In 1884 a young French mining engineer named Jacques de Morgan (1857–1924) explored the interior of the state of Perak, searching for locations suitable for tin mining. He took meticulous notes of the flora and fauna, the physical environment, and the people he encountered in a world known only to the aboriginal people living there. Morgan’s account of his journey, together with excerpts from several scholarly articles published after his return to France, was published in 2003 in a French-language edition (Paris: CNRS Éditions), and here in English for the first time. The volume is heavily illustrated with Morgan’s own drawings= and includes a day-to-day account of his extraordinary journey. The picture of 19th century Malaya that emerges from this book will be a revelation to modern readers.

This volume benefits from a generous endowment by DYMM Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah ibni Almarhum Sultan Azlan Shah, the Sultan of Perak Darul Ridzuan.

About the Authors

Andrée Jaunay had a special interest in the career of Jacques de Morgan. In addition to this account of his expedition in the Malay Peninsula, she published a volume entitled Mémoires de Jacques de Morgan, 1857–1924 (Paris: L’Harmattan, 1997). Antonio J. Guerreiro is senior research associate at IRASIA (CNRS-Aix Marseille University, Marseilles), secretary-general of the Société des Etudes Euroasiatiques, Musée de Quai Branly–Jacques Chirac, Paris, and a consultant to the Sarawak Museum Campus Project (SMCP)/New Sarawak Museum in Kuching, Sarawak. Christine Lorre is senior curator in Comparative Archaelogy at the Musée d’Archéologie nationale (MAN) and the Domaine national at Saint-Germain-en-Laye. Antoine Verney is chief curator, and director of the Bayeux museums in France.

Contents:

Frontispiece

Acknowledgements

Preface by Geneviéve Dollfus

Foreword by Christian Pelras

Introduction: Background and Biography, by Andrée Jaunay

The Historical Context of Jacques de Morgan’s Journey, by Antonio J. Guerreiro

Part One: Jacques de Morgan’s Exploration in the Malay Peninsula

The Travel Journal

Jacques de Morgan’s Travel Notebooks, by Antoine Verney

Part Two: Excerpts from Selected Articles by Jacques de Morgan relating to the Malay Peninsula

History of the Malay Peninsula

The Neolithic Era in the Malay Peninsula

Negritos of the Malay Peninsula: Ethnography and Linguistics

On Sakai Concepts of Law

Publications on the Negritos in the Malay Peninsula

Botany and Zoology

The Geology and Mining Industry of Perak and Neighbouring States

Part Three: Appendices

Additional notes to the travel journal by Antonio J. Guerreiro

The Orang Asli populations that Jacques de Morgan encountered during his travels by Antonio J. Guerreiro

Ethnographic Collections from the Malay Peninsula (1880-96) in the Trocadero Museum of Ethnology by Antonio J. Guerreiro

Introduction to J. de Morgan’s collection from Malaysia at the Musée d’Archéologie nationale(MAN) by Christine Lorre

The Jacques de Morgan Collection from the Malay Peninsula. Items not moved to MAN in 2002 by Christine Lorre

Preliminary Catalogue of the Collection conserved at MAN

A Chronological and Thematic Bibliography of Publications by Jacques de Morgan

General Bibliography

Map of Perak and Environs prepared by Jacques de Morgan