contents

Introduction to the Resolutions
of the Council of Policy of Cape of Good Hope


Political exiles and others

Many royals from the East were banned to the Cape . If they were regarded as dangerous they were sent to Robben Island . Other exiles from the East were allowed to live either in the Cape or its districts.

From all that was minuted in the Resolutions about a particular individual over a period of time one can get a fairly good view of his or her activities as far as these were of any concern to the Council of Policy. This was the case with Pangerang Loringh Passir who was banned to the Cape together with his brother, Pangerang Dipa Nagara. (Pangerang was a royal title used on Java, denoting the son of a reigning king and likewise a royal title used in East India , denoting a native prince or person of high-ranking.) Pangerang Loringh Passir’s name appeared in the Resolutions for the first time in 1719, then also in 1722, 1731, and 1732 and in 1737 with a notice about his death. In June 1737 it was minuted that all the necessary arrangements had been made to send his mortal remains as well as his two wives, children and servants (17 people) back to Batavia.

From time to time the names of exiles from the East were mentioned in the Resolutions, for example the “gebanne Radja Tambora” [the banned Radja Tambora [Raja/rajah ‘Indian king or prince’] and the princes of Ternaten. In the minutes of 11 February 1733 (C. 91) it was noted that the “Ternataanssen prins, Ketees Malocco” [Ketees Malocco, Prince of Ternaten] requested that his three children born to his female slave Rosette of Ceylon, namely Amel, Talie (working at junior merchant Decker’s) and Adel (working at widow Thibault’s) should be manumitted after his death and inherit what he would bequeath to them.

On 12 January 1747 (C. 125) it was minuted that the former Madurese regent Radeen Djoerit had just arrived at the Cape . He requested that he be allowed not to eat bread and the Council decided to allow him to buy rice at cost from the Company’s warehouse on a monthly basis. In the minutes it was also mentioned that the Pangerang Loringh Passer had addressed the same request to the Council in the past.

At the Council meeting of 27 March 1759 (C. 137) the case of the two Singhalese exiles, Leander de Saram and Louis Perera who were transferred from Stellenbosch to Swellendam was minuted. At a later stage (4.5.1761, C. 139) the Council learnt about the letters that had been written in their language, Singhalese [a form of Indo-Aryan spoken in the southern part of Ceylon ], which could neither be read nor understood by any VOC official.

On 25 November 1788 (C. 180) Achmet, Prince of Ternate , submitted his request to return to the East with his family. The Council of Policy granted the request. He and his family consisting of his wife Constantia of the Cape, her mother Dina of the Cape and her grandmother Phillida of Batavia, as well as their children Salasa, Fatima, Camies and Abdulla all of the Cape, the free “meid” [maid] Cita of Bougies and the male slave Jounga of Ternaten would leave for Batavia on the Voorberg. Because the prince was so poor he was exempted from having to pay the fees for transport and meals.

Just before the VOC regime came to an end the names of the following banned people on Robben Island were noted in the Resolutions: the Javanese priest Abdul Rassieb (28.8.1792, C. 206), Jan Smit of Dilburg, who had been banned in 1787 for five years (18.10.1792, C. 208), and Priest Mamoud (7.9.1792, C. 207).

Adriaan van Zeyl, who had been banned from the country on 21 March 1788 , wanted to return to his home at the Cape and submitted an application to the Council on 1 October 1793 (C. 219) in this regard.

On 5 Augustus 1795 (C. 231), just a month before Britain assumed the reins of the VOC government at the Cape , it had been minuted that 27 bandits would be sent “herwaarts”, in other words from Robben Island to the Cape.

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