Conquest of Java

THE

CONQUEST

OF JAVA

BY

MAJOR WILLIAM THORN

with an Introduction by John Bastin

PERIPLUS

Originally published as Memoir of the Conquest of Java ...

To which is subjoined, A Statistical and Historical Sketch of Java,

by T. Egerton, Military Library, Whitehall, London, 1815

Reprinted by Periplus Editions (HK) Ltd, in association with

Antiques of the Orient Pte Ltd, Singapore, 1993

Reprinted in paperback by Periplus Editions (HK) Ltd, 2004

Introduction © John Bastin, 2004

ISBN: 978-1-4629-0470-9 (ebook)

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CONTENTS

LIST OF PLATES.

ERRATA.

INTRODUCTION

BEFORE he left England for India in 1807 to take up his appointment as Governor-General, Lord Minto had discussions with British ministers about the need to reduce the French-controlled islands of Mauritius, Bourbon and Java. In India, one of his first official letters to the Chairman of the East India Company, Edward Parry, was to emphasize the importance of conquering Mauritius and Bourbon to prevent them from serving as bases for hostile naval and military forces operating in the Indian Ocean. The fragility of Indian finances after Marquis Wellesley's extravagant administration left insufficient resources to mount such an expedition and, in any case, the attention of the Indian authorities became increasingly focused on threats of French expansion through Persia to India. Even after the removal of this threat by British diplomacy in Persia, and an increasingly favourable financial position in India, the British Government was reluctant to take active measures against the French. It was only the heavy losses sustained by Calcutta merchants from the activities of French privateers and armed cruisers operating from bases in Mauritius and Bourbon, and the capture by the French in 1809 of no fewer than six Indiamen, that forced Minto to act on his own initiative and mount a military and naval expedition against the islands. Their capture in December 1810 received subsequent approval by the British Government, but in Minto's mind this was only the first part of a plan to eliminate French influence entirely from the Eastern Seas. Before news was received of the success of the operations against Mauritius, orders were issued for a 'combined application' of the King's and Company's forces to undertake an expedition against Java.

The British Government's agreement 'to the expediency of endeavouring to expel the enemy from their settlements in Java and from every other place which they may occupy in the Eastern Seas' was less supportive of Minto's plans than might be supposed, as he was further instructed that after the capture of Java, and the destruction of its military installations, he was to withdraw all British forces from the island. Believing it to be morally wrong to carry out this part of his instructions, as it would have meant leaving Dutch colonists without military protection, he established an interim British administration in the island under Thomas Stamford Raffles as Lieutenant-Governor.

The British military forces assembled at Calcutta and Madras for the invasion of Java numbered nearly 12,000 men. The Commander-in-Chief was Lieutenant-General Sir Samuel Auchmuty, a 55-year-old American who had fought on the British side during the American War of Independence. The attendant naval forces of 100 ships, including 4 battleships of the line, 14 frigates, 7 sloops, and 8 East India Company cruisers, were placed under the command of Commodore William Broughton, a cautious sailor who had conducted extensive surveys along the coasts of north-west America and Asia. He yielded his post off Java to Rear-Admiral Sir Robert Stopford, one of Nelson's captains, who had commanded at the Cape. The British invasion force was by far the largest armament ever to enter the Eastern Seas and its size was never matched until the Second World War. Its importance was further enhanced by the presence of the Governor-General Lord Minto, who, to the astonishment of his colleagues in Calcutta, decided to take part in the expedition by placing himself under the authority of Auchmuty during the course of the combined operations.

The military and naval elements of the British expeditionary force, and its maritime course to Java, are described in the book, which also contains a vivid account of the success of British arms in the island, highlighted by the victory over the Franco-Dutch forces at Meester Cornelis on 26 August 1811. The book also contains an account of the subsequent British military operations against the sultanate of Palembang in southern Sumatra in April 1812, and against Yogyakarta in central Java in June of the same year. The book gains its importance from the fact that the author took part in all three military operations and writes with first-hand knowledge of the subject.

William Thorn was thirty years old when he joined the expeditionary force to Java—the same age as Raffles. He had served as a Lieutenant with the 29th Light Dragoons in India during the Maratha War of 1803-5, and took part in the capture of Aligarh, Delhi and Agra between September and October 1803. He particularly distinguished himself at the battle of Laswari in November, when his horse was shot from under him and he received severe wounds by grape shot which fractured the lower part of his face. He later took part in the siege of Bharatpur between January and March 1805. In 1807, he was promoted Captain and appointed Brigade-Major to the cantonment of Bangalore. He volunteered his services against Mauritius in 1810, and after his return to India he joined the expedition against Java as Brigade-Major to the division under (Sir) Robert Rollo Gillespie. He was again wounded with grape shot during the brief engagement at Weltevreden on 10 August, but although still suffering from his wounds he took part with the advanced brigade in the assault on the heavily fortified position of Cornelis sixteen days later. Thorn's services were acknowledged by Auchmuty in official orders, and after the defeat of the French forces, and the establishment of British rule in the island, he was appointed Deputy Quarter-Master General with the rank of Brevet Major.

Thorn resigned his staff appointment and left Java for Europe in July 1813. It was, as he explains in the Preface, the result of his enforced stay at St Helena waiting for an escorting convey that gave him the opportunity to assemble his materials and begin writing his book. These materials were largely sketches and details jotted down at the close of each military action, but he also drew on official reports issued and printed in Calcutta and Batavia (Jakarta). He also had with him notes based on personal observations made during a journey along the north-east coast of Java, Madura and Bali during August and September 1812. These descriptive and statistical notes were probably extensive, judging by an extract from them in the National Library of Scotland: 'Itinerary to serve as an accompanyment [sic] to the Map of Java; showing the Post-Stages, Forts, Towns & Military Stations, with their several distances, as extracted from a late Tour of the Deputy Quarter Master-General. Weltevreeden 1st Oct 1812'. The Map of Java, to which the document refers, was prepared by Thorn during the course of his journey, and was used as the basis for the large folding map which accompanied the original edition of the book, and which is here reproduced as endpapers.

Thorn completed his book after he returned to England and it was published in London in 1815 at £3.3s. in boards. It contains 35 numbered plates, of which 18 are maps and charts, one a line engraving, and 16 are uncoloured aquatints by the London painter and engraver, Joseph Jeakes, who exhibited at the Royal Academy between 1796 and 1809. The aquatints are mainly views of Batavia and the coastal towns of north-eastern Java of different degrees of topographical accuracy. The most interesting plate (XXV) is that of the 'Water Castle' (Taman Sari), with its artificial lakes and underground tunnels built near the kraton at Yogyakarta in the middle of the eighteenth century by Sultan Hamengkubuwana I (Mangkubumi). It is possible that this view, and that of the fort, palace and line of defence at Palembang (XVIII), are after sketches made by Thorn at the time of the British military operations against Yogyakarta and Palembang in April and June 1812; but as the majority of the plates in the book are after drawings by the Danish artist Johannes Rach, who lived and worked in Jakarta in the employ of the Dutch East India Company between 1762 and 1783, it is more likely that they are after drawings by him or by a member of his school. The spectacular Plate XX, depicting the funeral procession of the Chinese kapitan of Batavia, Oei Yen Koa, is lettered as 'drawn on the spot', but it is, in fact, after a drawing by an artist of the Rach school executed in 1784, long before Thorn's book was published. Where or when Thorn obtained these drawings, or copies of them, to illustrate his book is unknown, but they were probably acquired by him in Java and brought back with him to England.

The book was printed by R. Wilks of Chancery Lane, London, on paper watermarked W Balston & Co/1814, and W Balston & Co/1815 (text), and L Tovil Mill/1813 (plates). Plates in other copies of the book are printed on paper watermarked I Budgen/1813. A few thick paper copies of the book were issued, at an unrecorded price, without the imprint on the half title, and on paper watermarked 1813 (text), with plates printed on the same paper as above, and also on paper watermarked L Tovil Mill/1815. The plates, plans and maps were all issued uncoloured, but they have been coloured for this reprint.

While his book was going through the press, Thorn travelled to France and marched as a volunteer with the British army to Paris. In 1818, he published A Memoir of the late War in India, another quarto volume with maps and plans describing the campaigns he took part in under Lord Lake and Sir Arthur Wellesley, later Duke of Wellington. In April 1819, he was promoted Major in the 25th Light Dragoons (formerly the 29th) and placed on half pay. He was promoted Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel in August 1819 and retired from the army in 1825. His military services were honoured with the award of a knighthood of the Royal Hanoverian Guelphic order. He died at Neuwied on the Rhine on 29 November 1843. In addition to his two quarto volumes on Java and India, Thorn also wrote a biography in octavo format of his old chief, Sir Robert Rollo Gillespie—A Memoir of Major-General Sir R. R. Gillespie, Knight Commander of the Most Honorable Order of the Bath, &c. (London, 1816)—whose military exploits in Java, more than those of any other man, secured the British conquest of the island.

JOHN BASTIN

Eastbourne, East Sussex, England

October 2003

MEMOIR

OF THE

CONQUEST OF JAVA;

WITH THE SUBSEQUENT OPERATIONS

OF

THE BRITISH FORCES,

IN

The Oriental Archipelago.

TO WHICH IS SUBJOINED,

A STATISTICAL AND HISTORICAL SKETCH OF

JAVA;

BEING THE RESULT OF OBSERVATIONS MADE IN A TOUR THROUGH THE COUNTRY;

WITH AN ACCOUNT OF ITS DEPENDENCIES.

BY MAJOR WILLIAM THORN,

late Deputy Quarter-Master-General to the Forces serving in Java.

ILLUSTRATED BY PLANS, CHARTS, VIEWS, &c.

LONDON:

PRINTED FOR T. EGERTON, MILITARY LIBRARY, WHITEHALL.

1851

TO HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS

FREDERICK,

DUKE OF YORK AND ALBANY,

COMMANDER IN CHIEF OF ALL HIS MAJESTY'S FORCES.

&c. &c. &c.

           SIR,

THE permission to inscribe this Memoir to your ROYAL HIGHNESS, flattering as it must be to the feelings of a Soldier, is only an evidence of that benign attention, under the influence of which the Military Character has risen in this country to an unrivalled degree of excellence, diffusing the glory of our arms over every part of the globe. While the most powerful exertions were making to rescue the people of Europe from the chain of a despot, whose object was to yoke all Sovereigns to his chariot-wheels; it must have been peculiarly gratifying to the friends of humanity to find, that correspondent efforts were carried on with equal vigour, in remote regions, for the accomplishment of the work of universal deliverance. Though the operations which took place in the farthest parts of Asia, to curb the aspiring domination of France over the commerce and liberties of the world, were in a great measure eclipsed by the rapid succession of brilliant achievements in the Peninsula, under the command of the first Captain of modern ages; the value and splendour of those which attended the Conquest of Java, were not without the praise of Government, or the gratitude of the nation.

Thus, amidst the revolutions which it has been the lot of your ROYAL HIGHNESS to witness, the perseverance and energy of Britain have commanded the admiration of mankind; and afforded a solid ground of confidence, that whatever changes other States may be destined to endure these Islands, under the paternal rule of the House of Brunswick, will ever continue to be a check to ambition, and an example of loyalty, presenting a barrier against the encroachments of licentious power, and a refuge to the persecuted and afflicted of every land.

That yourR OYAL HIGHNESS may be long instrumental in maintaining these blessings, by promoting the interests of that important Service over which you preside, is the prayer of,

                 Your Royal Highnesses

                                     Most dutiful and obedient Servant,

WILLIAM THORN.

PREFACE.

THE ISLAND of JAVA and its immediate dependencies, present so many interesting objects for the consideration of intelligent observers, that no relative change with respect to the possession and government of these remarkable portions of the globe, can affect their importance, or lessen the desire of being more intimately acquainted with countries which have been too much secluded from examination by local difficulties and commercial jealousy.

It may well excite surprize, that while the Dutch fixed here the seat of their Eastern Empire, and for above two centuries drew from hence immense supplies of wealth, so little should have been comparatively done under their direction, either for the improvement of such valuable possessions, or in satisfying the natural desire of men to acquire a knowledge of regions, the productions of which have been sought with avidity. This frigid insensibility to the concerns of science, and to the progress of the human mind, certainly did not arise from any apathy in respect to the value of their Oriental settlements, or for the want of energy in turning them to the most lucrative advantage. On the contrary, the entire history of the Dutch dominion in the eastern world, exhibits a perpetual spirit of encroachment, and of incessant activity to prevent the intrusion of others on a trade which they considered as their exclusive property. With this view of upholding their power, and of making a deep impression on the nations among whom their settlements were formed, these people, who have been proverbially plain and frugal in Europe, were as much distinguished by the splendour of their foreign establishments.

The City of BATAVIA might well obtain the appellation of being the Queen of the East, on account of the wealth of its inhabitants, the grandeur of its buildings, and the vast extent of its commerce. This was indeed the heart of the Dutch empire in India, as the Island of Java itself constituted the principal source of all its opulence and strength. The kingdom of Bantam formed the western division of this large territory, while in the opposite direction the Dutch enjoyed the sole command of the rich and beautiful line of coast on the north side of the island, abounding with populous towns and numerous harbours. Possessed of so much power, it could not be a matter of wonder that the influence of these enterprizing people should be felt and obeyed through the neighbouring seas; and that with such multiplied means of increasing riches in their hands, the most valuable productions of this prolific part of the earth should be emptied as it were with exuberance into that celebrated mart, which united in itself the pomp of Asiatic luxury, with the activity of European industry.

But this ready accumulation of wealth, connected as it was with a very defective system of internal administration, proved the source of corruption to the members employed by the state, and of idleness and debauchery to the mass of the people. Large fortunes, it is true, were made by individuals, but the revenue became deteriorated, so that for some time before the French revolution, the affairs of the Dutch in the East were in a declining condition; and the subjugation of Holland to the gigantic power which arose out of that event, accelerated their absolute ruin. Deprived of the protection afforded by an alliance with Great Britain, the Dutch soon had to lament the loss of Ceylon, Malacca, and the Spice Islands; besides their settlements on the Continent of India. JAVA indeed remained, but the trade was in a great measure annihilated; and the resources of this great possession, however considerable they might be intrinsically, could hardly be of much benefit to the parent state. The local government had, in fact, long exercised an arbitrary rule over every branch of commerce and cultivation for present interests, rather than for the general good; looking only to the proceeds of the sales, and the immediate returns of colonial produce. But the annexation of Holland to France, after the temporary mockery of erecting the United Provinces into a Monarchy, opened enlarged views with respect to the destination of Java, and it was rightly considered, that this important island would yield many advantages to the new empire, independent of the prospect which it held out of creating a rival power in the East. Accordingly, some of the most sagacious statesmen of that nation, turned their thoughts closely to this subject, and endeavoured to kindle in their countrymen a spirit of emulation and enterprize, by setting before them a brilliant picture of the benefits to be gained in a migration to the distant regions which were now added to the French dominion. This artful policy was admirably calculated to free the country of a dangerous and redundant population, at a period when the revolutionary tempest had scarcely subsided, and when there yet remained many disaffected and turbulent spirits who wanted employment, and were guided by no principles of morality. On the other hand, the successive changes which had taken place throughout France and her dependent states, had thrown multitudes of unfortunate persons into poverty, from which they were now flattered with the assurance of being delivered, by pursuing the certain course to affluence in the oriental settlements.

The ardent and aspiring, the inquisitive and industrious, were alike stimulated to turn their minds towards the colonial establishments, for the acquisition of riches and the retrieval of their misfortunes, The avaricious were lured by the promise of gain, and the ambitious were fired by the prospect of glory. Thus did the intriguing Government of France endeavour to profit by the possession of this remote appendage to the Empire, in holding out such allurements as were most powerfully adapted to render it beneficial in itself, and instrumental to the general object of natural aggrandizement. Nor can it be denied, that the exertions of France to improve the Island as a military position, to strengthen its relative connexions, and to make it answerable to the professions which had been artfully thrown out in the way of temptation, were such as denoted equal energy and ability.

But it could not escape the observation of those who felt the importance of this settlement, that the change which had taken place must necessarily call the particular attention of the British nation to the possession of Java by France. This was indeed a matter of such pressing and unavoidable moment, that the most vigorous measures were immediately taken to secure the island from the attempts which it was natural to expect would be made, to wrest the settlement from the hands of those who were known to entertain other views in the possession of it, than such as were merely commercial and pacific.

General Daendels, one of the most active and intelligent officers in the French service, was therefore appointed to this government; and immediately on his arrival, he began to prepare for any attack which might be made upon the island by the British naval and military forces in India. The plans of this officer were for the most part exceedingly judicious, and his means were commensurate with the important trust of which he had the care, and the opposition which he had reason to expect. His powers were unlimited, and he had twenty thousand well-disciplined soldiers at his disposal; while over the actual resources of the colony he had an absolute controul, and he made no scruple of applying them at his pleasure to the accomplishment of the designs which he conceived to be the best for the defence of the island against an invading force. At an immense charge, therefore, and with a prodigious waste of human life, roads were constructed throughout the island; while Fort Ludowyck was erected to command the straits between Java and Madura In pursuance of the same plan, the seat of Government was removed to the suburbs of Batavia, and a more salubrious military station was also chosen in the interior, where the new fortifications, aiding the natural advantages of the position, seemed to render the settlement impregnable. But this enterprizing Commander did not confine his views to mere measures of defence only, for in the true spirit of the new master whom he served, his mind was inspired with the desire of conquest, and the Moluccas were already threatened, and our spice trade would soon have fallen, had the preparations been suffered to go on for naval purposes, and the French continued much longer in the absolute command of the island of Java, from whence they could sweep the seas and annoy our settlements.

The subversion of this rising power, therefore, became an imperious duty on the part of the British Government in India, and it was happily accomplished under the judicious and personal direction of Lieutenant-General Sir SAMUEL AUCHMUTY, and by the overbearing valour of our troops. Of this great achievement, and of the arduous services with which it was attended, a detailed Memoir appeared necessary, as the authentic record of an interesting event, and to enable the public in Europe to appreciate the value of the acquisition, and the nature of the operations by which it was attained.

Any apology for such a performance would be justly treated as superfluous, where, from the nature of the subject, criticism must be ill employed in censuring what could not obtain the advantages of literary composition, without the chance of doing injury to the simplicity of the narrative. The sketches and details of operation reported in the following sheets, were, for the greatest part, noted down on the spot, after the close of each action; consequently, no merit can be claimed for any thing beyond a diligent attention to passing occurrences, and a scrupulous regard to fidelity in the representation of them. The inclination of the author to mark the esteem which he entertains for his companions in arms, would have led him to notice their particular exploits, in language suited to the high sense which he entertains of them; but in so doing he is aware, that he should thereby have justly incurred the charge of presumption. But while he is silent on the distinct merits of the living and the dead, he must be permitted to say, generally, that no terms could be found adequately to express his sentiments of those with whom he was happily associated in the labours here narrated; and he can, with great propriety, adopt the glowing lines of the poet, which are perfectly responsive of the emotions that animate the breast of the patriotic soldier.

Oh War! thou hast thy fierce delight

Thy gleams of joy intensely bright!

Such gleams, as from thy polish'd shield

Fly dazzling o'er thy battle field!

Such transports wake, severe and high,

Amid the pealing conquest-cry;

Scarce less, when after battle lost

Muster the remnants of a host,

And as each comrade's name they tell,

Who in the well-fought conflict fell,

Knitting stern brow o'er flashing eye,

Vow to avenge them or to die!

SCOTT'S LORD OF THE ISLES.

On the passage to England, the leisure afforded by being detained six months at St. Helena for the want of convoy, suggested the idea of adding to the Memoir a brief statistical view of the Islands of Java and Madura, substantially compressed from personal observations made in a tour through those parts; which, with some interesting sketches of the Oriental Archipelago, constituting the dependencies on the government at Batavia, may be relied on in respect to accuracy of description, and the authenticity of the details with which the writer was favored, concerning the operations that added the Moluccas to the British possessions.

When it is considered that the jealous policy of the Dutch had succeeded but too effectually for two centuries, in preventing any correct information relative to their eastern territories from being made known in Europe, this addition to the stock of geographical