The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-04-16
THE LAND OF oPHlR.
Wonderful Possibilities of the Great Ma

Wonderful Possibilities of the Great Ma
laya Country.
A newspaper heading Indicating that
the subject matter of the dispatch below
Is Malaga, is usually enough TO make the
average reader skip TO the next column.
and yet the Malay peninsula is land not
alone flowing with milk and honey but
actually teeming with tin and gold In
fact, most of the islands OF the archipelago
are huge masses of Tin, covered 70 the
depth of from 10 to 100 feet by the gravel
washed from the main chain of mountains
forming the backbone of the peninsula.
One of the states, known as Pahang. is be-
heved TO be the Land OF Opbir, where King
Solomon's mines are supposed 20 have
been located. IL certain of the valleys
gold can be found in great quantities by
simply digging away the surface soil.
These facts are only gradually coming to
light, as the British government, which 10
IN control there, is guarding the great
secret wealth OF Pahang very jealously.
In Pahang a writer could find material for
a novel which, while absolutely true in
every particular, would surely be con-
demned IS the work of a fiighty roman
ticist.
Great Britain acquired Pahang in .
peculiar manner. Some years ago the
butcheries and plracies of the natives had
reached such pitch that England felt
that humanity-snd its own interests-de-
rlanded that she shouid interfere. The
Iajahs were notified that the outrages
must cease forthwith. They did their best,
but that was not much, and England ap-
pointed resident and counselor to the
sultan" This gentleman was promptly
murdered, and his assistant barely escaped
from the country with his life. England
then declared war in 1875, and after a
unique campaign captured the sultan in
the jungles and exled him to the Sey-
chelles islands
Then an unusal difficulty presented it
self. 1t was impossible to get any one to
accept the throne; it was considered too
much of a dead sure" thing At last
Hugh Low, an ex-gardener, who had been
sent to Borneo as an orchid hunter, be-
came the nominal ruler of this strange
land. Under him everything prospered,
but it was found impossible, either by
threats or flattery, TO induce the natives to
give up their actual local government and
acknowledge the sway of the British lion.
The sultan of Pahang professed to have
the strongest feelings of friendship for
Queen Victoria, but, unlike Mr.. Salisbury,
he was an ardent believer in the ''modus
vivendi." The opportunity, however. came
when Sir Cecil Smith became governor Of
Singapore and the straits.
One day IN 1857, the sultan espied a
handsome yellow girl laving herself in the
river. He at once ordered the girl 10 be
conducted to his harem. Convulsed with
"a ora xuhar, iOfrrrl1af, TINT bar hY,S dii
not care to part with her he directed that
the inconvenient Celestial should be
'krissed." The sultan's own brother
rushed out, stabbed the Chinaman to
death, and thereby caused the downfall of
his powerful kinsman, for the victim was
naturalized British subject Agunboat ar
rived few days later and the sultan was
informed that he must demonstrate the
sincerity of his repeated protestations Of
friendship for Great Britain BY hanging
oD the spot, in the public square, the MUIR
derer of tho despised Chinese trader. He
could not well hang his brother, so he
signed document cousenting to the Brit
ish entry and occupation of his oominions.
In Selangor, near by, two Australians
once penetrated to the heart of the island
under most discouraging circumstances.
and bought the entire valley of Raub from
a native dignitary. The earth there showed
twelve ounces Of gold to the ton, and the
hardy colonials on their return TO civiliza-
tion had no difficulty in floating The stock
of several mining companies based upon
their fortunate purchase. But England
stepped in again and smashed the whole
Colonel Sellers project to smithereens
with the announcement that no purchases
i 4
rulers would be recognized. When the
wealth OF the Malay peninsula is eventually
developed, the stories of the gold diggings
of California and Australia may seem
tame and insipid by comparison.