THE STRAITS SETTLEMENTS, &C. 25 



tan of Kedah. Pulau Pinang was christened Prince of 

 Wales' Island, and the Settlement of the English George 

 Town, but np till the present daj it has been called Penang. 

 In 1791, a stretch of land, now Province Welleslej^ or sim- 

 ply the Province, on the mainland just opposite Penang, was 

 purchased from the Sultan of Kedah, and in 1823 was con- 

 siderably extended. The Straits Government pays up till 

 the present time to him a rent or hire of from 10,000 to 

 12,000 dollars. 



For political reasons, the British Government did every- 

 thing in its power to further British influence in these parts, 

 and Penang was the starting point for several expeditions 

 during the great war. In 1795, Malacca was taken from us 

 from there, and other possessions on the West coast of 

 Sumatra came into the hands of the English. In 1797-98, a 

 second expedition against Manila was prepared. The later 

 expeditions against Java and the Moluccas were also got to- 

 gether and prepared in Penang. 



Penang was at first governed in a very irregular way by 

 commercial superintendents. In 1796, it was estabhshed as 

 a Penal Settlement for Indian convicts, and remained so till 

 1857, the year of the Indian Mutiny. In 1800, it was put 

 under a Lieutenant-Governor, and in 1805 was promoted to 

 be a Presidency, but still placed under the East India Com- 

 pany in Bengal. 



It is natural that Penang, through one thing and another, 

 should become a place of importance as a free port. Its 

 trade had at once become noticeable as a trading centre for 

 the neighbouring coasts, and it soon not only took the place 

 of Malacca, but the merchants from still more distant places, 

 came to trade in free Penang. 



Malacca was given back to us by the English in 1818, 

 after they had made agreements with Perak and other 

 States, which made it impossible for us to regain or improve 

 our former position. In 1825, it was given over to them by 

 us for good, but has remained what it still is, a place of 

 small commercial importance with only limited local sour- 

 ces of trade and cultivation* 



