island of Timor was largely dominated by the Portuguese until 1749. Dutch colony The Dutch established a European-modelled administration with a chief executive (opperhoofd) and a council, which regulated affairs with the indigenous population through regular meetings (vergaderingen), and which also handled affairs with the nearby VOC-allied islands of Rote, Savu, and Solor. Chinese traders and artisans were settled by the early 18th century and soon became an indispensable part of the local economy. The area of the town was also settled by various indigenous groups from the region, and by mardijkers (who were the descendants of freed slaves under Dutch jurisdiction). In 1752, the population consisted of 827 Christians and an unspecified number of non-Christians. The political importance of Kupang increased greatly in 1749 when the Topasses were decisively defeated by the Dutch and their allies, which led to the extension of VOC influence over wide areas of western and central Timor. Nevertheless, Dutch influence on the island was somewhat diminished after 1761 due to incompetence and inaction on part of the colonial administration. Kupang was the final destination of William Bligh, who was set adrift in an open boat following the Mutiny on the Bounty (1789). After travelling 3,618 nautical miles (6,710 km) from the Tonga Islands over 41 days, Bligh landed in Kupang on 14 June. News of his journey inspired a small party of nine convicts and two children to escape from the penal colony at Sydney Cove, Australia, who escaped from Port Jackson, Australia, and arrived at Kupang after ten weeks, having travelled 3,254 nautical miles (6,026 km). VOC positions in the East Indies were attacked by British Forces following the occupation of the Netherlands by French revolutionary armies in 1795. Kupang was assaulted in 1797, and the British were eventually expelled, although the town suffered extensive damage. Another British attack in 1811 was similarly defeated. After the British occupation of Java, Kupang finally surrendered in January 1812, and the town was returned to the Dutch in 1816 following the end of the Napoleonic Wars. The politics of the city in the early 19th century were dominated by Jacobus Arnoldus Hazaart, who governed Dutch Timor as Resident in three terms between 1810 and 1832, and handled matters with little intereference from the colonial government in Batavia. During his tenure the Christian mission in the city experienced greater success than before, partially through the efforts of