The Burmese had been campaigning in particular in Petani to the north of Kedah, an area then retaken by Siam.[4] After the Fourth Anglo-Dutch War the Company was again interested in a base in the Penang region, to counter possible Dutch moves against the Straits of Melaka; and it was in 1786 that Francis Light was able to conclude a deal with the Sultanate on Penang Island. The Company's commitment to defensive arrangements appeared shallow to the Sultanate, and an attempt was made in 1791 to repossess the Island; which was successfully resisted by Light.[5] From a position of strength Light, who was not authorised by the Company to guarantee the defence of Kedah, limited the understanding in the 1791 agreement to a less committal form of words.[6]