Home > Pangkor Treaty of 1874

Perak back then was a major tin producer in the world. Therefore, the British, of which had obtained Penang, Malacca and Singapore earlier, considered Perak as a significant importance. However, local strifes between the local Malay elites and frequent clashes between secret Chinese societies disrupted the flow of tin from the mines of Perak.

In 1871, Sultan Ali , the ruler of Perak passed away. Due to Perak's complex succession system, Raja Abdullah should have been appointed as the next Sultan of Perak but due to a few problems, Raja Ismail was elected instead. At around the same time, two secret Chinese societies known as Ghee Hin and Hai San constantly waged battle against each other for control of the tin mines in Perak.

Raja Abdullah later asked for the British help to solve these two problems. The British immediately saw this as a great opportunity to expand its influence in Southeast Asia and strengthened its monopoly on tin. As a result, the Pangkor Treaty of 1874 was signed.

The agreement dictated:

• Raja Abdullah was acknowledged as the legitimate Sultan to replace Sultan Ismail who would be given a title and a penchant of $1000 a month.
• The Sultan will receive a British Resident whose advice had to be sought and adhered to in all matters except those pertaining to the religion and customs of the Malays.
• All collections and control of taxes as well as the administration of the state had to be done under the name of the Sultan but arranged according to the Resident's advice.
• The Minister of Larut would continue to be in control, but would no longer be recognized as a liberated leader. Instead, a British Officer, who would have a vast authority in administrating the district, would be appointed in Larut.
• The Sultan and not the British government would pay the Resident's salary

Raja Ismail did not attend the meeting arranged between Sir Andew Clarke and Raja Abdullah. Raja Ismail obviously did not recognize the agreement but he had no choice against the alliance between Raja Abdullah and the British. As a result, Raja Abdullah was made Sultan and Sir J.W.W. BirchBirch was the first British Resident in Perak. He was killed by local Malay chief, Dato Maharajalela, in Pasir Salak, near today's Teluk Intan (Teluk Anson). He was killed because of his disrespect to the local custom and tradition, and conflict with loca was appointed as Perak's first British Resident after the treaty came to force.

Following this agreement, the British actively became involved in three other Malay states, namely Negeri SembilanPeninsular Malaysia Negeri Sembilan (also Negri Sembilan , meaning "nine states" in Malay, is a state of Malaysia. It is located on the western coast of Peninsular Malaysia, just south of Kuala Lumpur. The name is believed to derive from the nine district, SelangorPeninsular Malaysia Selangor (population 4. 1 million) is a state in central Peninsular Malaysia. It surrounds the federal territories of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya. The capital city is Shah Alam and the royal capital is Klang. Selangor is also known by i and PahangPeninsular Malaysia Pahang is the largest state in Peninsular Malaysia, and as a result contains quite a large range of geography and industry. Its state capital is Kuantan, with the royal seat at Pekan. The Arabic honorific of Pahang is Darul Makmur ("Ab. These states along with Perak later became the Federated Malay StatesThe Federated Malay States was a federation of four states on the Malay Peninsula Penang, Perak, Selangor, and Negeri Sembilan established by the British government in 1895, and lasted until 1946, when they were joined to the Straits Settlements and the U.