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Twentieth century impressions of British Malaya: its history, people, commerce, industries, and resources Page 85
London, Durban, Colombo, Perth (W. A.), Singapore, Hongkong, and Shanghai: Lloyd's Greater Britain Publishing Company, limited, 1908, pg 85
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57 TWENTIETH CENTURY IM PRESSIONS OF BRITISH MALAY A Hindu title), and secondly as Raja Bsar Muda, son of Iskandar Shah. He is also confused with Muhammad Shah, whose place he ought to be given in the pedigree. It is therefore difficult to say whether he or the first King of Malacca ought to be credited with the numerous rules and regulations drawn up for the guidance of Malay courtiers, and given at great length in the " Malay Annals " as the work of " Muhammad Shah." In any case, from this time forward the use of yellow was confined to men of royal birth, the most rigid etiquette was enforced at all court ceremonies, the relative precedence of officers was fixed, and other rules were made regarding the proper attire and privileges of courtiers. The author of the " Malay Annals " discusses all these points at great length, but European students are not likely to take much interest in them. Happy is the country that has no more serious troubles than disputes about etiquette ! The first three Sultans of Malacca must have governed well to bring about such a result as this. Sultan Ahmad Shah (Paduka Sri Maharaja) died about the year 1444. His death was followed by a sort of interregnum, during which the reins of power were nominally held by his son, Raja Ibrahim, or Raja Itam, afterwards known as Abu Shahid, because of his unhappy death. This interregnum ended in a sudden revolution, in which Raja Ibrahim lost his life, and Raja Kasim, his brother, came to the throne under the name of Sultan Mudzafar Shah, the Modafaixa of the Portuguese and the Sultan Wu-ta-funa-sha of Chinese records. The new ruler began his reign in the usual manner by sending envoys to China, but he did not go himself to pay his respects to the Emperor. He had to wage war against the Siamese, who seem at last to have made some sort of effort to enforce their claim to suzerainty over the south of the peninsula. Malay records are not very trustworthy, and we need not believe all that they tell us about victories over the Siamese ; but we can see from the change in the policy of the State of Malacca that it must have been successful in its campaigns against its northern foe, since the Malays, suddenly becoming aggressive, carried the war into the enemy's country. FYom this time onwards the town of Malacca becomes a capital instead of an entire State. Mudzafar Shah died about the year 1459 a.d. According to Portuguese authorities he conquered Pahang, Kampar, and Indragiri ; but, if the u Malay Annals " are to be believed, the honour of these conquests rests with his son and successor, Mansur Shah. Sultan Mansur Shah, we are told, began his reign by sending an expedition to attack Pahang. After giving a good descriptive account of this country, with its broad and shallow river, its splendid sandy beaches, its alluvial gold workings, and its huge wild cattle, the u Malay Annals " go on to say that the ruler of Pahang was a certain Maharaja Dewa Sura, a relative of the King of Siam. Chinese records also say that the country was ruled by princes who bore Sanskrit titles, and who must have been either Buddhist or Hindu by religion ; but they add that the people were in the habitaotherwise unknown in Malayaa of offering up human sacrifices to their idols of fragrant wood. Their language also does not seem to have been Malayan. Pahang was conquered after very little resistance, and its prince, Maharaja Dewa Sura, was brought captive to Malacca. Of the expeditions against Kampar and Indragiri we know nothing except that they were successful. Sultan Mansur Shah married five wives. By a daughter of the conquered Maharaja Dewa Sura he had two sons, one of whom he designated as heir to the throne ; but a murder committed by the prince in a moment of passion led to his being banished from the court, and to his being sent to rule over Pahang alone, under the title of Sultan Muhammad Shah. By a Javanese wife the Sultan had one son, Radin Geglang, who succeeded his stepbrother as heir to the throne, and was afterwards killed while trying to stop a man who ran amuck. By a daughter of his chief minister, the Bendahara, the Sultan left a son, Raja Husain, who ultimately succeeded him. By a Chinese wife the Sultan left descendants who established themselves as independent princes at Jeram, in Selangor. By his fifth wife, the daughter of a chief (Sri Nara Diraja), MALAY MATTING.