Pangkor Treaty of 1874

Pangkor Treaty of 1874

The Pangkor Treaty of 1874 was a treaty signed between the British and the Sultan of Perak. Signed on January 20, 1874 on the island of Pangkor off Perak, the treaty is significant in history of the Malay states as it signalled official British involvement in the policies of the Malays.

Precedence

Perak was a major tin producer throughout the nineteenth century, leading the UK, which had already obtained Penang, Malacca and Singapore, to consider Perak of significant importance. However, local strife collectively known as the Larut War between the local Malay elites and frequent clashes between secret Chinese societies disrupted the flow of tin from the mines of Perak.

In 1871, Sultan Ali, the ruler of Perak died. Raja Abdullah, as Raja Muda or the next in line ruler, should have been appointed as the next Sultan of Perak but Raja Bendahara Raja Ismail was elected instead. The reason being, Raja Abdullah was not present during the burial of the late Sultan Ali. At around the same time, two secret Chinese societies known as Ghee Hin led by Chin Ah Yam and Hai San led by Chung Keng Quee constantly waged battle against each other for control of the tin mines.

Agreement

Raja Abdullah later asked the British for help in solving these two problems. In her book "The Golden Chersonese and The Way Thither" (Published 1892 G.P. Putnam's Sons) Victorian traveller and adventuress, Isabella Lucy Bird (1831-1904), describes how Raja Muda Abdullah as he then was turned to his friend in Singapore, Tan Kim Ching. Tan, together with an English merchant in Singapore drafted a letter to Governor Sir Andrew Clarke which Abdullah signed. The letter expressed Abdullah's desire to place Perak under British protection, and "to have a man of sufficient abilities to show (him) a good system of government." On the 26th of September, 1872 Chung Keng Quee had already presented a petition, signed by himself and 44 other Chinese leaders, seeking British interference following the attack of 12,000 men of Chung Shan by 2,000 men of Sen Ning. ( [http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Petition_of_Chung_Keng_Quee_&_44_Others The Petition] .) The British immediately saw this as a great opportunity to expand its influence in Southeast Asia and strengthened its monopoly on tin. As a result, the Pangkor Treaty of 1874 was signed.

Terms and conditions

The agreement dictated:
* Raja Abdullah was acknowledged as the legitimate Sultan to replace Sultan Ismail who would be given a title and a pension of 1000 Mexican pesos a month.
* The Sultan would receive a British Resident whose advice had to be sought and adhered to in all matters except those pertaining to the religion and customs of the Malays.
* All collections and control of taxes as well as the administration of the state had to be done under the name of the Sultan but arranged according to the Resident's advice.
* The Minister of Larut would continue to be in control, but would no longer be recognized as a liberated leader. Instead, a British officer, who would have a vast authority in administrating the district, would be appointed in Larut.
* The Sultan, and not the British government, would pay the Resident's salary
* Perak ceded Dinding and Pangkor Island to the British.

Result

Raja Ismail did not attend the meeting arranged between Sir Andrew Clarke and Raja Abdullah. Raja Ismail obviously did not recognize the agreement but he had no choice against the alliance between Raja Abdullah and the British. As a result, Raja Abdullah was made Sultan and Sir James W.W. Birch was appointed as Perak's first British Resident after the treaty came into force.

Following this agreement, the British actively became involved in three other Malay states: Negeri Sembilan, Selangor and Pahang. These states, along with Perak, later became the Federated Malay States.


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Pangkor Island — Pulau Pangkor is an island off the coast of Perak in north west peninsular Malaysia, reached by ferry from Lumut (a small coastal town that links to Ipoh, or from Sitiawan). It has a land area of only 8 square kilometers, and a population of… …   Wikipedia

  • 1874 — This article is about the year 1874. Millennium: 2nd millennium Centuries: 18th century – 19th century – 20th century Decades: 1840s  1850s  1860s  – 1870s –  1880s  189 …   Wikipedia

  • Pangkor Engagement — (1874) Treaty between the British government and Malay chiefs, named for the island where it was signed. In return for British backing in a complicated Perak succession dispute, Raja Abdullah accepted a British resident (adviser) with broad… …   Universalium

  • Vertrag von Pangkor — Raja Abdullah Der Vertrag von Pangkor (engl. Pangkor Treaty) war ein Vertrag zwischen der britischen Regierung und dem Raja von Perak. Der am 20. Januar 1874 von Sir Andrew Clarke und Raja Abdullah auf der Insel Pangkor vor Perak unterschriebene… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Perak — Subdivisions of Malaysia native name=ڨيرق دار الرّضوان conventional long name=Perak Darul Ridzuan state motto= state anthem= Allah Lanjutkan Usia Sultan common name=Perak capital=Ipoh royal capital=Kuala Kangsar entryFederationdate=1957 ruling… …   Wikipedia

  • Larut War — was a series of four wars started in July 1861 and ended with the signing of the Pangkor Treaty of 1874. The conflict was fought among local Malay chieftains and Chinese secret societies over the control of mining areas in Perak.First war (1861… …   Wikipedia

  • Federated Malay States — This article is not to be confused with the Unfederated Malay States. Federated Malay States نڬري٢ ملايو برسكوتو Negeri negeri Melayu Bersekutu Protectorate of the United Kingdom …   Wikipedia

  • List of Malaysia-related topics — This is a list of topics related to Malaysia.Buildings and structures in Malaysia* Angkasapuri * Berjaya Times Square * Chin Swee Temple * Connaught Bridge Power Station * Kellie s Castle * Kelong * Kota Ngah Ibrahim * Malay houses * Malaysian… …   Wikipedia

  • History of Malaysia — History of Malaysia …   Wikipedia

  • Straits Settlements — Infobox Former Country native name = Negeri Negeri Selat conventional long name = The Straits Settlements common name = Straits Settlement continent=moved from Category:Asia to Southeast Asia region=Southeast Asia empire=United Kingdom… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”