& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

The Dutch in Dhaka

Prof. Dr Sharif Uddin Ahmed
Trade, spices and the Dutch East India Company
In the sixteenth century many European nations entered into trade with Asia. Lhis was facilitated by the discovery of oceanic communications. To die Europeans the Asian trade was generally known as spice trade. But it was more than that. Among the European countries which promptly participated in this trade was the Netherlands or Holland. The people of the Netherlands or Holland are better known as the Dutch.
Allured by the large market in Europe and the high profits of the spice trade, the Hollanders formed the Dutch East India Company in 1602 with the principal object of earning out trade in Asia.
The trading relation of the Dutch East India Company with Asia began quite early, and by the early 17th century the Company established contact with the Indian Subcontinent. In the Indian Sub-Continent, Bengal was one of the richest and well-developed regions. Naturally the Dutch East India Company wanted to have trading relations with Bengal. By the middle of the 17th century the Dutch East India Company became one of the most powerful European companies trading with Bengal, overshadowing the Portuguese and challenging the English.
At the time Bengal was the producer of many internationally exportable commodities especially textiles. It was the largest producer of coarse and cheap calicoes (type of cotton). Bengal silk was famous and was in great demand in Europe. A third lucrative item was saltpeter which was in high demand in Europe. The Dutch East India Company began to trade in all these commodities.
In order to participate in
the Bengal trade they came to Bengal first in 1630 and settled in Pipli. They received trading rights from the Mughal government by paying 3% custom duties on exports. In 1634 they obtained permission from the local governor Azam Khan to establish a factory at Hughli which they eventually built sometime between 1645 and 1647. But the Dutch trade flourished most in Bengal when they established a factory at Chinsura: this place served as their chief settlement in Bengal in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Dhaka, the Capital of the province of Bengal, was also a great centre of trade, commerce and manufactures. It is only natural that the Dutch East India Company would also establish a trade-link with that place. Moreover, at that time Dhaka was the principal producer of the famous Muslin which had a world wide market. Of course the Dutch wanted to have a share in the Muslin or the textile trade. In this way they opened a factory (a trading centre) in Dhaka in the early 1650s to start their trade in Eastern Bengal what is today Bangladesh. The factory in those days meant a place where various things were manufactured and which served as residence and office.
The organizational structure of the Dutch East India Company As an organised group of traders the Dutch factory in Dhaka had a good administrative and trading structure. Undoubtedly, the set ups here were small as the bigger set ups were in the headquarters of the Dutch East India Company in Chinsura, West Bengal.
The Dutch carried on their trade through native agents. In their trade they had to face stiff competition particularly from Asian, merchants .and later from the English East India Company. But prior to that they had a prosperous trade. In 1747, the Dutch exported Rs. 100,000/- worth of cotton goods from Dhaka to Europe.
The Dhaka office of the Dutch East India Company was headed by a Chief. He had under him some Dutchmen and a large number of Indians engaged in different jobs. The Chief had to look after various things including diplomatic relation with the local governor. He was not only an administrator or merchant but also acted as an Ambassador of his country'. He also acted as the agent of the main Dutch East India Company establishment stationed in Chinsura.
Settling down
When the Dutch first came to Dhaka they chose the Tejgaon area in the north of the Capital Dhakafortheirsettlement and built their Agency Building or Factory there. They also started vegetable garden there and cultivated European vegetables.
Tejgaon being a bit away from the main city, soon the Dutch authority decided to shift their office in the city and on the bank of the river Buriganga. The place was also more suitable for communication. The site where the Dutch Factory stood has been identified with the site where the present Mitford Hospital and Sir Salimullah Medical College are located. The transfer of location proved very beneficial as the Dutch officials could watch the trade and commerce of the city more closely.
Apart from trading the Dutch were also involved in local politics. For example, Governor Shaista Khan (1664-1688) sought their help in his attempts to exter-minate pirates in East Bengal and to conquer the Kingdom of Arakan (in Myanmar). The General of the Dutch Company readily responded and sent two men-of-war to 'join the Mughal Fleet in the Bay of Bengal.' However, their services were not later required and Shaista Khan thanked them profusely for their response and good gestures.
Theend of an era
The Dutch carried on their trade satisfactorily for more than one hundred years before the rise of the English East India Company as the major political and trading force in Bengal by the 1750s. Their presence in Dhaka was felt in many ways; and by the 18th century they owned as many as 31 houses in the city proper and the big house in Tejgaon.
After the British established their political and commercial hegemony in Bengal/Bangladesh they gradually forced the other European Companies to move out of the country. The Dutch in Dhaka had to surrender all their properties, houses and trade to the English in 1781. All the Dutch properties and houses were formally transferred to the English in 1834.The influence of the Dutch did not completely fade away. In 1834 the Dutch' Government decided to use jute for making coffee bags for exports to the Dutch East Indies. This decision provided great stimulus for the commercial possibilities of Bengal's Jute and it turned out to be a long lasting relationship. But the day of Dutch settlements in Dhaka were definitely over and
would only return when Bangladesh was established in 1971. The writer is professor. Department of History, University of Dhaka