MORE RED ON THE MAP.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 93, 15 May 1909, Page 4

MORE RED ON THE MAP.

INTERESTING DETAILS ABOUT OGG .\EWLY-ACQUIRHI) TERRITORY.

Th P people who fear the break-up of the Kritish Empire through the inroads of the sea along the Norfolk coast may make themselves easy (says a Home paper). We have just acquired from lifteen to twenty thousand square miles of territory in the Malay Peninsula. Jiv a treaty concluded with Siain we are to tak,, over the States of Trengganu. Kelantan. and Kedah. and also, it is believed, part of the States of Reman and Ligoh. AFTER TWENTY YEARS.

This last is probably only a ease of getting our own back, for some time ago the Rajah of Reman managed ti push his outposts down into our territory without being caught at it, and it was many years before this gigantic piece of land-grabbing was discovered. After twenty years' haggling with the. Rajah and his Siamese protectors, we managed to get a bit of it back. It is particularly kind of Shim to allow us to take over Trengganu and Kelantan. because neither of them belong to .Stain. The Siamese have alwavs claimed a protectorate over the two States, but the Sultan of Trengganu, at any rate, has obstinately refused' l« recognise Siamese authority, and no Siamese official has ever obtained a footing in the State. It is true that every third year or si) the Sultan has despatched 'embassies with presents to his powerful "cousin" of Shim; but this is a common custom with small Oriental States, and he has never acknowledged obedience to Siam.

Tin- Sullnn of Kelantan lives at Kotn Ulririi. which appears to lie one of the of tlic Peninsula—a niiniiituri' Paris. There are all sorts of exlifmictits. There are seasons f or bullfighting, for ram-fighting. ir.nl for cocklijrlititljr: there is",, season for boatracing, iiuil there is a season when the

'■smart, set" go down to the seaside and I'liniii on the great stretches of sand. The British treated Kedah verv slialibily in the old days' of the Kn*t India Company. The Sultan of Kedah grained to the company the island of Pciiang ii they in turn would promise to protct liim from the Siamese.

The Sullnn fulfilled ),is part of th* bargain promptly and handed over Penaug. hut the company delayed their part of tli,, bargain., and linaliy denied their promise.

Siam. seeing that Kedah was unprotected, sent a large fleet to the Kedah river. They ea„,e „s friends, f.hcv said, and they were civjllv received. ' When the Siamese had landed they threw oft" the mask and massacred the natives, hiving waste the country. The Sultan lied to Penaiig. where lie died in exile, while his favorite son was captured and So7it in .bonds' to Siam. LF.XT BOTH SIDl'iS MOXEY.

One of the brothers of the Sultan of Kedah a few years ago married a daughter »!' the Sultan of Kelangor. and "he decided thai his father-in-law's dominions required looking niter. With the approval of th,. Sultan he started all sorts of reforms, but an anti-refo:ni party arose, also, it appeared, with the approval of th,. Sultan, and si there was a small civil war. The funny part was that the leaders of both uarties made periodical visit* to the old Sultan, and. pointing out that they were lighting hi, hatllcs'. asked for money and arms. T.h,. old man readily gave arms to each in turn and money wliei/ever they asked for il.