Government — The authority of the Dutch extends, nominally at least, over the greater part of the island, and may be considdred to be real over all the coast districts. In the interior, however, there are still. considerable tracts un der native rulers, or forming village confedera tions, over which the Dutch exercise little or no authority. The Dutch possessions are divided into six chief divisions. The government of the west coast, with an area calculated at 31,649 square miles, extends along the middle portion of the west coast, and includes Padang and other districts. The governor resides at Pa dang. The residency of Benkulen lies. to the south of that of the west coast, and has an area of 9,399 square miles, Benlculen being the capital. The residency of Lampong comprises the southern districts of the island on the Strait of Sunda, and has au area of 11,284 square miles. The residency of Palembang on the east coast, with an area of 53,497 square miles, lies to the north of Lampong, and has as its capital the large town of Palembang. The district of Indragiri, farther north, belongs to the resi dency of Riou, which is named after the island of that name. Farther north .is the residency of the east coast, its area being estimated at 35,312 square miles; and at the extreme north west that of Achin, which still remains semi independent, area 20,471 square miles.
Racial Sumatra is inhab ited by a very mixed population. Malays col lected from every quarter of the archipelago inhabit the coast. Hindus appear to have set tled at an early age in the north, and to have modified the Malay type of the Achinese. The Arabs in the island, though few in number, have always formed an important class. Chi nese are numerous, particularly on the east coast. Northwest of Palembang the Orang Kubu live in a savage state, and shun any inter course.with the neighboring tribes. The Orang Kubu must not be confounded with the people of Menankabu, a pure Malay race inhabiting the highland.s of Padang, which some are dis posed to consider the original seat of the Malay stock. The 13attaks are a peculiar and inter esting race. Like the Malays they are of short stature, but they differ from the former in be ing strongly built and well proportioned. The art of writing has been known among the Bat taks from a date beyond the reach of tradition. Their characters are peculiar, and also their mode of writing, for they begin at the bottom of the page at the left-hand side, and place letter above letter in a vertical column till they reach the top, when they return to the bottom. Their ancient books are written in a brilliant ink on paper made of the bark of trees, but now they scratch their writings on slips of flattened bamboo. Among all the indigenous tribes of Sumatra the characteristic political tendency is one that could have originated only in the recesses of the mountains. Every village
affects independence, but the villages form con federations. The native tribes of Sumatra have no temples and no priests. They are said to be lieve in the existence of an evil spirit and of demons who haunt the mountains. On the coasts Buddhism appears to have been introduced at an early age, but it has since been completely superseded by Mohammedanism, which, among the Malays, however, is of a very relaxed char acter.
History.— The fist European who visited the island of Sumatra is said to have been Nic colo di Conti, who came there before 1449. In the beginning of the 16th century it was visited by the Portuguese, but no Europeans obtained a firm footing on the island until the Dutch estab lished a factory on the west coast at the end of the 16th century. In 1666 the Dutch took possession of Padang, and soon after enlarged their territories by treaty with the Sultan of Achin. Since that time they have gone on con tinually consolidating and Increasing their do minion much more by negotiation than by force of arms. Their last important accession of in fluence on the island was gained by a treaty with the kingdom of Siak, concluded in 1868, by which they obtained the virtual control of that state. In 1685 the British formed a settle ment in Benkulen, and in 1811 they seized the Dutch possessions on the island. These were, however, restored in 1815, and in 1824 Benku len was given over to the Dutch in exchange for Malacca. A treaty concluded between the Dutch and English governments in 1834 left the Dutch free to make what treaties they pleased with the native powers in the island of Sumatra, the same liberty being allowed to the British on the Malay Peninsula; but the right of the Dutch to make advances in the island by conquest and annexation was not then recognized. This right was, however, con ceded in the treaty of February 1871, in return for the cession to the British of the Dutch pos sessions on the Gold, Coast; and in accordance with this permission the Dutch despatched an expedition against Achin. In April 1873, the forces of the two powers came into collision, and a war ensued which dragged on for a num ber of years, caused severe losses to the Dutch, and terminated only in the nominal subjugation of Achin. In August 1883 the tidal wave that accompanied the terrific volcanic outburst in Krakatoa, swept with destructive effect the south coast of Sumatra, a total change in the aspect of the Straits of Sunda also resulting from the eruption. Consult Bernard, 'A travers Sumatra' (Paris 1910) ; Breitenstein, H., (Leipzig 1902); Cabaton, A., (Java, Sumatra and the other Islands of the Dutch East Indies) (New York 1914).