Perak Dignitaries on a Mission to Free the S.S. Nisero Ship in Aceh in 1884

Based on the geography of the Malay Peninsula, a seafaring culture has long existed in line with ancient Malay history. However, references to the involvement of seafaring activities at that time were not documented in a systematic way, which eventually led to the involvement of Malays in the Royal Malayan Naval Volunteer Reserve (RMNVR) being documented and subsequently chosen as the sacred year for the establishment of the Royal Malaysian Navy.

However, the involvement of Malays as sailors and captains actually began before 1934, and it is only recorded in the annals of history that may not have been known to anyone except the individuals themselves and their children and grandchildren. Malays had already begun involving themselves as captains under the British Colonial Government earlier than 1934. This is proven by the discovery of several writings and copies of testimonial letters from the British government to the Malay captains who were directly involved in voyages with British government officials while the Malay Peninsula was under the rule of the British Straits Settlements Colonial Government. After the fall of the Malacca empire to the Portuguese in 1511 and the Dutch in 1824, the British conquered the Malay Peninsula until it achieved independence in 1957. The British established the Straits Settlements government to administer the Malay Peninsula, and British Residents were placed in all the Straits Settlements to represent the British government, starting from Perak to Pahang. The involvement of Malay dignitaries from Perak as captains and sailors in the British Colonial Government of the Straits Settlements began in 1884 when Sir Frederick Weld was the Governor of the Straits Settlements. He requested William Edward Maxwell to go to Aceh to secure the release of the ship S.S. NISERO from Tengku Imam Muda, the Ruler of Tenom, Aceh. William Edward Maxwell served as the Acting Resident of Penang from 1887 to 1889, Resident of Selangor from 1889 to 1892, and Secretary to the British Straits Settlements Colonial Government from 1892-1895. He, who was involved in an expedition exploring Perak in 1865, was also fluent in Malay and understood Malay customs well while in the Malay Peninsula. Sir Weld chose Maxwell because of his extraordinary knowledge of the Malay Peninsula and its language. Maxwell chose five (5) Penghulu Mukim (sub-district chiefs) in Larut whom he knew closely and trusted deeply to assist him in the mission to secure the release of the S.S. NISERO. Sir Frederick Weld sent a letter to Sir Hugh Low, the British Resident in Perak at that time, to obtain the consent of the Penghulu Mukim, who consisted of Datuk Penghulu Nakhoda Taruna, Penghulu of Jebong in Matang, Taiping, Datuk Penghulu Muda Alauddin in Selinsing, Penghulu Darus in Sungai Tinggi, Datuk Panglima Besar Hj Abdul Rauf in Tanjung Piandang, and Panglima Raja in Batu Teguh. Sir Hugh Low asked these selected Penghulu Mukim to help Maxwell rescue the British ship S.S. NISERO and its crew who were stranded in Aceh due to the tsunami from the Krakatoa volcanic eruption on August 27, 1883. Maxwell, who had been instructed by Governor Sir Frederick Weld, did not want any British personnel to assist him in this mission. He only wanted the five (5) Malays whom he knew and trusted well to sail with him to Aceh to secure the release of the S.S. NISERO. These Penghulu Mukim from the Larut district, Perak, sailed with Maxwell from Penang to Aceh for the rescue mission. The British ship S.S. NISERO, under the command of Captain Woodhouse with 29 crew members and a cargo of sugar, had run aground on the West Coast of Aceh on November 8, 1883. Of the 29 crew members, 18 were British subjects, and the rest were of various nationalities: Dutch, German, Italian, American, Norwegian, and Chinese. The NISERO ship and its crew were then captured by Tengku Imam Muda, the Raja of Tenom in Aceh, for the purpose of using the ship and its crew as bait to pit the British against the Dutch. Aceh, which at that time was rich in pepper production, needed a port to sell its produce. The Dutch had destroyed all ports in Aceh to block them, and Tengku Imam Muda intended to gain British intervention to help Aceh so that all its ports, which were blockaded by the Dutch, could be reopened to continue the pepper trade. Maxwell's trust in the Malays, especially those selected to accompany him to Aceh, was a recognition of the dignitaries and the Malay people in Perak at that time. These selected Penghulu Mukim sailed with Maxwell on the British ship HMS Pegasus from Penang on February 19, 1884, to obtain the consent of Tengku Imam Muda for the release of the captured S.S. NISERO crew. Datuk Penghulu Nakhoda Taruna was the Penghulu of Mukim Jebong in Matang, Taiping at that time and was very close to the dignitaries of the Larut district and trusted by Maxwell. He led the Penghulu and the Malays who accompanied Maxwell on the rescue mission. Datuk Penghulu Nakhoda Taruna's father, Nakhoda Sulong (Hj Abd Kadir) b Hj Mohd Kaul b Raja Natan b YDPS Raja Bagewang II, the 27th Minangkabau Sultan, was a sailor and captain. His grandfather, Hj Mohd Kaul or Tok Engku Kali Jamauddin, who originated from Padang Ganting, Luak Tanah Datar, Sumatra, was also a tough captain and sailor known from Sumatra to Aceh. He fully utilized this opportunity to communicate with Tengku Imam Muda, the Ruler of Tenom, to secure the release of the S.S. NISERO crew. During several months of discussions and negotiations with Tengku Imam Muda, Datuk Panglima Nakhoda Taruna played an important role as a mediator to secure the release of the captured S.S. NISERO crew. After obtaining Aceh's agreement regarding the compensation to be paid by the British, Maxwell and the Penghulu Mukim returned to the Malay Peninsula, and Maxwell then sailed to England to obtain the consent of the Queen of England regarding the demands of the Ruler of Tenom. Several months later, upon Maxwell's return to Penang, he and Datuk Penghulu Nakhoda Taruna, along with his younger brother Nakhoda Mat Hassan, sailed to Aceh for the second time in early August with Maxwell to free the S.S. NISERO crew with the consent of the Queen of England to fulfill all the demands of Tengku Imam Muda, the Ruler of Tenom. After securing the release of the 18 surviving NISERO crew members from Tengku Imam Muda on September 10, 1884, Maxwell, Datuk Nakhoda Taruna, and his brother Nakhoda Mat Hassan returned to the Malay Peninsula safely. As a token of appreciation, the British offered them anything they requested, but Nakhoda Taruna and Mat Hassan were not greedy and only wanted their services to be remembered by the British. The British Straits Settlements Government awarded 27 acres of land to each of them and a letter of appreciation to Datuk Penghulu Nakhoda Taruna and Nakhoda Mat Hassan. The letter of appreciation (testimony) dated 11.11.1884 proves that the Malays were involved in the NISERO rescue mission under Maxwell's leadership. Everyone involved in the mission was given a letter of appreciation by the British based on their involvement and services in the mission. Nakhoda Mat Hassan's letter of appreciation was written for his involvement in the second voyage with Nakhoda Taruna and Maxwell. Meanwhile, Nakhoda Taruna's letter of appreciation, according to his descendants' stories, was longer and more detailed regarding his involvement from the beginning, not only as a sailor but also as a mediator in the mission to free the NISERO crew on September 10, 1884. All the Malays who followed Maxwell on the NISERO mission were given the title of Nakhoda (Captain) by the British upon their return from the voyage to Aceh. The involvement of these state dignitaries and Penghulu was the earliest involvement of Malays as captains and sailors in the British colonial government. These Malay dignitaries and Penghulu were also serving under the British government at that time as Penghulu Mukim in Perak and were highly trusted by Maxwell, the Acting Resident of Perak at the time. The British Straits Settlements Colonial Government placed high trust in them to participate in the rescue mission and sail on the British Navy ship HMS Pegasus. They were the first group of Malays recognized by the British at that time for their service and were given a certificate of appreciation (testimony) and a grant of 27 acres of land each for their involvement in the rescue mission. They were then called Nakhoda after returning from the voyage to Aceh. Perhaps it is time for those involved in the 1884 S.S. NISERO rescue mission to be recognized as the earliest Malay captains and sailors to serve under the British Straits Settlements Colonial Government. They not only brought honor to the Malay Peninsula but also to the state of Perak and the Malay people in particular, as they were chosen and trusted by the British to participate in that very dangerous rescue mission. Given that they were government staff appointed as Penghulu Mukim by the British and specifically chosen by the Resident, they should be recognized as the earliest captains, sailors, and diplomats in the history of the Malay Peninsula. Their courage as captains, sailors, and wise diplomats helped the British secure the release of the S.S. NISERO from Tengku Imam Muda, the Ruler of Tenom, Aceh. Letter of Appreciation: A photocopy of the government letter of appreciation to Nakhoda Mat Hassan is kept by Insun Mustapha. The letter of appreciation (testimony) to Nakhoda Mat Hassan (Mohamad Hasan), who was the younger brother of Datuk Nakhoda Taruna. The letterhead is the Crest "Governor Straits Settlements", in Malay: "That this letter has been bestowed by His Excellency the Governor who governs Singapore, Penang, and Malacca to Mat Hasan... to be... in... accompanying the Honourable William Edward Maxwell together with other Malays to Aceh to perform the work ordered by the Queen's Government... to release the gentlemen and sailors of the shipwreck named "Nisero" who were captured by the Raja of Tenom... also very much appreciates the services of the Malays who accompanied him to Aceh." In English: "This document is given by his Excellency the Governor of the Straits Settlements to Mat Hasan of Jebong in Larut, Perak. I ... of Malays who accompanied the Honourable W.E.Maxwell on a mission dispatched by her Majesty’s Government to demand the release of the Officers and seamen… from the Rajah of Tenom. The release of survivors has been affected and Mr. Maxwell has… to the value of the services rendered by the Malays who accompanied him..." Signed by: Acting Colonial Secretary, Straits settlement, Acting Governor, Straits Settlements, Written at the Colonial Secretariat in Singapore, November 1884. Transmitted to Mat Hassan on 11 November 1884. The surviving NISERO crew consisted of only 18 people who were still alive. The picture below shows 17 people, one more was still being treated at the Hospital upon their return to Penang.

1. James Grant, donkey-man.
2. Martin Michelson, seaman.
3. Laurence Miiller, boatswain.
4. Ah Foo, second Chinese cook.
5. No information
6. Franz Jacobson, seaman.
7. Charles S. Crichton, chief officer.
8. J. Thompson, purser.
9. W. Bradley, third engineer.
10. Thomas Bubb, third officer.
11. L. K. Moore, second officer.
12. John Stanton, fireman.
13. Carl Gronn, seaman.
14. Hametar Haar, seaman.
15. George Essery, first steward.
16. John Kelly, fireman.
17. Olens Holgerson, seaman.

Book References:

1. Asal Mula Konflik Acheh, Dari Perebutan Pantai Timur Sumatra Hingga Akhir Kerajaan Acheh Abad ke-19, Anthony Reid, Translator: Masri Maris, Yayasan Obor Indonesia, Jakarta 2007.
2. “Memoir Mustapha Hussain; Kebangkitan Nasionalisme Melayu Sebelum UMNO” , Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 1999, p. 102. Malay Nationalism Before UMNO; The Memoirs of Mustapha Hussain, translation by Insun Sony Mustapha, Utusan Publications and Distributors Sdn Bhd.
3. The Wreck Of The Nisero and Our Captivity in Sumatra, W. Bradley, Samson Low, Marston, Searle & Rivington, Crown Building, 188 Fleet Street, London, 1884.

Website References:

1. http://en.wikipedia.org
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1883_eruption_of_Krakatoa
3. h t t p : / / w w w. j a n n a t o n . n e t / s e j a r a h%2 0 k e l u a r g a / NakodaTarunaTripAceh.pdf
4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Pegasus_(1878)
5. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aceh_War
6. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_history_of_the_Netherlands
7. h t t p : / / w w w . a r c h i v e . o r g / s t r e a m / wreckniseroando01bradgoog#page/n9/mode/1

Interviews:

1. Mr. Osman Hussain, Jalan Menteri, Matang, 34100 TAIPING, Perak Darul Ridzuan. (grandson of Nakhoda Mat Hassan)
2. Ms. Insun Sony binti Mustapha Hussain, Villa Mustapha, Jalan Intan 4, Venice Of Perak, 32100 LUMUT, Perak Darul Ridzuan. (great-granddaughter of Nakhoda Mat Hassan)

Article by Captain Abdul Kadir bin Zakaria from the Royal Malaysian Navy (TLDM)