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The English East India Company and the British Crown: C. 1795- 1803, the First Occupation at the Cape of Good Hope

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The English East India Company and the British Crown: C. 1795- 1803, the First Occupation at the Cape of Good Hope The English East India Company and the British Crown: c. 1795- 1803, the first occupation at the Cape of Good Hope by Calvin Jordan Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Department of History at Rhodes University Supervisor: Dr Nicole Ulrich January 2018 Abstract My thesis aims to investigate the relationship between the English East India Company (EEIC) and the British colonial administration at the Cape of Good Hope during the first British occupation (1795 to 1803). Studies and literature that concern the EEIC have rarely gone beyond the surface, detailing the presence of the EEIC at the Cape, and neglecting the Company’s involvement in the administration thereof. My thesis draws on prior works but attempts to address both temporal and spatial gaps in this literature on the Atlantic and Indian Ocean, and the history of the EEIC. This study takes note of the seaborne related activity around the ports, bays and islands at the Cape – including the regulation of these spaces and issues related to securing British trade and colonial possessions more generally. I question the framing of the Cape primarily as a constituent of a national unit by locating the colony within a broader global and maritime context. A key interest is to determine the degree to which the EEIC influenced and participated in the British governance of the Cape, particularly by exploring the maritime dimensions of the relationship between the EEIC and colonial governance during this particular period. This involves understanding the embeddedness of the Cape in British (Crown and Company) networks and the constitution of a ‘British maritime zone’. This study uses archival sources drawn from the British colonial government records, Company records, and the private diaries and letters of Lady Anne Barnard that relate to the Cape. It is shown that a uniquely configured governance convention was constituted to secure the mutual commercial and imperial interests of both Crown and Company. By keeping the Cape secure, the British sought to keep their greater seaborne Empire secure. This study reveals that the EEIC was significantly involved in and influenced the way the British administration governed the Cape. ii Declaration I declare that this thesis is my own work and that all sources I have quoted or used have been indicated and acknowledged by means of complete references. Calvin Don Jordan January 2018 iii Acknowledgments I would like to thank my supervisor Dr Nicole Ulrich for her unbelievable support, guidance and mentoring me through my thesis. A project that without you would not have been possible. I am immensely grateful and appreciative for your enthusiasm, confidence, patience and tireless engagement with my work over the course of this process. Your supervision has introduced me to worlds, stories, adventures, ideas and opportunities that have allowed me to grow academically and personally. I will always be thankful for all your insightful advice and reassuring words that have been instilled within me and guided me on this journey. To the History Department and special thanks to Essie, Cynthia, Nicole and Gary for the unconditional help and administrative care. I will miss the morning coffee, company and conversation that importantly kick started and lit up my work day. I am grateful too, for the support, company and insight of my friends for getting me through this process and making my experience at Rhodes University an unforgettably brilliant one. Your friendship, coffee, drinks, talks, adventures and academic insights and exposures have enriched my life beyond words. All of which has contributed to progressing and developing this thesis. A special thanks to the Director of Research, Ms. Roberts, who made funding available for the purchase of the British Library archival document copies researched for this thesis. I would also like to acknowledge and thank the Rodney Davenport scholarship for providing financial assistance. Thank you to my examiners for their comprehensive reports and suggestions. Although I am not able to fully include all their suggestions due to constrains, their suggestions will be of great benefit when I develop some of this work further. And finally, to my parents, sister and nanna. Thank you for your unwavering support and guidance. I will remain eternally grateful. Fam. All of you are lit af. Stay shiny! And keep flourishing and slaying. Much love and hugs x iv Abbreviations EEIC – The English East India Company The Company – The English East India Company Cape – The Cape of Good Hope VOC – The Dutch East India Company v Table of Contents Abstract .................................................................................................................ii Declaration .......................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgments ................................................................................................ iv Abbreviations ........................................................................................................ v Chapter 1 ............................................................................................................... 1 Company and Crown at the Cape: Concepts and Methodology ..................................... 1 The Honourable English East India Company at the Cape of Good Hope (1794 to 1803) ............ 1 Decolonising the Colonial ............................................................................................................... 2 Conceptualising Colonialism .......................................................................................................... 3 Along the Grain ............................................................................................................................... 7 Chapter Outline .................................................................................................................. 12 Chapter 2 ............................................................................................................. 15 Literature Review ............................................................................................................... 15 Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 15 Atlantic and Indian Ocean Literature ............................................................................................ 16 EEIC Literature ............................................................................................................................. 19 Corporation and Colonialism in Southern Africa Literature ......................................................... 22 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 23 Chapter 3 ............................................................................................................. 25 The Honourable EEIC ....................................................................................................... 25 Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 25 Formation ...................................................................................................................................... 25 The Commercial Ventures and European Rivals .......................................................................... 26 Organisation and Structure............................................................................................................ 30 Imperial Ambition ......................................................................................................................... 34 Toward A United Company .......................................................................................................... 37 Commercial and Political Ascendancy ......................................................................................... 38 Increasing EEIC and Crown Government Collaboration .............................................................. 45 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 48 Chapter 4 ............................................................................................................. 51 Securing the Cape: Company interest, plans and the mission to take it, c. 1780 to 1795 .............................................................................................................................................. 51 Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 51 Literature on the British Actions to Secure the Cape for the First Occupation............................. 51 The Cape of Good Hope: A Brief History of the Colony until the c. 1780s ................................. 53 vi The Cape Colony and Global Uncertainty, c.1780s: EEIC Role in Early Discussions of the Cape ...................................................................................................................................................... 56 Reducing Risk (1793 to 1795) ...................................................................................................... 60 A Plan of Military Action, 1795 ..................................................................................................
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