BRITISH CONNECTION WITH MALAYA, 275 
EIOIGrAGIES 
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. 
Mualacea. 
Malacea 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. 
and 102° 14’ East long. The local Government is administered 
by a Resident Councillor. 
The principal town, called Malacca, is in 2° 10’ North lat. 
Malacca is one of the oldest European possessions in the East, 
having been taken fromits Malay Sultan, Maumup Suan, by the 
Portuguese under ALBUQUERQUE in 1511, to punish an attack upon 
his Lieutenant, SrquETRa, in 1509. 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 1818; 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, 1824, 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. 
