This lecture was on Wednesday 12 October from 10:00am to12:30pm at GMBB which is a new venue for MCG activities.
Michelle Pease started the talk with a brief introduction of the author Rose Gan, a British lady who arrived in Kuala Lumpur in 1978 and who has been living and working between both UK and South East Asia ever since. She has also been working in museums in both Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur.
Rose started her talk with explaining her fascination with Francis Light which led to her research and writing books on him. Using maps from the late 18th century Rose pointed out the different colonial rulers. The Malay Peninsula in the late 18th century showed most of the northern states was under Siam while Batavia (Java) was under the Dutch. Due to this some of the Bugis and Minangkabaus left their homeland and sailed to the Malay States. The arrival here created rivalry with the local people who were mainly the natives, the Orang Asli and Malays. In addition, the Chinese, Indians and Arabs had also settled here due to trade in the early 18th century. They of course did not welcome the Bugis or the Minangkabaus. Rose explained in detail the different people ranging from the Sea Nomads or Orang Laut as they were known in Malay, the Bugis and the Ilanun. The Sea nomads were independent seafarers, fishermen, divers, traders and raiders employed by sultans to guard the sea, The Bugis were mainly from Sulawesi and were mariners and traders. They were the warriors, mariners and a trading community in the Golden Age of Riau and had the role of spreading ideas, language and customs. The IIanun who were mostly from the Philippine islands, were pirates and constantly creating adversity, took people as slaves and it is known that they had about 300,000 plus slaves and were employed by the regional sultans in manning their forces.
Rose then outlined the position of the surrounding South East Asian countries. Siam was at war with Burma and in 1765 ruled from Ayutthaya which was destroyed in 1767 by the Burmese (18th century). A new kingdom was then set up in Thornburi (existed from 1767 to 1782). This is the period where the Malay States sent the Bunga Mas as a tribute to Siam. Thalang or Ujang Salang or Junk Ceylon was a name Phuket used in 1511 and was known to be a prosperous port town embraced by the Andaman Sea. Khun Ying Chan and Khun Ying Muk were the Thai national heroines who were known for their important roles in successful repelling the Burmese Invasion of Thalang in 1786. It is known that Lady Chan was very influential and a close family friend of Light when he was based in Thalang in 1771 to 1785. Europe and the Indies at that time were only interested in overseas trade as it was the lifeblood of their states. Due to the foreseen threats from Siam and Burma, Francis Light was ordered to leave Thalang and seek a safer trading port by the East India Company.
The East India Company was founded in 1600 to trade in the Indian Ocean region and initially in the East Indies and later with Asia. Francis Light moved to the Penang Island in 1786. He made a pact with the Sultan of Kedah and acquired Penang on behalf of the East India Company on 11 August 1786 from the Sultan in return the company promised Kedah protection from the powerful neighboring countries.
Rose also gave some information on the other colonists. The Dutch East India Company or the Dutch Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie (VOC) was founded in the Dutch Republic in 1602 to protect that State’s trade in the Indian Ocean and to assist in the Dutch War of independence from Spain. It was however dissolved in 1799.
The French East India Company was a colonial enterprise founded in 1664 to compete with the English and Dutch trading companies in the East Indies. The company managed to secure a royal mandate and was granted to trade from the port of Surat but in 1683 they directed their attention to Pondicherry and even after been defeated by Robert Clive, Pondicherry remained under French control till 1954.
Rose then briefly implicated the Age of Revolution where the American War of Independence took place in 1775 to 1783 and the French Revolution 1779 to 1799. These events then created a significant change in the East Indies and South East Asia participation of the French and English. There were no details given or discussed by Rose on these implicating factors of the role of the French and British in the East Indies and South East Asia.
Going on to Francis Light’s life Rose narrated his life with his lifelong partner Martina Rozells. Some vague details of her ancestry were given. She was Eurasian and a Catholic, possibly with some Portuguese blood (the name Rozells could be another spelling of Rosales) and she was also known as Tong suggesting Chinese or Thai parentage. There are various versions of her background and it is most likely believed that Light met her while he was stationed in Thalang (Phuket). She was the common law wife of Francis Light but known to have never been married as Light used the term cohabit in his will. In the 22 years together, she bore him five children; three daughters and two sons, Sarah, William, Mary, Lanoon and Lukey. William later founded the city of Adelaide in Australia.
Light died from Malaria on 21October 1794 at the age of 54. He was respected and admired by his British peers for his achievements which included keeping the Siamese and Dutch at bay. He was a skilled negotiator and cared for the people both in his colony and old friends in Thalang.
To end the session Rose Gan read out a couple of paragraphs form her latest book, Pearl. Most of us enjoyed her readings which were superbly romanticized by her splendid written description.
Some extra information on Rose Gan taken from Wikipedia
In October 2021, Dragon, the first volume of Penang Chronicles published by Monsoon Books was released worldwide. Written by Rose Gan, a British writer and historian who has lived in Malaysia for many years, the series follows the life and times of Francis Light and Martina Rozells. It takes a fresh look at the historical sources, presenting a vivid depiction of the people of the Straits and their own fascinating history set aside the known events of the life of Captain Light. Dragon looks at the early years of Light, his years in the British navy at war in the Americas, and then his life as a country ship captain for the East India Company in the Straits of Malacca. The second volume Pearl has been released this year and charts Light’s journey from merchant captain to governor of Penang Island and the part Martina Rozells and her family played in the events. The third novel, Emporium, about the early years of the settlement, is to be released in 2023.
Report written by Jagdev Kaur Jassal.