The Sun.
London, England, 1819-01-14 00:00:00

PROTEST:

The honour and interests of the rh-ti,7-.r..;nvern-
mem rendering it indispensable that a of:lie and
formal Protest should he made agrinst the pro-
ceeriings of the Dutch Authorities in the Malayan
Archipelago
I do !ierehy, Rs the nearest -British Authority,
solemnly and pithlicly protest against the follow,.
iog proc..edMgs of the Representatives of the Ne-
therlands Government

When the agents of the British Government
transferred the Government ot Java to their Ex-
-rellencies the Commissioners of his Netherlands
Majesty, they called upon the Commissioners-
General to fulfil the engagements which the Bri-
tish G,verninent had contracted with the Native
dpring its athninisfrarion of J,va. The
AuthO:.ities con indeed them,elves hound
and cn•itl-d to insist on their doing so, that havi-
ing accerned the benefit of those acts which were
favontable to them, ti,ey could not reject the lmr•
den of those Which they deemcd otherwise. Nu
rdowision was made in the engagements %s ith 'lie
Nitive Pritlees for the contingency of the Colony
returning to Holland. Holland, indeed, did not
then exist as a nation, and the authorities who ad-
ministercd Java would have been folly warranted itt.
re-It ring the whole country to the Native Princes
The language which was in consegnence held oat
to the na'ives, was that of la Government compe-
tent 'o make agreements in perpetuity. Without
such a language, could never have
done wh,:t was done for the Eastern Islands.
These leading measures, of which the Nethetknds

Government are now deriving all the benefit,
could never have been effected, had not the na-
tives relied on the British Goveruntent being able
to secure them in a perpetuity of those rights
which !hey had recognized.
The tommi,sioners-General of his Netherlands
11.1-je4te., lo+wever, refused to guarantee those trea-
tits, and the consequence was a formal protest on
the part of the British Authorities, who, on ac-
count of this and other measures of the Nether-
lands GAvernment, were compelled to leave Ba-
tavia, 'ruder a declaration, that there was an evi-
dent disinclination to concede any thing to iii
name and character of the British nation in the
Eastern Seas ; and that, judging by the general
policy evinced, there seemed I easort to believe it
to be the wish of the Netherlands Government to
erase the recollection of the British Administra-
tion, and studiously to prevent the. Native Princes
rind Chiefs percdving any influence of rite British
Government in the arrangements of that transfer.
Such were the early impressions of the British
Authorities; and the subsequent proceedings of
the Netherlands Government will show how -far
they are correct. . .

The Bri ish Government considered the Native
Princes as independent soveteigns, and treated with
them accordingly. The Dutch refused to gnaran-
tee or respect our treaties, aria would appear to
have considered those faithful allies of the British
nation as unconditionally suljected to their dis-

If this he unjust with regard to the settlements
actually subjected to European confront, what
must be thought of it with regard to those estates
•tt bid!' have risen into importance, end maintained
their connexion with Briiain, in opposition to
the restrictive policy of the Dutch ? The Repre-
sentatives of his Nethetlands Majesty would seem
to aim at an absolute despotism over the whole
Archipelago, with a view of excluding other Eu-
ropean nations. The British had encouraged
sentiments of Freedom as far as was compatible
with tranquillity, and had led the natives to rely
upon them for the continued enjoyment of them.
Mit whatever may be the arraugements or at.-
. goments of the Netherlands Government with re-
- pull to the 'Archipelago generally, it is not ne-
cts,iary to go beyond the confines of Sumatra for
es hieore of the system which they seem deter-
-mined to pursue, and against which it is the main
• object of this paper to protest. The circuit'•
stances are as 10110 W : •

• By the 2d Article of the Convention of the 13th
, A 181-1, the British Government ceded
the island of Banca to the ~Kiug•ot the Nether-

lands.

This island, valuable on account of its tin-
Thines, had, in the year 1812, been previously
ceded to Great Britain by his Highness Sultan
Najomudin, of Palembang, on the express condi-
tion that all former contracts and arreemeuts
honld he annulled, and that the Sultan should be
Anaintained and supported in his dignity by the
Government, without the further interter-
, epee of the European Government in the affoitsof
Palembang. So important was this stipulation
.considered
by the Sultan, thut on the Ist of Au-
_gusts ISI3, it WAS an express article of an expla-
natory Treaty, that the former clause which sti-
pidated that his Highness should do homage, or
Consider Hinself always dependent on the tiovern-
inept of Java, teas " null and void," as bring un-
necessary under existing circumstances.

When the lit itish were about to wi,h,eraw from
%Java. arid arrangements were made for The trans-
fer of Banca, it was necesary to withdraw the
small British force which had provisionally re-
. mained at Palembang for the protection of the
Sultan. On that occasion the Sultan appealed to
the British Government in the strongesrterms.
The following extract from one of his Highness's
kers, to the Hon. Mr. nodal! way be sufficient
foethe present purpose :
Ahasten to send back my Ambassadors to
liavavia to wait upon my friend the Lieutenant-
- Go‘eilior, of whom I earnestly entreat that he
will confirm and settle all the arrangements re-
. girdiug tree and the coun•ry of Palembang, as
lv.reolore existing ; and that those relations nay
!ern:do uninterrived. notwithstanding the esta-

Ot the Dutch tioveininent on the
ui J4va. I cannot onany consideration separale

inv•t•if from the fremlship exiting betyvrtm nrt
the iirifish (3,,,vvroment, and lace my re-

.11 ,BrTtisb Gioiernmew, tilat.their pro-
f( Incly tiot .be wialdrays-D, 'AC. 1 catillot

•
untleTslamt may Pocfnr upon .whith I CO}.l
rice nay dependence than the English Goirern,
t&c.,
the st me manner as the British Authorities
LIS ca:',.3l upon the Commissioners-General to
gl:FA•3:):,:l thy treaties with other Princes, they
tipra them to respect that with the Sultan
; but the Commissioners refused a
complia!me with this request ; a solemn protest
was accordingly made on the part of the British
G,)vcrument, • and the question referred to the
Authorities in Europe.

Tut grounds on which the British Authorities
felt themselves warranted in requiring, in a par-
ticular manner, that the existing treaty with the
Sultan of l'alembang should be resPected, were
obvious. That treaty had been fully recognized,
as well by his. Britannic Majesty as by his Ma-
jesty of the Netherlands ; it was no long r a con-
nexion dependent on the local Government of
Java. The island of Banca was not considered to
revert to the Dutch Rs a matter of conrae, under
the general provisions of the Convention of
1814 ; required that an express article should
be inserted in the Convention, and his Ma-
jesty the King of the Netherlands having received
the island of Banca under that express article,
mast be bound to respect the treaty by which
it was originally ceded to • the English. The
very act by which the Netherlands Government
took possession of Banca, confirmed .the inde-
pendence of Palembang, and rendered it incum-
bent on the British Government to maintain the
independence unimpaired. lVhile the British GO -
vernment availed itself of the benefit which they
derived by tire treaty with Palembang, they were
surely hound to fulfil that part of it u hich was be-
neficial to the Sultan. Having transferred 11,,Lea
ton foreign Power, the British Government be-
came bound in honour and good faith to fulfil rite
express condition on which they first obtained it.

Binift, there.if, as the British Government was

to maintain tile rights and dignity of the Sultan,
as the price for which Banca may be considered
to have been purchased, and deeply interested as
it was in pro,ecting the independanre of the ritt
of Palembing, it wis with surptize that I receiv-
ed, on the 17,1 i of 'June, a letter from the Sultan,
which the following is an ex, ract : •

" At this present time there is numb trouble
and anxiety, owing to the confusion and alarm
spread by the arrival of a great Dintlitnan, called
Edelier Montinglie, who wishes to enter the
country of Pidembang, and says he was sett over
by the Dutch Commissioners-General, for the
purpose of communicating with me. At present
he is at Alinto, and it is uncertain when he may
conic to Palembang. The object of his mission
do not know, but he has ordered a ship of war to
!accede him tip the river, &c. 1 hOpe that my
friend will afford me whatever assistance he pos-
sibly cart, and also give me instructions, in order
to prevent the Dutch -front' at all, .nt in arty way,
Affecting my present state and situation, by intro.
(hieing disturbance and confusion in the country,
and by co-operating with those who wish to de-
stroy my respect and authority; for I most fully
rely on being, throng!) the kindness and assistance
or my tricnd, securely and fit mly established iq
the rule of the country, &e. I regoest my friend
will send me an early reply, and that my friend
will at the.same time send me something to hold
to ; for I .o) still iu a State of very great anxiety
and alarm."

On receipt of this intimation, Copt9in Salmon►i
%vas directe►l to proceed to Palembang, as agent of
the British Government, titidcr instructions, of
which the following, is a.copy,

" TO CAPTAIN SALMoND.

" Sts,--You are hereby appointed to proceed
on a sil"i"I mission try Pakt»l,4og, the object
of whirl, is to afford to the Sultan- the protection
of the British Government.

" 2. I am unacquair'ited with the measures
which may lia-ve been ptitsned by the Diuch Go-
reilltlient with respect to Palembang'; but what-
ever they may have been, they can in no way in-
terfere with the duty of the British Government to
support the present Sultan, Redo° Achmed Nein-
on the Tilt one, to which he was raised
by their authority. This, indeed, was the express
contlit ion on which he ceded the ishnd of 'Batiea.
" 3. The Dutch Government have no claim
whatever to a footing at Palembang by virtue of the
recent Convention, rind therefore it depends upon
the Sultan; as an independent Prince, whether he
chooses to admit them or not. In his recent com-
munications to toe, he expresses hins.elf to be in the
utmost distress and anxiety, in consequence of the
disorder and confusion into which the country has
been ,thrown by the expected arrival of a Dutch
Commissioner; and in the full hope that I will
give him proofs of my assistance end friendship,
calls upon use to know what I can do for him, as
his sole reliance is upon thy British Government,
who-raised him to the Throne.

" 4. From this it would appear that the Sultan
has not yet entered into any formal arrang,:nnent
with the Dutch Government ; but as they may
have taken measures for forming an establish-
ment, in defiance of the protest of the British
Government, and of the rights of the Sultan, no
time should be lost in calling upon the Sultan to
make his election ; and if he is desirous of ex-
cluding the Dutch, and of retnaining tinder the
British protection, an explanatory treaty should
be negotiated.

" b. At all events it 'will be your duty to con-
vince the Sultan that he is lint abandoned bY the
British Government ; and should he place himself
unequivocally under its protection, CO afford him
that protection ,0 the extent of your means, and
to require that the Dutch withdraw all preten-
tious, And in no way further interfere with the
affairs of Palenibang.
6" 6. It is, perhaps, unnecessary for me to sug-
gest the propriety of all your communications with
the Dutch Authorities of Wlnca, or elsewhere,
being as guarded as possible; but at the same
time in the spirit of harmony anti good under-
standing which exists between the two G.,vern-