Page 137 - Dutch Ships in Tropical Waters
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C t s a E Arabia Afrika Region Arabian Sea Region Bay of Bengal Region Sumatra Region Strait of Malacca Region Java Sea Region Route Spice Islands Region Route Far East Persia 280 Bengal 597 China 366 Taiwan h i n a a t s a o C l e d a m o b a r r A n y o n h t a u B o M S i a n i S fC B e S e h n C a e g a a S l e a l a b a r S t r a i t oM f I o a l a c c a Malaysia Sumatra n S a B v a d a J a S a a i d e a e a a Map .: Development of the frequency of the VOC shipping < India Sri Lanka Vietnam Thailand (Siam) Cambodia 891 The interests of the VOC in the Bay of Bengal are clearly illustrated in the consistently high level of voyages to the Coromandel Coast (Area ) and the doubling of visits to the northeast- ern area of this Bay (Area , approximately modern Bangladesh and Area , approximately modern Myanmar). The establishment of the VOC stronghold on the Cape of Good Hope would bring an impor- tant improvement in the logistics of intercontinental shipping in the future. For the time being, however, it could hardly supply itself with food and labour and for that reason was also cause for some renewed interest in the region of Eastern Africa, Madagascar and Mauritius. On the traditional route to the Spice Islands, the Island of Sulawesi (Area with Macassar, modern Ujung Pandang as most important destination) showed consistently steady growth as an important stopover for supplies but also in serving its military purposes. The VOC put pres- sure on the local rulers in an ongoing conflict about the "smuggling" of cloves. In the s this would lead to some VOC expansion in this region. The situation in the Far East became more difficult for the VOC, where shipping to Taiwan and Japan already showed a steady decline. Regulation of trade with Japan became stricter (less copper could be exported) and it became more difficult to get Chinese products as a result of the internal situation in China and the actions of Coxinga, the self-styled pirate king of Tai- wan. Soon the VOC would lose its stronghold in Taiwan to this Chinese warlord and Taiwan would cease to be a VOC destination. That development does, however, fall just outside the scope of this book. 181 92 Kalimantan Java Sulawesi Lesser Sunda Island Spice Islands 350 Philippines Japan n O c e n
