1882 Daly Map of the Malay Peninsula

An important map of the Malay Peninsula by Dominic Daniel Daly, lithographed by Edward Weller and published in 1882 in the Proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society. Daly's surveys of portions of the peninsula were the first scientific surveys conducted there. The map depicts the peninsula as British influence over the indigenous sultanates was expanding rapidly, aided by a boom in tin mining.

A Closer Look

Coverage ranges from the southern portions of Kedah and Patani, both quasi-autonomous sultanates under the control of Siam, to the Straits of Malacca, the tip of the Malay Peninsula, and Singapore. Rivers, mountains, and settlements are noted, with greater frequency in areas where the British had a longer presence or proximity. Other areas of the map are blank or noted as unexplored, though certain rivers of the interior of the peninsula are well mapped, particularly the Pahang River and its tributaries. Although the British had charted the coasts of the Malay Peninsula and territories under their direct or indirect control, prior to Daly's surveys the interior was an unknown and foreboding landscape, thought to be filled with near-uninhabitable swamps and jungles.

Tin Boom

The British controlled or affiliated territories on the west side of the peninsula were undergoing a rapid transformation at this time as a result of a tin mining boom on par with the gold rushes of the 19th century. Workers from near and far converged on mining regions, often organized by ethnic and native place associations that also facilitated financing and trade for the mines. The rush for riches caused conflict both between and within these communities, which strengthened British claims that they were a necessary overseer and referee of the tin industry.

Kuala Lumpur

Among other features, this map is notable for an early reference to Kuala Lumpur ('K. Lumpor') on the Klang River. Resembling gold rush boom towns on other continents, Kuala Lumpur's early history was turbulent, with violence and fires common, and it resembled a miner's camp more than a proper town. The city was effectively ruled by a Guangdong-born Hakka named Yap Ah Loy (葉亞來), known as 'Captain China,' who acted as an intermediary between the Chinese laborers, Malay elite, and British (after Yap's death, the 'Capitan China' title would pass on to others; similar 'Captains' existed for Arab and Indian immigrant communities as well). Kuala Lumpur continued to grow on the back of the tin boom, and by 1880 the British 'Resident' of Selangor had moved there from Klang (where it is still listed here). In 1896, the British established the Federated Malay States and designated Kuala Lumpur as their capital.

Political Changes

Other political changes followed, including the reorganization and renaming of territories. 'Province Wellesley' here had been acquired by the East India Company in 1800 to provide food and a defensive buffer zone for Penang, as existed for Dinding to the south. In 1867, Penang, along with Singapore, Malacca, and Dinding, became the Straits Settlements, a crown colony, and the entirety of Province Wellesley was simply renamed Penang. Additionally, borders between territories, including those controlled by Siam, were fixed in the following decades, thanks in part to the surveying work undertaken by Daly.

Publication History and Census

This map was drawn by Henry Sharbau, based on surveys by Dominic Daniel Daly, and lithographed by Edward Weller for publication in the Proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society in 1882. It is independently cataloged among the holdings of the University of Chicago Library, while Daly's accompanying article 'Surveys and explorations in the native states of the Malayan Peninsula 1875-82' is cataloged among the holdings of the National Library Board in Singapore and the National Library of Malaysia.