THE FEDERATED MALAY STATES.*

L i 59 1

A PLEA FOR PISTOL PRACTICE.

is no a i l m a n e or provision for this, and it is a problem of doing he best one can under the circumstances, with the reduced llowance of zoo rounds of ammunition per man. Th s last difficulty can hardly be remedied by drawing carbin ball ammunition for the empty shells turned into the F nkfort, Arsenal, and changing them for pistol ball, yet t 's is the only resource to which troop commanders may t , provided it is desired to give the men the full benefi i of the instruction course over the ranges prescribed by reelations. T o maintain the best interest of the service, by attaining the gieatest degree of proficiency possible with the arm issued! and as an incentive to such, the awarding of badges would1 be of inestimable value. .. I V

BY CAPTAIN

GEORGE T. LANGHORNE, ELEVEXTH

CAVALRY,

A. D. C. TO MAJOR GENERAL WOOD.

HE military force of the Federated hlalay States con- T sists of a regiment called the Malay States Guides, to which is attached an artillery corps. It is composed almost entirely of Sikhs and Pathans. The latter are sometimes spoken of as Mohammedan Sikhs, and do not wear beards. Both Sikhs and Pathans are splendid looking men, and their profession is soldiering. They are very submissive to discipline, careful and proud of all the forms and ceremonies They are said, however, to lack initiative, and although fight bravely when well led, still the moment they are de- * prived of their white leaders their value in a great measure is gone. The field and most of the company officers are those of lower grade from the British army. The lieutenant colonel commanding is a very energetic and active man, and one of great ability. The adjutant, Captain E. I. M. Barrett, of the Lancaster Fusiliers, is an especially energetic and capable officer. There are a number of native officers. The regiment is about a thousand strong, quartered as follows: Two companies at Kuala Lumpur, State of Selangor, and six companies arid headquarters at Taiping, in the State of Perak. They are uniformed with the handsome turbans, and even their khaki uniform is striking. For dress occasions they have the British red coat. For the field their equipment is very simple. They use a khaki cloth haversack, which has the advantage of being cheap, and perhaps is durable enough for their service. They have for fatigue work a light blue flannel shirt without a collar and a handsome green turban. The British Resident of each of the four *Extract from a report on Sarawak. Java and the Federated Malay Staks. The report was made from personal observation during a visit to these places. .

THE FEDERA TED MALA Y STA TES.

native states has agaard-furnished from this regiment, ptinci-pally ifor display. The Sultan and many of the native chiefs are wceived with guards of honor whenever they visit the Resident or the state capital. Tpe target range at Taiping is one of the very best I have] ever seen. The long distance firing is up to 1200 m; the butts are against a mountain. This figure shows a cross d o n ; the overhanging cover enable6 the space between the butt and the target to be small, thus preventing the loss of many good shots. . The targets were on an upright iron frame, and had vertical motion, working on chains over wheels at the top. These frames or stands permitted three- sizes of targets to be used. The butt was floored with cement; the cover was up-hehd by iron posts and iron rails. Like everything else in thk British ahd Dutch colonies, the targets and the butts w&re nicely painted or whitewashed. One of the main advantages of the range was that it approached service conditions, the jungle on either side, the rough ground, and shoot-idg over a toad which crosses the range at five hundred yards. There were many disappearing targets very simply arranged, some on the open ground, some imitation men

THE FEDERA TED MALA Y STA TES.

55 behind breastworks or shelter, a gun with silhouette cannoneers, a track running across a portion of the range on which an imitation armored car with a gun and crew, offering fine moving target. Another target arrangement, representing a column of troops marching down a hill towards the shots, was suspended on a wire, and consisted of a number of groups of silhouette figures arranged as in a column of troops. There was a painted canvas on a frame, to represent the front of a house, with a window and a door which could be opened and shut presenting the figure of a soldier in the window and in the doorway. A very good simple moving target was the silhouette of a soldier creeping, with his gun carried about the knees. This was on a light frame about four feet square, and was carried on a pole like the signs which one sees carried about in the streets. X man carrying this moves up and down behind the butt. The target appearing above the latter makes a very good moving nbjec-tive. Captain Barrett and the soldiers were particularly good ' shots, especially those I saw, which were the best from each company practicing at competition targets for a match to be shot off in a few days between that garrison and the garrison at Singapore. Officers from each garrison were sent to the other to watch the firing of the competitors. The teams shot at the same gaur on the appointed day at Taiping and Singapore, and. the results were telegraphed. In addition to these matches they have regular competitions similar to ours. In Singapore the troops are, a regiment of British infantry, one of Madras infantry (native soldiers from India), and artillery, both British and native. These serve a tour in Singapore of so many years. The armament of the coast defenses about Singapore is said to be very good. The artillery were doing some excellent shooting with rapid fire guns at a moving target at the western entrance as we passed on the steamer. I dined with Captain Anderson, adjutant of the Madras regiment, and member of the Indian Staff Corps, at Alexandria Barracks, where they are to erect new permanent barracks for the native infantry.

THE FEDERA TED MALA Y STA TES.

The officers at present are living in nipa shacks about like the temporary shelters used by our officers in the Philippines. They have excellent lawns and many flowers about the I houses. He said that many of the natives of India were excellent ’ shots, much better shots than the British soldiers as a rule, and for that reason there was a different course of instruction for the native and white troops, in order that the two could not be compared by the natives in favor of themselves. T o encourage interest among the European residents in the Malay States and the. Straits settlements the government invites them to use the target ranges, to receive instruction from the military, and supplies them with an annual allowance of ammunition for use on the range, and the use of government service rifles. In the English colonies in the tropics the army officers use a very simple, inexpensive and neat mess jacket. with the same collar and strap ornaments as are used on the kh’aki OT white blouse. This custom enables one to dress for the evening in a cool dinner dress which answers every requirement in that warm climate. The police of the Malay States is formed of Sikhs, Pathans and Malays. The Malays are perhaps not so trustworthy, but are said to have more brains than Sikhs, and they will oftem assume responsibilities and direct the Sikhs in emergencies when the Sikhs are waiting for orders, and are willing to obey anyone who will assume to give them orders. The sys tem of constabulary and police for the Malay States, although the material is not the best, is creditable. They are used extensively in patrolling the roads. The police always look clean and soldierly. There are small police stations all about the country. The court rooms, which are in simple, small, open buildings, are ne& the police stations. The latter are clean and well suited to the purpose. The magistrates, who are designated by the Resident, generallyfn addition to their other duties 88 district administrative officials. move about constantly and appear at generally fixed dates at the various places where 0 57 In each police station there is a lockup for

THE FEDERA TED MALA Y STA TES.

they hold court. the temporary safe keeping of prisoners. The uniform is khaki with canvas puttees. ~ The constabulary and police regulations are taken from the Indian government and adapted to use in the Malay States. The so-called Kitchener helmet is an excellent head dress, both with khaki and white. For comfort and appearance it is the most attractive headgear I have seen in the tropics. ’ I noticed carefully many British soldiers dressed in their khaki. They were as a rule not so w.ell set up nor as fine looking as our men, nor were their clothes of as natty a cut as those that our neatest men wear. But their helmets gave them a striking military appearance. The same is true of the officers,,both in white and khaki. All of these native troops are comparatively inexpensive, and efforts are made to keep them so.