Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1814

Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1814

Type	Bilateral treaty
Signed	13 August 1814 (1814-08-13)
Signatories	United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland Sovereign Principality of the United Netherlands
Full text
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The Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1814 (also known as the Convention of London; Dutch: Verdrag van Londen) was signed by the United Kingdom and the Netherlands in London on 13 August 1814. It was signed by Lord Castlereagh on behalf of the British government and Hendrik Fagel on behalf of the Dutch government. The treaty restored several of the Dutch colonies occupied by British forces during the Napoleonic Wars, although several others were permanently ceded to Britain. It also included Dutch acknowledgement of British opposition to the Atlantic slave trade and agreements to improve the Low Countries' defences.^[1] Disputes arising from the treaty resulted in the signing of the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824.

The treaty returned several of the Dutch colonies British forces had occupied during the Napoleonic Wars to the Netherlands, specifically Surinam, Curaçao, Aruba, Dutch Bengal, Dutch Coromandel, Dutch Malacca and the Dutch East Indies. Under the terms of the treaty, Britain kept several Dutch colonies it had occupied, including the Dutch Cape Colony, Dutch Malabar, Dutch Suratte, the district of Bernagore in Dutch Bengal and the South American colonies of Demerara, Essequibo and Berbice. In exchange for the Netherlands ceding Malabar, Britain ceded Bangka Island to the Dutch. Dutch subjects were granted trading rights in Demerara, Essequibo and Berbice, while Britain agreed to pay an annual fee to the Netherlands in exchange for the cession of Bernagore.^[2]

The treaty also included a declaration issued by the Dutch government on 15 June 1814 noting that slave ships were no longer permitted in British-controlled ports. William I of the Netherlands had issued a royal decree in June 1814 which abolished Dutch involvement in the Atlantic slave trade, and the British and Dutch governments were both in agreement regarding their opposition to the trade.^[3] Britain and the Netherlands also agreed to spend £2,000,000 each on improving defences in the Low Countries, while a further set of funds, up to £3,000,000, are mentioned for the "final and satisfactory settlement of the Low Countries in union with Holland."^[4][5][6] Disputes arising from the treaty resulted in the signing of the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824.

• Anglo-Dutch Slave Trade Treaty
• Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824
• Anglo-Dutch Treaties of 1870–1871