The history of modern Singapore began with the British colonisation of what had become an up-and-coming trading post along the Malacca Straits.
The British needed a port of call in this region to refit, revitalise and protect their merchant fleet, as well as to prevent any advance by the Dutch in the East Indies. Hence they chose to establish trading posts in Penang (1786) and Singapore (1819), and captured Malacca from the Dutch (1795).
Singapore as a British trading post
In late 1818, Lord Hastings, the Governor-General of India, gave tacit approval to Sir Stamford Raffles, the Lieutenant-Governor of Bencoolen, to establish Singapore as a trading post.
On 29 January 1819, Raffles landed on the shores of Singapore. The next day, he concluded a preliminary treaty with Temenggong Abdul Rahman to set up a trading post in Singapore. The formal treaty was then signed on 6 February 1819 with Sultan Hussein of Johor and the Temenggong, the de jure and de facto rulers of Singapore respectively.
Singapore proved to be a prized settlement. By 1820, it was earning revenue, and three years later, its trade surpassed that of Penang’s.
In 1824, Singapore's status as a British possession was formalised by two new treaties. The first was the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of March 1824, by which the Dutch withdrew all objections to the British occupation of Singapore.
The second treaty was made with Sultan Hussein and Temenggong Abdul Rahman in August of the same year. The two rulers handed the island over to the British in return for more cash payments and pensions.
Singapore in the Straits Settlements
In 1826, Singapore, Malacca, and Penang were grouped to form the Straits Settlements, under the administration of British India.
By 1832, Singapore had become the centre of government for the Straits Settlements. And on 1 April 1867, the Straits Settlements became a Crown Colony under the jurisdiction of the Colonial Office in London.
Singapore became a major port of call for ships plying between Europe and East Asia in 1869. With the development of rubber planting, especially after the 1870s, it also became the main sorting and export centre of the world for rubber.
Singapore’s trade expanded eightfold between 1873 and 1913, and its prosperity attracted immigrants from areas around the region. By 1860, the population had grown to 80,792; this comprised the Chinese, who accounted for 61.9% of the total population, the Malays, 13.5%, the Indians, 16.05%, and other races (including the Europeans), 8.5%.
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