Star.
London, England, 1804-04-16 00:00:00

GOVIRNMSDIT. COLUMIO.

Sta—la obedience to the comMamds of Government,cooveyed
to me by yotar letter of the t7tl intim', I have the honour to at-
qualm you that I immediately repaired to Putelang, and now beg
leave to lay before you, foe the information of hie Excefkocy the
Governor,tbe tubule of the inveffigation with which I was charged.
The pentfal of the melded depilation* would, I ant retreaded,
without any comment of mine, allied to his Emeelleney the in-
formation be defiled est t►e fotWed matter of my to to Pete.
; but as it may be expeded that I mould not troika& the m-
elded Papers without fame remark*. I ball mama myfelf with
briefly Rating the amount of the Information as it appears to me.
In the months of Man* and April laft, a number of natives,
living under the Britt& Governmant, in and about Pinging!, fin
out, la two dl, ors, with a slumber of cattle laden with various
articles of enerchandife, namely, fait, fah fifit. cloth, tobacco, sad
copper money, intending to difpo& of them la the Caorfam coon-
try in exchange for Areka nuts.
The large& &titian, which I ihall call No. r. codified of 46
perfoos (exclufive of 7 coofies,) and 471 bead of cattle, laden with
articles of trade ; and the &taller dirifon, which may be called
No s,eonftfteell of a perfonk and 4,76 bead of ca&k, Wen in
like manner.
No doubt can be entertained bat that the commerce Into which
the people entered, was uaberfally deemed legal, and that they
bad long been accultorned to carry it on, and on that account the
misfortune which they met with la the profecution of it, cannot
be accounted foe on the grounds of contraband.
Whether the Putlanders were guilty of any Irregularity in the
Candian country, which could term as the pretext for the day
.they met with. 1 cannot poatively affect; I have certainly not
been able to trace any Inch, and unfortunately for them, it rill
appear, Irr a pendia of the melded Papers, that after thry haul
completed the object they had in stew in the Caudian country.
and were on their return home with the Areka outs, which they
had procured for the articles they bad carried from Puteland, they
ware flopped, handfed by delays, and, finally, the whole of the
Areka outs meditated and taken from them, and which a (petite
account annexed to the depoLtinni herewith tranfmitted,wififhew
to be set ammonams taken faint cardigan No. I. and 64 mum-
man from divifinn No. 4.

I dare fay his Excellency, en reading the =doted papers, will
conclude as I do. that the (rising of the Areka nuts took place in
eanksjuence of the orders of the perfect called in the
Pelages, Adigaar, White of the four corks and I on=ttavii;
to add on this point, that from the defeription given to me of the
perks of Pelagant by the people examined. I have no douht but
that the perks here moot is the firtt Adigaar of Candy, well
known perfonally to his Excellency the Governor as well as to my-
fell. I Mall only further take the liberty of Rating a eircumltanee,
which makes the fetzure of the Areka nuts in queftion ftUl more
&Seel, to account for, which Is, that the Condit= themfelves
continue, as heretofore, to bring down the produce of their coun-
try, namely, Archa nuts, Jaggher, and rice, to be exchanged here
at Putelang, for fait, and cloth, &e. and there is now,
within my view here, a divifion of about so perfons from the Can-
&an country, and ago head of cattle, peaceably occupied in'tbis
tragic. This circumftance will alfo tend to Thew how airy It would
be to make reptgals for the injury fultained by the Putlanders, were
the &gtik Government fo difpofed : a meafure which I do not wilt,
however, to be underftood as giving any opinion upon. I have
now only to fay, that I bare been greatly aißftcd in this invcitiga-
don, by the seal and Intelligence of Mr. Johnstone, the agent of
the Revenue for this diftriet, and, I have the honour to be, &e.
Putelang, July aa, s9oa. (Signed) WILLIAM SOTO.