Pioneers of Early Colonial Singapore(1819-

1819-1850 by Dr Ernest Chew This is a revised version of a talk given by Dr Chew, who is a Club Advisor, at the 1850)NUS Museums last October. He has written this especially for the RTC Magazine.

"cast doubt over the Raffles legend" in (Ernest Chew, 'The foundation of a British Introduction February 1994, the 175th anniversary of settlement', in A History of Singapore, ed. the founding! (I was in good company, E.C.T.Chew and E.Lee (Singapore: Oxford 1. For more than a decade, in my teaching, for the other sceptic they mentioned was University Press, 1991), p.38. research, and writing, more recently in BG George Yeo.) The Times' report was the NUS University Scholars Programme, based on a chapter I wrote in A History I also pointed out that most of the I have tried to move my audience away of Singapore, a book I co-edited with foundational work was done by from the idea that there was only one Edwin Lee (Oxford University Press, Farquhar, the man who Raffles left founder of Singapore, and that he is Sir 1991). Let me quote an extract from it: "If behind, literally and metaphorically, and Thomas Stamford Raffles. he [Raffles] is to be honoured as the that it was Crawfurd, another Scotsman, founder and architect of the British who among other things signed in August It is hard to change this perception, based 'factory' in Singapore, then the early and 1824 the treaty which made Singapore as it is on Raffles' historical achievements enterprising builders (who modified his British. and reputation -- on a whole pile of books, designs) should also be commemorated: on not one but two statues of Raffles in the first two British Residents, [William] Since then I have written separate articles the civic heart of Singapore, and on a Farquhar (1819-23) and John Crawfurd on Raffles, Farquhar, and Crawfurd for growing number of places and (1823-6), along with the known Malay, the Raffles Town Club magazine (Jan-Mar, institutions named after him. Arab, Bugis, Chinese, Indian, and Apr-Jun, and Jul-Sep 2002 issues), and European notables (mostly traders), and have attempted to reappraise their I recall that The Times of London described the numberless, unnamed pioneering respective contributions to the founding me as a Singapore sceptic who settlers" of colonial Singapore.

WilliamFarquhar The Co - Founders of Colonial Singapore? 2.1.Raffles' Claims: It was undoubtedly Raffles' ambition and vision which led him to search for another British base in the Straits of Malacca, and to select Singapore as the best location to achieve British economic and strategic objectives in the region. Without Raffles, it is likely that Singapore would have remained a sparsely inhabited island, on the margins of the Dutch colonial empire in the East Indies.

It was Raffles who signed the treaty of 6 February 1819 with the Sultan Hussein, whom he recognised, and this treaty enabled the British to start a settlement and port in Singapore. Raffles thus called Singapore 'a Child of my own' and 'my new Colony' .

However, as Crawfurd was to point out, that treaty 'amounted to little more than a permission for the formation of a British factory....There was in reality no territorial cession giving a legal right of legislation... The native chief was considered to be the proprietor of the land, even within the bounds of the British factory' .

Raffles visited his ‘Child’ and ‘new Colony’ only thrice - (1) for nine days in Tan Tock Seng January-February 1819, (2) for about four weeks in May-June that year, and - after more than three years' absence - (3) for eight months from October 1822 to June 1823. Of course, Raffles did lay down certain plans and policies which were to be vital for the development of the settlement. On his last visit, he dismissed Farquhar from the Residentship, and John Crawfurd replaced him with Crawfurd. Pioneers of Early Colonial Singapore(1819-1850) Pioneers of Early Colonial Singapore(1819- 1850)

2.2.Farquhar's Counter-Claims, alongside Even the exhibition of the Farquhar Historians have long claimed for Raffles Raffles and Crawfurd, are well summed collection of natural history drawings is all the subsequent growth of the up by Dr C. Mary Turnbull: "Singapore suspended, since the main Singapore settlement. His master touch has been was fortunate in her three early pioneer History Museum is closed for re- everywhere. In fact, the credit for administrators: Raffles, a man of development. Singapore's growth must go to those who extraordinary vision, but for whom made it grow, to the people who in Singapore would never have existed; 2.3.Crawfurd's Contributions: I do not defiance of all history built a bustling port Farquhar, who by his energy, good sense consider Dr John Crawfurd as a co- on the equator" (The British in Malaya and courage, nursed the infant settlement founder to the same extent as Raffles and (Tucson: University of Arizona Press, through its first dangerous years; and Farquhar. He did not become Resident 1965), pp.153,160.) In other words, it was Crawfurd, shrewd and sensible, with his until May-June 1823, four years after the not so much Raffles who made Singapore, feet planted firmly on the ground, who British settlement had been established. but Singapore which made Raffles! converted into reality Raffles' most practical dreams" (A History of Singapore Yet, when we consider the idea of a 1819-1988 (Singapore: OUP, 1989), p.30). British colonial settlement, we cannot The Construction escape the fact that it was only the Anglo- Farquhar was a pretty tough 'nurse'. He Malay Treaty of August 1824, which was both British Resident and Crawfurd concluded with the Malay and the Early Builders Commandant (a post which he rajas, which made Singapore a British previously held in Malacca), and helped possession. This treaty followed the It is difficult to make a clear-cut distinction to secure the settlement against attacks Anglo-Dutch Treaty of London, in March between founders and builders of early from the irate Dutch authorities. Through 1824, by which the Dutch recognised that colonial Singapore. If "founding" is his connexions with the Malay rajas, and Singapore and the Malay States were in equated with "establishment", and taken with Malacca,he attracted many traders the British sphere of political influence. to be a process rather than an initial act, from the peninsula and archipelago to It was also the Anglo-Dutch treaty then we can regard the earliest leaders of Singapore. He had to administer the which led to the exchange of Dutch the various communities in Singapore to settlement with little help from Raffles, Malacca for British Bencoolen. have been co-founders as well as early who was stationed in Bencoolen in west builders of the settlement . Certainly we Sumatra. 2.4.Others? The work of founding or can consider all of them as ‘pioneers’. establishing colonial Singapore was not When Farquhar finally left Singapore at accomplished by one, two or three 3.1.The Malay Rajas: the end of 1823, he was given a grander persons, but was the collaborative effort Moving away from the British triad of co- farewell from the local community than of other official and non-official pioneers. founders -- Raffles, Farquhar, Crawfurd - Raffles had received in June. No wonder It was the joint success of all their - we must start with the Malay rajas - he was upset when Raffles and later Lady endeavours which lent lustre to the name (1) Sultan Hussein, who with his followers Raffles emphasised Raffles' solo role as and reputation of Raffles. occupied the Kampong Glam area; and "founder". Farquhar registered his own (2) Temenggong Abdu'r Rahman, who claim for some recognition, and when he Dr K.G. Tregonning puts this succinctly: with his followers lived along the died in 1839, the inscription on his tomb "Singapore remained British, in the final Singapore River and then moved in Perth, Scotland, stated that he outcome, because unlike the other westwards to Telok Blangah. "founded" the settlement of Singapore! settlements initiated by Raffles, it was found worth keeping; it saved itself by While Singapore became increasingly I think it a real pity that there is so little its own exertions. ... "Raffles paid only cosmopolitan as a commercial centre, the recognition of Farquhar in present-day three brief visits to Singapore. Malays still constituted about 60% of the Singapore. The only road named after He played no part whatever in its population in 1821 (3,000 out of 5,000), in him, Farquhar Street, was erased in the retention, hardly any in its development. what was still an Anglo-Malay early 1990s. condominium, until 1824. A Quarterly Publication of Raffles Town Club 11 Pioneers of Early Colonial Singapore(1819-1850) The Sultan’s and Temenggong's networks, By 1840 the Chinese comprised about 3.6.The Europeans: In the social pecking- as well as Farquhar’s links with Malacca, 50% of the population of Singapore. (For order, the most influential traders were led to this influx and growth. more details on the Chinese, see Song of course the Europeans, and the most Ong Siang, One Hundred Years' History of influential among them were the Scots. 3.2.The Straits and Nanyang Chinese: the Chinese in Singapore (1923; reprint, Again, I take my cue from Dr Mary The earliest Chinese builders of the Singapore: University of Malaya Press, Turnbull who writes: "Most of the earliest settlement came from the immediate 1967.) Europeans were former merchant navy vicinity, from the Malay Peninsula and men or agents of Calcutta firms. Archipelago, from places like Malacca, 3.3.The Bugis: The doyen of the mercantile community Penang, and Riau, and the majority were Next to the Chinese, the largest group of was a Scotsman, Alexander Laurie from settled Baba families. early immigrants was the Bugis who took Johnston, a former ship's owner/captain, refuge here in 1820, from the Dutch in who settled in July 1820, founded the According to Dr Turnbull, "The most Riau, under their leader, Arong Bilawa. firm of A.L. Johnston & Company, and important of Singapore's Chinese They made Singapore a Bugis junction! remained the leader of the European pioneers was Tan Che Sang, who left his merchants until his retirement from the native Canton in 1778 at the age of 15, 3.4.The Indians: East in 1841. Another Scot, Alexander and after making his fortune in Riau, While most Indians in early colonial Guthrie, founder of Singapore's oldest Penang, and Malacca, came to Singapore Singapore were sepoys and camp surviving firm, arrived from the Cape of in 1819, where he built the first warehouse followers in the cantonments, there were Good Hope in January 1821" (Turnbull, and was agent for the early Chinese also merchants, the most famous of p.15). junks." However, she adds that "he had whom was Naraina Pillai, who came here no social contact with the ruling from Penang with Raffles on his second This theme is taken up by Mr Roderick community and was a strange withdrawn visit in May 1819. He was a literal MacLean, in his coffee-table book, A man, an inveterate gambler, obsessed "builder" of early colonial Singapore, for Pattern of Change: the Singapore International with making money..." (Turnbull, p.13). he started a brick-kiln, and was the first Chamber of Commerce from 1837 She contrasts him with the younger building contractor -- and he also opened (Singapore: SICC, 2000): "In the earliest Hokkien leader, Chua Chong Long, son a shop selling cotton piece-goods. He days of the settlement, the number of of the Kapitan China of Malacca, "an became bankrupt when the shop burned European firms based in Singapore was open-handed extrovert" who "entertained down in 1822, but Raffles helped him to naturally quite small.... There was a strong Europeans to lavish entertainments, and re-start his business, which was to Scottish contingent among them, which was the government's most trusted go- prosper greatly. in other, less politically correct, days might between with the Chinese community almost have been termed a Scottish, until he left Singapore in 1836" (p.14). 3.5.The Arabs, Armenians, Jews and 'Mafia' with apparent nepotic Americans: With his background as tendencies..." (p.17). Among others who came from the Baba former Lieutenant-Governor of Java, community in Malacca was Tan Tock Raffles sought to attract enterprising Arab Maclean also notes the influence of the Seng, who came to Singapore as a traders from the Dutch East Indies. The trading community in local affairs: vegetable hawker in 1819, when he was first to arrive in 1819, from Palembang "Inevitably in such a small community, 21, and rose to be a rich merchant in Sumatra, were Syed Mohammed bin the leading figures, the majority of whom and philanthropist, being the founder of Harun Al-Junied and his nephew Syed were merchants, involved themselves a pauper hospital at Pearl's Hill in 1844 Omar bin Ali Al-Junied. They settled in in every cause and issue of the day, both In which later became "TTSH" (pp.14,62- Kampong Glam,and built a thriving great and small" (p.18). 3). Another Hokkien Baba who came from community around Arab Street. Malacca was Tan Kim Seng, who also He also highlights the role of Scotsmen became a rich merchant, and was the first A smaller but also rich trading in the founding of the Singapore Asian Justice of the Peace. community were the Armenians, led Chamber of Commerce. Alexander initially by Aristarchus Moses who Johnston was the founding Chairman in However, the early Straits Chinese arrived in 1820. They built one of the 1837, and Alexander Guthrie was dominance gave way to that of China- first Christian churches in Singapore, the chairman in 1846 and 1847 (pp.22-25). born immigrant traders like the Teochew Armenian Church of St.Gregory, leader, Seah Eu Chin, and the more well- consecrated in 1836. Apart from the first two British Residents, known Cantonese leader, Hoo Ah Kay, most of the magistrates (who were mostly known as Whampoa from his birth-place The earliest Jewish traders had arrived merchants) appointed by Raffles were in Guangdong province. They both by 1830. The pioneer was a man with also Scotsmen. [For details on all these arrived here in 1830. Whampoa was to the impressive name of Abraham traders, see C.B.Buckley, An Anecdotal be the first Chinese and Asian member Solomon, who came from Baghdad. He History of Old Times in Singapore (1902; of the Legislative and later Executive lived in Boat Quay, and later built the reprint, Kuala Lumpur: University of Council of the Straits Settlements in the first Jewish synagogue in the early 1840s. Malaya Press, 1965).] 1860s and 1870s (p.54). Among the earliest Americans to arrive 4. Concluding Business in Singapore was Joseph Balestier, who Lest it be thought that I have given undue became the first American Consul here. prominence to the role of these traders as His wife, Maria, was a daughter of the pioneers of early colonial Singapore, let famed American patriot, Paul Revere, me remind you of a famous statement of and presented a bell for St. Andrew’s one of the less famous American Church. This Revere Bell was later Presidents, Calvin Coolidge, who said donated to the Museum and even later that "The chief business of the American loaned to the U.S. Embassy. people is business". I think it could also be said that "The chief business of the Singaporean people is business". It was so in the early days, and it remains Tan Tock Seng true today. A Quarterly Publication of Raffles Town Club 11 Fellow of the University [Dr Ernest Chew is an Associate Professorial and Honorary at the National University of Singapore, Scholars Programme History Museum] Chairman of the Singapore Pioneers of Early Colonial Singapore(1819-1850)