Nuhou, Volume II, Number 19, 30 September 1873 — Achin. [ARTICLE]

Achin.

W'l- iit t u (.'X[X'cl iijipurtant this Iittie kiijg'.Iuiu of ISunutra. Uy next niail. llolland is not risiu 4 d witli il.e* vesuit ol' Iier waifare and dipioraaev with thi* small Malav state. She ruuHt nnt !.»e 8atfelk*d. l'eoauee tu in the tecent peaee settlerneiit with Aehiu ruin to Netheriands, lndia, and fmught with - eonsequeuee? to European power in the Indian Oeean, tha t inay reaeh to the fai*thest Iioiits of Oeeaniea. Let us btudy Aehin a little. Thi* 6mall seinicivilUed puwer is well wuithy our attention. lt was the most|important state oi' the East in the sixteentli eentury. About the middle of the seventeenth aeeording L> Faria v Souza, the Sultan of Aehin, $ekundar Muda inade war on the power in A*iatie water8 with a fleet <>{ iive hundred uianued hy sixty thou&aud men. Aehin took a large }>art in all the war>, eavried on between Java and Malaeea, anu in tho?e that took plaei helween the l)uteh nnd tht Portuguese in their 8truggles loi* t?uprernaev <u the Malay Areitipelgo. As< commeree went to Batavia in.Jaya.'and to Padang, Beneoolen. Pa!embang, and other ports of Sumatra, ihe iniportanee of tfie onee flouri9hing port of Aehin declloed v but tlie retained all of their aneieni warlike eharaeter. Tiiey heeaine conunucIaily pour and lnsignifieant. but their piuk continued great a* evei\ l>ceau$e thej still mamtained theh iiidependeiKv. They held the iNorth of the only sti\»oghold of! Malav power. For long yeai* the LHueh were | Conteut with the rieh protit> of Java, of tlie! Molueeas, and of tlie ti»i Wand }>anea, and did httle >Mth Siunatra cxeept t<> try t<» keep her, wuihk< people in eheek j They maintained Padung, aud Beueoolen as military eolotiies iu the South <*f Su- *■ V matra, and ecirefolly *ought to advauee thcir power Morthwavd iu f lnmbee» lndraghln, kahau, Siak and othei*5?tates, ' i ut weie iuvari;\blv t)toppcd by Aohin. Aiul IHUeh iuūueuee wa$ oulv nouiinal in tiie J>tatei iuentioued 4 iu tUe North of Sutnatia, aeoouul uf the iiiEluenee of Aehin. whieh !ias *»vooded over a aud detenniiu'd resolve to <N>n$otidate onee u Malay p\nvev like that 4f the onee famed Meuaugkahau. A hope of |K»Htieal rebtoration was rif e among Sunuurans when we,'ln oūr anlent jouth in l&VJ t mduvk\i the .\n\erioau flag in the heatt of tlmt &io;U i?&md, ;iu\ong it> danget\nus m-?*";!0ta--!e \ o. 1 ' U We ■hlul in!-or»tol. w*- n\ay nw-

th'? splr*t «»f veritu!>.' in tV.* fvjtstepH _.f an unel'; who f many year- in th<* 6prvic<j of Princes of t'*e A chipelago. We en t v*yed mtlmat- lelatl.»n- w': Zv maoy of the chiefs «!*f tbe Island, and nl! talk breatbed hostilitv t«j the powei of I!o!!ui> The " Wolanda, ? * a-, the Dutchini»u was eallwas c?ery where au o«jjec£ of hate. We woii t. Bjmpathy of the Malpy?. They vrere iujot ? . pressible and enthiislcjLStlc and delightcd to t hopes of the restoratipn of Maky prestige. »' >■ friend. the Sultan of Jambee, brought war his eountry, and the (|estruction of his eapltal aecount of the aāiertipa of his hopes, and of - - indignation at our iipprisonment, when we on the puint of becoiqing his guesi. The ment of Netherlands īndiaat that time appai-en:! cr(tslīed the power of !jambee, ah r j that of Alam, -Ferdano Mantrl und other intcri'jr ch:erof ■ Palembang, and |i*ubse»tueutly coerced becanse she permittjed a Britiih company . Singapore toscttle in p.neali? ; but notwitlk-taLi * ing these d!scomliture|? s the Sumatrans retiriu£ : inaccessible fastnesses! in the intcrior e*f the and, heeame more denaiit t!um before, ani a , with the old. cele{jfated histoiic state of Aeh". - in open \varfnre wlth the power of Holland T 3. of the Malav nfe ready to make eomm eiiuse with theeonseryatur of Malay and dri?e the Dutch |rom Sumatra, whieh ev .. wou!d lead to their from the . The astute goverunJent at the llague fecls t!i.and feels thft if her power is dqiicd With im[.nity by any power in Malaysia # &he - draws nea; •: hervuin; and therefore she eannoi \vlt!^ ? aequiesce ln any peaee whleh Aehin, or any oiheMalny State may dictate. But perhaps the i v for the decline of llol|acd iu the Archipelago really eome, and she too must away ir A Portuga!. In that case t what civilized' State U ; succee<l Uolland ? Becausc F!uropcun doinind inust not utterly ret|re from this great liki, or!d. Kngland i$ c|;ntent wlth maintaming l; idtegrity of her domii|ion on the Aslatlc nent, and wili not to her old seatln JaT\ Franee hasapurpj<e.ojTrohabilitation thatabs>:' - her whole soul; (iqrmany muīt uecds waL Franee ; Russia wi!l on her undeviatingp:;:. of Rtnpire; and Amejrica wauts no h-laneU» Lov ever neh or rare, her continental doi4a. has yet such illimitabje Eelds # and such wsadu - resourees for her settlcment and esploitatU; Then if Hollaml is to ileeline. who $hallnuisL.Kuropean prestige, whieli for three aa half lias ruled- in Ū\£ great Ka>t Cndiau A: pdago? We ean only see uu«j? power tuat u £ . and that is Austratasia. Thisg:v, Stnte of the future aiijist ciubraee Malay*;a Wi;,;.. tbe aeop of her domlniotu She wlll theu luve . territory with the moijt raned producuca u; u.. wor!d, nnd she wlll have ull the elemeuu to; L , | formntion of a great |Emplre. Whilst boutlK, | Austmlia and Kew 2-a!aud wlil u.urish liie ! ropean r;tee in all its \;iger s tle wenderful |o t Papua. lKnmv 4 S\juiatra 4 Celebes j others w!l! $upply weulUi to au e*tcuttL.. wH! far Mirpass all the -A ,u.. pi\\luctive eontiueut]d tndu, >lalajsa |supp!y every eitreuie of utilitj and luxury. 4 e H ual to the neevts of ttie \vorld t iraa aad teak : , EU tbe great oeeun of co;auici\ e, | baltle» al} materia* lo|v ait. all drug* fe; l;eua. ? oi deat!i; aud gold aud diauiouvh s ineea^. pe { lumery and plumo oi lnrdjs of paradisc t ' a|H tbe luxutiov;s t;K<> • :u;vnka\t

The oeeaeion for this specn!atioa mav not be m near as we aiippose, bufc it is coivnng, Itol!an<l decii»ing I;n the East, aod Aimtralasia miiBt take lrer plaee ; and wlien that occurs the woiid will behokl a, new great Power in the SoutheiTi Hcmisphere, and the Bhep!ierd Kings of New Holland wiil {bnnd a marve!lnus Mmpke ont of the rnins of t!;e Ma!avsian <»F (»Id llolland.