Guide to the Records of the East India Company (as filmed by the AJCP)
M470-M535
National Library of Australia View Catalogue Record
Created: 2018
Collection Summary
- Creator
- East India Company
- Title
- Records of the East India Company (as filmed by the AJCP)
- Date Range
- 1726 - 1830
- Collection Number
- M470-M535
- Extent
- 199 items
- Language of Materials
- English
- Repository
- Australian Joint Copying Project
- Sponsor
- The Australian Joint Copying Project (AJCP) online portal was created with the assistance of the Australian Public Service Modernisation Fund, 2017-2020. The National Library of Australia gratefully acknowledges the contribution of the other foundation AJCP partners, the State Library of New South Wales and The National Archives of the UK, and all other organisations which supported the work of the AJCP, the world's most extensive collaborative copying project, operating from 1948 to 1997.
Introduction
Scope and Contents
Factory records: Straits Settlements, 1769-1830 includes: Lengthy reports, letters and despatches relating to the British East India Company's interests in the Straits Settlements. Mainly contains Consultations or proceedings of the Presidents and Councils sent to the Company in London. There are Bengal Consultations relating to Prince of Wales Island 1786-1830, with indexes; Singapore Political and Secret Consultations 1827-28 with index; and Malacca Public and Political Consultations, 1827-1828. There are also letters from Prince of Wales Island 1805-30, and despatches from the Company to the Prince of Wales Island 1805-30. Other records have been grouped under the headings Singapore diary 1827-30, with index, Malacca diary 1826-30, with index, and Malacca journal and ledger 1826-30. There are separate groups of miscellaneous documents and reports 1769-95 and 1805-10.
Conditions Governing Access
Available for Access.
Conditions Governing Use
Many of the records digitised as part of the AJCP are still in copyright. Readers wishing to publish or reproduce documents should seek permission, in the first instance, from the owner of the original material.
Preferred Citation
Acknowledgement of use of this material should refer to the location of the original material and to the Australian Joint Copying Project.Items from this collection should include references to the location of the original material and to the AJCP nla.obj number, which serves as the online identifier for the digital copy.
Example: M Series: Journal of Capt. James Cook, 18 February 1770, British Library Add. MS 27885 (AJCP ref: http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-1234)
Archival History
Material selectively filmed as part of the Australian Joint Copying Project, 1960 (AJCP Reel: M470-M535). The following items were not filmed:
G/34/197 - Board of Control: correspondence of the Recorder of Prince of Wales Island with the President of the India Board, 1807-1812.
G/34/198 - Board of Control: correspondence of the Recorder of Prince of Wales Island with the President of the India Board, 1811-1815.
Original microfilm digitised as part of the NLA AJCP Online Delivery Project, 2017-2020.
Existence and Location of Originals
British Library, 96 Euston Road, London. Originally filmed at India Office Library, Blackfriars Road, London. The India Office Library and Records was transferred to the British Library in 1982, it is now called India Office Records. Collection Reference: IOR/G/34. For further information see British Library Manuscripts and Archives Catalogue: India Office Records and Private Papers: Factory Records: Straits Settlments. (http://searcharchives.bl.uk/IAMS_VU2:IAMS036-000177481)
Existence and Location of Copies
The original AJCP microfilm of the records filmed from this collection is available at the National Library of Australia [https://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn1856271] as well as other institutions holding AJCP microfilm.
Finding Aid Note
This finding aid is a revised online version of the original finding aid prepared by the Australian Joint Copying Project (AJCP), published by the National Library of Australia in 2018. The revision was done by Graeme Powell, National Library of Australia. The original AJCP finding aids were unpublished typescripts or photocopies available from libraries that held copies of the original microfilm.
Dates used in this finding aid refer to the date range of the records selected for filming rather than to the date range of the Series or Files.
Administrative History
Under its charter, granted by Queen Elizabeth I on 31 December 1600, the East India Company had a monopoly of all English trade in Asia and the Pacific. Its trading activities were initially focussed on the port and sultanate of Bantam on the western end of Java, where the Company established a 'factory' in 1603. Bantam was a major trading centre, particularly for pepper, and also for exotic spices from Ambon and other eastern islands, silks and porcelain from China, scented woods and Indian textiles. The Dutch East India Company also founded a trading factory at Bantam in 1603 and, after years of conflict and competition, it forced the English company out of Java in 1682. In 1685, however, the East India Company succeeded in setting up a factory at Bencoolen on the south-west coast of Sumatra and it was to be a major source of pepper for the next century. It was transferred to Dutch rule in 1825.
In the late seventeenth century the interest of the Company shifted to India. Trading posts were established at Surat (1619), Madras (1639), Bombay (1668), and Calcutta (1690). The factories developed into forts: Fort William (Calcutta), Fort St George (Madras) and Bombay Castle. Surat was the Company's first presidency in India, but by the early eighteenth century the presidencies, each with their own army, were Bombay, Madras and Calcutta. By 1765, when Bengal was placed under Company rule, Calcutta was the senior presidency and Fort William became the seat of the first Governor-General of Bengal, Warren Hastings, in 1773. The title was changed to Governor-General of India in 1833. The governor-general and governors were appointed by the Court of Directors of the East India Company until 1858, when the Company was nationalised.
In the eighteenth century the island of Penang, near the western coast of Malayasia, was under the rule of the Sultan of Quedah (Kedah). Penang was thinly populated by farmers and fishermen. The Sultan first sought the assistance of the East India Company in 1771 and there was some interest in the idea of a British naval base in that region. In 1785 the Sultan wrote to the Governor-General and offered to lease Penang in return for military and naval assistance. Captain Francis Light, who over twenty years had built up a network of personal contacts in the Straits of Malacca, acted as an intermediary. In 1786 agreement was reached, whereby the Company guaranteed that it would always keep an armed vessel to guard the island and the adjacent coast and would pay an annual bounty to the Sultan to the Sultan as compensation for lost revenue. In August 1786 two Company vessels arrived at the island and Captain Light took possession, re-naming it Prince of Wales Island. A site was found for a settlement, to be called Georgetown, and a fort was erected, named after Lord Cornwallis, the Governor-General. It was rebuilt later and Fort Cornwallis became the administrative centre of the Prince of Wales Island Presidency.
For several years there were strong disagreements between the Sultan of Quedah and Company officials about the terms of the treaty. It was finally re-negotiated by Sir George Leith in 1800. Under the new treaty, the British territory was extended to include a strip of territory on the adjacent mainland (Province Wellesley) and the bounty payable to the Sultan was increased. Initially, Prince of Wales Island was administered by a superintendent, renamed lieutenant-governor in 1799, under the direction of the Governor-General. In 1805 it became the fourth presidency, headed by a governor, assisted by a council of two or three officials. By that time it had become a major trading centre, having quickly overtaken the Dutch factory at Malacca.
Malacca, in the southern region of the Malay Peninsula, was conquered by the Portuguese in 1511 and taken over by the Dutch East India Company in 1641. In 1795, during the Napoleonic Wars, it was surrendered by the Dutch Governor to the East India Company. It was held by the Company until 1818 and, for most of this period, the British Resident was Major William Farquhar. Under the Treaty of Vienna, Malacca was restored to the Dutch in 1818. In 1824 it was returned to the East India Company in exchange for Bencoolen.
In 1817 Sir Stamford Raffles, who ten years earlier had been secretary to the Government at Fort Cornwallis, became Governor-General of Bencoolen. Farquhar had been attempting to negotiate trading agreements with chiefs of the Riau Archipelago and Raffles recognised the value of a British possession at the southern end of the Straits of the Malacca. There was no Dutch presence on the island of Singapore, but a small settlement of fishermen had been established a few years earlier by the local Temenggong (raja). Raffles negotiated with the Temenggong and also with Hussein Shah, the brother of the Sultan of Johore. Agreement was reached in February 1819, whereby Singapore was ceded to the East India Company in return for annual payments to Hussein Shah and the Temenggong. Major Farquhar was named as the first Resident of Singapore. In 1823 his successor, John Crawfurd, signed a new treaty with the Sultan of Johore and the Temenggong, bringing Singapore under British law and taking over most of the administration. By 1825 Singapore had a population of over 10,000 and was surpassing Prince of Wales Island as a trading centre.
In 1826 the East India Company decided to incorporate Malacca and Singapore into the Prince of Wales Island Presidency. Robert Fullerton became the first Governor of the Straits Settlements, while resident councillors were based in Singapore and Malacca. Fort Cornwallis continued to be the seat of government until 1832, when it was transferred to Singapore. The Straits Settlements ceased to be a presidency in 1830, but remained until the control of the East India Company until 1858. They were then administered by the India Office in London. They became a British Crown colony in 1867, at which time the name of Prince of Wales Island became Penang.
Subjects
British Regiments: 68th; East India Company; India; Malacca, Malaysia; Penang, Malaysia; Singapore; Straits Settlements
Bibliography
Originally cited in Australian Joint Copying Project Handbook. Part 8: Miscellaneous (M) Series. Third Edition, published 1998. Entry 152, p55.
Item Descriptions
Series IOR/G/34. India Office Library Factory Records: Straits Settlements, 1726 - 1830
199 itemsArchival History
Originally filmed on AJCP Reels M470-M535.
Subseries 1. Miscellaneous original and copy papers and reports, 1726 - 1806
1 itemDocuments, mostly copies but some originals, relating to naval visits to Penang, proposals for an East India Company settlement on the island, negotiations with the Sultan of Quedah, the acquisition of the island in 1786, the geography and resources of the island, revenues, and the establishment of a court of judicature (1807). The writers of the letters and reports include Captain James Scott Captain Thomas Forrest, Captain Francis Light and Captain Alexander Kyd. There are also extracts from treaties, a journal of the weather at Fort Cornwallis (1793-94), a memoir of Prince of Wales Island considered politically and commercially, and extracts from Sir George Leith, A short account of the Prince of Wales Island (1805).
Subseries G/34/2-8. Bengal proceedings, 1786 - 1795
7 itemsThis series of volumes contains proceedings of the Governor-General in Council at Fort William (Calcutta) relating to the Prince of Wales Island. The Governors-General were Lord Cornwallis and Sir John Shore. Incorporated in the proceedings are copies of correspondence between the Governor-General and the Superintendents at Prince of Wales Island (Francis Light and Philip Manington), correspondence with other presidencies (Madras, Bombay), officials and the Supreme Court at Fort William, and military and naval officers based at or visiting Prince of Wales Island. Attached to the proceedings are appendices comprising inter alia lists of shipping arrivals and departures, accounts of imports and exports, financial statements, lists of naval and military stores, transcripts of official inquiries, legal hearings and courts martial, lists of European and Chinese residents, registers of births, deaths and marriages.
Original and copy papers of the Court of judicature at Penang, accumulated at the Board of Control offices, 1805 - 1812 (File 8)
The documents include a petition from the East India Company to King George III, letters patent establishing the court of judicature, extracts from proceedings of the Governor and Council at Prince of Wales Island, draft rules of the court, duties of peace officers and tables of fees, proclamations, and letters of Sir Edmond Stanley, the first recorder of the court.
Subseries G/34/9-10. Penang: miscellaneous papers, 1805 - 1823
2 itemsThe papers include reports and letters of R.T. Farquhar, Stamford Raffles, W.A. Clubley and W. Farquhar, extracts from proceedings of the Governor-General and Council at Fort William and the Governor and Council at Fort Cornwallis, financial papers, papers about spice plantations, and letters from the Governor and Council at Fort Cornwallis to the Court of Directors of the East India Company.
Subseries G/34/11-145. Prince of Wales public consultations, 1805 - 1830
123 itemsThis long series of volumes contains proceedings and decisions of the Governor in Council at Fort Cornwallis (Prince of Wales Island), together with appendices and indexes. The Governor was assisted by two or three senior officials, the longest-serving of whom were William Phillips and John Erskine. Incorporated in the proceedings are correspondence of the Governor and the Secretary to the Government with the Chairman and the Court of Directors of the East India Company in London, the Governor-General at Calcutta and the Governors at Bombay and Madras, and with other officials, naval officers and military officers. There is also correspondence with the Resident at Malacca and the Sultan of Quedah (Kedah). Examples of other papers copied into the proceedings are instructions for diplomatic missions, financial statements, lists of imports and exports, petitions, proclamations, committee reports, and lists of documents forwarded to the East India Company. The appendices consist of a great variety of documents, such as lists of European residents, reports of the Court of Judicature, port charges, lists of military stores, reports of opium farms and other tax farms, and general orders of the Governor in Council.
Subseries G/34/135-145. Prince of Wales secret and political consultations, 1806 - 1829
12 itemsProceedings of the Governor and Council at Fort Cornwallis incorporating letters and other documents on such matters as the military establishment, the movement of naval ships, naval expeditions, the appointment and dismissal of civil servants, censorship of the press, police, piracy, the detention of enemy ships, treaties, and relations with the Dutch East Indies, Malacca, the Malay states, Siam and Burma.
Subseries G/34/146-150. Marine consultations, 1806 - 1809
5 itemsThese papers comprise correspondence between the Marine Department and the Governor and Secretary of the Prince of Wales Island Government on such matters as shipbuilding, timber supplies, marine stores, disposal of vessels, the arsenal, and finances. There are also minutes of the Governor, general orders, statements on defences, proclamations and public notices.
Subseries G/34/151-152. Prince of Wales military consultations, 1806 - 1807
2 itemsProceedings of the Governor and Council and the Commander-in-Chief at Fort Cornwallis including minutes of the Governor and correspondence on such matters as military appointments, the military establishment, the militia, military courts, barracks, the ordnance department, artillery, military stores and provisions, the militia, native troops, charges against officers, and general orders.
Subseries G/34/153. Singapore diary, 1827 - 1830
10 itemsThe diaries record the daily activities of John Prince and his successor Kenneth Murchison, the Resident Councillors at Singapore. They include copies of letters to the Secretary of the Straits Settlements Government, letters to officials and military and naval officers, translations of letters from Malay rulers, copies of advertisements, petitions, lists of British-born residents, reports on revenue, trade statistics and lists of land grants. There are also proceedings of the Governor in Council during visits of the Governor to Singapore (eg. Sept.-Oct. 1829).
Subseries G/34/163-164. Singapore secret and political proceedings, 1827 - 1828
2 itemsProceedings of meetings of the Governor and the Resident Councillor at Singapore containing correspondence with the Secretary of the Straits Settlement Government, British envoys and Malayan rulers concerning troop movements, political and military affairs in Europe, relations with and between Malay states and other matters.
Subseries G/34/165-168. Malacca diary, 1826 - 1830
7 itemsThe diaries record the daily activities of Samuel Garling, the Resident Councillor at Malacca. They include correspondence with the Governor of the Straits Settlements, Robert Fullerton, and the Secretary of the Straits Settlements Government, the Resident Councillor at Singapore, the Court of Directors of the East India Company, officials, military and naval officers, missionaries, newspaper editors and Malay residents. There are also proceedings of meetings between Fullerton and Garling, minutes by Fullerton and Garling, copies of government orders, public notices, regulations, financial statements, reports of committees, petitions, judicial proceedings, lists of government offices and a slave registry (1829).
Subseries G/34/172-173. Malacca political consultations, 1827 - 1828
2 itemsRecord of consultations between the Governor of the Straits Settlements, Robert Fullerton, and the Resident Councillor of Malacca, Samuel Garling, including copies of correspondence, petitions and other papers.
Subseries G/34/174-178. Malacca journal and ledger, 1826 - 1830
5 itemsFinancial accounts and ledgers of the Malacca residency.
Subseries G/34/179-185. Letters received from Prince of Wales Island, 1805 - 1830
8 itemsReports and letters from the Governor or the Governor in Council at Fort Cornwallis to the Chairman and Court of Directors of the East India Company in London. In addition, there are letters from the Secretary of the Prince of Wales Island Government to the Secretary of the East India Company.
Letters received from Prince of Wales Island, 1818 - 1819 (File 182A)
Copies of letters and other official documents. The correspondents include Lord Hastings, the Governor-General, J.A. Bannerman, Governor of Prince of Wales Island, W.A. Clubley, Secretary of the Government at Fort Cornwallis, John Adam, Secretary of the Government at Fort William, Major William Farquhar, Resident at Singapore, and Sir Stamford Raffles, the Governor-General of Bencoolen.
Subseries G/34/186-196. Despatches to Prince of Wales Island, 1805 - 1830
11 itemsDrafts and copies of despatches from the Court of Directors of the East India Company in London to the Governor and Council of Prince of Wales Island (1805-26) and the Governor and Council of the Straits Settlements (1826-30).