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Even the trenchantly hostile critics of the British Empire such as Christopher Hale acknowledges that Singapore, after her founding, would become "one of the great synapses of imperial trade and power and would be one of the last imperial bases abandoned by the British as the sun finally set on the empire in the 1960s." (Massacre in Malaya: Exposing Britain's My Lai, p 56)
Our attention for this case-study focusses on the days and events that occurred in late January and early February 1819.
A brief CHRONOLOGY of those momentous days is presented here:
18 January Major William Farquhar, British Resident of Malacca, sails from Penang, arriving at the Karimun Islands on 26 January.
27 January Stamford Raffles, official in the British East India Company, arrives on the Indiana, at Karimun Islands.
28 January Raffles, Farquhar and their men, arrive on several ships in the waters of Singapore, where they are met on board the Indiana by the representatives of the Temenggong of Johor, Abdul Rahman. Raffles' account is of him and Farquhar going ashore in the evening of the same day.
30 January A tentative agreement is made with the Temenggong providing for the establishment of a British trading factory at the Singapore River.
British troops set up field artillery, Bengal sepoys begin erecting tents and some 100 Chinese and Malay inhabitants clear the jungle and grass around the River mouth.
1 February Claimant to the Johor Sultanate, Tengku Long, eldest son of the late Sultan Mahmud Shah, arrives at Singapore; commences discussion with Raffles.
6 February A formal Treaty of Friendship and Alliance is concluded with Tengku Long, now proclaimed Sultan Hussain Muhammad, and Temenggong Abdul Rahman.
VIDEO DOCUMENTARIES
Just who was Raffles and what kind of a man was he? Discover this through two excellent videos:
Raffles Revealed: Great Expectations
Raffles Revealed: Emporium of the East
HISTORICAL SOURCES
Take a closer look at the historical accounts and sources provided below.
Decide for yourself just what were the reasons for the founding of Singapore in 1819.
Was Singapore established for trade purposes?
For military and naval defence?
Or simply to check the Dutch power and influence?
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