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SIR STAMFORD RAFFLES; England in the Far East

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SIR STAMFORD RAFFLES; England in the Far East 1 aUILDittj|(S OF GRErti t.n UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SAN DIEeO f s^ y THY FREE GKACE- IDIDSt BVILD W tfflS .BRIllANNiaC EMPIEE 10 A GLORIOVS AND ^^ENVIABLE HEIGHTH,WI'ffl' Call her davghTer hands abovt her, STAY VS INtHIS FELICIIIE. MIElON. m \°iOO CENTRAL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY University of California, San Diego DATE DUE 1 BUILDERS OF GREATER BRITAIN Edited by H. F. WILSON, M.A. Ba rrister-a t-Law Late Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge Le^al Assistant at the Colonial Office DEDICATED BT SPECIAL PERMISSION TO HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN BUILDERS OF GREATER BRITAIN 1. SIR WALTER RALEGH ; the British Dominion of the West. By Martin A. S. Hume. 2. SIR THOMAS MAITLAND ; the Mastery of the Mediterranean. By WALTER Frewen Lord. 3. JOHN AND SEBASTIAN CABOT; the Discovery of North America. By C. Raymond Beazley, M.A. 4. EDWARD GIBBON WAKEFIELD; the Coloni- zation of South Australia and New Zealand. By R. Garnett, C.B., LL.D. 5. LORD CLIVE; the Foundation of British Rule in India. By Sir A. J. Arbuthnot, K.C.S.L, CLE. 6. ADMIRAL PHILLIP ; the Founding of New South Wales. By Louis Becke and Walter Jeffery. 7. RAJAH BROOKE ; the Englishman as Ruler of an Eastern State. By Sir Spenser St John , G. C. M. G. 8. SIR STAMFORD RAFFLES; England in the Far East. By Hugh E. Egerton, M.A. ,'j"]'')'ERS[TY OF (.Al IFOHNIA SAN DIEG 822 00537 5340 Builders of Greater Britain SIR STAMFORD RAFFLES V ' IT S[R STAMFORD RAFFLES ENGLAND IN THE FAR EAST BY I UGH KDVVARD EGKRTON, MA. AUTHOR OF 'a short history of BRITISH COLONIAL POLICY' .NEW YORK LONGMANS, GREEN & CO. 91 AND 93 FIFTH AVENUE I goo PREFACE Towards the end of 1898 Mr H. F. Wilson, the Editor of this Series, who had undertaken the life of Sir Stamford Raffles, asked me, owing to the pressure of his official work at the Colonial Office, to assist him in this volume. Mr Wilson was sent out in February to South Africa to Sir Alfred Milner in a legal capacity ; so that, unfortunately, it became clear that, unless the book was to be indefinitely post- poned, Mr Wilson must abandon the task. In this state of things, the life was entrusted to me. The present biography assuredly does not lack from want of material. The Records in the India Office relating to Sir Stamford Raffles would fill by themselves many goodly volumes. There is besides a fair amount of material pub- lished by Raffles. I have examined to the best of my ability a very great number of Papers at the India Office relating to Prince of xii PREFACE Wales's Island, Java, Bencoolen and Singapore, including those still in the Secret Department. In spite of past gleaners in the field, some of the material here quoted has not, I believe, been previously printed. I have to express my acknowledgments to the authorities of the India Office Library, and to Mr W. Foster, the Honorary Secretary of the Hakluyt Society, for assistance in this connection. Through the kindness of the Rev. Canon Raffles Flint, of Ladock Rectory, son of the ' little Charley ' of the burning of the Fame^ I have had access to a very interesting collection of letters addressed to Mr W. Ramsay, Raffles's great friend, to his sister, Mrs Flint, and to the Duchess of Somerset. These letters were, of course, in the possession of Lady Raffles, but the stern view she took of the position of a biographer caused her to make sparing use of them except on certain occasions. To Canon Raffles Flint I am further indebted for the en- graving which forms the frontispiece, for the loan of a volume of confidential letters to Lord Minto, dating from January to March 1812, and finally for some valuable notes on the acquisition of Singapore by Mr W. H. Read, C.M.G., late Dutch Consul at Singapore. Mrs Stamford Raffles, the widow of the well- PREFACE xiii known Liverpool stipendiary magistrate, has kindly allowed me to peruse the Reminiscences drawn up by her father-in-law, Dr Raffles, relating to his cousin, Sir Stamford. I have also to express my gratitude to the Rev. R. B. Raffles, a grandson of Dr Raffles, for access to the correspondence of Sir Stamford with Dr Raffles. These authorities will be found more fully drawn upon in the Life of Sir Stamford Raffles by Demetrius C. Boulger. The Rev. R. B. Raffles, who contributed largely to the Life by Mr Boulger, still con- tinues his interest in his celebrated relative. He has most kindly allowed me to inspect a mass of information which he has collected with regard to the scientific side of our hero's life. The standpoint of this book has not allowed me to make much use of this, but it is to be hoped that at some future date Mr Raffles will see his way to illustrate this branch of the subject. In addition, I have to thank Mr Raffles for some most valuable and helpful suggestions. The Rev. J. R. Crawford has kindly fur- nished me with the copy of a paper relating to the survey of Singapore harbour by his grand- father. Captain Crawford. Sir James Swettenham, K.C.M.G., most xiv PREFACE kindly forwarded to Mr Wilson the instructions, quoted in Appendix II., and copies of several letters, including a letter to Colonel Adden- brooke on the acquisition of Singapore. I have further to express our thanks to Lieu- tenant-General the Hon. Sir Andrew Clarke, R.E., G.C.M.G., for the use of an interesting; paper on Rafiies, read before the Royal Institu- tion on May 27, 1898. In the chapters on Java, I have got much help from the late Dutch historian Deventer's Daendels—Raffies (translated by G. G. Batten). It is a pity that this brilliant little book appears so little known to English readers. As the appearance of a new biography of Raffles, after the publication of Mr Boulger's complete Life, may need a word of apology, it may be pointed out that the very different scale of the present volume prevents any idea of competition. It may be added that the present volume was decided upon before the announce- ment of Mr Boulger's Life. I have to recognise my obligation to it for some statements of facts in the first two chapters and in Chapters VIII. and XIV. At the same time the new material here employed, and the independent use of the old material existing in the India Office, may, I trust, justify this book's existence, PREFACE XV especially when it is remembered that no Series of Builders of Greater Britain could be com- plete with the omission of the name of Raffles. In conclusion, I have to express my sincere apologies for any shortcomings in this volume, due to the absence of the Editor in South Africa. The ordinary reader can hardly realise the amount of labour and time which the exercise of such editorial work involves. It is a cause of some anxiety to me that the present volume appears without the mainstay of this editorial support. Perhaps, however, those who recognise that in its way the work of empire-repairing is as necessary as the work of empire-building, and that it is in this work that Mr Wilson is engaged, will view with some indulgence this record of not the least amongr the Builders of Greater Britain. HUGH E. EGERTON. May^ 1900. CONTENTS I'AGi-: Preface, ..•••*' CHAPTER I THE FIRST STEP ON THE LADDER (17S1-1305) Parentage and Early Years—Enters India House—Char- acter—Assistant Secretary to Prince of Wales's Island Government—Marriage—Studies Malay Language, . 1 CHAPTER II ' EMBARKS UPON ' POLITICAL RESEARCHES (1805 -to) Minute on Life at Penang—Leyden—Visits Malacca— Proposed Abandonment—Its Success—Appointed Secre- tary —Question of Increased Salary, . • ^3 CHAPTER III AGENT TO THE GOVERNOR-GENERAL WITH THE MALAY STATES (1810-11) Political Situation—Capture of Moluccas—Suggested as Governor — Visits Calcutta — Lord Minto — Head- ouarters, Malacca—Abdulla—Reports from Malacca • • —Java Expedition, . • • 33 CHAPTER IV THE CONl^UEST OF JAVA (iSii) The Voyage—Military Operations—Appointed Lieutenant- Governor—Lord Minto's Decision as to Retention, . 50 — — CONTENTS CHAPTER V THE GOVERNMENT OF JAVA (1811-16) PAGE The Dutch Regime — Difficulties of Situation — Lord MiNTo's Proclamation—Visits Courts of Souracarta and djocjocarta fiscal regulations amended System in the Administration of Justice—Palembang Expedition — Visits Samarang — Settlement with Native Princes—Lord Minto's Approval, . 60 CHAPTER VI THE GOVERNMENT OF JAVA COntltlUea (1811-16) System of Land Tenure—Tentative Experiments—Settle- 3 18 Position ment OF 18 1 Final Settlement of 14 OF Regents — Difficultif.s of Governor's Position— Success of Measures — Financial Situation — Lord Minto's Advice—General Gillespie—Relations with Governor—Sale of Public Land—Gillespie's Charges —Final Acquittal, . .83 CHAPTER VII THE GOVERNMENT OF JAVA COflcluded (1811-16) Policy as to Eastern Islands—Treatment by Home Govern- ment—Japan—Measures as to Slavery—Opium—Ques- tion OF Retention of Java—Dismissal—Death of '. Mrs Raffles—Journeys to the Eastward, . 118 CHAPTER VIII ' REVISITS ENGLAND AND IS ' LIONISED (1816-17) Voyage Home—Interview with Napoleon—Life in London —'History of Java' — Friendship with Duchess of Somerset—Second Marriage —Tour on Continent—Re- turns TO the East, . .131 — — CONTENTS xix CHAPTER IX BENCOOLEN (1818-24) PAGE First Impressions — Measures of Reform — Emancipating Slaves—Policy with Regard to Natives—Promotes Agriculture — Approval of Planters — Schools for Native Children—Treatment of Convicts, .146 CHAPTER X THE POLITICAL SIDE OF THE BENCOOLEN GOVERNMENT Extent OF His Jurisdiction—Dutch Predominance— General Policy—Protest, August 1818 Case of Palembang— PuLo NiAS Lord Hastings's Minute, .
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