Explain the weaknesses of Penang and Bencoolen in serving British interests in the Malay Archipelago in the 18^th Century CE. (4m)

The British interest in this region was the lucrative China-India trade. This trade has become very lucrative and profitable for the British and hence there was a need to safeguard and protect it. However the Dutch monopoly of the trade routes threatened the British shipping and interest. There was thus a need to break Dutch monopoly so that China trade could continue.

The British needed to find a port to attract trade and to check Dutch activities. However Penang and Bencoolen were unsuitable. Penang was located too far up north from the main trading areas and hence unable to attract trade. This meant that Penang was unsuitable as a port to break Dutch monopoly. In addition, Bencoolen was located on the wrong side of Sumatra facing the Indian Ocean. This meant that the British could not use it to protect their ships along the Straits of Melaka and also not able to monitor Dutch activities. Hence it cannot effectively check dutch expansion in this region.