Moulmein: A Seaport and Administrative Center of the British Colony in Burma, 1826-1852

Abstract

This article aims at studying the Moulmein as a seaport and capital of British colony in Burma during 1826-1852. The objectives of the study were: 1) the settlement and colonization, 2) trading and products from Moulmein, 3) the forest concession and teak industry, and 4) the development of Moulmein. The article will focus on colonization and expansion of trade networks. The sources are from primary and secondary such as the British Colonial newspaper and the missionaries’ journals in Moulmein. The research process is a historical methodology. The results of the study show that the establishment of Moulmein reflected British’s desire to expand powers for covering maritime routes in the Andaman Sea. Moulmein is considered as the center of goods in two reasons: 1) importing and exporting forest products between continental states via sea trade routes and 2) distributing sources from the colonies to the continental states via land trade routes. Additionally, Moulmein’s economic growth was rapid during colonial period because of forestry industries such as the lumber industry and the shipyard industry. Moulmein’s potential to support land and sea trade became a colonially prosperous center of in Burma. The prosperity was expanded around the states. The main ideas from this paper are about Moulmein’s role as a main seaport for transporting consumer goods to the other ports in the Malacca Peninsula.  It was founded that those cities had to rely on agricultural products from Moulmein to support their colonial populations. Therefore, the establishment of Moulmein as a seaport reflected expanding maritime influence on the British colonial port network in Southeast Asia.