Sir Stamford Raffles and William Farquhar sought to establish a British port in Southeast Asia to facilitate trade with China. Raffles discovered Singapore, which had a strategic location and natural harbor, but was under the control of the Dutch-backed Sultan. Raffles convinced the older brother of the Sultan to grant the British permission to set up a port in Singapore. While Raffles secured the agreement, Farquhar developed Singapore from a small village into a busy port. Later, John Crawfurd signed a treaty in 1824 that made Singapore a full British colony. Together, Raffles, Farquhar, and Crawfurd played important roles in the founding and establishment of Singapore as a British

1. Chapter 2: Who was
the REAL founder
of singapore?

2.  The British and Dutch were fierce
competitors and both wanted to get as
many ports as possible so that they can
prosper.

3. Dutch
 Amount of ports
 =
 NEARLY THE ENTIRE MALAY
ARCHIPELAGO

4.  While the British only had…..
 Bencoolen
 Penang

5. Bencooolen
Bencoolen was a port situated at the malay
archipelago however, it was facing the
wrong side the malay archipelago and the
place was then almost completely useless.

6. Penang
 Penang is situated at the Straits of
Melacca. If not for the Dutch’s port at
Melacca, Penang would have helped the
British prospered.

7.  The British’s trade with China was starting
to get very lucrative and there was not a
single port the British had on the way from
India all the way to China and had to pay
for high taxes to get through. With this
problems, Sir Stamford Raffles and William
Farquhar set out in search of an ideal port.
 HIS SOLUTION????

9.  Why singapore?
 1. It has good, deep waters suitable for a
port.
 2.There is fresh, drinkable water.
 3.The Dutch did not occupy the island of
Singapore.

10.  However…
 Raffles discovered that the sultan in charge
of that place was Sultan Abdul Rahman
and they had to seek his permission to set
up a port in Singapore, but the sultan was
in control of the Dutch, which would not
allow the British to set up their port there.

11.  Raffles soon learnt that Sultan Abdul
Rahman’s was the only son of the late
Sultan that was present when he was
dying, so he was given the throne. On the
other hand, his older brother was in Penang
when it happened. Knowing that his
younger brother was soon going to get rid
of him, he went to hide in the Rio islands so
that he would not be caught.

12.  According to Raffles’s point of view, since
the Dutch could recognise the younger
brother as the rightful Sultan, why can’t
they recognise the older one as the sultan?
 So, he asked the Sultan’s older brother for
permission to set up a port in Singapore,
and so, they managed to get hold of
singapore.

13.  Then…
 The Dutch became angry
 Said that Singapore was indirectly theirs.
 And..
 A ‘paper war’ started

14.  Knowing that the Dutch would not dare to
start a war as they still have other
competitors, Raffles took advantage of the
situation and managed to get them to sign
a treaty where the British must give them
Bencoolen for Singapore and Melecca.

15. Once Raffles set up Singapore, he left it to
the hands of Farquhar, who set up
Singapore and from a sleepy fishing village,
it transformed into a busy port. Farquhar
did all the dirty and hard work while Raffles
got all the credit. Farquhar then claimed
that he was the one who really founded
singapore.

16.  John Crawfurd
 Signed the 1824 treaty which made
singapore fully belong to the British
 Set up a court to hear local cases

17.  In short, Raffles signed the treaty of which
they could set up a port in Singapore which
led it to be a full British colony.
 Farquhar set up Singapore and helped it to
prosper in its early years.
 Crawfurd signed the 1824 treaty which
made Singapore be a full British colony.

18.  So….
 Raffles vision + Farquhar’s energy +
Crawfurd’s shrewdness = Founding of
SINGAPORE