Apart from the few Malays in the settlements' rural communities of Province Wellesley and the Melaka hinterland, most still lived inland along the middle reaches of the rivers, away from the coastal marshlands dominated by the orang laut pirates.
The region's inhabitants were located mostly along the coast, with fortified garrisons that protected them from pirates.
mnli hypothesis: The region's inhabitants were located mostly along the coast, with fortified garrisons that protected them from pirates. premise: Apart from the few Malays in the settlements' rural communities of Province Wellesley and the Melaka hinterland, most still lived inland along the middle reaches of the rivers, away from the coastal marshlands dominated by the orang laut pirates.