The discovery of tin in the Malay Straits in the 1840s, like the
example of piracy, betrays one of the real purposes of empire: control
of markets. When Long Jaafar died in 1858 his son, Ngah Ibrahim,
inherited Larut’s considerable wealth as well as its large Chinese
population. The majority of these were Chen Sang Hakka who was members
of the Hai San.
In 1861, in what is sometimes termed
the first Larut War fighting broke out when another Hakka group from the
Fei Chew clan, most of whom were Ghee Hin adherents, attempted to gain
control of a water-course feeding the mines of both factions.
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| Sir Andrew Clarkes |
The second war took place in 1865. This was sparked
off by a gambling quarrel between two opposing secret society. The
third, which took place in 1872, was over a scandal including two
families connected with the two different secret societies, and the
fourth in 1873 involved the Perak Royal family and another Malay
faction.
The “troubles” referred to as the Larut War,
dragged in until 1874 when Raja Abdullah managed to influence Andrew
Clarkes, the British governor of the Straits Settlement in Singapore to
intervene. This led to the signing of the Pangkor Engagement.
Larut War
