a large island in the East Indian Archipelago, stretching from N.W. to S.E.; between 3° 45' N. and 5° 55' S. Lat.; 95° 20', and 106° 5° E. Long.; and separated from the Malay peninsula by the Straits of Malacca on the N.E. It is bounded on the E. by the Java Sea; S. by the narrow Strait of Sunda, separating it from Java; S.W. and W., by the Indian Ocean; and N. by the Bay of Bengal. Its length is more than 900 miles; its average breadth in the southern part, 210, but in the northern, 140 miles; and its area is estimated at 160,000 square miles. It is thus second only to Borneo in size among the islands of Asia.
Along the south-western coast of Sumatra there extends a mountain-chain, rising steeply in some places at a distance and mouth of only two miles from the sea; the north-eastern part, on the other hand, spreads out into vast unbroken plains, very little above the level of the sea. The island is thus divided generally, according to the character of its surface, into two parts, a mountainous and a level one, by a line passing through its centre in the direction of its length. And the mountainous region itself consists of three distinct parts; the southern, the central, and the northern. The southern mountainous region is formed by two chief ranges, and covers a tract of ground about 100 miles in length by 40 in breadth. The mountains rise abruptly from the shore of the Strait of Sunda, which washes the southern extremity of the island; and from the three promontories of Tanjong Toca, Tanjong Kamantara, and Flat Point, which enclose the two bays of Lampong and Samangka, three separate chains take their origin and unite into one above the head of Samangka Bay. This chain stretches north-west parallel and close to the coast, which is here lined by a series of lofty hills and narrow glens, which are sterile and thinly peopled. Much more elevated than this is the other range, which runs parallel to this, considerably further inland. Between these two chains lies a lotty tableland, undulating and hilly in its surface, and containing several large lakes. The principal summits in this southern portion of the Sumatran Mountains are Raja Bassa, about 16,000 feet, and Keyzer's Peak, about 5000 feet high. The central part of the mountainous district both contains all the loftiest summits of Sumatra, and stretches over a greater breadth of the island than either of the others. It is, however, further away from the coast, for the mountains rarely approach nearer than 20 miles to the sea, and in some places recede as far back as 30. They are separated from the sea by a plain tract, sloping very gradually up to their foot, from which they rise pretty abruptly, and in some places precipitously. The mountains themselves in this region have been very little explored. They seem to form three, and in some places even more parallel ranges. Many of the peaks are volcanoes, some of which are still active. The chief of them are the following:—Derupo, in S. Lat. 3° 52', 10,440 feet high; Indrapura, S. Lat. 1° 34', 12,140 feet; Talang, S. Lat. 1° 8480 feet; Merapi, S. Lat. 0° 24', 9700 feet; Sungallang, S. Lat. 0° 28', 10,150 feet; and Ophir, N. Lat. 0° 12', 9500 feet. All of these, except the two last, are volcanoes; and all except Talang have the crater at some distance below the summit. Besides these, Sumatra contains about 15 other volcanoes, generally from 6000 to 7000 feet in height. In the midst of this mountainous region there are many valleys and lakes, surrounded with rich and fertile tracts, which are frequently well cultivated. One of the most remarkable of these districts is Menanggabau, which lies between Mount Talang and the equator. It is a broken and hilly tableland, about 50 miles each way, and enclosed on all sides with high mountains. The lowest part of it is occupied by the Lake of Sinkara, and the whole is well cultivated, densely inhabited, and Sumatra, dotted with towns and villages. The central mountain region may be considered to terminate at Tapanoily Bay, about N. Lat. 1° 40'. North of this lies the third or northern region, extending to the extremity of the island. It consists of three or four parallel ranges, which occupy a breadth of about 25 miles, and are separated from the ocean by a plain 10 or 12 miles broad. Their general height is less than the mountains further south; but there are some considerably elevated peaks, such as Loesa, 11,150 feet high; Abong-Abong, 10,350 feet; and Queen's Mountain, 6900 feet. These mountains are almost all covered with dense forests. The eastern range here is the loftiest, and forms the water-shed of the island. The chain terminates at Acheen Point, the northern extremity of the island; but there is also a hilly tract that stretches eastward along the north coast as far as Diamond Point, at the entrance of the Straits of Malacca.
The eastern part of Sumatra, forming probably the greater part of the whole island, from Diamond Point in the north to Tanjung Toca in the south, is occupied by an immense plain of a very uniform character, except along the coast, where there is some variety. It is but slightly elevated above the sea-level, and a large portion of its seaward margin, occupying the centre, from Rakan River to Lucepara Point, is so low as to be laid under water at spring-tides, and thus to be converted periodically into a vast swamp. Behind this, the land gradually rises; and the more northerly and southerly regions seem both to be sufficiently elevated to escape the danger of inundation. Another important plain in Sumatra lies on the west coast between the sea and the central part of the mountains. This region is better known than any other part of the island, as it has been for two centuries the seat of several European settlements. It is a low and somewhat uneven tract, intersected by numerous swamps, which in some places form islands and peninsulas of considerable size. There are no important valleys in Sumatra. Those that descend laterally from the mountains are in almost all cases very narrow and steep, so as to afford but an ungenial soil and few attractions to the husbandman. The longitudinal valleys and plateaus among the mountains are of greater size and fertility. Some of these have been already noticed. Another stretches for about 100 miles from the peak of Merapi, northwards to that of Lubu Raja. These mountain-valleys are the chief seats of the native population, but they are as yet but little known to Europeans.
In the mountain region there are several lakes, but most of them are of small size. The most important are Sinkara, which is 12 miles long by 4 wide; Dano, which is of smaller size, 1500 feet above the sea; Eik Dabo, said to be 4000 feet high; and St George's Lake. Numerous rivers flow from the mountains towards the south-west, but those which take this direction are for the most part of small size. The largest is the Sinkel, which has a course of more than 100 miles, and receives from the right the Sikeri. It enters the sea about N. Lat. 2° 15'. Proceeding southwards along the coast we pass in succession the mouths of the Batang Tara, Tabuyong, Indrapura, Spov, and Kataun, besides many others of smaller size. The eastern part of the island is watered by more considerable streams. Of these the largest is the Palembang, which rises by numerous branches in the southern mountains, between 2° 30' and 5° S. Lat. The principal of these upper branches is that known at first as the Ayer Musi, but lower down in its course as the Tatong. All the other branches unite with this near the town of Palembang, where they form a river more than a mile wide, which bears the name of Palembang down to the sea. It is navigable for boats 250 miles above its mouth, and it falls into the Strait of Banca, forming a delta about 24 miles broad, south of the Palembang. The largest river is the Talan Booaang; and north of it there are the Jambi, flowing from St George's Lake; the Indragiri, the Kampar, the Siak, the Rakan, the Assalan, the Batu Bharo, and the Deli, all flowing in more or less tortuous courses from the mountains down to the sea, many of them forming considerable estuaries, and being navigable for some distance. There are no considerable inlets of the sea along the coasts of Sumatra.
The southern extremity of the island is formed as has Capes and bays, in which there are several good roadsteads. Along the whole length of the south-west coast there are no considerable headlands; but there is a series of islands extending in a line parallel to the shore at some distance from it. There are, beginning at the south, Engano, South Poggy, North Poggy, Sepora, Sebeceroo, Batoe, Nias, and Hog Island. The two capes which form the northern termination of the island are Acheen Head and Diamond Point; the former at the western and the latter at the eastern extremity of the steep rugged coast, which has been called the coast of Pedir, about 150 miles in length. The chief headlands on the eastern coast are Perhabeen Point at the mouth of the Rakan; Jaboceng Point, at that of the Jambi; and Cape Lucepara, at the southern entrance of the Strait of Banca. Off this coast lie the Islands of Rupat, separated from Sumatra by the strait of the same name; those of Baccalisse, Padang, and Rankan, all lying together and separated from Sumatra by the Brewer's Strait; and that of Banca separated by the Strait of Banca from the main island. In general it may be said that the south-west and north coasts of Sumatra are rocky, and in some places steep; while the north-east coast is low, and lined for the most part with shoals and sand-banks.
As Sumatra lies directly beneath the equator, the climate is very warm; but it is remarkable that, on the sea-level near the shore, the heats are more moderate than in other countries within the tropics. At the most sultry hour in the afternoon the thermometer fluctuates between 82 and 85 degrees; it seldom rises above 86 in the shade, and at sun-rise it is usually as low as 70. Very dense fogs frequently prevail in the mountainous regions. The island is subject to the monsoons, and as, during their prevalence, the mountains arrest all the vapours with which they are charged, the island, at least its southern portion, is almost incessantly deluged with rain. The climate of the northern portion is not so moist, probably on account of the vicinity of the Malay peninsula. Besides the monsoons, which vary every six months, there is a daily variation in the winds, which blow from the sea to the land during so many hours of each day, and during the night in the opposite direction, from the land to the sea. Thunder and lightning prevail in Sumatra, especially during the north-west monsoon, when the explosions are extremely violent; and waterspouts are also frequent along the west coast. The island is unfortunately subject to earthquakes, which often prove most destructive. In the marshes and flats along the coasts, the climate of Sumatra has been found very insalubrious by the Europeans; but amid the mountains of the interior the native inhabitants seem to find it healthy, and they attain frequently to a great longevity.
The soil has been celebrated for its fertility; and it certainly produces a most luxuriant vegetation. Of the greater produce, part of the island but little is known, as it is covered with impenetrable forests; but wherever it has been explored the soil seems to consist of a stiff, reddish clay, covered with a layer of black mould, of no considerable depth. From this there springs a strong and perpetual verdure of rank grass, brushwood, or timber trees, according as the country has remained for a longer or shorter period uncultivated; and this forest or jungle, as there is but a scanty population, affords abundant cover for wild beasts of the most ferocious kind by which the country is infested. Many of the plants Sumatra, and trees that compose the forests of Sumatra are remarkable for their gigantic size. Few of the trees are under 100 feet in height, and many of them are nearly twice as much; while the gigantic creepers and parasites, and the enormous flowers of some of the plants are, if possible, still more astonishing. The most important article of cultivation is rice, which is exported in considerable quantities from Aceh to India. Maize, yams, potatoes, peas, beans, and other vegetables are also raised. The cocoa-nut tree is one of the most valuable productions, furnishing an article of food which is almost universal use. There are also large plantations of the betel-nut tree and the bamboo; the latter growing thick into an impenetrable mass, is used in the fortification of villages. The sago-tree also flourishes, and there is a great variety of palms. Capsicum pepper, turmeric, ginger, coriander and cumin seed, are raised in the gardens of the natives. Pepper is grown here in large quantities. The plant appears to flourish in any of the different soils that are found in this island, and it is a great article of commerce. The pepper plants, which are in even rows, running parallel and at right angles with each other, present a fine contrast to the wild scenes of nature which surround them. The camphor-tree, which grows in the northern parts of the island, is valued for its juice, which is an article of trade, and sells at a high price. The benzoin is produced from a tree which grows in the same district, as also does the tree that yields cassia. Cotton is also produced, and forms an article of export. Various other shrubs and plants are cultivated, and are converted by the natives to many useful purposes. Hemp is extensively cultivated, not however for the purpose of making ropes, but to procure an intoxicating liquor called bang, which the natives smoke in pipes along with tobacco. Plantations of the latter plant are met with in almost every district; and there is a variety of other creeping plants, which are manufactured into twine, thread, and other articles of the same nature. No country in the world is more distinguished than Sumatra for the variety of fine fruits with which it abounds, and which are the spontaneous produce of the earth. The most remarkable are the mangustian, which is produced in abundance, and which for delicacy and flavour holds pre-eminence over all the Indian fruits; the pine-apple, which, though not indigenous, grows in great plenty with ordinary culture; the orange, which is in great perfection and variety; the shaddock of the West Indies, which is here very fine, and is distinguished into the white and the red. Limes and lemons abound; as also the bread-fruit; the jack-fruit; the mango, a rich high-flavoured fruit of the plum kind; the papaw, a fruit substantial and wholesome, like a smooth sort of melon, but not very highly flavoured; the pomegranate, the tamarind, nuts and almonds of different kinds, besides various other fruits of which the names are scarcely known in Europe. Owing to the equable temperature that prevails throughout the year, there is a perpetual succession of shrubs and flowers, which diffuse a pleasant fragrance, and are, many of them, used in medicine, or in affording useful dyes. The castor-oil plant is found in abundance, especially near the seashore; also the caoutchouc or India-rubber plant, the indigo plant, and several others.
Animals. The zoology of Sumatra is distinguished by some of the most remarkable animals in nature. The shelter afforded by its vast forests or tracts of jungle is most favourable to the breed of wild animals, which abound throughout the island. Numerous herds of elephants range over the forests, and are pursued and killed for their teeth; they are extremely destructive to the plantations of the natives, which they trample down by merely walking through the grounds, and thus obliterating all traces of cultivation. The rhinoceros, both the single and the double horned, is also a native of the woods. Of beasts of prey the tiger is the most remarkable. It grows to an enormous size, and Sumatra, its strength is so prodigious that it is able to drag into the woods the largest prey, and by a stroke of the fore-paw will break the leg of a horse or buffalo. Whole villages are sometimes depopulated by these animals, and great numbers of inhabitants lose their lives. When a tiger enters a village, these ignorant people prepare rice and fruits as an offering to the animal, conceiving that he will be pleased with these hospitable attentions, and pass on without doing them any harm. Tigers are occasionally caught in traps, which are ingeniously contrived in the form of a cage with falling doors, into which the beast is enticed, and is then enclosed; or a large beam of timber is so placed as to fall on its back and crush him. Another expedient is to entice it to ascend a plank, which being nearly balanced, is weighed down by it when it is past the centre, so that it falls upon sharp stakes prepared below. The natives sometimes contrive to poison tigers. The bear is common; it is small and black, and climbs the cocoa-trees, feeding upon the tender part or cabbage. Two species of deer are found in the forests, and the monkey tribes are innumerable. Here are also sloths, squirrels, civet-cats, tiger-cats, porcupines, hedgehogs, armadillos, bats of all kinds, alligators in the rivers, which are also haunted by the hippopotamus, guanas, chameleons, flying lizards, tortoises, and turtle. Among the domesticated animals the most useful is the buffalo, which also exists in a wild state, and is remarkably strong and active. This animal supplies the inhabitants with milk, butter, and beef. Black cattle exist on the island, but in no great numbers, except on the northern coast, where they are employed in agriculture. The breed of horses is small, but they are well made and hardy. The sheep are also a small breed; the other animals are the goat and the hog, both domestic and wild; the otter, the cat, the rat, and the dog. Frogs, toads, and reptiles of every kind, abound in the swamps; and the noise which they make on the approach of rain is tremendous. Among the poisonous serpents is the viper; and the hooded snake is sometimes found in the country. The boa-constrictor is also to be met with, and sometimes grows to the length of 30 feet, and is of proportionate bulk and strength. The surrounding seas abound in fish. Among these are the duyong, a large sea-animal of the order mammalia; besides sharks, skates, the murena gymnastus, rock cod, mullet, the flying-fish, and many others. Of birds there is a great variety, for besides common fowls, which are abundant, the island contains peacocks, eagles, vultures, kites and crows, jack-daws, kingfishers, the rhinoceros bird, remarkable for its horn, the stork, the snipe, coot, plover, pigeons, quails, starlings, swallows, minas, parrots, parroquets, geese, ducks, teal, &c. The Sumatran pheasant is a bird of great magnificence and beauty, perhaps the finest that the island contains. Sumatra may be said literally to swarm with insects, many of which are extremely annoying and destructive. These consist of cockroaches, crickets, flies of all sorts, mosquitoes, scorpions, and centipedes. Ants exist in immense numbers and varieties. Bees are also numerous, but the honey is of an inferior quality.
Gold is a production for which Sumatra was once famed, minerals, and it is still found in considerable quantities chiefly in the mountains surrounding Menangcabau, but also in some other places. Copper exists in the northern part of the mountain region; but though it is plentiful, and in some places contains gold, it is only worked to a very small extent. In the country of Menangcabau iron ore is collected, smelted, and formed into metal, and there are indications of its existence in other parts of the island. Tin is one of the great mineral products of the island. It chiefly abounds in the neighbourhood of Palembang, on the east coast; but in many other parts its existence is indicated, and particularly in the neighbourhood of Bengoolen. Sulphur may be gathered in any quantity near the volcanoes; arsenic is also found, and is an article of traffic; and saltpetre is procured, and is used by the natives for making gunpowder. Coal exists in various parts, and is washed down to the coast in floods; but it is not esteemed good, being found near the surface of the earth. Mineral and hot springs are discovered in many districts.
The majority of the present inhabitants of the island belong to one race; though there are various portions of them distinguished by peculiar characteristics, and hence sometimes considered as separate nations. But the differences are not very considerable; and the languages that are spoken may all be considered as dialects of one common tongue. The people may be designated, in general, Malays, and are commonly divided into the following five tribes or nations:—1. The Acheenese, who occupy the extreme north of the island, and probably, on account of their mixture with Hindoo immigrants, differ considerably from the other tribes, being darker in complexion, taller, and stouter, but still retaining the general character of the Malay race. 2. The Battas, who occupy the country from sea to sea, between the Acheenese and Menangcabau, or from the river Senkel to the Tabuyong. They are of smaller stature and fairer complexion than the former, and live in a very rude and savage condition. 3. The Malays proper, occupying the valley of Menangcabau (which is said to have been the original cradle of the race), and the whole of the eastern plain from the Rakan to the Masuse. 4. The Rejangs or Sumatran, who inhabit the west coast from the Tabuyong southwards to the Padang Guchi, a race of men small in size, but well formed, and bearing some resemblance to the Chinese. 5. The Lampangs, occupying the mountains and plains in the extreme south of the island, a race which resembles very strongly the Chinese, and whose language differs considerably from that of any other tribe. Besides these nations, who form the majority of the population, there are two other races who live in a very savage state, wandering in the woods with little intercourse with the others. These are the Orang Kuba and the Orang Gugu; and it is not certain whether or not these represent an aboriginal race of inhabitants. In respect of civilisation the people of Menangcabau and those of Acheen are the furthest advanced of all the Sumatran tribes. The Battas have made considerable progress in some respects, but they retain the custom of cannibalism, in the case of criminals and prisoners of war, with circumstances of peculiar atrocity and cruelty.
There are some branches of industry which are prosecuted in Sumatra with a large measure of skill and success. The Malays about Palembang build very excellent boats. The Battas erect good substantial houses; and though their farming implements are very rude, they are not only successful in agriculture, but carry on a system of irrigation which is very extensive and ingenious. But the chief seat of manufacturing industry is Menangcabau, where iron and steel are wrought to a high degree of perfection; and the blades of kris or daggers made here are celebrated throughout the East Indies. In this district iron has been worked from time immemorial; and an extensive manufacture of coarse pottery, near the banks of the lake, supplies not only Padang, but Bengoolen, with that useful article. The Sumatrans are entire strangers to the art of painting and drawing. In cane and basket work they are particularly neat and expert, as well as in mats, of which some kinds are much prized for their extreme fineness, and for the beauty and taste of the borders with which they are ornamented. They excel also in the manufacture of silk and cotton cloths of varied colours, chiefly for domestic use. Their apparatus for weaving is, however, of the rudest description, and renders their progress tedious. The women are expert at embroidery, the gold and silver thread for which is procured from China, as well as their needles.
Gunpowder is manufactured in various parts of the island, chiefly among the people of Menangcabau, the Battas, and Acheenese, among whom, as they are frequently at war, it is an article in great request. It is not, however, well made, being imperfectly granulated, and often hastily prepared for immediate use. Different kinds of earthenware are manufactured in the island. The manufacture of filagree is here carried to the greatest perfection. There is no manufacture in any part of the world that has been more justly admired and celebrated than the fine gold and silver filagree of Sumatra; this is the work of the Malays, to whose superior taste and industry many of the monuments of art which remain are ascribed. This manufacture is in universal use in the country; and its fineness and beauty form a singular contrast to the coarseness of the tools which are employed in the workmanship, and which are rudely and inartificially formed by the goldsmith from any old iron that he can pick up. A piece of iron hoop as a wire-drawing instrument, an old hammer-head stuck in a block as an anvil, and two old nails tied together as a pair of compasses, are the chief instruments. They have no bellows, but blow the fire with their mouths through a reed. They are very inexpert at polishing the plain parts, but in other respects nothing can exceed the extraordinary delicacy of the Malay work. They are extremely skilful in manufacturing fishing-nets and springs for catching birds.
The Malays and a part of the Sumatran proper are Mohammedans; the other tribes, in as far as they exhibit any traces of religion at all, are heathens. Mohammedanism seems to have superseded in this country the Buddhist doctrines, which prevailed here at an early period; but it has never made much progress among the tribes in the interior, owing probably, among other reasons, to the immense numbers of swine, which constitute an important part of the wealth of these people, as well as a favourite article of food. The Battas have a religious system and an influential priesthood, but they worship no idol.
The Malay language, which is understood to be the original language in the peninsula of Malacca, has extended itself through all these Asiatic islands, and has become the common tongue in this part of the globe. It is spoken everywhere along the coasts of Sumatra. It also prevails in the inland country of Menangcabau, and is understood in almost every part of the island. From the smoothness and sweetness of its sound, it has been called the Italian of the East. Their writing is in the Arabic character, very little corrupted; owing to which, and the adoption of the Mohammedan religion, a great number of Arabic words are incorporated with the Malay. The Battas have an ancient and peculiar mode of writing, from the bottom upwards; but of their books in this character little is known, and they seem to be of no great value.
In a political point of view, Sumatra is divided between the native independent states and the Dutch possessions. Of the former, the largest is Acheen, occupying the whole northern part of the island. (See Acheen.) It is governed by a sultan, who had formerly under him many subject-princes; but most of these have now become independent. On the east coast lies the state of Siak, which is also governed by a sultan, and has a capital of the same name at the mouth of the Siak river. The country of the Battas forms three independent states,—Sinamora, Bato-Seling-Dong, and Butar. Its principal town is Baroos, on the west coast. Of less size and importance are the states of Indrapura, Passaman, and Jambi, the two former on the west and the latter on the east coast. The rest of the island belongs to the Dutch. Their possessions form six governments, besides two others, which comprise the smaller islands adjacent to Sumatra. The governments are:—
1. Sumatra on the west coast, from the equator to 1° 55' S. Lat., including the district of Menangcabau. The capi- Sumatra. tal is Padang. 2. Bengoolen, to the south of the former, and likewise on the west coast, with a capital of the same name. 3. Lampung, occupying the southern extremity of the island. 4. Palembang, north of the preceding, on the east coast, including the town and river of the same name. 5. Indragiri, still further north, extending to the southern entrance of the Straits of Malacca; and 6. Assahan, the most northerly of all the governments on the east coast. Besides these there is the government of Banca, consisting of the island of that name, and that of Rhio, comprising the smaller islands lying south of the Malay peninsula. The extent and population of these various divisions of Sumatra are exhibited in the following table:
| Dutch Possessions | Square Miles | Pop. (1857) | |------------------|--------------|------------| | Sumatra | 46,628 | | | Indragiri | 14,327 | 1,499,271 | | Assahan | 5,382 | | | Bengoolen | 9,643 | 112,542 | | Lampung | 10,067 | 82,974 | | Palembang | 54,216 | 467,585 |
| Native States | | | |------------------|--------------|------------| | Aceh | | 600,000 | | Batta | | 1,200,000 | | Other tribes | | 550,000 |
Total population...about 4,612,472
The Dutch are continually by slow degrees enlarging their power and possessions in this island, and year by year are making encroachments on the independent states.
The trade of Sumatra is carried on chiefly with the neighbouring East Indian countries. The island affords many productions which are exported, especially pepper, gold-dust, camphor, nutmegs, cloves, mace, benzoin, gutta-percha, copper, tin, sulphur, coral, &c., which are generally brought down by the natives to the seaports, and there exchanged for goods of Indian or European manufacture. Besides cotton, muslin, and silk, opium and salt are imported from India; porcelain, hardware, gold thread, and other articles from China; striped cotton cloth, arms, and spices from Java, Celebes, and other islands of the East Indies; and silver, steel, cutlery, broad-cloth, &c., from Europe. There is a considerable trade between this island and Java and Madura, carried on chiefly in native, but partly also in European vessels. In 1854 there entered at the principal ports of Sumatra, from those in Java and Madura, 964 vessels, tonnage 44,446; and there cleared for these ports 871 vessels, tonnage 39,056.
Of the early history of this island we know next to nothing. Mohammedanism is said to have been first introduced in the thirteenth century, when the Arabians were in the habit of undertaking voyages to the East Indies and to China. About the end of the twelfth century the Malays began to spread themselves from their original seats in Sumatra over the peninsula of Malacca and the Sunda Islands, where they continued to be the dominant race until the fourteenth century. When the Portuguese landed here in 1509, they found that the ancient Malay kingdom of Menangkabau had been dissolved; but there was a powerful monarch ruling over Aceh, who endeavoured to exclude the strangers from his country. In 1575 the Portuguese shipping in the harbour of Aceh was destroyed by the natives, and in 1582 an attempt which they made to gain possession of the town proved quite unsuccessful. No permanent settlement was made on the island till 1600, when the Dutch established a factory at Pulo Chinko, on the west coast. The kingdom of Aceh had by this time begun to decline in power, being distracted by internal wars and discords. The success of the Dutch was at first greatly promoted here, as in the other parts of the East Indies, by the fact that they arrived at a time when the natives were bitterly and justly exasperated against the Portuguese, on account of the oppression and cruelty which they in many cases exhibited, and to which the conduct of the new-comers afforded a favourable contrast. But it soon appeared that the commercial eagerness of the Dutch was no less grasping and aggressive than had been the Portuguese lust of plunder and conquest. They rapidly increased the number of their factories and settlements, founding one at Padang in 1649, at Palembang in 1664, and in many other parts of the island, and securing to themselves the monopoly of the profitable trade in pepper.
The English followed the Dutch in this island, and founded a colony at Bengoolen in 1685; but they never made so much progress here as their rivals. In 1811, the Dutch settlements in the East Indies fell into the hands of the British; Holland having been at that time annexed by Napoleon to France. But by the peace of 1816 these colonies were restored to the Dutch, who have since retained them. In 1824, they exchanged the settlement of Malacca for the British colony of Bengoolen. A singular war which took place subsequently in Sumatra led to a material extension of the Dutch possessions. It was occasioned by a religious sect called Padries, who first made their appearance here about the beginning of the century. Their principles were at first harmless enough, being simply abstinence from gambling, smoking opium, and drinking intoxicating liquors; and, for about eighteen years they flourished in peace. But about 1815, a society of this sect was formed for the purpose of spreading their doctrines and practices by force; and this speedily roused resistance and opposition. The Malays and Batta made common cause against the Padries; and for a long time a fierce struggle was carried on, which devastated Menangkabau and the neighbouring regions. At length the assistance of the Dutch was called in against the Padries, and with their help the sect was entirely put down. The indirect results of this war were the annexation of Menangkabau to the Dutch possessions in 1835, and the opening up to them of the Batta country, from which foreigners had previously been excluded.