Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) through the Policy Research Center and the Hamzah Sendut Library became the first university to be granted the right to access digital images of Francis Light's letters by the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London.
The Light Letters (1768-1794) is a collection of manuscripts, consisting of 1,200 letters in 11 volumes that include correspondence, writings and notes involving Malay kings and dignitaries from all over the Malay Islands, business partners, wives of Malay nobles , Francis. Light, and several English merchants were originally written over a period of 27 years between 1768 and 1794.
[MS 826] Letter from the Treasurer and Admiral of Kedah to Francs Light regarding the occupation of Penang - The Light Letters, SOAS-University of London
USM received digital access through the agreement reached through the Loan of Light Letters memorandum of agreement signed in September 2018. All digital images of The Light Letter can now be accessed online for free by researchers and the public starting today.
The letters in question which are placed under the Collection of Papers of the Malay Islands 1768-1794 is the largest collection of Malay manuscripts in the world. In addition to letters, other documents such as bills, receipts, petitions and contracts are also included.
According to USM Vice Chancellor Professor Datuk Seri Dr. Abdul Rahman Mohamed said Light's letters have great potential to be studied from various fields and help research especially in the field of the history of the archipelago and this access provides many benefits to the academic world especially in improving the availability and quality of historical resources for researchers and scholars in addition to supporting efforts to preserve and understand the valuable historical heritage.
Until now these letters could only be physically accessed by going to SOAS in person which made it difficult for local researchers due to the high cost. All of these 11 volume collections can be accessed through the link below.
We were able to access some of the uploaded documents and it was quite interesting to read application letters to buy glasses, repair clocks, send people to perform Hajj, set the price of opium and the divorced wife complained that she could no longer see the children. Each document comes with a translation into Rumi to make the content easier to read compared to the original text with the old Jawi spelling.
It is a gateway to the time of our ancestors' lamps over 250 years ago. So far we have only been able to read letters sent by Napoleon, King Henry VIII and Queen Victoria. Now we can see for ourselves the ancient Malay way of writing in the Javanese language.