The Journals of William Scott, 1794–1805

A series of handwritten journals kept by William Scott between 1794 and 1805 provides a rare first-hand glimpse into life in the early settlement of Penang, or Prince of Wales Island as it was then officially known. The journals cover a number of several significant historical events, such as French aggression in the Straits, the taking of Malacca and the Moluccas, the abortive 'Manilla expedition', as well as visits to Malay and Thai officials and to Calcutta—all from the perspective of a young man in his 20s with respectable connections in Penang.

The originals of this journal were housed in the National Archives of Scotland, with the reference MS. 2896. On 1 April 2011, that archive merged with the General Register Office for Scotland to become the National Records of Scotland (NRS). Despite best efforts the NRS has, to date, been unable to locate the originals. The following transcript is therefore from a microform copy of the journal archived by Monash University's Sir Louis Matheson Library, Melbourne, Australia, with the reference Microfilm 6001, R239.