"There are many Malayu compositions of a historical nature, though they are not so common as the classes that have been enumerated; such as the Hikayat Rajah bongsu, which I have not seen, but which has been described to me as a genealogical history of the Malay Rajahs. The Hikayat Malaka, which relates the founding of that city by a Javanese adventurer, the arrival of the Portuguese and the combats of the Malays with Albuquerque and the other Portuguese commanders. The Hikayat Pitrajaya-Putti, or history of an ancient Raja of Malacca, the Hikayat Achi, or history of Achi or Achin in Sumatra and the Hikayat Hang Tuha, or the adventures of a Malay Chief during the reign of the last Raja of Malacca, and the account of a Malay Embassy sent to Mekka and Constantinople to request assistance against the Portuguese. Such historical narrations are extremely numerous, indeed there is reason to believe that there is one of every state or tribe; and though occasionally embellished by fiction, it is only from them that we can obtain an outline of the Malay history and of the progress of the nation."
Leyden wrote seventy years ago, but, owing probably to the limited intercourse of Europeans with the native States of the Peninsula, little has been discovered since his time to justify his belief that separate historical narrations existed for every state or tribe. The publication of a translation of the Hikayat Marong Mahawangsa by Col. Low[1] is, as far as I know, the only acquisition of importance.
In Perak I have lost no opportunity of enquiring for historical manuscripts, and have succeeded in obtaining two, of which I propose to give a short account in this paper.
The first is a short genealogy of the Mohamedan kings of Pêrak. It is a well-thumbed little book of 72 pages, which formerly belonged to the Raja Bĕndahara, and has evidently been treated as a treasure, for it is wrapped up in an embroidered napkin (tetumpan) and an outer wrapper of yellow cloth. The first page is missing but I hope to get it supplied from memory or from another copy.
The book commences with an abstract of the Sijara Malayu and the Malay kings are traced from Palembang to Singhapura, and from Singhapura to Malacca. A Summary
- ↑ Journal Indian Archipelago Vol. III. p. 1.
