Ariffin (also referred to in the source work as “Racchia”) was a Malay who supplied the communications to the Consul-General W. H. Read at Singapore on which Read’s telegram of 16 February 16 February 1873 was based. The source work notes that Ariffin was “a rather unreliable person” and that his reports were probably exaggerated, but the Dutch government, in the telegram of the Minister of Colonies Fransen van de Putte of 18 February 18 February 1873, nevertheless concluded that the information justified the dispatch of a powerful naval force to Atjeh.
The Communications
After the departure of the Acehnese envoys from Riouw for Singapore on 25 January 25 January 1873 to return to Atjeh after visiting a few other ports, the Governor-General received from the Consul-General at Singapore, W. H. Read, reports of their proceedings there, which he at once, on 16 February 16 February 1873, transmitted to the Minister of Colonies. The telegram read: “Consul-General Singapore reports treason of Atjeh. Embassy has there asked help of consuls America and Italy against us. Both have concerned themselves with the matter. Will try to provoke counter-order of governments to keep back. Consul America proposes Atjeh tractaat and writes to admiral in China. Racchia waits two ships and then marches to Atjeh.”
The Reliability
“Although it later appeared that the Malay Ariffin, who had given these communications to the Consul-General, was a rather unreliable person and his reports were probably exaggerated, and although the Italian and American governments forbade their consuls further intervention, our government saw in these negotiations, as they had also already been conducted with England, France and Turkey, the proof of the treacherous intentions of the Acehnese chiefs, who, presenting themselves as friends, asked other states for help in a war against us.”
Significance
Ariffin’s communications — though probably exaggerated — were the proximate cause of the Dutch decision to send an expedition against Atjeh. The telegram of the Minister of Colonies of 18 February 18 February 1873 authorised the dispatch of a powerful naval force; on 1 March 1 March [1873] the commissioner F. N. Nieuwenhuysen departed from Batavia; on 22 March 22 March [1873] the expedition sailed from Batavia; and on 5 April 5 April [1873] it arrived at Atjeh. The first Aceh expedition of April 1873 and the Atjeh-oorlog that followed were thus, in some sense, the consequence of the report of an “unreliable” Malay informant.
See Also
- W. H. Read
- I. D. Fransen van de Putte
- F. N. Nieuwenhuysen
- J. Loudon
- Aceh Envoys’ Visit to Singapore (January 1873)
- First Aceh Expedition (1873)
- Singapore
- Aceh War
Source
De geschiedenis van Nederland in onzen tijd, by J. A. de Bruyne, Directeur der Hoogere Burgerschool te Zierikzee. Deel IV. 1872-1883. Nieuwe uitgave. Schiedam: J. F. Dupont, 1912, Hoofdstuk I, pp. 9-11.
Ariffin (also referred to in the source work as “Racchia”) was a Malay who supplied the communications to the Consul-General W. H. Read at Singapore on which Read’s telegram of 16 February 16 February 1873 was based. The source work notes that Ariffin was “a rather unreliable person” and that his reports were probably exaggerated, but the Dutch government, in the telegram of the Minister of Colonies Fransen van de Putte of 18 February 18 February 1873, nevertheless concluded that the information justified the dispatch of a powerful naval force to Atjeh.
The Communications
After the departure of the Acehnese envoys from Riouw for Singapore on 25 January 25 January 1873 to return to Atjeh after visiting a few other ports, the Governor-General received from the Consul-General at Singapore, W. H. Read, reports of their proceedings there, which he at once, on 16 February 16 February 1873, transmitted to the Minister of Colonies. The telegram read: “Consul-General Singapore reports treason of Atjeh. Embassy has there asked help of consuls America and Italy against us. Both have concerned themselves with the matter. Will try to provoke counter-order of governments to keep back. Consul America proposes Atjeh tractaat and writes to admiral in China. Racchia waits two ships and then marches to Atjeh.”
The Reliability
“Although it later appeared that the Malay Ariffin, who had given these communications to the Consul-General, was a rather unreliable person and his reports were probably exaggerated, and although the Italian and American governments forbade their consuls further intervention, our government saw in these negotiations, as they had also already been conducted with England, France and Turkey, the proof of the treacherous intentions of the Acehnese chiefs, who, presenting themselves as friends, asked other states for help in a war against us.”
Significance
Ariffin’s communications — though probably exaggerated — were the proximate cause of the Dutch decision to send an expedition against Atjeh. The telegram of the Minister of Colonies of 18 February 18 February 1873 authorised the dispatch of a powerful naval force; on 1 March 1 March [1873] the commissioner F. N. Nieuwenhuysen departed from Batavia; on 22 March 22 March [1873] the expedition sailed from Batavia; and on 5 April 5 April [1873] it arrived at Atjeh. The first Aceh expedition of April 1873 and the Atjeh-oorlog that followed were thus, in some sense, the consequence of the report of an “unreliable” Malay informant.
See Also
- W. H. Read
- I. D. Fransen van de Putte
- F. N. Nieuwenhuysen
- J. Loudon
- Aceh Envoys’ Visit to Singapore (January 1873)
- First Aceh Expedition (1873)
- Singapore
- Aceh War
Source
De geschiedenis van Nederland in onzen tijd, by J. A. de Bruyne, Directeur der Hoogere Burgerschool te Zierikzee. Deel IV. 1872-1883. Nieuwe uitgave. Schiedam: J. F. Dupont, 1912, Hoofdstuk I, pp. 9-11.