Tso Fung was angry and

in a high fort without On hearing this, the Chung Lang general,

and Chang, heard the sound of battle, and saw the fire blazing up to heaven, and while pressing forward with his force, the rebels were beaten and scattered. Hiuen Teh, seeing Fang Pu Siang and Chu Tsin, informed them of Lou Chit's intention. Siang said, 'Chang Liang and Chang Pau's force is greatly reduced and their strength almost gone; they will go to Kwang Tsung in hope of Chang Kiok's help. Hiuen Teh may go immediately to strengthen the battle against them.' Hiuen Teh received the command, and forthwith led his soldiers back. When half way, he saw a guard of horsemen accompanying a cage cart; the prisoner in the cart was Lou Chit. Hiuen, in great surprise, alighted from his horse and inquired the reason; Lou Chit said, 'I had surrounded Chang Kiok, and was on the point of capturing him, when he used divination, so that I could not conquer him. The emperor sent the Hwang Num, Tso Fung, first to go and inspect; he asked me for a bribe; I answered, saying, The soldier's pay is scanty, how should I have any money left to give to the imperial messenger? returned to the emperor, saying, I remained fighting, and had a lazy soldier's heart. emperor's anger kindled, and he sent the Tung Tsuh, to take my place and command the soldiers. I was ordered back to the capital to be tried.' Chang Fei, hearing this, was very angry, and wished to kill the military escort and save Lou Chit. Hiuen Teh restrained him, saying, 'The emperor himself has given orders, how then can you act disorderly towards the soldiers who are escorting Lou Chit?' Kwan Kung said, 'Chung Lang has taken the command of the soldiers, let us go, for there is no one to depend on, otherwise return to Tukkun.' Hiuen Teh assented, and they immediately led their army northward; having scarcely marched two days, they suddenly heard a great voice behind a mountain. Hiuen Teh headed Kwan and Chang, and spurred on his horse to the summit of the hill, when he beheld the imperial army routed; behind the mountain and plain, was covered with the yellow turbans. On a banner was incribed, in large characters, Tien Kung Chang Kun. Hiuen Teh said, 'This is Chang Kiok, let us hasten to the battle.' The three men flew on their horses, at the head of their soldiers, and immediately Chang Kiok was beaten. Tung Tsuh, rallying his force, pursued the enemy, and joining the three heroes, renewed the attack with them. Chang Kiok's army was routed, and fled in confusion, fifty Li. The three men having saved Tung Tsuh, returned to the camp."

The emperor, it is said, at first loaded the brotherhood with

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K

honours, and bestowed on it as signal marks of his imperial favour, a sword weighing two catties and thirteen taels, with an iron seal; but afterwards, alarmed at their rising power and influence, he massacred most of them, and dispersed the rest, after a determined resistance on the part of the brethren. From the remnant that escaped the edge of the sword, the present numerous association has its rise. In the Peking Gazette, dated October 7, 1817, we find it stated that this society then prevailed much in Canton, and that the new viceroy, Yuen Tajin, had commenced with much severity against them; that two or three thousand had been recently apprehended, and that at the rite of initiation into the society, which is performed at night, they make a paper effigy of the reigning emperor, and require the novice to cut it into pieces. It is not unreasonable to infer that the Chinese colonists at Malacca, in Java, Borneo, and other parts of the Indian Archipelago, at an early period, after emigration, would find the advantages of binding themselves together as a means of defence and self-protection in a foreign land; many of them had probably been members of associations already alluded to in their native land Hence the numerous kongsis, or public clubs, into which we find them invariably linked, particularly at the mines and plantations in the interior. Be that as it may, the particular tenets of the secret society of Tien-ti-huih have, of late years, gained ground. According to the calculation of a Chinese (himself one of the fraternity), the number of sworn brethren in our settlements in the Straits, cannot be less than seven thousand. During the Dutch administration, it was nearly broken up, but has, however, again reared its head under the more lenient and perhaps too liberal policy of the English. Shortly after taking possession of Malacca, in 1825, they became so numerous and riotous, as to excite the attention of government, as the following extract from a Malacca Observer of 1826, will evince:

"Towards the evening of Thursday, the 12th inst., an unpleasant occurrence took place, attended with some alarm, amongst the inhabitants of Malacca. There exists in China, and in all colonies where the Chinese settle, a society, or brotherhood, the nature and object of which we shall explain below. A party of this society, about forty in number, principally composed of men from the plantations, were assembled at a Chinaman's house, in order to celebrate the anniversary of the birth-day of one of their leaders, and after eating and drinking, became very noisy and quarrelsome. The constable of police understanding this, went in to quiet them, but met with a very unceremonious reception, as one of the Chinese struck him with a stick over the eye. The constable, however, seized one of

them, and brought him to the fiscal's house. On hearing the circumstance, Mr. Minjoot repaired to the spot, but seeing so large a number exhibiting an unruly spirit, he proceeded to inform the resident, in company with the captains of the Chinese and Clings. Our resident immediately came himself, attended by a small guard of peons. Entering the house, he seized a man pointed out by the constable, and delivered him over to the custody of the peons. Two others were subsequently apprehended, and confined in jail. As one of the objects of the brotherhood is mutual defence and assistance, in similar and in all cases, government was apprehensive that the body would create some disturbance during the night, on which account the fiscal was allowed a small guard of sepoys at his house, while the watch was doubled, and the captains, or chiefs, of the Malays and Clings, had bodies of their own people to protect their houses. The night, however, passed over without any alarming occurrence taking place. On the following Saturday, the four Chinamen were examined before the court; one of them was released, there being no material charge against him, while the man who struck the constable was sentenced to two years hard labour in irons, another to six months, and the other to three. The Chinese may thank their stars for being dealt with so leniently, for had the circumstance taken place in China, and they known to be of the brotherhood, the whole body would have been been seized and decapitated. The law in China against them is very severe, and it is said that, last year, a society to the amount of four hundred, were apprehended and decapitated. The Chinese being freed from the oppression which they experience in their own country, imagine that when they come under British dominion, they are at liberty to act as they please.

"We understand that two men, who are known to be leaders, have been bound over to be answerable in case of any future disturbance. It is reported that the brotherhood are able to muster four thousand strong from the different plantations and tin mines in the interior, added to those at Malacca itself. They are all either Canton or Macao men, no Fokien man being allowed to enter their body, as the natives of that province speak another dialect. This society, of late, has increased so considerably in Malacca, as to assume an alarming aspect in the eyes of some. They carry on their plots and meetings with such secresy, that for years the local government have never been able to discover any clue whereby to apprehend them or their leaders, of whom, it is said, there are now five. It is well known that several murders have been committed by them;

among which was one that occurred about two years ago, on the body of a Chinese barber; the murderer, it is said, was seized, but through the assistance of his brethren, effected his escape to the tin mines, without the Malacca district. Two of the leaders are also said to have hung up and beaten to death, at one of the plantations, two unfortunate Chinese, who were suspected of treason towards the brotherhood. An instance occurred a few months ago, within our own knowledge, which fully convinces us of the nature of this society. A Chinese became obnoxious to the chief leaders, on account of his taking part with the above mentioned barber, who was murdered. Being at the tin mines at Loocoot, the leader fixed a price on his head, and as mostly all the miners belong to this society, he became their marked object. Being apprised of their murderous designs, he contrived to make his escape, but not before notice was given to his enemies, who had previously dug a pit in the pathway to prevent the accomplishment of his design. Being hard pressed by two or three of them, armed with swords, he unfortunately fell into the pit of which he was not aware, but recovering himself by means of his arms, he was springing up again, when a man from behind made a deadly blow at his head, which, however, he avoided, by dexterously inclining to one side. The blow fell on his arm, and made a deep gash between the wrist and the elbow. He, nevertheless, got up, and after several more wounds, principally on his legs, finally escaped to Malacca. But even here he was not safe, for the diabolical vengeance of the bandit followed hard upon him, and he was obliged to conceal himself, most secretly, for several months. His wounds were seen, and he was taken before the police magistrate, who examined into the case, and from his previous knowledge of the brotherhood, had every reason to credit the man's story. At his own most earnest solicitation, he was conveyed on board the H.C.S. 'Java,' which delivered him from the murderous hatred of the brotherhood at Malacca.

"It is commonly reported of their chief leader, whose name is Kwang San, that in order to make himself ferocious, he once drank gall taken out of a murdered man's body, mixed with wine, and that his appearance in every way corresponds with his mind. He resides principally at the tin mines at Loocoot (Lukut), but occasionally comes down to Malacca, secretly."

The finances of this branch received a severe shock in the attack which the Malays made upon them at the tin mines of Sungie-ujong in 1828, by which was lost the whole of the common treasure, and many lives. In consequence of this blow, the brethren could not

afford to keep up the large house where they were accustomed to hold their meetings at Malacca. In September, 1834, they revenged themselves on the Malays, by rising upon the inhabitants of Lukut one rainy night, firing the houses and plundering and murdering every man, woman, and child they could lay hands upon. Twanku Boosu, the chief of the tin mines, in which the Chinese were employed, and a near relation of the present king of Salangore, fell under their butchering hands. The whole of his property, amounting, it is said, to upwards of twenty thousand dollars, in gold dust and cash, besides a large quantity of jewels, and trinkets of gold and silver, were carried off to Malacca, where the law not being able to reach them, in consequence of the crime having been perpetrated beyond the British frontier, they enjoyed the fruits of their villany with impunity. It is said that great part of the property, acquired by such nefarious means, went to enrich the common treasure of the fraternity. A portion was employed in erecting two houses for their public use, one at the second Trangueira bridge, and another at Kubu. The day on which the tidings of this successful outrage was conveyed to Malacca appeared, from the way in which the houses of many of the members were illuminated, to be one of common rejoicing. The mines of Lukut have again been occupied by a set of miners of the same fraternity. Akwan, the head, or Tai-ko, has been lately at Lukut, organizing them.

In Java, Rhio, and many other Dutch settlements, they have, from time to time, concocted dangerous conspiracies against government, and risen into open rebellion. At our own settlement o Penang, in 1799, the Kongsis uniting, set government at defiance, and were only reduced to subjection by the most vigorous measures. It came to light on the trial of the ringleaders, that they had bound themselves by the most solemn oaths to stand by each other to the last, in an attempt to shake off the British subjection, and render themselves an independent community. According to Major Low, Superintendent of Province Wellesley, the Chinese at the Battu Kawan sugar plantations nearly all belong to one Kongsi, and were very turbulent before 1829, having turned out on several occasions to the sound of a buffalo horn against the civil power. They were then armed with long wooden spears, the ends of which were hardened in the fire, and also with iron missiles, resembling a trident, the middle prong being longer than the other two. They are now comparatively quiet. The same intelligent observer, whose functions as a magistrate gave him many opportunities of observing the practical effects of these organizations at Penang, remarks, that