Journal of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society/Volume 10/Outline History of the British Connection with Malaya
OUTLINE HISTORY OF THE BRITISH CONNECTION WITH MALAYA.
[The following "Outline History" has been compiled in the hope that it may be of assistance to those, both in and out of the Colony, who are anxious to know something of its antecedents. The information has been collected from a variety of sources, and, so far as is known, can nowhere be found in the form of a suc- einet and connected narrative here adopted].
GENERAL.
The history of the Colony is, properly speaking, but the latest chapter in the history of the British intercourse with Malaya, now extending over 280 years, and this intercourse may be divided into three periods, viz.:—
- That of individual trading (1602-1681).
- That of trading closely connected with the East India Company (1681-1762).
- That of more direct-political and military-intervention (since 1762).
A brief reference to each of these periods will best serve as preface to the history of the Colony.
The earliest dealings of our countrymen with Malaya (1602-1681)1602 were entirely of a commercial character, not excepting the quasi-ambassadorial Commissions of Queen Elizabeth and her Successor to Sir James Lancaster, Captain Best and others in this first period. These so-called Envoys were, in point of fact, ship-owners and merchants, sailing, almost always at their own charge, under the encouragement of the English Sovereign, but without having, so far as is known, any other than commercial objects committed to them, and certainly without any success in obtaining other than commercial results from their missions.
At the time when these English navigators first appeared on the scene (1602), they had been preceded by the Portuguese as conquerors or settlers in Malacca and elsewhere (1610-11); by the Spanish in the Manilas (1571); by the Dutch in Bantam (1596). Amboyna (1609); a little later Batavia was occupied (1619), and later still Banda (1627), and Padang (1660). No factories had, before this last date, been established in Sumatra, Borneo, or on the East Coast of the Malay Peninsula. On the Malacca side of the Peninsula the Dutch had already opened factories in Perak, Kĕdah aud Junk Ceylon.
This period consists exclusively of individual enterprises of a non-political character. These enterprises were almost wholly concerned with the pepper-trade in Bantam and the spice-trade in Banda, Amboyna, Ternate and Tidore. These were the local names the most familiar in England, and are to be found in Milton's "Paradise Lost," in Dryden, in Clarendon's History, &c.
There were also ventures to Bantam and the coast of Sumatra for pepper, and to the northern parts of the Peninsula for tin and pepper. The English E. I. Company, though it did not promote them, and before long began to oppose them, took advantage of these enterprises in some cases. For instance, after Lancaster's visit to Bantam in 1602, the Company established a factory there. As to political status, our merchants were entirely excluded. from it by the older settlers—the Portuguese and Spaniards, and afterwards the Dutch. When they were admitted, as at Bantam and Amboyna, into a kind of alliance with the Dutch, it was always one of subordination, even before the latter became para- mount through the capture of Malacca by the allied Dutch and Achinese (1641). After that event, the Dutch supremacy was, of course, more exclusive. No satisfaction could be obtained, either before or after 1641, for the "Massacre of Amboyna," though the story excited some indignation in England for many years.
The next period (1694-1762)1684 is one of mixed commercial and political intercourse, promoted, and as far as possible monopolised, by the East India Company,—commerce being still first and foremost in the consideration of all, both at home and abroad.
The long Naval Wars with the Dutch, which terminated in 1674 were looked upon with little satisfaction in England, but they undoubtedly led to an improved position for our Company's merchants in Malaya. The Dutch found the difference when they tried against them at Bantam (1683) the tactics which had been so successful at Amboyna (1625). Our merchants did not, on being expelled from the former, yield up the pepper-trade, as they had yielded the clove-trade at Amboyna: on the contrary the East India Company's Government at Madras took the first opportunity to establish new forts and factories in Indrapore (1681) and Bencoolen (1685). The former settlement did not long continue, but that in Bencoolen was afterwards strengthened and secured by a strong Fort named after the great Marlborough (1714); and Ben- coolen may thus be considered to be the gern of all our subsequent growth in these parts.
Other experimental establishments were also made at Achin (1666 and 1695), Jambi, Tapanuli, Natal (1752), Moco-Moco, Patani, &c., but none of them proved permanent. After 1686 all the Sumatran Settlements were rendered subordinate to Bencoolen.
The latest of the three divisions. comprising the period since 1762,1762. is a period of political and military connection. commencing with the Bengal Government's expedition against Manila (1762). and continuing down to the present time.
The result of that expedition was that the Spanish possessions were captured without difficulty. but were restored at the Peace of Paris (1763), when our possessions in Sumatra were also secured to us. The only token of success retained by the English was the island of Bĕlambangan, which was ceded by the Sultan of Sulu in gratitude for his release from Spanish captivity on the taking of Manila. This island lies off Maladu Bay in Sabah, and is interesting as being, together with Labuan, which was then occupied for a still shorter period, our first acquisition of territory in Bornean waters. It was finally abandoned in 1803.
The familiarising of the Bengal merchants with this part of the world, consequent on such an expedition, and on the negotiations that followed at the Peace, was of importance; and after the Treaty of 1763 Fort Marlborough (Bencoolen) was formed into an independent Residency, which arrangement lasted till 1802. In 1781 Padang and the other Dutch Settlements in Sumatra were seized by a military expedition from Bencoolen. These acts fostered the enterprises Captain Light and Captain James Scott were carrying on when a Settlement on Pulau Pinang was first projected (1781-6). That political motives and objects were not wanting is clear from the Treaty with Kĕdah, and the correspondence that preceded it, and particularly from the interest Warren Hastings took in its foundation. The Settlement was made in 1786 by friendly cession. In 1797-8 a second expedition against Manila was fitted out from Madras by Sir J. Shore, under the command of Colonel Wellesley. It was recalled before it left Penang; a full account of the island at that time, written by its Commander to his brother, who had become Governor-General, is to be found in "The Wellington Despatches" (Supplementary Despatches, Vol. I., p. 25).
The history of this latest of the three divisions into which the British connection with Malaya naturally falls, is, speaking generally, the history of enterprises in which the Government, actuated by political considerations, has taken the lead in promoting British connection with those regions. There are certainly two recent exceptions to be made, in Borneo, of enterprises which bear something of the earlier private character, viz.:—Mr. Brooke's action in Sarawak (1810-2), and Mr. Dent's more recent enterprise in Sabah (1880). But the general character of the period is seen in the two Manila expeditions—the successful one of 1762, and the abortive one of 1797; in the occupation, loss, recapture, and final surrender of Balambangan (1775-1803); in the foundation of Penang (1785), after some years of negotiation both in Bengal and Kĕdah; in the cessions and retrocessions of Malacca (1795-1825); in the foundation and support of Singapore (1819); and in the protection (since withdrawn) afforded to Achin (1819), and the States of the Malay Peninsula, with which Treaties have, from time to time (1818-76), been entered into since that first one with Kedah.
There are three principal dates in this interval:—1805, 1827. and 1867.
The first of these brings to a close the period in which no regular English administration had been organised; affairs were managed by commercial Superintendents. and the Indian Government was content to leave their factories and possessions, in Penang at all events. outside the Indian political system.
The next stage exhibits an entire change.1805. The Indian Government went from one extreme to the other. The rapid progress of the new Settlement's commerce at Penang was duly appreciated by the Government of Lord Wellesley, the early prosperity of the place supporting his views regarding "private trade;" the expedition of 1797, and, no doubt, Colonel Wellesley's communications, brought enquiry, when quieter times followed, into Penang's political prospects. Exaggerated notions then came to be entertained of the new Settlement's importance for naval and political purposes; and in 1804-5 the East India Company decided to confer upon it an independent Government, and sent out a Governor and Council, Secretary, Assistant Secretary and several Writers, after the fashion of the older Presidencies, with which Penang was now to rank. A Recorder's Court followed (1807), and enquiry was also made as to the desirability of abandoning Malacca (1808), the better to secure Penang's position. Then came the Java expedition (1811), and the old commercial struggle with the Dutch also entered into the political phase; not so much through the temporary occupation of their possessions, as in consequence of the great political stroke of abolishing monopoly (1813), which followed shortly after our occupation. What Lord Minto took in 1811, was restored; but his successor, Lord Hastings, was equally ready to support the talented administrator, Sir T. S. Raffles, upon whom his predecessor had relied, and who had governed Java until its restoration; and he allowed Raffles to found Singapore (1819), for objects which are very clearly explained in one of Raffles's first letters from Singapore, dated June 10th, 1819 (preserved in the Raffles Museum).
The Penang Government was also alive to the importance of preventing any re-establishment of Dutch monopoly at this crisis. and for that purpose entered into negotiations, which will be found recorded in the earliest of our Treaties with Pêrak and Sĕlangor (1818).
Soon after Malacca was finally ceded to us by the Dutch (1825); and when the shiftings and changes thus came to an end, the numer- ons experiments theretofore made resulted in the existing form of united Colony, as finally settled in person by Lord W. Bentinck (1827).
The next period is one of 10 years (1827 to 1867),1827. in which the Colony remained an Indian dependency, but was left to develop quietly upon its own resources: with some pecuniary aid, though on a more economical scale than formerly, from the Indian Government; nor has any great break been made by the transfer, under Act of Parliament, to Colonial Office rule in April 1867: which, though a momentous change, well deserving of the trouble that was taken in bringing it about, has not disturbed the continuity of our recent history.
The prosperity of the Colony since then,1867-83. and the increased importance of its administration, comprising as it now does the three Natives Stalos taken under our protection in 1874, can be gathered from a comparison of the Revenues to be administered in 1868 and those estimated for the current year:—
| 1868. | 1875. | 1883. | |
| Singapore, | $864,918 | $967,235 | $1,697,920 |
| Penang, | 324,196 | 453,029 | 1,006,020 |
| Malacca, | 112,725 | 118,397 | 303,330 |
| Protected Native States— | |||
| Pêrak, | 270,000 | 1,236,120 | |
| Sĕlângor, | 115,651 | 383,750 | |
| Sungei Ujong | 66,474 | 128,990 | |
| Total, | $1,301,839 | $1,990,696 | $4,756,130 |
The Census returns shew an increase in the population of the Colony alone, during about the same period, from 273,000 (in 1866) to 423,884 (in 1881).
LOCAL.
The following notices of the various Settlements and the Native States now comprehended in the Colony's administration, are chiefly taken from official sources. The Settlements are treated in the order of their seniority.
Malacca.
Malacca is situated on the western coast of the Peninsula between Singapore and Penang, about 110 miles from the former and 240 from the latter, and consists of a strip of territory about 42 miles in length, and from 8 to 25 miles in breadth, containing an area of 659 square miles.
The principal town, called Malacca, is in 2° 10' North lat. and 102° 14' East long. The local Government is administered by a Resident Councillor.
Malacca is one of the oldest European possessions in the East, having been taken from its Malay Sultan, Mahmud Shah, by the Portuguese under Albuquerque in 1511, to punish an attack upon his Lieutenant, Sequira, in 1500. It was held by them till 1641, when the Dutch, after several fruitless attempts, succeeded, with the help of the Achinese, in driving them out. The place remained under Dutch government till 25th August, 1795, when it was taken military possession of by the English. It was governed by them on the Dutch system of monopoly till 1813; and it was still held by the English, after that system was abolished, till 1818; at which date it was restored to the Dutch, in accordance with the Treaty of Vienna. It finally came into our hands under the Treaty with Holland of March, 1821, in exchange for our Company's Settlement at Bencoolen, and other places on the West coast of Sumatra. By that Treaty it was also arranged that the Dutch should not again meddle with affairs, or have any settlement on the Malay Peninsula, the British Government agreeing, at the same time, to leave Sumatra to the Dutch, saving only Achin in the North, of which the independence was protected until the Treaty of 1872.
A few years after re-occupying Malacca, a small force of Sepoys had to proceed against Naning, the interior district of Malacca, in which Dutch sovereignty had apparently never been fully admitted. Our first expedition (1831) failed; the second (1832) succeeded. In 1833 a Treaty was made, settling the south-east boundary of the Settlement as at present. There has been no disturbance in any part of Malacca since the "Naning War."
When Malacca was taken possession of by the Portngnese in 1511, it was one of the grand entrepôts for the commerce of the East, and it so continued till the close of the 16th century; but as the Portuguese and other European nations pushed further to the East, in the Archipelago and neighbouring countries, the trade of Malacca gradually declined; and the place ceased to be of much consequence as a collecting centre, except for the trade of the Malayan Peninsula and the Island of Sumatra. This trade it retained, under Dutch rule, till the establishment of Penang in 1786; when, in the course of a few years, it became, what it has ever since been, a place of no commercial importance, but possessing some agricultural resources. Penang soon acquired most of the trade of the Malayan Peninsula and Sumatra, Borneo, the Celebes, and other places in the Archipelago, not reduced to mercantile subjection by the Dutch; but soon after Singapore was established, Penang in its turn declined in importance, the greater part of the extensive Eastern trade being centred at Singapore. [Penang's local trade has, however, largely increased within the last few years in consequence of the increased prosperity of the extensive tin mines in Lârut, Rendong, Junk Ceylon, the tobacco plantations on the East coast of Sumatra, &c.] The opening of Singapore in 1819 may be said to have accomplished, for the time being, the ruin of Malacca's commerce. To use Raffles's own words at the time "the intermediate Station of Malacca, although occupied "by the Dutch, has been completely nullified."
The population and agricultural development of the country districts of Malacca have, however, been very considerably increased of late years, especially since roads have been made throughout the territory. The Revenue has, in the last ten years, increased in larger proportion than that of Singapore or Penang.
Penang.
Penang is an island about 15 miles long and 9 broad, containing an area of 107 square miles, situated off the West coast of the Malay Peninsula in 5° N. latitude, and at the northern end of the Straits of Malacca. On the opposite shore of the mainland, from which the island is separated by a sea channel from 2 to 10 miles broad, is Province Wellesley, a strip of territory containing 270 square miles, forming part of the Settlement. It averages 8 miles in width, and extends 45 miles along the coast, and includes, simce the Pangkor Treaty (1874), about 25 square miles of newly acquired territory to the south of the Krian. The local Government is administered by a Resident Councillor.
The chief town is George Town, in 5° 24' North lat, and 100° 21' East long.
Penang, or Prince of Wales' Island as it was officially called, was ceded to Captain Light, acting for the East India Company, by the Raja of Kedah in 1785, the sum of 10,000 dollars being annually paid to the Raja of Kedah as long as the British occupy the island. The Settlement was founded on the 17th July, 1786. In 1800, in consequence of the prevalence of piracy on the shores of the mainland opposite Penang, a strip of the coast of the mainland, now called Province Wellesley, was purchased for 2,000 dollars from the same Raja. It extended from the Muda River to the Krian River, a distance of 35 miles. Since the Pangkor Treaty of 1874 it has been enlarged, as stated above; and since that Treaty, also, the Settlement has comprised the outlying dependency of Pangkor and the Dindings, under a Superintendent, which gives an addition of territory almost equalling the Province in extent. Province Wellesley is in a high state of cultivation, when compared with the neighbouring territories. The chief articles cultivated are sugar, tapioca, paddy, and cocoa-nuts. In 1805 Penang was made a separate Presidency under the East India Company, of equal rank with Madras and Bombay. In 1826 Singapore and Malacca were incorporated with it under one Government, Penang still remaining the seat of Government. In 1837 the seat of Government was transferred to Singapore. The revenue and trade of Penang have increased remarkably in the last fifteen years.
Singapore.
Singapore is an island about 27 miles long by 14 wide, containing an area of 206 square miles, situated at the southern extremity of the Malay Peninsula, from which it is separated by a narrow strait about three-quarters of a mile in width. There are a number of small islands adjacent to it which form part of the Settlement.
The seat of Government, for the whole Colony as well as the Settlement, is the town of Singapore, at the southern point of the island, in lat. 1° 16' North, and long. 108° 53' East.
Singapore was occupied by Sir Stamford Raffles, acting under the authority of Lord Hastings, on the 6th February, 1819, by virtue of a Treaty with the Malayan princes of Johor. It was at first subordinate to Bencoolen in Sumatra, of which Raffles was then Lieut.-Governor; but in 1823 it was placed under the Government of Bengal. It was afterwards, as above stated, incorporated with Penang and Malacca, and finally became the seat of Government (1837).
Its rapid progress was, at that time, unparallelled. On the 11th June, 1819, Raffles wrote home: "My new Colony thrives most. rapidly. We have not been established four months, and it has received an accession of population exceeding 5,000, principally Chinese, and their number is daily increasing."
Nor has it disappointed the expectations then formed of its future; both its general and local Trade and its Revenues having, for many years, exceeded that of all competitors.
The Protected Native States.
The Protected States comprise three "Residencies," all on the western side of the Peninsula, between Province Wellesley and Malacca, viz.:—Pêrak (August, 1874), Sĕlângor and Sungei Ujong December, 1874).
The anarchy prevailing in almost all the Native States of the Malay Peninsula, and especially in Pêrak, had been, for some years prior to 1874, a source of disquiet to the Straits Settlements, and a hindrance to the growth of local trade. In the beginning of that year steps were taken by Sir Andrew Clarke to remedy this state of things by settling the affairs of Larut and Pêrak in the Pangkor Treaty (20th January, 1874), and, later on in that year, by station- ing British Residents in Perak and Selangor, and in the small State of Sungei Ujong, to advise their rulers respecting the collection of revenue and general administration. With a view also to enable the British authorities to keep order in that part of the Peninsula, a strip of land south of Province Wellesley, beyond the Krian river, about 10 miles broad, was acquired as British territory; and also a small portion of territory on the mainland, opposite the island of Pangkor, which had previously been coded to us, to sup- press piracy and without any idea of occupation, in a Treaty with Pêrak (1825).
Towards the end of 1875, Sir William Jervois being then Governor, Mr. Birch, the first British Resident at Pêrak, was murdered. (2nd November 1875) and a force sent to apprehend the murderers was resisted; and, about the same time, the Residency in Sungei Ujong was menaced by bodies of Malays from some of the States near Malacca. Troops were obtained from India and China, a naval brigade was landed, aud Pêrak was fully occupied (January, 1876). During the previous month a military and naval force had already driven the enemy from a strong stockaded position in the hills between Sri Menanti and Sungei Ujong, and dispersed the malcontents in that neighbourhood. During these operations, Selangor remained quiet.
Those concerned in the murder of Mr. Birch were captured and punished, the Sultan and some of the Chiefs being banished. Peace and order have since been maintained in all the Western States, and, so far as is known, throughout the Peninsula. On the cessation of hostilities (which had throughout been on a very small scale) it was finally laid down in Lord Carnarvon's despatch of 1st June, 1876, that the Protected States, without being either directly annexed or governed by "Commissioners," might continue to receive assistance in their administration from British Officers styled "Residents." Since then, both in Pêrak, Sĕlângor, and Sungei Ujong, Residents have been stationed uninterruptedly, and without requiring any Military support, except such as a drilled corps of Sikhs can furnish. They are assisted by a staff comprising both native and European officers, and it is their duty to aid the native rulers by advice, and to carry out certain executive functions delegated to them. The supreme authority in Perak and Sĕlângor is vested in the State Council, consisting, in each State, of the Malay Chief, the highest native authorities, and the principal British officials. The Residents are directly under the Government of the Straits Settlements, and it is admitted that great success has hitherto attended the development of Sir Andrew Clarke's experiment.