276 BRITISH CONNECTION WITH MALAYA. 
A few years after re-occupying Malacca, a small force of Sepoys 
had to proceed against Naning, the interior district of Malacca, in 
which Dutch sovereignty had apparently never been fully admitted. 
Our first expedition (1831) failed; the second (1832) succeeded. 
In 1833 a Treaty was made, settling the south-east boundary of the 
Settlement as at present. There has been no disturbance in any 
part of Malacca since the “ Naning War.” 
When Malacca was taken possession of by the Portuguese in 1511, 
it was one of the grand entrepots for the commerce of the East, and 
it so continued till the close of the 16th century ; but as the Portu- 
guese and other European nations pushed further to the East, in 
the Archipelago and neighbouring countries, the trade of Malacca 
gradually declined ; and the place ceased to be of much consequence 
as a collecting centre, except for the trade of the Malayan Penin- 
sula and the Island of Sumatra. This trade it retained, under 
Dutch rule, till the establishment of Penang in 1786; when, in 
the course of a few years, it became, what it has ever since been, 
a place of no commercial importance, but possessing some agricul- 
tural resources. Penang soon acquired most of the trade of the 
Malayan Peninsula and Sumatra, Borneo, the Celebes, and other 
places in the Archipelago, not reduced to mercantile subjection 
by the Dutch; but soon after Singapore was established, Penang 
in its turn declined in importance, the greater part of the 
extensive Eastern trade being centred at Singapore. [Penang’s 
local trade has, however, largely increased within the last few 
years in consequence of the increased prosperity of the extensive 
tin mines in Liarut, Rendong, Junk Ceylon, the tobacco planta- 
tions on the East coastof Sumatra, &c.]| The opening of Singapore 
in 1819 may be said to have accomplished, for the time being, 
the ruin of Malacca’s commerce. To use RAaFFLES’s own words at 
the time “the intermediate Station of Malacca, although occupied 
“by the Dutch, has been completely nullified.” 
The population and agricultural development of the country 
districts of Malacca have, however, been very considerably increased 
of late years, especially since roads have been made throughout 
the territory. The Revenue has, in the last ten years, increased in 
larger proportion than that of Singapore or Penang. 
