Nuhou, Volume I, Number 17, 24 February 1874 — Achin in Sumatra. [ARTICLE]

Achin in Sumatra.

Whieh has a popu!ation of 250,000 uf t::e li.l-le-: ( of any Asiatie raee, \vhicb is gOYerned by l. ;Sultan, whieh lias a wonderfu!, intere?tir;g hhi tory, bcing part!y tlie seene of our story cf ' Laksamana, whieh so mue!ī interest£ our 'readcrs, whieh !vas a lon* line of u:;I j " C j QueenSj whieh is t!ie on!y Mi>lay state tha: :maintained independenee in spite of Earopea: 'dominanee in the great Mal;\y ArcbipelagD f_: ' over two lumdred years; an|d whieh is now e~!gaged in war with all the ayai!able force of a 1 European power in the East r interests ua dee~:j !ai "this time. The strugg!e bf Aehin iur :adeI pendcnee. shou!d be looked upon with aa ;uueL !intercst, as t!ie etrugglcs ojF Swit4erland a;:J |Scotland, ?s>d other minor stu|ies of the past ana !preeent for their !lberties. 1 These brave northern Smuatraus, iLe j haye met their European foes with their arja!precision and have signally beaten tLem iwlee. | Ife is supposed that the SumatUns Lave oniy rud- . smooth bore fire-aruis, but we know tbat wLen we were in Sumatra, her people were eapahle ! manufacturing any of the weapons of Eurotcats. | We "wrere surprised when 111 ihe beart of āumaua. j and \vished to cut some as spcclmer:s o: fancy and dye woods, and deplored the wa.n: o* a cross-cut-saw, to be to!d that if we woula I furnieh a suitab!e bar of irpn, t!ie impleineL' | would be produccd. This we did t and we goi jOur an exeellent ou«?, madc bj a Battuk in the vicinitj oij ralembang. Ai.i :as Sumatrans !iave iron and|eoal in abundauee. jand a heavy vrooded countfy full of natural ! fa«tnesses, and have tlie pluek to make then; )available, thcy are going to bpther ;Le eiclusivc j llollanders* a*j they weie aevci : bothcrea before in Jlaliiy<ia, sinee ihe taev expe!!cd thc Portuguese. Thp Duteh need ihei | old Koen again, for therc is eycry like lihooa tha[thc work of thc foundcr of |>;Uavia is o-oau ; v i bc all undoi)c. l . Thougli thc British j>coplc i|u thc iUaiia ieiūements BjmpaUiizc \vith auJ | aid Oie Sultau e. ! Aehln, v«t the C?OTcrnmc»t of Grcat BriUi;r. wil'. |hardly bo eonlenl to scc a (auall Asiatk siau" | throw off Euroj>eau aud so leaā ihe i \vaj to an assertiou of iadcp<judciicc ou ihe par; of all the petty Malaj etatcs, of the iaaits wvernment, as well as other ! jioruous of Malavfia; Rnd thcrefore the BriUgji Goīcriiaiem mlv be foroed to iu lveMf of llollaud, luli unqueetionablj at tlie expcusc of thc futurc supi«aacj of the Xethcrkuds iu thc Awliipela*: . !«»« so the vray will be paved; for Uie domiuauc. |of *» Auetialiai\ eonfederaoV tl:rcu£h.>u! (wouderful group of Alalaj lsk}nds. I Wo await uowa frpiu AeUin, with eipeeiai iu:c: I e«t. Tlmt county has iukresfcd us sii;jc verv h ™f s ,. A . n "» c ! e * as Īll tbe! scrvic< j! a Suluu; iOf A«?hm m 1824. and fcr marjj jeais aßcrwiiāt I We l»ve h&d intcrcsiiu£ as&ocutwas wl;.. i the oouutr>. The Court of ,Achiu ihwuili au agent m the Unitcd Swtes h(is bccu uiadc we.. wilh, aud mtercstpl iu ! toty ana pohttes; .\nd this cctiiutr\ iu ;hc courso »*» dipiomaejr, ia tookiug fcr pccsplc, S..i I it of uupottanee to scck an lutercourse w'ūi Aeulu