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Overview

Reasons for Signing

Terms of the Treaty

Anglo-Dutch
Effects of the Treaty Treaty of
1824
 Overview
▼ The treaty was signed between the
British and the Dutch Governments
▼ Intended to remove all outstanding
disputes and friction between their
commercial agents in the East
▼ An imaginary line was drawn through
the Straits of Malacca and south of
Singapore
▼ Divided SEA into 2 spheres of influence

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 Reasons for Signing

1. Anglo-Dutch Rivalry over

Trade in the East

– Treaty aimed at removing prevailing

commercial rivalry
– Both were striving to control trade in
SEA
– This led to friction, discrimination and
rivalry
– Dutch policy of trade monopoly vs
British belief in free trade aggravated
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 Reasons for Signing

2. Question of Singapore

– Friction peaked with the founding of

Singapore by Raffles
– Singapore proved its worth in a short
time
– With its strategic position and free port
status, S’pore diverted much trade from
Dutch ports (Pontianak, Sambas, Sukadana, Batavia)

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 Reasons for Signing

2. Question of Singapore

– Dutch began to make claims to

Singapore
– Their argument : Singapore legally
belonged to the Pro-Dutch Ruler, Sultan
Abdul Rahman
– Thus Raffles had no right to make a
settlement there
– Britain not prepared to give up
Singapore
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 Reasons for Signing

3. British Policy of Friendship

with the Dutch

– To counter French expansion in Europe

– Both were not prepared to declare war
on each other for political and financial
reasons

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 Reasons for Signing
3. British Policy of Friendship
with the Dutch

BRITAIN
– Holland was a vital line of defence
– A stepping stone for French military
operations against Britain in the
Napoleonic Wars (1793-1815)
– To prevent the French from doing so
again, Britain had to obtain Dutch
support against the French
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 Reasons for Signing
3. British Policy of Friendship
with the Dutch

HOLLAND
– Owed Britain a huge debt; borrowed
heavily from Britain during the war
– Anxious not to antagonize the British
– Thus requested Britain to open
negotiations to settle outstanding
disputes
– Also to maintain Anglo-Dutch unity in
Europe
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 Terms of the Treaty
1. TERRITORIAL TERMS

HOLLAND
– Cede to Britain all Dutch factories in
India
– Withdraw objections to British
occupation of Singapore
– Give Malacca and all her dependencies
to Britain
– No establishments or treaties in the
Malaya Peninsular
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 Terms of the Treaty
1. TERRITORIAL TERMS

BRITAIN
– Cede to Holland Bencoolen and all EIC
possessions in Sumatra
– No British settlements or treaties in
• the Carimun Islands
• the Rhio-Lingga Archipelago
• any other islands south of the Straits of
Singapore

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 Terms of the Treaty
1. TERRITORIAL TERMS

Both agreed not to interfere in the

affairs of each other’s sphere’s of
influence

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 Terms of the Treaty
2. COMMERCIAL TERMS

– Holland was allowed trade monopoly of

the Moluccas but not of the Malay
Archipelago as a whole
– Holland was not to discriminate unfairly
against British trade

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 Terms of the Treaty
2. COMMERCIAL TERMS

– Dutch monopoly Tin Treaties with Perak

and Selangor to lapse
– Each to grant the other “most-favoured
nation” treatment in India, Ceylon and
the Archipelago

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 Terms of the Treaty
3. OTHER TERMS

Both agreed to co-operate in the

suppression of piracy

Holland to pay Britain £100,000 in full

settlement of all outstanding claims

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 Effects of the Treaty
1. Anglo-Dutch rivalry did not
end

– Bitter commercial rivalry continued

– Dutch still excluded British traders from
Spice Islands instead of just Moluccas
– Continued to impose restrictions and
high taxes on British ships
– Britain thus accused Holland of not
keeping the terms of the Treaty

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 Effects of the Treaty
1. Anglo-Dutch rivalry did not
end

– Territorial disputes over Borneo in 1840s

and 1870s
– Only in 1891 was a mutual frontier line
agreed upon between British North
Borneo and Dutch Borneo

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 Effects of the Treaty
2. Final Break-up of the Johore
Empire

– Final break-up when treaty divided SEA

into 2 spheres of influence
• Sultan Abdul Rahman of Rhio-Lingga : Dutch
• Mainland Johore and S’pore : British
– S’pore separated from mainland Johore
with the Treaty of August 1824
• Sultan Hussein ceded S’pore to the British

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 Effects of the Treaty
3. Naning War (1831-1832)

– Under the treaty, Britain was given

Malacca and all its dependencies
– Britain assumed Naning was a
dependency of Malacca and proceeded
to bring it under control
– Abdul Said, Chief of Naning, refused to
obey British authority or to pay tributes

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 Effects of the Treaty
3. Naning War (1831-1832)

– War erupted in 1831; Britain victorious

– British suspected Dutch of instigating
the people of Naning
– Britain later found out that Naning was
an independent state
– Damage was already done

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 Effects of the Treaty
4. Changed relations between
British EIC & Acheh

– Before 1824, excellent trading relations

between Britain and Acheh
– After Treaty, Acheh came under Dutch
sphere of influence
– Britain ceased all diplomatic and
commercial relations with Acheh

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 Effects of the Treaty
5. Failure to co-operate in
suppressing piracy

– Both failed to keep up to their promises

– Too engrossed with their problems in
their respective states
• Dutch : Working the culture system in Java
• Efforts to suppress piracy confined to their
own areas

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 Effects of the Treaty
5. Failure to co-operate in
suppressing piracy

• British : Dealing with expansion of Siam in

the northern Malay states of Kelantan,
Trengganu, Kedah and Perlis
• Inadequate naval forces at their disposal
• EIC unwillingly to incur additional expenses
on the Straits Settlements for which it
received no revenue

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 Effects of the Treaty
6. Paved the way for British
and Dutch Expansion

– Treaty enabled both to gain a foothold in

their respective spheres of influence
– British intervention in the Malay States
began in 1874
• By 1909, British controlled the whole of
Malaya
– Dutch extended influence over all of
Indonesia
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 The Treaty : An
Assessment
Despite the friction, the treaty did help to
strengthen Anglo-Dutch relations in
Europe although there were difficulties
in the East

Britain had 3 settlements along the west

coast of Malaya and could protect their
China trade; also no longer feared
Dutch interference in the Malay
Archipelago
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 The Treaty : An
Assessment
Dutch benefitted greatly as they had a
wide area to spread their influence and
increase trade.

Although the treaty was signed between

two European powers, it sealed the
destiny of Malaya as a British colony
and Indonesia as a Dutch colony.

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 The Treaty : An
Assessment
For Malaya, this treaty was to shape the
future of the Malay states and usher in
a period of British domination.

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 The Treaty : An
Assessment
“ ……. A tidying up which can be
compared to the regrouping that occurs
on a football field after a goal is scored,
when the players sort themselves out
and go to their respective ends.”

K.G. Tregonning
A History of Modern Malaya

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