The Establishment of Singapore

To the Editor.

Sir: The widow of Sir T. Stamford Raffles having claimed the sole and exclusive merit for her husband of having established the new and thriving settlement o£ Singapore, I consider myself called upon to endeavour to prove to the world that I had at least a large share in forming that establishment, having recommended to Government, as far back as the year 1816, the formation of some new settlement in the Straits of Malacca to the eastward of that town, and lying immediately in the track of our Indiamen and other ships engaged in the China and eastern trade; and having, when commanding at Malacca (previous to any treaty being formed by the Rajah of Johore with the Netherlands government) obtained permission from the Rajah Mudah, or viceroy of Rbio (executive governor of all the Johore dominions) to survey the Carimon Islands in the Straits, for the express purpose of forming a new settlement, on delivering up Malacca to the Dutch. Sir Stamford Raffles happening to be present at Calcutta when Colonel Bannerman (then governor of Penang) laid the project of forming a new settlement in the Straits of Malacca before the Supreme Government; and Sir Stamford being then about to proceed as one of the commissioners to Acheen, had influence enough with Lord Hastings to get the Supreme Government to appoint him to see the new settlement formed; at the same time he was entrusted with a complimentary letter to me, hoping that circumstances would admit of my accompanying him, in order to assume the government of the new establishment, at least during its infancy. This letter Sir Stamford was himself the bearer of. I met with him at Penang, when so far on my way home, and the question was at that time discussed between us respecting the most advantageous site for the projected settlement. The Carimon Islands appeared to me, from their situation in the direct tract of all ships passing up and down the Straits, to be the most eligible situation. Sir Stamford, on the other hand, thought that the old Malay settlement of Jobore, upon the peninsula, would be likely to offer greater advantages. However, the Carimons were the first place we visited; and finding they did not offer such local advantages as were expected, we proposed going on to view Johore; but I suggested to Sir Stamford, that it might be advisable to stop at Singapore on our way; and having had communication with the Toomoongong, or Malay chief, who had established himself there with four or five hundred followers, and finding the place would suit our purpose better than what we had before seen, I proceeded on the following day to Rhio, for the purpose of endeavouring to obtain permission from the Viceroy to form a new settlement there in place of the Carimon Islands, which, after some difficulty, he so far acceded to as to say that, as far as he was concerned, as governor of the dominions of Johore, he had no kind of objection, but that be had already been obliged to sign a treaty with the Dutch, by which he was restricted from granting permission to any European power to have a footing within any part of the territory of Johore; but as he had previous to the said treaty being signed, granted me permission to form a settlement upon the Carimon Islands, he left us to use our own discretion in establishing ourselves as Singapore. To this place I forthwith returned; and, in conjunction with Sir Stamford Raffles, concluded and signed a treaty with the native chief then present at Singapore; the British flag was formally hoisted, and the island taken possession of: Sir Stamford Raffles sailed the very next day on his return to Penang. Haring stated these circumstances, I leave the public to judge whether Lady Raffles can fairly claim for her husband the sole and exclusive merit of having formed the settlement of Singapore, so as to entitle her to style it his settlement.

With respect to Malacca, Lady Raffles gives Sir Stamford credit for having laid the inhabitants under some particular obligation...