History PT topic : Dutch’s POV during the dispute for Singapore

“Come in,my fellow man”,exclaimed the governor of Malacca,Jan Samuel Timmermann Thijssen, “What news do you have for me today?”A puny little man tiptoed into to the room timidly.

“Sir……… we have some bad news. The British who has landed on Singapore, and they have just found that Sultan Abdul Rahman is not the real Sultan and has overthrown him by bringing back Teng ku Hussein,”he murmured in one whole breath.

“Come again…”the governor ordered,with a frown etched in his temple

“Well,the British…who has landed on Singapore, has found that Tengku Abdul Rahman is not the real Sultan…and has overthrown him by bringing back Tengku Hussein,” he hesitated, fearing the wrath of the governor. As he feared, the governor’s face started turning red, veins that were slowly popping out of his neck now being clearly visble. It was as though smoke was escaping through his ears. Out of the blue, he slammed his fist on the table as hard as he could. The poor table, being one of the low quality ones, buckled at once.

“Singapore, you say, ”he started too sweetly to be true, “isn’t it the island at the southern tip of the Malay peninsula, near the Straits of Malacca.” The little man nodded, dumbfounded by the anger radiated out by the governor.The governor’s face paled by a few shades. It was almost impossible to detect whether he was afraid or outraged.

“Blasphemy, blasphemy! How dare the set foot in our property! We would have to chase them out so badly, that they would regret intruding into our land.You,” he yelled,causing the man to jump and shiver, “shall write a warning letter to the British officials that are residing in our country. NOW!” On hearing that, the man raced out of the room immediately, glad to have escaped the wrath of the governor.

If the British is able to conquer Singapore, our monopoly in the South-East Asia will be ruined. It has a deep sea harbor and good timber to

repair ships. It would become an ideal place for the traders to stop by, he thought, I should ask help from the higher officials for the solution of this problem. With that, he set out with a quill and paper to write to the higher officals in Hollnd for help.

Dear Sir,

We have faced a huge issue. The British have stumbled upon Singapore, which is our land as we had founded it first but unfortunately, we did not put our flag on it to mark it as our territory .If it had been any other country, the solution would have been easy; to chase them out using our formidable forces. However, the “rivals” that we face now are the British. We have formed an alliance with them since we owe Britain a huge debt as we borrowed from the heavily during the Napoleonic Wars. Hence, to break this alliance would be a huge loss for us. However, if they get to keep Singapore, our monopoly in the South-East Asia will be severely affected. Singapore is also a very successful trading port that contributes to the British’s economy. Please do think over this difficult situation that we are stuck in now and try your very best to think of a solution.

Yours sincerely,

Jan Samuel Timmermann Thijssen

Governor of Malacca

A month later, the Governor was still pondering on what to do. Moreover the reply to his letter never came, due to the slow communication

“May I come in,sir?” asked a firm voice.

“The door’s open,” the governor replied, asking himself what could have been the matter.

A Dutch official entered, before reporting the information to the Governor. “Sir, I have some news for you. Our intelligence reports that Sir Stamford Raffles has not brought any armies as British Governor Bannerman refused to lend him any troops. Also Lord Hastings was angry with Raffles for defying his order and ursuping Dutch terriority. Thus now is the time to retaliate and take back what was originally ours. We could threaten them with our troops. Even though they ignored the previous warning letter, they would not be able to ignore this,” the Dutch official said with absolute certainty.

The Governor quickly analysed the situation, weighed the pros and cons and finally made a descision.

“I shall personally write a letter to Stamford Raffles since you need to be very careful as even a tiny mistake might be able to call off the alliance. You may leave now,” the Governor requested, as the official bowed and took his leave. Cautiously,the Governor started writing.

Dear Sir Stamford Raffles,

We, the Dutch, request you to vacate Singapore at once. Singapore is our land as we found it first and recognized Tengku Abdul Rahman as the Sultan . If you do not take heed to our warnings, we would have to send our troops to chase you out. Please think wisely about this. Thank You.

Yours faithfully,

Jan Samuel Timmermann Thijssen

Governor of Malacca

A month and a half later, a reply arrived. However, it was not one of good news.The British had flatly refused to vacate Singapore.

In a dilemma of whether to give up Singapore or to attack the British, the Governor wrote again to his superiors in Holland. Six months later, a reply arrived.

Dear Governor Jan Samuel Timmermann Thijssen,

We have written a personal letter to the British government asking them to withdraw Stamford Raffles and William Farquaher from Singapore. It is highly likely that the will comply as we offered to give up our ports in India. However, if they do not comply, we are afraid that we would have to give up Singapore to them as our alliance is of utmost importance and a war against Britain would just affect our economy even more. Let’s pray that they will comply to our demands and leave Singapore.

Yours sincerely,

Hendrik Fagel

Minister of State (Holland)

So now, all the Governor had to do was wait. On 20 July 1820, another letter came at last. “Finally,” the governor muttered in annoyance. The annoyance was quickly replaced by a feeling of burning anticipation. Ripping the letter out, he read.

Dear Governor Jan Samuel Timmermann Thijssen,

We have gotten a reply from the British. However, it is not one of good news. They refused to give up Singapore. Now, we have nothing left to resort to, so we will have to give Singapore up to them. Apparantly, the value of Singapore is has escalated rapidly and as Sir Stamford Raffles had every intention to make Singapore a permanent one, the population was increasing rapidly. After a short period of time, it had a population of five thousand, made up of the Chinese, Malays, Indians

and British, and the habour was filled with small trade ships from all over the Archipelgo. Its status as a free port is attracting merchants from all over the world. Our mathematicians predict that the value of Singapore’s trade will be over four million by the end of this year. Thus they said that Singapore was too valuable for them to give up. Now we would have to give Singapore to them. Waging a war like many of the politicians say is simply destructive and will severely affect the future of Holland. It would be best if we closed the argument between us and Britain as soon as possible. So please try to reduce the conflict in the South-East Asia region best as you can.

Yours sincerely,

Hendrik Fagel

Minister of State (Holland)

Sighing in defeat, the Governor beckoned to all his men.

“I have bad news for you,” he announced to everyone, “The British have refused to return Singapore back to us.” Almost immediately, shouts of angry protests and defeated sighs reverberated through the air.

“Therefore, we will have to abide by the wishes of our superiors and not only stop arguing with the British, but give Singapore away to the British even though it is our property. I know this is hard but it is the only way to get past this feud without affecting our alliance with them, and maintain a healthy relationship with them. No one, I mean no one, should go and threaten or start arguments with the British ”

The note of finality in his voice prevented any whining or protests from all the men, but they were all still disappointed. But what could they do? They had to act according to the orders of their superiors.

Three years passed. A new governor, Adriaan Koek, was left in charge of Malacca.He was still unconvinced that Singapore should be with the British. Hence, he wrote a letter to ask if he could continue negotiations with the British.

Dear Sir,

I think we should try negotiate with the Britons one more time.This time we could try bring in the idea of having a sphere of influence each. Though the chances of success are slim, there is no harm trying. I shall be waiting for your approval. Thank You.

Yours sincerely,

Adriaan Koek

Governor of Malacca

A few months later, a reply letter arrived. It was from Hendrik Fagel. At once, the governor started reading the letter .

Dear Governor Adriaan Koek,

You are new to this job so it is expected of you to be overly eager . So I have to explain this situation to you. The British have found Singapore to be an important asset to their arsenal.The trading value of Singapore has increased exponentially.There is no way they will give up Singapore, so perish that thought in your mind.They have realized Singapore’s true potential and exploited it to boost their country’s economy. There is nothing we can do about it. I hope that you do not waste any more time on this hopeless situation.

Yours sincerely,

Hendrik Fagel

Minister of State (Holland)

A feeling of dread shivered within him. He had made a bad impression of himself and he had to get rid of it somehow. He had to think up of a flawless idea so as to get rid of his bad name. So he spent the next

few days thinking hard. And finally, on his second day, he had a stroke of brilliance. Bubbling with excitement, he started writing his letter to his Dutch superiors.

Dear Sir,

I am truly sorry for asking such a dull question and wasting your time. on my previous letter. However, this time, I have thought of a really good idea as a solution for this problem - to sign a treaty with the British. We can give up Malacca and our Indian colonies in exchange of Bencoolen and all their posessions in Sumatra. It will remove of all the old bad blood between both countries and would be able to rebuild a new and better relationship. Also, through this treaty, we will also be able to pay off our debts from the previous war. I hope my letter is worthy of your time.

Yours sincerely,

Adriaan Koek

Governor of Dutch Malacca

Crossing his fingers, he waited for his superiors reply. About 6 months later, a reply came. With eagerness coursing through his veins, he started to read it.

Dear Governor Adriaan Koek,

I have underestimated your brilliance. What an idea! Why didn’t I think of it ? You have exceeded my expectations. Your idea is perfect. I shall discuss about it with the British superiors. Even as a new governor, you have done your work in a manner that is flawless. This treaty that you have proposed will be able to rebuild our alliance. Thank you for your wonderful idea.

Yours sincerely,

Hendrik Fagel

Minister of State (Holland)

The governor was literally jumping for joy. He had finally worked up a good name for himself and done service to his country.

The Treaty of London also known as the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824 was signed on 17 March 1824 by Hendrik Fagel and Anton Reinhard Falck, representatives from Holland and George Cunnings and Charles Watkin Williams Wynn from Britain. The terms were as following:

The treaty divided the Straits of Malacca and the south of Singapore with an imaginary line into a British “sphere of influence” and a Dutch “sphere of influence”.

Each country would have commercial control within its own area and agreed not o interfere with the affairs of the other country’s “sphere of influence”.

Britain ceded Bencoolen to Holland (Dutch), and Holland gave Malacca to Britain.

The Dutch agreed to cede all their bases in India and the Malay Peninsula to Britain.

The Dutch accepted the British possession of Singapore.

No new settlements were to be formed without authority from the appropriate European governments.

All ceded territories were to be handed over on 8 March 1825 and all inhabitants were to have six years to sell their property and be allowed to settle wherever they choose.

Both powers agreed to work together to stamp out the problem of piracy.

Both powers agreed to give “most favoured nation” treatment to the other power in the Malay Peninsula, Ceylon and India

Rules about the amount of duties to be paid were agreed upon.

There was to be free passage for the local traders to any port.

Neither power should make treaties with other local rulers aimed at excluding the other power from the use of local ports.

The Dutch tin treaties with Selanooor and Perak were to lapse.

The Dutch agreed to pay the British government 100,000 British pounds of trading debts which they owed.

The treaty was given formal consent by the British on 30 April 1824 and by the Dutch on 2 June 1824.

“Finally,” Fagel muttered. “Our bad blood is over now, I hope.”

THE END