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The Fort of Bengkulu

In the early 18th century, Bengkulu was an English settlement with the fort Marlborough (Malioboro). In 1712 the Englishman Joseph Collet was governor of Bencoolen, as the English called it. In his letters we read:

‘Our fort indeed stands in a swamp which can’t be very wholesome. But the country all about and even within half a musquett shot of us is as pleasant as you can imagine…. The heats are very moderate, we have less rain than falls in England, I hear very little thunder. But I have felt several earthquakes, however they give me no surprise.’

(Witnesses to Sumatra, Anthony Reid:
Joseph Collet, A governor’s life in Bencoolen, p. 126.)

View of fort Marlborough.
coverpage of: Witnesses to Sumatra, by Anthony Reid.