133-628: Sir Thomas Stamford Bingley Raffles FRS FRAS (5 July 1781 – 5 July 1826) was a British colonial official who served as the governor of the Dutch East Indies between 1811 and 1816 and lieutenant-governor of Bencoolen between 1818 and 1824. Raffles was involved in the capture of the Indonesian island of Java from the Dutch during the Napoleonic Wars . It
266-735: A Chair (all of whom are Fellows of the Royal Society ). Members of the 10 Sectional Committees change every three years to mitigate in-group bias . Each Sectional Committee covers different specialist areas including: New Fellows are admitted to the Society at a formal admissions day ceremony held annually in July, when they sign the Charter Book and the Obligation which reads: "We who have hereunto subscribed, do hereby promise, that we will endeavour to promote
399-587: A better British presence was cemented. However, the Anglo-Dutch Convention of 1814 was not completely clear, especially on the issue of certain possessions such as Padang . The Convention of 1814 only returned Dutch territory that was held before 1803, which did not include Padang. Raffles asserted the British claim personally, leading a small expedition to the Kingdom of Pagaruyung . Yet, as Raffles confirmed with
532-399: A centralised government and compromise – the sultans retain their reign but not rule in their states – would have a great impact on the later road to nationhood. It effectively marked the transition of the idea of Malay states from a collection of separate lands governed by their own different feudal rulers, towards a federation with Westminster -style constitutional monarchy . This became
665-756: A certain uneasiness and instability for the two nations. Tengku Long was claimed to be a pretender to the throne, and, since the succession laws in the Malay sultanates were not clear cut, treaties signed between native rulers and the European powers always seemed to be on the verge of invalidation; especially if a sultan should be deposed by one of his siblings or other pretenders. Nonetheless, amidst uncertainty and intrigue, Raffles landed in Achin on 14 March 1819, with begrudging help of Penang. Once again, it seems that multiple people were in power, but none wanted to formally deal with
798-720: A country gentleman, and ran his colony like an estate, his expenditure on nature preservation was seriously frowned upon. In both Calcutta and London, they discussed his removal from office, while Castlereagh continued negotiations with the Dutch regarding the ongoing diplomatic conflicts. Luckily, the Singapore issue had its supporters in the House, so as negotiations continued in Europe, Raffles remained largely idle in Bencoolen. The only major issue, outside
931-513: A huge demand for tin. The British as well as the Dutch were active in the states, each seeking to monopolise production of tin and other commodities. However, the political atmosphere in Perak was sufficiently volatile to raise the cost of tin mining operations. For instance, in 1818 Siam ordered Kedah to attack Perak. The lack of security in Perak forced the British to protect Perak in 1826. As Perak continued to increase its mining operations, it suffered
1064-505: A more favourable treaty in Rhio (Riau) was met with greater challenge, as the Dutch were present, and made for a rather awkward position. The Dutch were alarmed, and sent a small contingent to the island. Despite a covert offer of subterfuge against the Dutch offered by the Raja of Rhio (Riau), Farquhar returned, and an official protest was sent by the Raja to Java regarding the matter. Raffles declared
1197-478: A permanent truce. Later, through the signing of the Pangkor Treaty on 20 January 1874, Clarke acknowledged Raja Abdullah as the legitimate sultan of Perak. It resulted in the appointment of J. W. W. Birch as a British resident in Perak later that year. Raja Ismail, on the other hand, while not party to the agreement, was forced to abdicate due to intense external pressure applied by Clarke. Selangor , just to
1330-526: A person must be by the side of the dying sultan to be considered as a new ruler. Tengku Abdul Rahman was present when the old sultan died. Tengku Hussein was not happy with the development, while the temenggung who was in charge of Singapore preferred Tengku Hussein to the younger brother. The British had first acknowledged Tengku Abdul Rahman at the time of their first presence in Malacca. The situation however had changed. In 1818, Farquhar visited Tengku Hussein in
1463-581: A shortage of labour. Looking to solve the problem, Malay administrator Long Jaafar invited the Chinese in Penang to work in Perak, particularly at Larut . By the 1840s, Perak's Chinese population had exploded. The new immigrants more often than not were members of Chinese secret societies. Two of the largest were Ghee Hin and Hai San . These two groups regularly tried to increase their influence in Perak resulting in frequent skirmishes. These skirmishes got out of hand to
SECTION 10
#17328702081001596-554: A stretch of beach opposite Penang. Recognising this threat, the British moved in and razed the fort in Prai. The British thereby forced the Sultan to sign an agreement that gave the British the right to occupy Penang; in return, the Sultan would receive an annual rent of 6,000 Spanish pesos. On 1 May 1786, the Union Flag was officially raised in Penang for the first time. In 1800, Kedah ceded Prai to
1729-483: A treaty which required Dato' Kelana to rule Sungai Ujong justly, protect traders, and prevent any anti-British action there. Dato' Bandar was not invited to sign the agreement and hence asserted that he was not bound by the agreement. Moreover, Dato' Bandar and the locals disapproved of the British presence in Sungai Ujong. This furthered Dato' Kelana's unpopularity there. Soon, a company led by William A. Pickering , of
1862-466: A well-defended fortification at Meester Cornelis (now Jatinegara ). His successor, Governor Jan Willem Janssens , who coincidentally had surrendered to the British five years earlier at the Cape Colony , mounted a brave but ultimately futile defence at the fortress. The British, led by Colonel Gillespie, stormed the fort and captured it within three hours. Governor Janssens attempted to escape inland but
1995-635: A year, both massive sums at the time, roughly equivalent to £ 287,000 and £172,000 now. Farquhar was officially named the Resident of Singapore , and Raffles was named as 'Agent to the Most Noble the Governor-General with the States of Rhio (Riau), Lingin (Lingga) and Johor'. Although ownership of the post was to be exclusively British, explicit orders were given to Farquhar to maintain free passage of ships through
2128-1321: Is a significant honour. It has been awarded to many eminent scientists throughout history, including Isaac Newton (1672), Benjamin Franklin (1756), Charles Babbage (1816), Michael Faraday (1824), Charles Darwin (1839), Ernest Rutherford (1903), Srinivasa Ramanujan (1918), Jagadish Chandra Bose (1920), Albert Einstein (1921), Paul Dirac (1930), Winston Churchill (1941), Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar (1944), Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis (1945), Dorothy Hodgkin (1947), Alan Turing (1951), Lise Meitner (1955), Satyendra Nath Bose (1958), and Francis Crick (1959). More recently, fellowship has been awarded to Stephen Hawking (1974), David Attenborough (1983), Tim Hunt (1991), Elizabeth Blackburn (1992), Raghunath Mashelkar (1998), Tim Berners-Lee (2001), Venki Ramakrishnan (2003), Atta-ur-Rahman (2006), Andre Geim (2007), Bai Chunli (2014), James Dyson (2015), Ajay Kumar Sood (2015), Subhash Khot (2017), Elon Musk (2018), Elaine Fuchs (2019) and around 8,000 others in total, including over 280 Nobel Laureates since 1900. As of October 2018 , there are approximately 1,689 living Fellows, Foreign and Honorary Members, of whom 85 are Nobel Laureates. Fellowship of
2261-725: Is confirmed by the Council in April, and a secret ballot of Fellows is held at a meeting in May. A candidate is elected if they secure two-thirds of votes of those Fellows voting. An indicative allocation of 18 Fellowships can be allocated to candidates from Physical Sciences and Biological Sciences; and up to 10 from Applied Sciences, Human Sciences and Joint Physical and Biological Sciences. A further maximum of six can be 'Honorary', 'General' or 'Royal' Fellows. Nominations for Fellowship are peer reviewed by Sectional Committees, each with at least 12 members and
2394-421: Is nominated by two Fellows of the Royal Society (a proposer and a seconder), who sign a certificate of proposal. Previously, nominations required at least five fellows to support each nomination by the proposer, which was criticised for supposedly establishing an old boy network and elitist gentlemen's club . The certificate of election (see for example ) includes a statement of the principal grounds on which
2527-573: The Chinese Protectorate from the Straits Settlements, was sent to Sungai Ujong to assess the situation. He recognised the predicament Dato' Kelana was in and reported back to the Straits Settlements. This prompted the British to send 160 soldiers to Sungai Ujong to help Pickering defeat Dato' Bandar. At the end of 1874, Dato' Bandar fled to Kepayang. Despite this defeat, the British paid him a pension and granted him asylum in Singapore. As
2660-680: The East India Company . Before the formation of the Malayan Union in 1946, the territories were not placed under a single unified administration, with the exception of the immediate post-war period when a British military officer became the temporary administrator of Malaya. Instead, British Malaya comprised the Straits Settlements, the Federated Malay States, and the Unfederated Malay States. Under British hegemony, Malaya
2793-751: The Kelantan rebellion . British policy in the late 19th and the early 20th century had been the centralisation of the Federated Malay States (FMS), which was headed by the High Commissioner , who was also the governor of the Straits Settlements . All four British Residents, who acted as a British representative in the FMS were answerable to a Resident General in Kuala Lumpur, who in turn reported back to High Commissioner. Crucial state government departments had to report to their federal headquarters in Kuala Lumpur. Meanwhile,
SECTION 20
#17328702081002926-528: The Malay Peninsula . It was established that there was no Dutch presence on the island of Singapore. Johor also no longer had any control of the area, so contact was made with the Temenggong Abdul Rahman . The contacts were friendly, and Raffles, knowledgeable about the muddled political situation, took advantage to provide a rudimentary treaty between the nominal chiefs of the area that called for
3059-521: The Resident of Singapore , replacing Farquhar. Upon his arrival, Travers found the colony a delightful smörgåsbord of different races and cultures, numbering over six thousand. He also found that Singapore's trade was slowly overtaking that of Java. As in Java, Raffles collected samples of local species of plant and animal, as well as describing them in his journals. He located other tribes, and recorded their customs, especially their religions and laws. Bringing
3192-593: The Strait of Singapore and the nearby seas in the region, particularly the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea . His actions were initially not endorsed by the British government and led to tensions between the British and the Dutch . The Anglo–Dutch Treaty of 1824 established their respective spheres of influence, the Dutch relinquishing their claims to Singapore while the British ceded Bencoolen to them. An entrepôt
3325-581: The Strait of Singapore , and a small military presence was established alongside the trading post. After issuing orders to Farquhar and the remaining Europeans, Raffles left the next day, 7 February 1819. Raffles also planned to start a British presence in Achin , on the northern tip of Sumatra . As soon as he had departed, the Raja of Rhio (Riau) sent letters to the Dutch, disclaiming the deal, protesting innocence, and blaming British encroachment. Meanwhile, in Malacca ,
3458-562: The Yogyakarta Sultanate to launch an attack against the British led to uneasiness among Britons in Java. On 20 June 1812, Raffles led a 1,200-strong British force to capture the Royal Palace of Yogyakarta . Yogyakarta forces, surprised by the attack, were easily defeated; the palace fell in one day, and was subsequently sacked and burnt. Raffles ordered the much of the palace's archives to be removed, taking them back with him. The attack
3591-426: The post-nominal letters FRS . Every year, fellows elect up to ten new foreign members. Like fellows, foreign members are elected for life through peer review on the basis of excellence in science. As of 2016 , there are around 165 foreign members, who are entitled to use the post-nominal ForMemRS . Honorary Fellowship is an honorary academic title awarded to candidates who have given distinguished service to
3724-455: The 1819 expedition party, Captain John Crawford, recalled in his diary an encounter with “upwards of 100” of Chinese. British colonial documentations revealed that Temenggong Abdul Rahman had provided these Chinese who were Teochews the cost and expenses of opening gambier plantations at Mount Stamford (now Pearl’s Hill) prior to British arrival. He had also “in some instances” advanced money to
3857-580: The 1850s the area emerged as one of the most modern settlements on the Malay Peninsula apart from the Straits Settlements. At one point, there were over 20,000 labourers, most of them ethnic Chinese imported from China. Raja Jumaat died in 1864 and his death created a leadership vacuum and Lukut gradually declined. Meanwhile, Hulu Klang enjoyed unprecedented growth due to tin mining. Between 1849 and 1850, Raja Abdullah bin Raja Jaafar , Raja Jumaat's cousin,
3990-463: The British and the Sultan received an increase of 4,000 pesos in his annual rent. Penang was later named Prince of Wales Island, while Perai was renamed Province Wellesley . In 1821, Siam invaded Kedah , sacked the capital of Alor Star , and occupied the state until 1842. Before the late 19th century, the British largely practised a non-interventionist policy. Several factors such as the fluctuating supply of raw materials, and security, convinced
4123-404: The British could strengthen his position in Sungai Ujong. Dato' Kelana contacted the British in Malacca and began and lobbying them to support him. In April 1874, Sir Andrew Clarke used Dato' Kelana's request as a means to build British presence in Sungai Ujong and Negeri Sembilan in general. Clarke acknowledged Dato' Kelana as the legitimate chief of Sungai Ujong. The British and Dato' Kelana signed
Stamford Raffles - Misplaced Pages Continue
4256-547: The British felt they needed to have a say in Selangorean politics. One major disturbance, amounting to a civil war, was the Klang War which lasted from 1867 to 1874. In November 1873, a ship from Penang was attacked by pirates near Kuala Langat , Selangor. A court was assembled near Jugra and suspected pirates were sentenced to death. The Sultan expressed concern and requested assistance from Sir Andrew Clarke . Frank Swettenham
4389-628: The British from further political meddling in the Unfederated Malay States. Perlis, Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu were surrendered by Siam after the Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909 . Independent Johor, meanwhile, had to surrender Singapore to the British earlier on. Despite the Sultan's political effort, he was forced to accept an advisor in 1914, becoming the last Malay state to lose its sovereignty (although British involvement in Johor began as early as 1885). This period of slow consolidation of power into
4522-468: The British in Kedah as the sultan's advisor. The British effectively took over economic planning and execution. A rail line was built to connect Kedah with Siam in 1912 while land reform was introduced in 1914. The ruler of Kedah, Sultan Abdul Hamid Halim , accept a British advisor in 1923. Perlis had a similar experience. The ruler did not recognise the 1909 treaty but the British were de facto administrators of
4655-508: The British to play a more active role in the Malay states. From the 17th to the early 19th century, Malacca was a Dutch possession. During the Napoleonic Wars , between 1811 and 1815, Malacca, like other Dutch holdings in Southeast Asia, was under British occupation to prevent the French from claiming them. When the war ended in 1815, Malacca was returned to the Dutch. In 1824 the British and
4788-574: The British would leave Siam alone if he acceded to their demands. Earlier in 1893, Siam had lost the Shan region of north-eastern Burma to the British. This demarcation as stated in the agreement remains today the Malaysia–Thailand border . The Malay rulers did not acknowledge the agreement, but were too weak to resist British influence. In Kedah after the Bangkok Treaty, George Maxwell was posted by
4921-414: The British. The hostile atmosphere created allowed Raffles to cancel the only meeting he was able to arrange, with Panglima Polim , a powerful divisional chief, fearing treachery . As the influential merchant John Palmer , Raffles, and fellow commissioner John Monckton Coombs of Penang sat offshore, awaiting a response, Calcutta debated whether to reinforce the port city. Evacuation plans were made, but
5054-524: The British. The treaty was ratified on 6 February 1819. With the Temenggung's help, Hussein left Penyengat, pretending that he was 'going fishing', and reached Singapore, where he was installed as Sultan. The Dutch were displeased with the action of Raffles. However, with the signing of the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824, Dutch opposition to the British presence in Singapore receded. The treaty also divided
5187-432: The Dutch acted at once, commanding that no Malays could go to Singapore. Raffles's bold claim of Singapore created a curious geographic situation: although Penang was clearly closer in distance to Singapore, Raffles, in his capacity as Lieutenant-Governor of Bencoolen, was nominally still in control. This undoubtedly irked the authorities in Penang, to the point where they refused to send any sepoys to Singapore to complete
5320-402: The Dutch in Java. The competition in the area, between Raffles and the aggressive Dutch commissioner-general , Cornelis Theodorus Elout , and later Raffles' former advisor on Java, Muntinghe , now a member of the new High Government of the Dutch East Indies, who Elout had put in power, certainly led at least in part to the later Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824 . Raffles looked into alternatives in
5453-439: The Dutch never acted, and ultimately Lord Hastings prompted Colonel Bannerman, the governor of Penang , to send funds to bolster Singapore. Finally Raffles was capable of convincing his fellow commissioners to sign a treaty with Jauhar al-Alam Shah , the ruler of Achin, which installed a British Resident , as well as guaranteeing the exclusivity of bilateral trade. By the time Raffles had returned to Singapore, on 31 May, much of
Stamford Raffles - Misplaced Pages Continue
5586-490: The Dutch signed the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824 . The treaty, among other things, legally transferred Malacca to British administration and officially divided the Malay world into two separate entities, laying the basis for the current Indonesian-Malaysian boundary. Modern Singapore was founded in 1819 by Sir Stamford Raffles , with a great deal of help from Major William Farquhar . Before establishing Singapore, Raffles
5719-457: The Dutch, or taken violently by force when Castlereagh's negotiations had ended. Still William Farquhar stirred up more trouble, especially with local English merchants over trivial matters of self-importance, and overreaction over small infractions of white traders, for some of which he was reprimanded by Calcutta officially. Public works , commissioned by Raffles but undertaken by Farquhar, were becoming overwhelmingly expensive. Fellow of
5852-498: The EIC to trade in Terengganu and Kelantan unimpeded. 83 years later, a new treaty now known as the Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909 or the Bangkok Treaty of 1909 was signed between the two powers. In the new agreement, Siam agreed to give up its claim over Kedah, Kelantan, Perlis, Terengganu and Perlis , while Patani remained Siamese territory. Perlis was previously part of Kedah but during
5985-566: The High Court of Java, Herman Warner Muntinghe , especially in the matter of the reform of the public finances of the colony, and its system of taxation. Under Raffles's aegis, a large number of ancient monuments in Java were systematically catalogued for the first time. The first detailed English-language account of Prambanan was prepared by Colin Mackenzie , while the Buddhist temple of Borobudur
6118-595: The Honourable Philip Dundas , the new governor of Penang. At this time, he also made the acquaintance of Thomas Otho Travers , who would accompany him for the next twenty years. His knowledge of the Malay language , as well as his wit and ability, gained him favour with Lord Minto , the governor-general of India , and he was sent to Malacca . In 1811, after the annexation of the Kingdom of Holland by France during Napoleon's war, Raffles had no choice but to leave
6251-591: The Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society ( FRS , ForMemRS and HonFRS ) is an award granted by the Fellows of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural knowledge , including mathematics , engineering science , and medical science ". Fellowship of the Society, the oldest known scientific academy in continuous existence,
6384-439: The Royal Society has been described by The Guardian as "the equivalent of a lifetime achievement Oscar " with several institutions celebrating their announcement each year. Up to 60 new Fellows (FRS), honorary (HonFRS) and foreign members (ForMemRS) are elected annually in late April or early May, from a pool of around 700 proposed candidates each year. New Fellows can only be nominated by existing Fellows for one of
6517-477: The Siamese reign it was separated from Kedah. Kedah's district of Satun however was annexed by Siam in the same agreement. Patani was split into Pattani , Yala and Narathiwat provinces after the signing of the treaty. Though the Siamese king Chulalongkorn was reluctant to sign the treaty, increasing French pressure on the Siamese eastern border forced Siam to co-operate with the British. Chulalongkorn hoped that
6650-655: The Society, we shall be free from this Obligation for the future". Since 2014, portraits of Fellows at the admissions ceremony have been published without copyright restrictions in Wikimedia Commons under a more permissive Creative Commons license which allows wider re-use. In addition to the main fellowships of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS & HonFRS), other fellowships are available which are applied for by individuals, rather than through election. These fellowships are research grant awards and holders are known as Royal Society Research Fellows . In addition to
6783-580: The Strait or on Sumatra was appointed, and Raffles, whose health was slowly ailing, returned to Bencoolen. Raffles returned to Bencoolen in ill-health, but as his health improved, he continued on his quest to learn about the island he now called home. He studied the Batak cannibals of Tapanuli , and their rituals and laws regarding the consumption of human flesh, writing in detail about the transgressions that warranted such an act, as well as their methods. He also noted
SECTION 50
#17328702081006916-485: The Straits Settlements were increasingly dependent on the economy of the Malay states, including Perak. After Clarke's arrival in Singapore, many British traders including Read became close to the governor. Through Read, Clarke learned of Raja Abdullah's problem and willingness to accept a British representative in his court if the British assisted him. Clarke seized the opportunity to expand British influence. First, he called all Chinese secret societies together and demanded
7049-444: The Sultan had asked for. Light later took over Penang and assured the Sultan of military assistance, despite the EIC's position. Soon the EIC told Light that they would not give any military aid to Kedah. In June 1789, Light informed the Sultan of the EIC's decision. Feeling cheated, the Sultan ordered Light to leave Penang, but Light refused. Light's refusal caused the Sultan to strengthen Kedah's military forces and to fortify Prai ,
7182-459: The Sultanate of Johor into modern Johor and the new Sultanate of Riau . After the British secured Malacca from the Dutch through the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824 , they aimed to centralise the administration of Penang, Malacca, and Singapore. To this end, in 1826 a framework known as the Straits Settlements was established, with Penang as its capital. The capital was moved in 1832 to Singapore. While
7315-485: The Sultanate of Johore and hence, Rhio, and the diplomatic exchanges between Baron Godert van der Capellen and Calcutta continued throughout this time. The legitimacy of the British treaties was also questioned once again, but finally, as Singapore grew at an exponential rate, the Dutch gave up their claim on the island, allowing the colony to continue as a British possession. However, the pressures put upon Calcutta ensured that no single governor of all British possessions in
7448-559: The Teochew cultivators on the understanding he would be repaid in the form of gambier or other produce. Farquhar had the impressions that the Temenggong’s interests in these plantations were represented by a brother-in-law of his named Baba Ketchil and the first Captain China of Singapore, a Teochew merchant named Tan Heng Kim ((陈亨钦), was “one of the principal persons concerned”. A few days later,
7581-584: The accepted model for the future Federation of Malaya and ultimately Malaysia . By 1910 the British had established seven polities on the Malay Peninsula – the Straits Settlements , the Federated Malay States and the standalone protectorates of Perlis, Kedah, Kelantan, Terengganu and Johor. The First World War had a limited impact on Malaya, with notable events including the Battle of Penang and
7714-567: The administrators of the settlements, in 1867 they were declared a Crown colony and placed directly under the control of the Colonial Office in London. However, the declaration gave the colony a considerable degree of self-governance within the British Empire . In 1946, after World War II , the colony was dissolved. Malacca and Penang were absorbed into the new Malayan Union , while Singapore
7847-417: The age of 45. His legacy while complex remains significant in Singapore, most notably the Raffles's Landing Site , as well as his name being a common sight in numerous entities and institutions throughout the country. Others have argued against excessive reverence as he was an imperialist who projected colonialism onto the population of Singapore that predated his arrival . Thomas Stamford Bingley Raffles
7980-459: The area. Hussein Shah had been the crown Prince of Johor, but while he was away in Pahang to get married, his father died, and his younger brother was made sultan, supported by some of the court officials and the Dutch. To circumvent the situation of having to negotiate with a sultan influenced by the Dutch, Raffles decided to recognise, on behalf of the British Crown, Hussein Shah as being the rightful ruler of Johor. Farquhar's attempt to establish
8113-451: The area; namely Bangka , which had been ceded to the Dutch after its conquest by the British during its occupation of Java. Bintan was also under consideration. Despite the fact that Francis Light overlooked the island before settling upon Penang in 1786, the Riau Archipelago was an attractive choice just to the south of the Malay Peninsula , for its proximity to Malacca . In his correspondences with Calcutta , Raffles also emphasised
SECTION 60
#17328702081008246-494: The army. In 1795, at the age of 14, Raffles started working in London as a clerk for the East India Company . Nine years later, in 1804, the 23-year-old Raffles married Olivia Mariamne Devenish , a widow ten years his senior, who was formerly married to Jacob Cassivelaun Fancourt, an assistant surgeon in Madras, who had died in 1800. In 1805, he was sent to Prince of Wales Island , Malaya , starting his long association with Southeast Asia. He started as assistant secretary, under
8379-453: The award of Fellowship (FRS, HonFRS & ForMemRS) and the Research Fellowships described above, several other awards, lectures and medals of the Royal Society are also given. British Malaya The term " British Malaya " ( / m ə ˈ l eɪ ə / ; Malay : Tanah Melayu British ) loosely describes a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the island of Singapore that were brought under British hegemony or control between
8512-481: The cause of science, but do not have the kind of scientific achievements required of Fellows or Foreign Members. Honorary Fellows include the World Health Organization's Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (2022), Bill Bryson (2013), Melvyn Bragg (2010), Robin Saxby (2015), David Sainsbury, Baron Sainsbury of Turville (2008), Onora O'Neill (2007), John Maddox (2000), Patrick Moore (2001) and Lisa Jardine (2015). Honorary Fellows are entitled to use
8645-456: The colonised the alien language or culture of the coloniser. In addition to preserving the artifacts , fauna , and flora of his colonies, he also allowed religious freedom , which was especially important as the Malay states were largely Muslim . Christian schools were started by missionaries in all of his colonies. Colonel Bannerman's death in Penang in October 1819 brought new opportunities for Raffles to expand his power to also include
8778-465: The colony. However, Bencoolen was not as self-sufficient as Singapore. The area was poor and disease-ridden: the first reports from the committees reflected very poorly upon the condition of the colony. Unlike the salutary neglect Raffles granted upon Singapore, he delayed European-inspired reforms, emphasising only the cultivation of whatever land was available. Native authorities were given power in their respective districts, and were answerable only to
8911-437: The confederation – tried to wrest Sungai Linggi from Sungai Ujong's control. Negeri Sembilan at that time was connected to Malacca via Sungai Linggi, and a high volume of trade passed through Sungai Linggi daily. Whoever controlled Sungai Linggi would gain wealth simply through taxes. Dato' Kelana Sendeng died in 1873. In early 1873, Sayid Abdul Rahman took his place, becoming the new Dato' Kelana. The death however did not repair
9044-436: The country. He mounted a military expedition against the Dutch and French in Java , in the Dutch East Indies . The war was swiftly conducted by Admiral Robert Stopford , General Frederick Augustus Wetherall , and Colonel Robert Rollo Gillespie , who led a well-organised army against an opposing army of mostly French conscripts with little proper leadership. The previous Dutch governor, Herman Willem Daendels , had built
9177-540: The end of his tenure as Lieutenant-Governor of Java), the now well-connected and successful Raffles was able to secure permission to set up a settlement. At this point in Singaporean history , the name Lion City was applied. The city was in a strategically advantageous position; however, he was ordered not to provoke the Dutch, and his subsequent actions were officially disavowed by the British government. In London, Lord Castlereagh attempted to quell Dutch fears, and continuing efforts were made to reach an agreement between
9310-477: The exclusivity of trade, and the British protection of the area. Members of Raffles's party surveyed the island, and proceeded to request the presence of the sultan, or whoever at the time had supreme nominal power, to sign a formal treaty, while Major Farquhar was ordered to do the same in Rhio (Riau). The writings of Raffles and Farquhar indicate that the British found Temenggong Abdul Rahman with 400 to 500 residents in Singapore in January 1819. Another member of
9443-404: The fellowships described below: Every year, up to 52 new fellows are elected from the United Kingdom, the rest of the Commonwealth of Nations , and Ireland, which make up around 90% of the society. Each candidate is considered on their merits and can be proposed from any sector of the scientific community. Fellows are elected for life on the basis of excellence in science and are entitled to use
9576-469: The fight for the throne. Among those British individuals was British trader W. H. M. Read. Furthermore, he promised to accept a British advisor if the British recognised him as the legitimate ruler of Perak. The Governor of the Straits Settlements at that time was Sir Harry Ord who was a friend of Ngah Ibrahim, who had unresolved issues with Raja Abdullah. With Ord's aid, Ngah Ibrahim sent sepoy troops from India to prevent Raja Abdullah from actively claiming
9709-500: The formal treaty was signed by Hussein Shah who claimed to be the "lawful sovereign of the whole of territories extending from Lingga and Johor to Mount Muar". Although Hussein Shah had had no previous contact with the British, he had certainly heard of the strength of the Royal Navy , and was in no position to argue against the terms. Raffles reassured him that the Dutch posed no threat in
9842-409: The foundation of what was to become modern Singapore on 6 February, securing the transfer of control of the island to the East India Company . With much pomp and ceremony, the official treaty was read aloud in languages representing all nations present, as well as the Malay and Chinese inhabitants. Sultan Hussein Shah was paid 5,000 Spanish dollars a year, while Temenggong Abdul Rahman received 3,000
9975-468: The garrison. Official Dutch complaints came before the end of the month, and Raffles attempted to appease the situation by instructing Farquhar to not interfere with the politics of surrounding islands. Despite numerous threats and serious considerations by the Dutch governor-general Van der Capellen in Java, they did not take any military action. The confused political situation in Johore and Rhio also created
10108-530: The good of the Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, and to pursue the ends for which the same was founded; that we will carry out, as far as we are able, those actions requested of us in the name of the Council; and that we will observe the Statutes and Standing Orders of the said Society. Provided that, whensoever any of us shall signify to the President under our hands, that we desire to withdraw from
10241-443: The handover, and officially replaced by John Fendall Jr. on account of the poor financial performance of the colony during his administration, and allegations of financial impropriety on his own part. He sailed to England in early 1816 to clear his name and, en route, visited Napoleon , who was in exile at St. Helena , but found him unpleasant and unimpressive. In 1817, Raffles wrote and published The History of Java , describing
10374-552: The history of the island from ancient times as well as its geography, flora, and fauna. In 1817, Raffles was created a Knight Bachelor by the Prince Regent George IV , whose daughter, Princess Charlotte , was particularly close to him. At the publication of the book, he also stopped using the name 'Thomas', preferring to use his middle name, 'Stamford', possibly to avoid confusion amongst his associates with Sir Thomas Sevestre, or his cousin, Thomas Raffles , who both bore
10507-517: The immediate crisis that the colony had caused in Penang and Calcutta had passed. By then, the initial five-hundred villagers had grown to become five-thousand merchants, soldiers, and administrators, packed onto the island. Raffles was determined to destroy the Dutch mercantile monopoly in the area, to replace it with a gateway for trade with China and Japan. The latter he had attempted but failed to reach an agreement with while governing Java. While in Singapore, Raffles established schools and churches in
10640-619: The island in 1824. In the mid-18th century, British firms could be found trading in the Malay Peninsula . In April 1771, Jourdain, Sulivan and de Souza, a British firm based in Madras , India , sent Francis Light to meet the Sultan of Kedah , Muhammad Jiwa Zainal Adilin II , to open up the Kedah's market for trading. Light was also a captain in the service of the East India Company (EIC). The Sultan faced external threats during this period. Siam , which
10773-534: The island of Nias under British rule, he noted its civilised state and high production yields of rice. Yet the production of food remained a problem. In Bencoolen, Raffles paid special attention to the agricultural methods of the Chinese, including an introduction to the only issue of Proceedings of the Agricultural Society . To remedy the shortages, his employer, the East India Company , concerned themselves only with profit-taking. Even as Raffles lived like
10906-479: The island of Penyengat , off the coast of Bintan , the capital of the Riau Archipelago. There, new plans were drawn up, and in 1819 Raffles made a deal with Tengku Hussein. The agreement stated that the British would acknowledge Tengku Hussein as the legitimate ruler of Singapore if he allowed them to establish a trading post there. Furthermore, Tengku Hussein and the temenggung would receive a yearly stipend from
11039-456: The larger federation of Malaysia . The first English trader to visit the Malay Peninsula was Ralph Fitch who arrived in the 16th century. However, the British only became formally involved in Malay politics in 1771, when Great Britain tried to set up trading posts in Penang , formerly a part of Kedah . The British established a trading post in Singapore in 1819 and gained complete control of
11172-413: The late 1860s. Two of them were Kuala Lumpur and Klang . A Chinese kapitan named Yap Ah Loy was instrumental in developing Kuala Lumpur. As in Perak, this rapid development attracted interest from the British in the Straits Settlements. The economy of Selangor became important enough to the prosperity of the Straits Settlements that any disturbance there would harm the Straits Settlements. Therefore,
11305-635: The late 18th and the mid-20th century. Unlike the term " British India ", which excludes the Indian princely states , British Malaya is often used to refer to the Federated and the Unfederated Malay States , which were British protectorates with their own local rulers, as well as the Straits Settlements , which were under the sovereignty and direct rule of the British Crown , after a period of control by
11438-434: The lieutenant-governor. The slave-debtor system was brought in, instead of the old slavery system that Raffles had abolished in Java, Borneo , and initially in Bencoolen. Slave-debtors were registered, and educational reforms started to focus on children, instead of the entire population. Raffles looked into a long-term plan for the slow reform of Bencoolen. Unlike many other European adventurers, Raffles did not impose upon
11571-515: The locals and even from the Chinese immigrants who worked at the mines of Sungai Ujong. Dato' Kelana's limited popularity made him dependent on another chieftain – Sayid Abdul Rahman – who was the confederation's laksamana raja laut (roughly royal sea admiral). The strained relationship between Dato' Bandar and Dato' Kelana caused frequent disturbances in Sungai Ujong. The years before 1873 were relatively calm as Dato' Kelana had to give extra attention to Sungai Linggi as Rembau – another state within
11704-405: The lucrative trade in tin and rubber , Britain sought to consolidate and centralise control by federating Selangor, Perak, Negeri Sembilan and Pahang into the Federated Malay States (FMS), with Kuala Lumpur as its capital. The Residents-General administered the federation but compromised by allowing the sultans to retain limited powers as the authority on Islam and Malay customs. Modern legislation
11837-526: The nations that eventually became the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of London of 1824. As well as the treaty, instructions were sent out to Raffles to undertake far less intrusive actions; however, the long distance between the Far East and Europe meant that the orders had no chance of reaching Raffles in time. After a brief survey of the Karimun Islands , on 29 January 1819, he established a post at the southern tip of
11970-443: The native languages. He allowed missionaries and local businesses to flourish. Certain colonial aspects remained: a European town was quickly built to segregate the population, separated by a river; carriage roads were built, and cantonments constructed for the soldiers. Otherwise, no other duties were imposed. Confident that Farquhar would follow his instructions well, Raffles sailed for Bencoolen once again on 28 June. Raffles
12103-413: The need to establish a certain amount of influence with the native chiefs, which had greatly waned since the return of the Dutch. Raffles sent Thomas Travers as an ambassador to the Dutch, to possibly negotiate an expansion of British economic interests. When this failed, and when Raffles's own expeditions into his new dominion found only treacherous terrain and few exportable goods, his desire to establish
12236-536: The next ruler of Negeri Sembilan, the Yamtuan Besar . This conflict between the two princes divided the confederation and threatened the reliability of tin supply from Negeri Sembilan. Sungei Ujong , a state within the confederation in particular was the site of many locally important mines. It was ruled by Dato' Kelana Sendeng. However, another local chieftain named Dato' Bandar Kulop Tunggal had more influence than Dato' Kelana. Dato' Bandar received great support from
12369-598: The northern Malay states , especially Kedah , Terengganu, Kelantan and Patani , prevented the EIC from trading in peace. Therefore, in 1826, the British, through the EIC, signed a secret treaty known today as the Burney Treaty with the King of Siam. The four Malay states were not present during the signing of the agreement. In that treaty, British acknowledged Siamese sovereignty the four states. In return, Siam accepted British ownership of Penang and Province Wellesley and allowed
12502-471: The other minor British factories and outposts; from Sumatra to Cochin China . He sailed to Calcutta , and as Lord Hastings sought to consolidate all of the small British possessions in the East Indies . During his sojourn, he had the opportunity to argue for free trade, and the protection of the private enterprise. Education and the retention of small British outposts were also discussed. The Dutch claim on
12635-528: The point that not even Ngah Ibrahim , the Menteri Besar (chief minister), was unable to enforce the rule of law. Meanwhile, there was a power struggle in the Perak royal court. Sultan Ali died in 1871 and the next in line for the throne was the Raja Muda Raja Abdullah . Despite that fact, he was not present during the burial of the sultan. As in the case of Tengku Hussein of Johor, Raja Abdullah
12768-460: The politics of the local sultans, involved the replacement of Farquhar, who decided that he had no intention of leaving his post voluntarily, causing a moment of tension between him and Travers. Raffles's request for Travers to deliver dispatches to India nullified the issue late in the year, and Farquhar remained in charge of Singapore, with its survival still in doubt for many in both India and London, who believed that it would either be handed over to
12901-509: The post nominal letters HonFRS . Statute 12 is a legacy mechanism for electing members before official honorary membership existed in 1997. Fellows elected under statute 12 include David Attenborough (1983) and John Palmer, 4th Earl of Selborne (1991). The Council of the Royal Society can recommend members of the British royal family for election as Royal Fellow of the Royal Society . As of 2023 there are four royal fellows: Elizabeth II
13034-546: The proposal is being made. There is no limit on the number of nominations made each year. In 2015, there were 654 candidates for election as Fellows and 106 candidates for Foreign Membership. The Council of the Royal Society oversees the selection process and appoints 10 subject area committees, known as Sectional Committees, to recommend the strongest candidates for election to the Fellowship. The final list of up to 52 Fellowship candidates and up to 10 Foreign Membership candidates
13167-403: The proposal. Two years later, Sultan Muhammad Jiwa died and was succeeded by Sultan Abdullah Mukarram Shah . The new Sultan offered Light (who later became a British representative) the island of Penang in return for military assistance for Kedah. Light informed the EIC of the Sultan's offer. The EIC, however, ordered Light to take over Penang and gave him no guarantee of the military aid that
13300-478: The relationship between Dato' Kelana and Dato' Bandar. On the contrary, it deteriorated. The new Dato' Kelana was deeply concerned with Dato' Bandar's unchecked influence, and sought ways to counter his adversary's power. When the British changed their non-interventionist policy in 1873 by replacing Sir Harry Ord with Sir Andrew Clarke as the Governor of the Straits Settlements, Dato' Kelana immediately realised that
13433-493: The revenue of Selangor and Perak. The Unfederated Malay States, on the other hand, maintained their quasi-independence, had more autonomy, and instead of having a Resident they were required only to accept a British Advisor, though in reality they were still bound by treaty to accept the advice. The British undertook far less economic exploitation in the Unfederated Malay States as they primarily desired to simply keep them in line; limited economic potential in these states deterred
13566-456: The rise of the Sikh religion in certain parts of Sumatra. By early 1820, Tengku Long had firmly established himself as the Sultan of Johor to the British, but the political situation in the area remained a befuddled mess, with the old sultan dying, and many new ones attempting to gain either the crown or regency. As Farquhar was involving himself poorly in local politics, Raffles appointed Travers as
13699-472: The same first name. On 22 February, he married his second wife, Sophia Hull , and later set sail to Bencoolen (present-day Bengkulu in Indonesia) to take up his new post with his new wife. Raffles arrived in Bencoolen on Sumatra on 19 March 1818, where he was appointed as the lieutenant-governor of Bencoolen on 22 March 1818. Despite the prestige connected with the title of Lieutenant-Governor, Bencoolen
13832-401: The south of Perak also had considerable deposits of tin around Hulu Selangor in the north, Hulu Klang in the central area and Lukut near Negeri Sembilan to the south. Around 1840, under the leadership of Raja Jumaat from Riau, tin mining became a huge enterprise. His efforts soon were rewarded by Sultan Muhammad Shah of Selangor ; Raja Jumaat was appointed as Lukut's administrator in 1846. By
13965-488: The state. It was only in 1930 that the ruler Raja Syed Alwi recognised the British presence in Perlis by admitting Meadows Frost as the first British advisor in Perlis. Perak is a state on the west coast of the Malay Peninsula. In the 18th and 19th centuries it was discovered to be rich in tin , with the richest alluvial deposits of tin in the world. Europe at the same time was undergoing an industrial revolution and this created
14098-571: The sultan regarding the absolute British influence of the area, he realised that the local rulers had only limited power over the well-cultivated and civilised country, and the treaty was largely symbolic, and had little actual force. Major-General William Farquhar , the British Resident of Malacca, had been attempting to negotiate commercial treaties with the local chiefs of the Riau Archipelago , especially before Raffle’s arrival. Farquhar
14231-559: The three holdings formed the backbone of the settlements, Christmas Island , the Cocos Islands , Labuan , and Dindings (in Perak ) were also placed under the authority of the Straits Settlements. Until 1867, the Straits Settlements were answerable to the British administrator of the East India Company (EIC) in Calcutta . The settlements' administrators were dissatisfied with the way Calcutta
14364-507: The throne and extending control over the Chinese secret societies. By 1873 the Colonial Office in London came to perceive Ord as incompetent. He was soon replaced by Sir Andrew Clarke and Clarke was ordered to get a complete picture of what was happening in the Malay states and recommend how to streamline British administration in Malaya. The reason was that London was increasingly aware that
14497-428: The year progressed, British influence increased to the point that an assistant resident was placed there to advise and assist Dato' Kelana with the governance of Sungai Ujong. The British became involved in the administration of Pahang after a civil war between two candidates to the kingdom's throne between 1858 and 1863. To streamline the administration of the Malay states, and especially to protect and further develop
14630-492: Was a colonial backwater, whose only real export was pepper , and only the murder of a previous Resident , Thomas Parr , gained it any attention back home in Britain. Raffles found the place wrecked, and set about reforms immediately, mostly similar to what he had done on Java ; abolishing slavery and limiting cockfighting and such games. To replace the slaves, he used a contingent of convicts , already sent to him from India. It
14763-536: Was also ordered to occupy the nearby Bangka Island in order to establish a permanent British presence in the area, in case Java returned to Dutch rule after the end of the War of the Sixth Coalition in Europe. During his lieutenant-governorship, Raffles placed some restrictions on the local slave trade in line with wider British policy across its Asian territories, although slavery remained widespread and Raffles himself
14896-610: Was appointed by the sultan as Klang's administrator. As Lukut's economic importance was slowly declining, that of Hulu Klang was rising. This attracted many labourers to relocate there, especially Chinese immigrants who had worked in Lukut. One person responsible for persuading the Chinese to move from Lukut to Hulu Klang was Sutan Puasa from Ampang . He supplied the mining colonies in Hulu Klang with goods ranging from rice to opium . As Hulu Klang prospered, several settlements started to rise up by
15029-517: Was appointed to serve as the Sultan's advisor. Around a year later, a lawyer from Singapore named J. G. Davidson was appointed as British Resident in Selangor. Frank Swettenham was nominated for the Resident post but he was deemed too young. Negeri Sembilan was another major producer of tin in Malaya. In 1869 a power struggle arose between Tengku Antah and Tengku Ahmad Tunggal, as both aspired to become
15162-421: Was at this point that he realised the importance of a British presence that both challenged the Dutch hegemony in the area, and could remain consistently profitable, unlike Bencoolen or Batavia . However, the strategic importance of poorly maintained but well-positioned British possessions , such as Penang or Bencoolen, made it impossible for the British to abandon the unprofitable colonies in such proximity to
15295-513: Was at war with Burma and which saw Kedah as its vassal state, frequently demanded that Kedah send reinforcements. Kedah, in many cases, was a reluctant ally to Siam. After negotiations with Light, the Sultan agreed to allow Jourdain, Sulivan, and de Souza to build and operate a trading post and in Kedah, if the British agreed to protect Kedah from external threats. Light conveyed this message to his superiors in India. The EIC, however, did not agree with
15428-528: Was born on ( 1781-07-05 ) 5 July 1781 on board the ship Ann , off the coast of Port Morant , Jamaica, to Captain Benjamin Raffles (1739, London – 23 November 1811, Deptford ) and Anne Raffles (née Lyde) (1755 – 8 February 1824, London). Benjamin served as a ship master for various ships engaged in the direct trade between England and the West Indies . Although some biographers have suggested that Benjamin
15561-581: Was captured. The British invasion of Java took a total of forty-five days, during which Raffles was appointed the lieutenant-governor of the Dutch East Indies by Lord Minto before hostilities formally ceased. He took his residence at Buitenzorg , and despite having a small group of Britons as his senior staff, kept many of the Dutch civil servants in the governmental structure. During the relatively brief period of British rule in Java, Raffles negotiated several peace treaties along with ordering several military expeditions against local rulers. Rumours of plans by
15694-667: Was compelled to sign the treaty not with the official head of the sultanate, but rather, the Raja Muda (Regent or Crown Prince) of Riau . He noted it as a success, and reported it as such to Raffles. Raffles sailed to Malacca in late 1818, to personally secure a British presence in the Riau area, especially Singapura , which was favoured by him both through the readings of Malayan histories, and by Farquhar's explorations. Despite Lord Hastings ' less-than-stellar opinion of Raffles before (which had necessitated his trip to England to clear his name at
15827-672: Was handling their affairs and they complained to London. In 1856 the EIC tried to annul Singapore's free port status. In 1858, following the Indian Mutiny , the East India Company was dissolved and British India came under the direct rule of the Crown , which was exercised by the Secretary of State for India and the Viceroy of India . With Calcutta's waning power, and after intense lobbying by
15960-488: Was introduced with the creation of the Federal Council. Although the sultans had less power than their counterparts in the Unfederated Malay States, the FMS enjoyed a much higher degree of modernisation . Federalisation also brought benefit through cooperative economic development , as evident in the earlier period, when Pahang was developed through fiscal federalism , using fiscal equalisation payment funds derived from
16093-583: Was involved in the slave trade , modern historians have refuted such claims. When Benjamin ended his involvement in the West India trade in 1800, it caused his family considerable hardship. The little money the family had went into sending the young Raffles to the Mansion House Academy, Hammersmith , a moderately priced boarding school, offering Latin, Greek, French, arithmetic, bookkeeping and geography, that specialised in preparing boys for clerkships or
16226-421: Was not a Royal Fellow, but provided her patronage to the society, as all reigning British monarchs have done since Charles II of England . Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (1951) was elected under statute 12, not as a Royal Fellow. The election of new fellows is announced annually in May, after their nomination and a period of peer-reviewed selection. Each candidate for Fellowship or Foreign Membership
16359-435: Was not appointed as the new sultan by the ministers of Perak. Instead the second in line, Raja Ismail, became the sultan of Perak. Raja Abdullah was furious and refused to accept the news kindly. He then sought and gathered political support from various channels, including several of Perak's local chiefs and several British personnel with whom he had done business in the past, with the secret societies becoming their proxies in
16492-594: Was one of the most profitable territories of the empire , being the world's largest producer of tin and later rubber . During the Second World War, Japan ruled a part of Malaya as a single unit from Singapore . The Malayan Union was unpopular and in 1948 was dissolved and replaced by the Federation of Malaya , which became fully independent on 31 August 1957. On 16 September 1963, the federation, along with North Borneo (Sabah), Sarawak , and Singapore , formed
16625-539: Was returned under the Anglo–Dutch Treaty of 1814 . He also wrote The History of Java in 1817, describing the history of the island from ancient times. The Rafflesia flower was named after him. Raffles also played a role in further establishing the British Empire 's reach in East and Southeast Asia . He secured control over the strategically located Singapore from local rulers in 1819 to secure British access along
16758-567: Was separated from the rest of the former colony and made into a separate Crown colony . The Malayan Union was later replaced with the Federation of Malaya in 1948, and in 1963, together with North Borneo, Sarawak and Singapore, formed an enlarged federation called Malaysia. Prior to the late 19th century, the British East India Company (EIC) was interested only in trading, and tried to avoid Malay politics. However, Siam's influence in
16891-400: Was served by a large retinue of slaves at his official residences in Java. Raffles also attempted a replacement of the Dutch system of forced agricultural deliveries-in-kind with a cash-based land tenure system of land management, probably influenced by the earlier anti-feudal critiques of Dirk van Hogendorp He was advised by a holdover from the previous Dutch regime on Java, the president of
17024-407: Was still the lieutenant-governor of Bencoolen when he returned. Raffles started more reforms that were, by now, almost trademarks of his rule over the colonies. Forced labour was abolished when he first arrived, and he declared Bencoolen a free port as well. The currency was regulated and, as he had an excess of out-of-work civil servants, they formed committees to advise him on the daily running of
17157-400: Was subsequently established in Singapore for maritime trade between Europe and Asia. While Raffles was largely credited for the founding of contemporary Singapore, the early running of day-to-day operations was mostly done by William Farquhar , who served as the first Resident of Singapore from 1819 to 1823. Raffles soon returned to England in 1824, where he died on his birthday in 1826 at
17290-461: Was surveyed and cleared of vegetation by H. C. Cornelius. When his wife, Olivia, died on 26 November 1814, Raffles was devastated. In 1815, he left again for England shortly before the island of Java was returned to control of the Netherlands following the Napoleonic Wars , under the terms of the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1814 . Raffles had been removed from his post by the East India Company ahead of
17423-531: Was the Lieutenant Governor of Java from 1811 to 1815. In 1818 he was appointed to Bencoolen . Realising how the Dutch were monopolising trade in the Malay Archipelago , he was convinced that the British needed a new trading colony to counter Dutch trading power. Months of research brought him to Singapore, an island at the tip of the Malay Peninsula. The island was ruled by a temenggung . Singapore
17556-720: Was then under the control of Tengku Abdul Rahman , the Sultan of the Johore-Riau-Lingga Sultanate (otherwise known as the Johor Sultanate ), in turn under the influence of the Dutch and the Bugis . The Sultan would never agree to a British base in Singapore. However, Tengku Abdul Rahman had become sultan only because his older brother, Tengku Hussein or Tengku Long, had been away getting married in Pahang when their father – Sultan Mahmud Shah III – died in 1812. In Malay tradition,
17689-695: Was unprecedented in Javanese history, as it was the first time an indigenous palace had been captured by a European army, humiliating the Yogyakarta Sultanate. Although peace returned to Central Java in the immediate aftermath of the attack, it may have fuelled the deep-seated instability and hostility to European involvement in the region that ultimately gave rise to the Java War during the 1820s. Raffles also ordered an expedition to Palembang , Sumatra to depose local sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II . The expedition
#99900