Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-07-05
THE STRAITS SETTLEMENTS
BRITISH GUNS TURNED EAST.
ERN ANARCHY INTO ORDER.
Story of the Federated Malay States.
English Authority Brought
Peace to Natives.

as Great Britain or any nation NAV To-
day boast OF. There are four of them
| Perak. Pahang. Selangor and Nerrf
| Semban. They are touched in the north
by four much-d1sputed states partially
protected by Siam. and reach in the
south to Johore and Singapore, which
is the southernmost point of the Asiatic
continent and misses the equator by
| hairs breath.
| JohOre Is the one and only Malay
state governed by it's native head. It
is. however, protected by Great Britain
and submits its external policy to Brit
ish supervision. Otherwise it holds an
unique position Of independence in the
peninsula. Singapore Is on a tiny island
separated from Johore and the mainland
| by a narrow strait.
| On one side of the peninsula stretch
the Straits of Malacca, and on the other
Is the big wash OF the China sea.
Cey1on and Hongkong, and within easy
reach Of that fragrant bunch of islands,
Sumatra. Java Borneo and the lesser
| islets of the archipelago.
| Singapore was bought as q personal
venture by Stamford Rallies in 1919, and
it is today the Coaling station and call
ing port of all the traffic that rides on
eastern seas. 1t is as we'll formidable
| y.
1t is the chief and executive center Of
the detached British colonies that dot
the Straits Of Malacca. There are five
of these-a united crown colony, once
present owing allegiance to their gov
ernor in Singapore and to the colonial
secretary in London.
| Quaint Malacca.
North of Singapore and nearest it in
point Of distance is Malacca, quaint
and historic town which has passed
! through a picturesque and varied occu-
pancy. Originally seized by the Portu-
guese in 1911, 1T was taken from them
by the Dutch some hundred years later.
| This was followed in the next century
by temporary settlement by the Eng
lish. who surrendered 1t again to IOl-
land in 1908. Five years late 1t passed
finally into the keeping of Great Britain,
who gave the Dutch in exchange the
valuable and then UNEMPLOYED Island of
Two hundred miles farther up the
coast lies a cluster Of beautiful but
practically uninhabited islands called
| the bindings. These island were the
| last acquisition of the Straits Settle
ment. having been taken in 1873 by the
| government in Singapore on the outbreak
| of the Malay disturbances.
The next of these colonies, the farth
| est north. is the island and town of
Penang. or properly speaking George
town. This territory was bought and
| settled in the latter part of the eight
zenith century in the interest of the
East India Company. On the mainland
directly opposite Penang is Wellesley
Province, a narrow tract Of rice fields
| bordering the straits. Here the So
called and badly called Straits Settle
ments end: Singapore, Malacca. Dind-
| ings, Penang and Wellesley province
| five pearls, as 1t were, on a broken
string.
Energy of individuals.
| Practically all the steps leading to
the requirement of these detached ter
| ritories were due to the personal energy
and initiative of few individuals, with
out the sanction or knowledge Of the
country for whose aggrandizement the
| work was being done. But common in
| terests and common enemies gradually
drew the little settlements together and
brought them to the notice of Great
Britain. who promptly am ama 1t;am
Their growth and government are well
| worthy Of study: But in this paper 1
can only touch on their institutions as
related to the government of the Malay
states. This connection lies in the fact
| that the governor of the Straits Settle
ments Is also high commissioner for the
protected Malay states. In this capacity
he has a voice in their external poncy
within the jurisdiction Of their resident
general. He. likewise. has power to re-
ject or modify papers before submitting
them to the colonial secretary. whose
potter's thumb must give the final I'M
print to all clay from colonial kilns.
Here were cease finally with the
| marginal influences or the Malay
states, and now for the states themselves.
| Thirty odd years ago they were disorder
ly. disorganized provinces under the rule
or misrule, of native rajahs or chiefs
| These Malays were fishermen, hunters.
pirates and despoilers of one another 8
differences up and down their long rivers
or confined them with slaughterous ire
suits within their tiny kampongs or VII
lagos. Again. banding together. they at
tackled unwary craft that Ventofeo 100
near their shores.
They were in fierce and constant friction
with the Chinese. who. led by the rumors
of rich minerals in the peninsula, had
broken into their stronghold. knowledge
| of the ferocity of these encounters and OF
the general state of distraction existing
among the Malays themselves occasional
| " drifted to the outside world 1hese
rumors had from time immemorial
| frightened away all would-be invaders.
| The undesira blity of forcing more &C
curate acuuaintanceship was further dis
couraged by the British authorities In
| Singapore. who warned all subjects that
they ventured into the unknown territory
| at their own risk.
British Intervention.
This enforced seclusion gave unlimited
| swing to the Malays and kept intact till
| the time of British interference an al
| most prehistoric and brutal condition of
life The long-delayed Intervention took
| place In 1873, when the internal distrac-
| ton In the native territory reached its
limits and burst into open rupture on the
seacoast. The Chinese were preying on
| the Malays. and the Malays to the best
| of their ability were retaliating The
native sultans were at loggerheads with
one another and totally unable to control
or direct their turbulent and disorderly
| subjects.
| This warfare was carried to the coast
| and there it became an open menace to
| commerce and to all traffic pa ssing
| through the straits. Then at last. In
self-defense. the government in Singapore
was told to interfere. The result was
the appearance of a British man-of-war In
| the tumultuous waters, and, after Vlo-
| lent collision and some loss of life, steps
| were taken toward the conclusion OF a
| treaty and overtures were made for
| better erstanding. This ended in the
| British occupation of the bindings. the
| chief rendezvous of these laWleSS folk.
| Here Great Britain was able to check and
| finally abolish their danger ous practices.
| Negotiations were opened at the same
| time with various native chiefs. Finally.
at the invitation of the Sultan of Perak