's usurpation of judicial func-
tions.(:!') Tllu o~il\:result was to reaffirm t h e sharp cleavage of
.ol)inion ~ ~ ~ hhadj c ha l r ~ a d ys1ion:n itself, a n d t o make it evident t h a t
110 one knew the exact relati011 in ~ r h i c hN a n i n g stood t o Malacea.
Rot11 Garling ~ n c ,~nilerson,
l nlembers of Council n ~ i t hnluch gr'eater
( rr],erience of 3lnlayn t h a n the Ool-ernol; were inclined t o believe
tllnt the rucorils might not tell the n.hole story. They felt t h a t a,s
i n n l m y i\lala.yan d a t e s , t h e chief might 1)ossess certain customar;y
or uliclerstood I)o\\ers n-hich had never been enshrined in a lugal.
(2.5) Ibic?.. iGS: Xov. 10. 18%.
(26j 1bid.; 169: Jan. 6, kcl). 11, and Narc11 1.1, 1329.
(2i) J.I. .I.S.S.,I, 201. T. Braddell.
' (28) S.S. R., Pol. 168: Dee. 11, 18%.
(29) Xen.Lolt1, "Straits of :l\lnlaccn," Vol. I, 213-14, 217-19, 225.
S . S.R., 168: Dee. 11, IS%. S. S. R., 1%: Dec. 30. 1828.
( 3 0 ) Il~itl.,168: Dec. "ti, 13". B. Pol. R a n g e l ? G , Vol, 4 : Oct 23,
1S29, Xos. 2-5.
(31) S.S.R., IT:Feb. 2, 1829. Il~id.,169: Fell. 11, 1S29. bid.,
1S4: Letters t o Directors of April I S a ~ l d31ay 2, 1329.
,Jozil.ncil Jiuliiya~a Bra I I C ~ L [TToI. I, P a r t 11,
~~7ocument, but n;hic.h were lone the less genuine. They doulited
whether the Company ll~cltlle right to l e ~ ythe tenth, or to extend
t h e jurisclictjon of the Straits Court over i\laaing. Even if the
chiefs' ponrers were usurped, i t ~ ~ o u appear ld that they had been
.enjoyed for about a century without interference f r o m either the
.L)utch or British l ~ e ~ ~ o"n n.i l trifling or nlerely nominal tribute."
.Allowance should therefore be ~llaclefor the .chiefs' recalcitrance,
-and for tlieir objections to a policy '(nrhich n~oulcla,t once deprive
then1 of all the authority hitherto ]~ossessecl by them, and level
them ~criththe coll~l~loll .
st.ipellcliary officers of police. . . . .in the
Xalacca District."
Fullertoll refused to coilsider anything except the actual
~ i l o c ~ m i e n t ~e\-iilence
ry u-hich Levis hacl collected. From this he
~concluiledthat X ~ n i n g.irlas an iiltegrnl part of 3 1 a l l a Territory,
eutirely subject to the Company's sorereipty, and the Penghulu
.a. glorified ~ i l l i a g eheadman. T17haterer additional powers he m l g l ~ t
he exzrcilsing were clue not to "the supposed existellee of certain
hereditary feudal rights," but to usurpa.tion. The Governor pro-
posed to take ,an-a.y these " usnrpecl ') powers, ancl retain the Peng-'
Iiulu anil his four Snkus in office as revenue collectors and constables
i n their o v n districts. Pensions might perhaps be given them by
wajr of coinpens~tiol~; but if they proved disobedient, or uilrvilling
to s e n e ullcler the nev. conclitions, they mould be clismissed, and
,others ap.pointec1. Tllis policy was not to be e~lforceclimmediately;
b u t tlle raayats r e r e to be illformed that the Penghulu no longer
po.ssessed jurisdiction orer t4iem, land e~icourageclto appeal to t,he
('ourts. I t could theu be settled whether it was the Cornpan7 or
the Penghuln 1~110posse,ssed the rights of jurisclictioll and of levying
t h e tenth.
I11 3iarch IS29 Lewis submitted the final report on his in-
yestigations of the 1)utch arclii~es, and another meetil~gof the
Council was helcl. The report convinced Fullerton tha.t his previous
conr,ictions were correct, and that his colleagues were in the wrong.
H e decided ho\reuer to leave the esisting'state 01 afFairs unalterecl
until the death of ABdul Said, and to refer the question of the tenth
to the Directors.(") A despatch nras sent cletailiilg the difference
of ol~inionn-hidl existed in tlle 'Council, ancl asking the Di-rectors to
clecicle v7hether Xaning was an integral part of Ma.lacca, and there-
fore subject to the tenth ancl to the jnrisdiction of the Court. In
the llieailtiine the collection of the tenth was s ~ ~ s l ~ e n c l e c l . ( ~ ~ )
D u r i i ~ gFullerton's visit to ;\I~alaccalie summoned Abclul Saicl
t o meet him, but the Penghnlu refused to come. The Governor was
now forced to return to Peaang to meet the Governor-General of
Inclia, the Pengh~iln still reillail~iiig re~alcitrant.(~') I n May
-4bilul Said ailca~~cecl a step further in his opposition to the Govern-
(32) Il,jd., 169: >larch 11, 1829.
(33) Ibid., 184: Letters to t h e Directors of April 18 a1113 May 2, 1529.
(34) Ibid., 169: March 11 a n d 20. a n d May 18, 1529.
19251 Royci.1 dsicitic Society.
 ment,and began covertly to impede the process of taliing the census,
ancl to other attempt.^ of the Land IJepartment to illterrene i n t h e
internal administration oP Kaning. (") By the Go~ernor'sorders-
Church, the Deputy-1i.esidcnt of Malacpa, n a s sent to Naning i n
July 1829, with a guard of sepojrs.. ! i body of troops vas a1;u
held in reailiness. H e was instmcted to tell the Pcnghul~zthat
clisobediellce n-ould enta.il liis cleposition, ancl to inskt t l ~ the t
census be taken. Abclul Said n-as to be reassured if possible that
the Company hacl no desire to interfere ~ v i t hhis persolla1 liherty ;
l.)ut he.\ras to be tolcl that S a ~ l i n gnTaa a n integral part of Mt~lacca,
subject to the same regulations. For the time being the collection
of the tenth was deferred, but no guarantee n-as given that this
policy woulcl be continued. C'llurcll n a s also illstructed llot to.
agitlate the yexed cluest.ion of the Court's juriscliction, and the con-
sequent continuance or other\\-ise of the chiefs' hitherto sove1"eig-n
authority. H e vas to. iilforlli the Penghuln t.llat the Coillpany
woulcl not interfere needlessly i n Nailing, but that if it were com-
pellecl to do so he nlust obey.(")
Churcli's illissioil was on the ~vllolesatisfactory. He reporter1
that there aras rea,son to believe that the Penghulu's insul~orclination
hacl been chi'efll; caused by iallla4ritants of Mslacca, vho took every
opportunity of delucling hill1 n-it11 exaggerated stories of the in-
teiltiolls of Goven~meut,unrtil he became terrified, fearing tllat h i s
liberty nras in dancer. Church belieTed that he hacl succeecled i a
allaying Abclul S a d fears. The Penghulu 7n.s also clissatisfied
.
because he feared tliat the Recorder's Court i~ltelicleclto destroy his
authority by taking anray his judicial pon-ers. Should this be at-
tempted, Ch~zrchanticipatecl resistlance, since the JIalays' velleration
for him was so great that they n-oulcl rise to n man. 'I'.empor:viiy
however, good relations vrere reestablishecl, the Go~ernment'sorders
were obeyed, and the census taken. So conlplete n-as the change
that Church Tvas able to t ~ a c e lthrougll Xaning and collect .much
information, \ ~ h i c hhe sublllitted ~ ~ ~his i t report.
h ("1 Fullerton
was unable to rel-isit Nslncca until October 19, 1529; and by that
time the efforts of the Pengliulu's e ~ i acl~isersl had succeeclecl i n
undoing the good restdb of Church's illission. Abdul Said refused
to come to Malacca, ancl meet the GOT-er~or, thereby putting himself
i n open opposition to the Ct'ompany. H e also ,sent einbassies to the
adjacent states, ancl preparecl for n-ar. Fullertoll col1,ected an ex-
peditionary force to inrrade Naning; 91nt a t the last illolnent he
colltermancled i t since the diese~iiellt lnenlbers of the Council
refused to agree ~ ~ - i him.
th They wele still u~lcollvincedthat t h e
Penghnlu was so ent.irely snbjeot to the Coilipany or that his con-
duct warwiliecl an in~lasion,ancl they recomnlended negotiations..
(35) Ibid., 129: May 18, 1529.
(36) Tbid., 169: J u n e '72 a11d 25, 1829. Ibid., 129 : J u n e 8 a n d J u l y
7, 1529.
( 3 7 ) . E. Pol. Range 196, Vol. 4 : Oet.. 23, 1329. 8. S.R., Vol. 169:
J u l y 11 and J n l ~18, 1889. Ibid., 130: August IS, 1829.
Jolirnnl Jlalnycrn Brn.nch [Vol. I, P a r t 11,
'The Governor laic1 the matter before the Supreme Government,
expecting a reply u~ithintlvo months. The Indian Government
Ilo\~-euerreferred i t to the Diredolie, so that alnlost two years
.elapsecl before an answer nras recei~led.( 3 s )
The change of policy nlacle war inevitable. The clestillation
.of t.he force had been XI-ellbnowa, and 1~11e.11 the !attack was counter-
inmldecl ,\l)dul Said interpretecl i t as a sign of 11-eakness. Bracldell
commented as follon-s.
" The English power hacl not been directly exercised i n
these secns for tlges. It had been ta.kea on trust, as reflected
:I!rom Illdin aud very recently from Bnrmah; and now on the
first appearance of opposition +lie authorities hesitated. That
this Ilesitation arose fro111 any cause but fear, was not con-
sidered for an instant as 11-ossible, ancl in consequence,. . . . . .
the Peng11uln. . . . . .became SO elevated. . . . . .tl~aathe threw off
the ,air of tpserve and respectful aasistaiice ~vhich he had
l~itherton-ern."("")
It mas not loiig bef0r.e Abdul Said signalisecl his new attitude
b y ol)enly flouting the Company. I n October 1930 he seized the
fruit of certain trees claimed by Inche Snrjn, a 3Ialay Proprietor i n
36alncca Territory n.110 llail rece11;tly transferred his holding t o the
*Gorernment under Fullerton's lt~nd-redemption scheme of 1525.
Inclie Suriil's holding lay outside the boundaries of Naning, a n d
there were doc1une11ts to show that Surin's ancestors hacl held it
froiii at lend its early 2 s 1723. Bbdul Said l~o~vever claiiliecl the
particular trees -and t-lle g~ouiiclon mhicl~tliey ~ t o o d ,and when the
Straits Governnient orcler.ecl hill1 to withclraor he refused to obey.
H a d the C'ourt been sitting a t the time, thi,s open and contenlptuous
defiance n-onlcl have a t once precipitatecl a crisis, since when juclge-
-lakilt had heen gicen, the adnlillistratio~llllust have protectecl the
.officers of the court sent. to evict the Yenghulu's followers. As it
1la.pl)eneil 11011-ever the Recor,der bail left for England, and no
successor hail yet arril-ecl. Xoreorer the Directors' reply to Fuller-
ton's desj~atcl~ of IS29 had not been received, and the Penang
Presiilency had recently 11een abolisl~ecl. Ibbetson, klle new-
,Covenlor coulcl not uildertalce so heavy a responsibility as the
,ejection 11-onlcl i n ~ o l witllout
~e orders fro111 India, aallcl therefore no
active steps yere tnlren. ('")
The despatch Iron1 the Directors v i t h instyuctions regarding
t h e policy to be pursueil toll-ards Xaning was not received untilthe.
follon-ing year, 1931. The Directors' letter, I~~hicll nras dated Juue
2, 1830, su]?l~orteclFullerton's -xiel\- that t.lle Company passessecl
sorereign rights over Saning. It was therefore subject to the levy
(35) J. I. A.N. S., I, 203-4. T. Br~cldell. , h e original d o c u m e ~ ~ t s
n~ltraceal~le in the Straits Settlemeiits ailll Bellgal I~.chires.
(39) J. I. -1.N.P., 1, ,204. T. Rrndilell
(40) Ibid., 204. Begljie; "3ialny Peiihlsula," lGO-GI. B. Pol., Bailge
1'76, Bol. 2 ; : April 2, 1S31.
19x1 Roycil Asint ic Society.
of the tent11 aild to the jnriscliction of tlle Straits Court. To aroi&
the possibility of war 11orre1-er the Directors approved Fullerton's
policy of not iilsbting upon these rights for the tmie being. (41)
011 Jaauary 17, 1531, Ibbetson ~ r r o t eto the Supreme Govern-
llleilt that i t was now too late to follow the Directors' instructions t c
preserve peace by reillittillg the tenrth during Al~dulSmaicl's lifetime.
His successl'ul defiance. 11-ould encourage the natives of Ilalacca to.
refuse t o pay the tenth, and fnrthermore the concessioil ~\?onlclbe
useless, since he had 110n7 gone too far t o retreat, a i d 11acl been.
obdurate t o all the Gocernlllent's overtures. ILbetson ad\-isecl that
troops be sent iuto 3-aning to collect t h e tenth, and p u t an end once.
and for all to the Penghulu's disoheclience, a course to n-hich lie.
believed tlie I\iala;vs .ivoulcl olrer 110 resi.stance.(-'?) The Supreme
Goverunlent replied on April 2, 1531,gi\.ing the Governor discreti011
to ark as he thought {best.('^) A last uiisuccessfnl attempt n-as
~lladeto persuade the Peixghulu to give v a y but he 1.efusetl all
tenns short of actual inclepenclence.
Preparations were then, i n July 1831, publicly nwde at i\lalacc,z
for the despatch of a n elpeclition t o Taboh, Bbclul Saicl's capital.
No serious resistance 11-as ~anticipatecl. So the force consistecl onlj-
of 150 sepoys, ~ n c tn-o
l six-pounders clrenrll by b~illocl~g.The troops
were almost entirely ignorant of the topography of Nnaing, and
were too weak to leave detachlllents to 1;eep open the line of corn-
nlunicationi. Kaning prored to be a11 undulating cou:itfy c o ~ c r e d
n-ith dense jungle except in the valleys, n-here tlie sepoys llad to
wade through mar.shes ancl rice-sn~smps. There were no roads,.
ancl only an occasional path so narrow that hours of worli. nrere
required to get the guns along. The Malags fo1lo.n-ed their usual
bactics of refusing a pitched battle; but harassecl t h e column from
ambush, and .finally cut the line of communications. Supplies rail
short, a.ncl the troops retreated t o Malacca. The Malays attacked
the retrmtiag colu~lln,$elling groat trees across the path, and the.
tn-o g m s hacl to be spiked anil abancloned. (4G)
The British clefeat I ~ I S i n large part due to thc aesislnnce
which the Peaghulu had receiuecl from Rembau, a. sillall state in
the Negri Bembilan which lay on the borders of Nailing. Abdnl
Said hacl deceived Raja Ali, its ruler, into believing thnt t h e
Company iutelldecl to conquer Remban as soon as Aaning llacl
been overcoine. Accorclillgly Raja Ali sent his son-in-law S~niyicl
Shaaban, ailcl several hunclred Ualnys, to help the Pengliulu. (*')
(41) Publie Letters t o Bengal, 1830-31. Vol 14: J u n e 2, 1830, S o . IS..
(42) B. Pol., Range 126, Vol. 27: April 2, 1831.
(43) Ibid.
(44) Bengnl Secret aucl Political Cons~iltatioll, 41. 3Gk Oet. 14,
1831., Nos. 16 and 21.
~

( 4 5 ) Begbje, "Afnlay Penillsula," 162-89. B. S. a11d P., 362: Oct.

14, 1831, Nos. 16 and 17.
(46) Ibiil., Xo. 17. Ibid., 363: Nor. 23, 1S31, No. 71. Begbic,
('Malay Peninsuln," iG2-7s.
Jo~~.i.ncrl.Tfc~Tccya~tBrccltch [Tol. I, Part 11,
j
 So startled >\-as the Governor oE the Straits SettIelneilts a t i.11.i~
t v a s faced tly a
unexpected event that he a t first believed t h ~ he
confecleracy of all the neighhouring states. (4') There seems to
be no evidellce however that Xaning v a s joined by any state except
Xembau. Jbbetson asked for reinforcements, aild for perii~.issioa
to form an alliance vith Eembau in order t o detach it; from its
ally. ( 4 s )

This ~ulexpectcd reverse also stin~ulateclthe Straits Gorern-

nleilt to further researches into the Malacca drchires. Tile reijslts
mere enlig;zbening. but not altogether pleasant, sj~lcet h e j sho~sed
the poilcy of Fnllerton ancl Levis hacl been i n the JY-rong, while
tli,ir critics Garliag ancl Anderson had been correct. It was clis-
i covel:ed that by about 1765 the Dutch had deciclecl tha; i t \\.as too
expensive to conquer Nan'ing in order to exact the tenth, ancl hacl
conlnlutecl i t into a snlall aililual tribute. TI-hen the British
tittempted to collect the full tenth the Malays 100lie:l on i t ss n
breacll of faith, ancl feared that after Kaning had beell conquered
the same tax woul? be leviecl up011 the acljacel~tstates. As a rcsult
Renlbau joined S a n i n g i11 resisting the British attack. (40j

When the Iilclian Oorernmellt learned that the blunilers ol: the
Straits administration had provokecl an expensive aucl xnprofitable
war, 5t took no pains to conceal its displeasure. Ibbetson's pro-
posal to forin iul alliallce wit11 Rembnu was rll~j~roi?ecl and the
necessary reinforce~nents mere sent, since the Bengnl Council
realized that to restore British prestige the campaign had to be
carried to a successful conclu.sion, " worthless as the object" Jr.as.
''\ITe have hitherto been entirely ~ilisledby the erroneous infor-
illation in those Settlements, otherwise rrrc should nero: 11tr~-eLcen
drawn into this useless warfare for a nrorthless object. TTe ca~lilot
now i n policy recede 'iron1 it without establishing our snpe-
riority." (jO)

Fronl Septeluber to January the rains made campaigning im-

possible, ancl bhe time u a s spent in llegotiatiol~s v i t h Ren111au.
Raja Ali was finally conr~inceclthat the Conlpany hacl no desire
to attack him, ancl he realisecl that i n the end it mould win. On
January 25, 1532, a treaty was lllacle between the Company ancl
Assurances nrere given that neitl~elr ~vonld attack tlie other,
aucl the C'oinpany renouilced whatever clainls it m-ight hnve
hacl to suzerainty over Bambau by virtue of the old Dutch rights.
Rem1)au was thus recognized as a11 independent sovereign stt~te. In

(47) B'. S. and P., 369: Oct. 14, 1531, No. 16.
(48) B. S. and P., 363: Nov. 25, 1831, Nos. 69-70.
(49) B. 8. and P. Vol. 363: Nov. 25, 1831, Nos. 69-50.
(50) Ibid., Nos. 74-77. B. S. and P. Vol. 366: June 4, 1838, Nos.
17-22. B. 5. and P. 'Vol. 367: July 9, 1532, No. 1.

19251 Royal Afsicclic Society.

retun) Raja -1li n.ithdren7 his coiltillgellt f r o m x\'aning ~vhoseforce
mas t h u s reduced t o about GOO men, a n d a few illo~lthslater sent
it t o join the British troops.(")
I11 l l a r c l ~1832 t h e campaign reoliened, F r o m 1 4 a l ~ c c at o
Taboh, t h e capital of Snlling,-was tn-enty-~IYOnliles, for t h e last
twelve of n-hich there mas n o road. T h e strategy of Colonel
Herbert, v h o co~ilnlallrled the British force, was not brilliant,
though i t was solid am1 slom. I-Ie cut a road 600 feet xritlc R.!.: the
my t o Taboh felling trees, burning the undergrowth, and fjl!.ing
u.11 the swamps. T h e r a t e of aclvallce was a l ~ o u tthree t o f o u r
mil?s a month. T h e i\lalajs rarely macle a stand, contenting them-
selves with liarassiug the col-ering parties who were sent iuto t h e
jungle t o protect t h e pioneers ancl convicts engaged i n cutting t h e
road. Keither side s~fferecl muc!l loss. T h e Penghulu's force
ileTer esceecleil a fen. hunclrecl a t most, a n d was greatly infe~*i.or
in nuiubers to the illvarlers who h a d 120101 to 14010 nien; but Colonel
Herbert, TI-110 might perhaps be charitably described as nerl,ous,
paintecl gloomy pictures of his perilous condition, harassed by
LC
prodigious numhers" of t h e enemy, a n c l w i t h his force reduoecl
t o t h e clefensive. A t the end of April .Saiyid Shaahan, t h e son-in-
law of R a j a Ali, a r r i ~ e c lwith a force of Malays, a n d in a t e w
weeks transfornied the situation. Well-infonilled by his spies of
t h e ei~emy's ~llovements, he mas able t o capture their stockndes
when they were left teml~orsrjlyun.defended, offing to the &lalays'
habit of making perioclical t r i p s t o their farms. In Zune Taboh
~ r a scaptured, Abclul 8 a i d ancl his chiefs took t o flight? and the
resistance of S a ~ l i i l gcollapsed. (") T h e troops v e r e gradually
~ ~ i t h d r n w nand , by April 1534 the garrison of the Straits had been
reducccl to tlie same strength a s before t h e was. (j3)

T h e Go\-er~nnentn-as by n o nleans alxiious t o retain S a n i n g ,

since it was clear t h a t the revenue nro~ddn o t equal the espefises
f o r lnang years if eyer.(") T h e cou~ltrywas offered t o l?aja. Ali
of Eembrzu i n return f o r h i s services, b u t h e refnsecl it, saying t h a t
h e h a d enough land . a l ~ e a d ya n d preferred t o receive his re~varclin
a. nlore tangilsle form. (") I t was therefore decided t o make X a n ) n g
a n i n t e g ~ t l lpart of Malaccii Territory, subject to the Recorder's
(51) Begbie, "Malay Penins~da," 15.5-59. Aitchison, T~eaties"
I, 416-20. J. I. A. I. RT. S., 210. T..Braddell. B. S. aad P. Vol. 363: Nov.
25, 1831, Nos. 23, 71, a l ~ d72. Bid., 365: Feb. 20, 1532, Nos. 4-6. Ibid.,
3 6 6 : June 4, 183" KO. 1'7.
( 5 2 ) B. S. and P. Vol. 366: April 30, 1833, Nos. 1-10, 13-16. Ibid.,
366: du~ie2.5, 1533, No. 6. Jbid., 367: .July 9, 1.532, Nos. 4 ff. Ibid., 368:
Sept. 3, 1532, No. 3. Ibid., 365: Oct.1, 1532, No. 11. Begbie, "BIalay
Peniiisula," 200-260. Nen~l~old,llStl.aits of ;\Ialacca," I, 195, 225-31.
J. I. -\.'I. N. S., 208-214. T. B~nddell.
( 5 3 ) B. 'S. alid P. Vol. 369: Nor. 19, 1532, No. 6. B. Pol., Range 127,
Vol. 13: April 3, 1534, No. 24 -1. Nembold, "Straits of Ma.lacea," I, 234.
(54) B. Pol. Range 127, Vol. 24; Bept. 13, 1824. No. 19. Illid., 29:
Xug. 24, 1535 KOS. 1.3.
( 5 5 ) B. S. and P. Yo1 371: Jan. 28, 1532. Nos. 2-7.
Jotlr.tlal R~.unch [TTol. I, P a r t 11.
jfci-layci~~
Court ancl the telltl~. The offices of Pengliulu ailil Snlin r e r e
abolished, s i i c l the country was placed under a Superi~~tenclel~t,who
~ v a sa gentlelllan of 1)utch descent, in Jlalacca. R e v a s assisted
by fifteen village heaclmen, each of I-horn collected the taxes and
maii~tainecllaw and order iu. his -uwa district. ("0)
Abdul Said Aecl on the fall of Taboh to the neighl~ouring
sta.tes, but willingly surrendered on the promise of pardon. The
Company gave him a house aucl gardens, a pensiou of l?s.3.00
a month, and liberty to lire freely i n Malncca so Ioilg as he dicl
not intrigue or try to run away. (") By the unique e s p e d b l t
of involving the Company i n a nTar ~vhichcost i t £100,000 Xhd.ul
Saicl obtairlecl an nssurecl income of larger anlo~ultillan he hacl
ever hacl before. The RIalays still regarded him wit11 cleep
veneration, and t h e olcl nlall turllecl i t to good acconllt be sci-king
up i u business as a farn~er,trader, ancl doctor. His ventures ..rere
successfnl, and in 1839 he diecl in the oclonr of sanctity. ("J lt,
is said that the generous treatment of Abclnl Said dicl nlore t o
strengthen British jllfluellce in the llalnx states than the sncceasfnl
issue of the mar.("') Save for a small revenue which clid not
cover the cost of acllllillisterillg Naning, this was all the C'onlpany
hacl to shon- for an expenditure of £1.00,0010:
- -

(56) Ibid.. 2-.7. h'e.rrbolr1, I (:Straits of Malaccn; " I , 232-35. J. I. il.,

N. S., I, 218. T. Braddell.
(57) B. Pol. Range 12'7, Vol. 13: April 13, 1834, 3-0s. 53-56. India
Political and Fol.eign Col~sultatiolls,Re1ig.e 198, Vol. 5 7 : Oct. 27, 1549,
No. 57.
( 5 8 ) J. I. A., 11, 733-34. E. A . Elu~~clell.J. I.A., N. S., I, 216.1'7,
T. Graddell.
(59) Ibicl., 217.
(60) J. I.A., 11, 733. Blmidell. Swettenht~m, "British Malaya" 82.

19,251 Roycil Asicriic Society.