< WHKMLA : History of the Straits Settlements, 1856-1918
1826-1856 1918-1939






Straits Settlements 1856-1918



In 1858 the British Government took over the administration of the Straits Settlements from the bankrupt East India Company. The colony was proclaimed a crown colony in 1867 and placed under the COLONIAL OFFICE. Protectorate treaties were signed with several of the principalities on the Malay peninsula, some of which formed the FEDERATED MALAY STATES; however the British Government refrained from significantly extending the area under direct rule. In 1888, CHRISTMAS ISLAND was annexed by Britain and placed under the administration of the Straits Settlements, as were, in 1886, the COCOS ISLANDS (British since 1857), in 1906 the tiny island of Labuan off the coast of Borneo was added.
Singapore was not only the administrative center, but developed into an economic center the influence of which by far surpassed its political boundaries. In the mainland Malay principalities, a thriving TIN MINING and RUBBER PLANTATION industry developed in the final decades of the 19th century, for the products of which Singapore became the main outlet.
Both the tin mines and the rubber plantations were run by Westerners. They by and large regarded the indigenous Malays as "lazy" and brought large numbers of Chinese labourers ("COOLIES") into the country, significantly changing the ethnic pattern. In bustling Singapore, the ethnic Chinese immigrants surpassed the Malay population and formed the majority. The various ethnic communities administrated their own schools - Malay, Chinese, Indian schools (language Tamil) and English schools.
Until 1867, postage stamps of British India were used in the Straits Settlements; in 1867, issuance of Straits Settlements postage stamps began. The Straits Settlements Postal Service operated a post office in Bangkok, Thailand, where Straits Settlements stamps overprinted "B" were used in 1882-1885.
In 1881, Singapore had 138,200 inhabitants, Penang 190,600, Malacca 93,600; in 1913 the figures were 330,000 for Singapore, 291,400 for Penang, 137,800 for Malacca. According to Meyers, in 1881, Singapore had 172,993 inhabitants, of whom 139,208 were male, 33,785 female; 86,766 of the total population were Chinese, 22,114 Malays, 10,475 Tamils, 5,681 Javanese and 3,091 Eurasians and 1,283 Europeans.
During World War I, the COCOS ISLANDS (belonging to the Straits Settlements) saw action. The German warship EMDEN landed a party with the task of destroying a wireless and cable station; the ship was engaged by British HMS SYDNEY and sunk. On February 15th 1915, Indian Muslim soldiers in the Straits forces mutinied, because they resented the Empire being at war with the Ottoman Empire. The so-called SEPOY MUTINY was suppressed by February 25th. Besides these rather accidental episodes, the impact of World War I on the Straits Settlements was limited.






EXTERNAL
FILES 		History of Penang, from Penang Insights, from geographia.com, from My Far East, scroll down for history
Evolution of Singapore, from Thinkquest
History of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, from Cocos Islands Tourism Association
DOCUMENTS Malaysia : historical demographic data of administrative divisions, Singapore, historical demographical data of the whole country, from Population Statistics at Univ. Utrecht
Rare Straits Settlements Stamps, from Sandafayre Stamp Gallery; Straits Settlements stamps 1867-1902, from Stamps Catalogue 1840-1920 by Evert Klaseboer
"Bangkok" Stamps, from Sandafayre Stamp Gallery
Article Straits Settlements, Singapur (Singapore), Pinang (Penang), Malakka (Peninusula of Malacca), Malakka cont., (Peninsula; State), Keelinginseln (Cocos or Keeling Islands), Weihnaschtsinsel (Christmas Island), from Meyers Konversationslexikon, 1888-1890 edition, in German
REFERENCE A.J. Stockwell, British Expansionism and Rule in South-East Asia, pp.371-394 in : Andrew Porter (ed.), The Oxford History of the British Empire, Vol.III : The Nineteenth Century, Oxford : UP 1999, KMLA Lib.Sign. 909.0971241 O98o v.3
Article : Straits Settlements, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1913 pp.625-626 [G]
Article : Straits Settlements, in : Statesman's Year Book 1895 pp.158-165, 1898 pp.158-165, 1901 pp.172-180, 1905 pp.181-190, 1910 pp.157-163, 1918 pp.160-165 [G]
Article : Straits Settlements, in : International Year Book 1898 p.751, 1899 pp.754-755, 1900 p.842 [G]
Article : Straits Settlements, in : New International Year Book 1907 pp.745-746, 1908 p.670, 1909 pp.673-674, 1913 p.654, 1914 pp.667-668, 1916 p.660, 1918 p.623 [G]


This page is part of World History at KMLA
First posted on May 15th 2002, last revised on September 14th 2008

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