[History] Chapter 2: How did Singapore become a British trading post?

Describe how Crawfurd contributed in policies and improvements in Singapore.

Crawfurd continued Singapore's policy of free trade in accordance with Raffles' wishes. he also introduced Singapore's first newspaper, the Singapore Chronicle, and street lighting during his term as resident.

Who was the second Resident of Singapore? What was his duty?

Doctor John Crawfurd. He was to oversee the development of Singapore after Raffles' departure.

Describe Farquhar's contribution in setting up defences in Singapore.

Farquhar set up defence positions at the Singapore River and at Government Hill (present day Fort Canning) with the help of Sepoys (Indian soldiers) to safeguard against the Dutch attacking to enforce their claims over Singapore.

What were the terms of the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824?

- Malay Peninsula and Singapore came within the British sphere of influence - The Dutch East Indies (Indonesia today) was placed under the Dutch sphere of influence. - The Dutch gave their port of Melaka to Britain in exchange for the British port of Bencoolen.

What were the reasons why the British selected Singapore?

1) Absence of Dutch 2) Natural Sheltered Harbour 3) Good supply of drinking water 4) Excellent location

What was Farquhar's contributions?

1) Defences 2) Free port status 3) Acquiring food and funds

Why did the British need a third port in Southeast Asia?

1) Dutch control of the spice trade 2) Unsuitability of Existing British Ports

What was Crawfurd's contributions?

1) Gambling and opium licenses 2) Policies and improvements in Singapore 3) Signing of 1824 Treaty of Friendship and Alliance

What were the reasons for British interest in Southeast Asia?

1) Importance of the India-China trade 2) Interest in the Spice Trade

What was Raffles' contributions?

1) Singapore Town Plan 2) Ban on gambling dens

Describe how Crawfurd contributed to gambling and opium licenses.

After Raffles left Singapore, Crawfurd reintroduced licenses for public gambling and sale of opium. The funds generated from the sale of licenses were needed to ensure the smooth running of operations in Singapore.

Describe how Farquhar contributed in acquiring food and funds.

By 1823, Farquhar had attracted many people, including traders and labourers, from Melaka to Singapore. Traders from Melaka helped solve Singapore's food shortage issues which were brought about by the increasing population. To raise funds, Farquhar went against Raffles' orders and sold licenses for gambling and the sale of opium and liquor. The funds raised from the sale of these licenses helped to set up a police force in Singapore.

Who was the first resident of Singapore and what was his job?

Major William Farquhar. Raffles left him with instructions to develop Singapore as he departed for Bencoolen immediately after signing the agreement with Tengku Hussein.

Describe how Raffles contributed to the ban on gambling dens.

Raffles believed the gambling was harmful to the population, and had banned it in Bencoolen where he was Governor between 1817 to 1822. Upon arrival in Singapore, Raffles shut down gambling dens in Singapore, which had been licensed as a source of income during Farquhar's term as Resident.

How was the problem of setting up a trading settlement in Singapore solved?

Raffles learnt that the rightful Sultan was Tengku Hussein. As Raffles knew that Tengku Abdul Rahman would not grant him the permission, Raffles decided to recognise Tengku Hussein as the rightful Sultan. Tengku Hussein was then secretly invited back to SIngapore where he signed a treaty with the British on 6 February 1819. The British proclaimed (announce officially or publicly) Tengku Hussein as the new Sultan. This allowed the British to set up a settlement in the southern part of Singapore. In return, Tengku Hussein and the Temenggong would receive protection and a yearly allowance from the East India Company (EIC).

Explain how Singapore's excellent location led to the British in selecting Singapore.

Singapore was chosen because of its excellent location. Singapore's location at the Southern tip of the Straits of Melaka meant that it could be the halfway point on the India-China trade route, and also could exert some control over the Straits of Melaka so more ships from all over the world would come to SIngapore to trade.

Explain how Singapore's Natural Sheltered Harbour led to the British in selecting Singapore.

Singapore was chosen because of its naturally sheltered harbour, leading to Singapore being seen as a safe port. Having a naturally sheltered harbour, Singapore was protected from strong winds and storms which reduced the damage caused to the ships and port. This is especially important as Singapore was located in a region that experiences strong monsoon each year. This reduced damage to the trading ships and attracted traders to visit Singapore.

Explain how the absence of Dutch led to the British in selecting Singapore.

Singapore was chosen because there were no Dutch on the island. Although Raffles had argued for the establishment of a third trading port in Southeast Asia, the British were concerned about angering the Dutch as they did not want to come into conflict with the Dutch. At the same time, the Dutch had already lodged official protests against Raffles' initiatives as it threatened their interests. The EIC sent instructions to Raffles that clearly forbade him from laying claim on ant territory that could possibly be claimed by the Dutch. After dropping anchor off St. John's Island, Raffles was greeted by some Orang Laut, who informed him that Singapore was not occupied by the Dutch. Thus, establishing a trading port in Singapore would not bring the British into direct conflict with the Dutch.

Explain how a good supply of drinking water led to the British in selecting Singapore.

Singapore was chosen due to it having a good supply of fresh drinking water. Replenishment of supplies such as food and water is one of the major reasons ships stop at a port along their journeys. Singapore had a good supply of fresh drinking water due to a spring near Fort Canning. Thus, ships stopping by Singapore could replenish their supplies before continuing their journey. This attracted traders to stop in Singapore.

Describe how Farquhar's contribution in making Singapore into a free port.

Singapore was made a free port. This meant that fees were not collected from ships entering the port. They were only imposed on specific products, such as opium. Farquhar also placed a British official on St John's Island to inform passing ships about the new settlement and its free port, which resulted in many traders coming to visit Singapore and it becoming a bustling marketplace.

What was Sir Stamford Raffles responsible for?

Sir Stamford Raffles was responsible for the signing of the treaty with Tengku Hussein thereby founding Singapore as a British trading port. However, he was also the Governor of Bencoolen and thus had to leave immediately after signing the treaty. Between 1818 to 1824, he only visited Singapore 3 times. During his final visit in October 1822, he remained in Singapore until June 1823. He realised that Farquhar had not developed Singapore the way he wanted, became unhappy with Farquhar and dismissed him.

Explain how the Dutch control of the spice trade led to the British needing a third port in Southeast Asia.

The British needed a third port in Southeast Asia to break the Dutch monopoly over the spice trade in the region. The Dutch East India Company (VOC) had monopoly over the trade in cloves, mace and nutmeg due to their control of ports in the region. After the Dutch gained control of Melaka, they focused on Java and shifted the main trade routes to the Sunda Straits, establishing Batavia which became the key trading port in Southeast Asia. Control of both Melaka and Batavia meant the Dutch effectively controlled both the trade routes of Straits of Melaka and Sunda Straits. British traders were confined to trading in Bencoolen, and were heavily taxed. This reduced the amount of profits for British traders. Therefore, the British needed a third port to break the Dutch monopoly in the region to protect their profits.

Why did the British and the Dutch not have a war?

The British needed the Netherlands as an ally against future threats. The Dutch were on the verge of bankruptcy due to wars in Europe, and had borrowed heavily from Britain. The Dutch could not afford to be involved in any more wars.

What was the British's reactions towards the founding of Singapore?

The British were displeased with Raffles as it had threatened their relations with the Dutch. However, the British still wanted Singapore due to Singapore's strategic importance to the protection and expansion of British trade in China and the Malay Archipelago.

Explain how the interest in the Spice Trade led to British's interest in Southeast Asia.

The British were interested in Southeast Asia because of the 𝗳𝗹𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲. Spices such as cinnamon, pepper and nutmeg from parts of Southeast Asia were used for 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝗱, 𝗰𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲𝘀. Due to their wide variety of uses, they were 𝗲𝘅𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗽𝗼𝗽𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 in 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲 since the 𝟭𝟱𝘁𝗵 𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘂𝗿𝘆. As a result, the 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝘀 began 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 for 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲. The EIC also wanted a share of the flourishing spice trade found in Southeast Asia. Investing in the Southeast Asian region would 𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗕𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲.

Explain how the importance of the India-China trade route led to British's interest in Southeast Asia.

The British were interested in Southeast Asia because trade between India and China was the main source of EIC's income. Wool from Britain, and cotton and opium form India were exported to China. Tea, silk and porcelain, which were high demand in Britain, were imported from China. To protect the India-China trade route, the British needed to control the Straits of Melaka and the waters surrounding Singapore which linked the Indian Ocean with the South China Sea. However, at the start of the 19th century, these were controlled by the Dutch, which limited the British to Bencoolen. Thus, the British needed to establish ports in the Southeast Asian region that were free from Dutch control.

What was the significance of the Anglo-Dutch treaty?

The Dutch had control of trade within their sphere of influence but not beyond. Singapore could develop as a trading settlement without interference from the Dutch. Now the British had three ports along the Straits of Melaka: Penang, Melaka and Singapore and was thus able to protect British ships along the Straits of Melaka and compete against the Dutch for trade in the region. In short, the British could now break the monopoly of the Dutch trade in the region. Thus, trade became the main activity of the island once again.

What was the Dutch's reactions towards the founding of Singapore?

The Dutch were displeased with Raffles' actions as by signing the treaty with Tengku Hussein, Raffles had given the British a valuable trading post in Singapore. They protested as claimed that Singapore was part of the Johor-Riau Sultanate under Dutch area of influence.

What was the problem when Raffles was setting up a trading settlement in Singapore?

The Temenggong was willing to give Raffles permission to set up a trading settlement in Singapore but he could not give the permission. The only person who could give the British permission to set up a trading settlement in Singapore was the Sultan. This was because Singapore was part of the Johor-Riau Sultanate and the Sultan at that time, Tengku Abdul Rahman was under Dutch control.

Describe how Crawfurd contributed in the signing of 1824 Treaty of Friendship and Alliance.

The treaty that was signed in 1819 between Raffles and Tengku Hussein did not give British control of Singapore, it only gave permission to build a trading post in the Southern part of Singapore island. On 2 August 1824, Crawfurd signed the 1824 Treaty of Friendship and Alliance with Sultan Hussein and the Temenggong, which handed over control of Singapore to the EIC in exchange for a large sum of money to both the Sultan and the Temenggong. As a result, Singapore officially came under British control in 1824.

Explain how the unsuitability of Existing British Ports led to the British needing a third port in Southeast Asia.

While the British controlled two trading ports, Penang and Bencoolen, which British ships could use to stop for replenishing supplies and repairs, both were unsuitable due to their locations. Penang was unsuitable as it was located too far north to allow the British to control the Straits of Melaka, or to protect British ships travelling through the Straits of Melaka. Bencoolen was unsuitable as it was located on the Western side of Sumatra. Its location meant that it could not protect or control the main India-China trade route which passed through the Straits of Melaka.

Describe how Raffles contributed to the Singapore Town Plan.

With the help of Lieutenant Philip Jackson, Raffles developed the Singapore Town Plan which allocated areas in Singapore to the respective ethnic groups in an orderly manner. For example, Chinatown was allocated to the Chinese community, Chulia Kampong was allocated to the Indian trading community and Kampong Glam was assigned to the Malays, Bugis and the Arabs.