Why Did Britain Want a Trading Post on Singapore - Research Paper Example

Why did Britain want a Trading Post on Singapore? Why did Britain want a Trading Post on Singapore? Introduction Before Sir Raffles landed on Singapore in 1819, Singapore was at the time part of the great Johor Empire. Johor’s sultan had just died and his elder son was away. Upon his father’s death, the younger son of the late sultan closely aligned himself with the Dutch who helped him in proclaiming himself as sultan (Rahim, 2010). Singapore had already established itself as a crucial and rapidly coming up trading post along the Malacca Straits and at the time of Sir Raffle’s landing on the island, Great Britain had gradually started to see the importance of establishing a port of call in the region. The Sultan of Singapore, Abdul Rahman, was under relatively tight Dutch control and as such, could not allow for the British to set up any trading post in Singapore. However Raffles formulated a plan through which the Sultan’s elder brother would be able to take up the sultanate. Sultan Abdul Rahman’s elder brother Tengku Hussein Shah was supposed to be the rightful ruler due to his having been the eldest son (Rahim, 2010). Sir Raffles drew up papers that effectively recognized Hussein Shah as being the lawful sultan of not only Johor, but also Singapore. After recognizing Hussein Shah as sultan, Sir Stamford Raffles signed a treaty in February 1819 with Hussein Shah and Temenggong Abdul Rahman, the treaty declared the approval the establishment of a British East India Company trading post in Singapore (Rahim, 2010). The treaty also specified that Sultan Hussein Shah and the Temenggong would in turn receive an annual income from the British. In the establishment of this trading post, it can be noted that Sir Raffles undertook a number of drastic measures in what can be construed to be an indicator of the importance that Britain attributed to the establishment of this trading post (Yew, 2013). This paper will seek to establish why Sir Stamford Raffles and Britain wanted a trading post in Singapore. Reasons as to Britain wanted to set up a Trading Post in Singapore Singapore’s Geographical Location and Natural Resources The geographical location of Singapore is believed to have been one of the key reasons as to why the British essentially chose it as the location where they would set up a new port in the region. The Straits of Melaka had become an important trade route for British traders who would use it when travelling to China during the 19th century. The strait had proven to be a relatively great source of income for these British traders as a result of its facilitation of the lucrative opium-tea and silk trade with China (Yew, 2013). When using the route, British traders would travel from Europe, around the African continent to SEA, they would then pass through the Straits of Melaka where they would then proceed on their way to China (Ring et al., 1996). Singapore’s ideal location at the very opening of the Straits of Melaka proved to be quite strategic for the British as this position could be used to serve the double purpose of not only being an important port of call along this very important route, but also a tactically located naval base that would help in securing the safety of the large number of British ships that regularly passed through this route (Ring et al., 1996). Setting up a port at Singapore also had the added benefit of its being used by British traders in restocking and refueling without their being forced to deviate from the main route of travel (Yew, 2013). The British also believed that the establishment of a port at Singapore would also greatly attract traders from different countries to come and trade at the port, since its ideal location at the Malay Peninsula and at the opening of the Straits of Melaka made it quite accessible and a good trading post (Ring et al., 1996). Another key reason as to why the British sought to try and establish a port at Singapore was because Singapore had a large amount of natural resources and of particular interest to the British were the large timber resources that were available in the large tracts of uncut forests. From the timber available at Singapore, timber could possibly be harvested and then used in the repair of damaged ships and the building of boats (Bavarian State Library, 1837; Ring et al., 1996). Singapore also had the advantage of being surrounded by deep waters. The deep waters could easily allow for a number of harbors to be built along the island’s fringes (Ledesma, 2003). The deep waters would also have the advantage of preventing the ships at harbor from crashing into the submerged bedrocks when anchored near the island. This would also translate into fewer losses for the British and their merchant ships in the event that they happened to incur any storms and shipwrecks while at the harbor. The location of a harbor close to the island would also make it quite safe as its close location would help in making it easier for the British to defend the harbor from any pirate attacks it might happen to be faced with (Ring et al., 1996). Political Factors A number of political factors were crucial in the selection of Singapore as the location of the establishment of an new British trading post. After the Dutch had returned all their South East Asian (SEA) colonies as per the Kew Letters in the 19th century, they went about colonizing a number of other places in the region in an attempt to try and assume ultimate control over the trade being conducted in the region (Rahim, 2010). The Dutch were largely being driven by a desire to restrict British trade to only the two regions of Bencoolen and Penang. The Dutch had managed to colonize nearly all the locations in the regions that were suitable for the establishment of ports. Using this strategy, the Dutch hoped to assume full control over the entire region in move that would see the Dutch enjoy all the profits from trade conducted in the region (Yew, 2013). Although the British were quite anxious to try and maintain their ongoing and very lucrative trade with China, they could possibly ignore the importance of their retaining an alliance with the Dutch (Yew, 2013). This was primarily because to them, Holland served to act as a buffer state for Britain from France. In this sense, The British saw Holland as serving to protect Britain from any danger or immediate attacks that from France (Maddex, 2014). The British were careful not to antagonize the Dutch as doing so would potentially cause Holland turn against Britain a situation that would result in causing Britain to become quite vulnerable to attacks which might have the adverse effect of negatively impacting the country’s development. This scenario proved to cause a considerable degree of difficulty to the British as they sought to try and establish a suitable position where they could be able to set up a new port as nearly all the regions surrounding the Malay Archipelago were essentially colonized by the Dutch. For this reason, the British chose Singapore because it was not under any direct Dutch control, instead Singapore was under the control of the Malay Temengong and as such, the colonization of Singapore would not result in the instigation of any direct conflict with the Dutch (Rahim, 2010). Sir Raffles saw the opportunity and proceeded to outwit the reigning Temengong by sealing a contract with the Temengong’s elder brother who was in fact the rightful heir. Sir Raffles recognized the Temengong’s elder brother as being the rightful Temengong and as such, it became possible for the British to proceed with the setting up of a port in Singapore (Rahim, 2010). Raffles Personal Ambitions and Dreams Britain had been looking into abandoning control of the trade with China before Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles came into the scene. In 1818, as the lieutenant governor of Bencoolen, he vigorously opposed the British government’s plans to abandon the China trade to the Dutch (Eddie, 2011). Sir Raffles was an ambitious and extremely determined young man who is seen to have essentially made it his personal ambition to effectively demonstrate that it was quite possible for Britain to set up a trading base close to its established trading routes irrespective of the dominance that the Dutch were enjoying in the region. Sir Raffles also strongly believed that it was quite wrong for the Dutch to try dominant all the profits that could be derived from the South East Asian trade, and as such, he felt it to be crucial to break the monopoly that the Dutch were enjoying along this trade route. Sir Raffles is also thought to have been able to clearly see beyond his time to the potentially great significance the Singapore would eventually enjoy as a trading post in SEA. Without Sir Raffles’s promptings and influence, it is widely believed that the British empire would not have even take into consideration the probability of setting up Singapore as a British settlement as it was under indirect Dutch control. Through his own individual efforts, Sir Raffles was able to eventually outwit Singapore’s Temengong by pretending that he and the great country of Britain did not recognize him as being the rightful Temegong and claiming that the current Temengong’s brother was actually Singapore’s rightful ruler (Rahim, 2010). If Sir Raffles had not been appointed by the British government to head the country’s scouting expedition for a new port, Singapore would evidently never have been selected as its selection would essentially have been strongly perceived to be going against the government’s policy of always ensuring that it avoids engaging in any conflict with the Dutch. Conclusion A number of factors are seen to have gone into the selection of Singapore as Britain’s new port in the SEA region. Singapore was ideal for British because of its strategic positioning. The straits of Melaka were very instrumental to Britain because it was used as a route for British traders on their way to China. Setting up a port at Singapore was advantageous in that this could have allowed Britain to restock and refuel without going for other miles away. The availability of large amounts of natural resources was also another reason for Singapore’s viability to British as the best option. However, it is seen that the single most significant contribution to this selection was the appointment of the ambitious Sir Raffles as head of the expedition to establish a location for the new port. Before Sir Raffles, no one in the entire British administration had dared to even consider the probability that Singapore was actually a viable choice for the setting up of a port as it was under the tight control of the Malay Temengong who was noted to enjoy what was a very close relationship with the Dutch (Rahim, 2010). It was only after Raffles had dared to look at its suitability for the establishment of a new port, that the immensely positive geographical and political properties in support of its being the location for the new port began to be seriously analyzed and considered. After the establishment of the new British port at Singapore, it went on to grow and attain unimaginable success as it quickly became one of the British Empire’s most successful ports after surpassing the profits that were being generated by the port at Penang (Oon, 2008). References Ledesma, C. (2003). The Rough guide to Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei. New York: Rough Guides Yew, L. (2013). Asianism and the Politics of Regional Consciousness in Singapore: Volume 43 of Routledge Contemporary Asia Series. Routledge, 2013. Bavarian State Library. 2011. The Asiatic journal and monthly register for British and foreign India, China and Australasia, Volume 23: The Asiatic journal and monthly register for British and foreign India, China and Australasia. Allen, 1837. Digitized` 16 Mar 2011. Maddex, L R. (2014). Constitutions of the World. Routledge. Rahim, Z. L. (2010). Singapore in the Malay World: Building and Breaching Regional Bridges: Routledge Studies in Asias Transformations. Routledge. Eddie, Tay. (2011). Colony, Nation, and Globalisation Not at Home in Malaya, Singapore, and Malaysia. Hong Kong Univ Pr Oon, H. (2008). Singapore. London: New Holland, 2008. Ring, T. et al. (1996). International Dictionary of Historic Places: Asia and Oceania: Volume 5 of International Dictionary of Historic Places, Trudy Ring. Taylor & Francis. Annotated Bibliography Why did Britain want a Trading Post on Singapore? Ledesma, C. (2003). The Rough guide to Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei. New York: Rough Guides. Available online at This book provides information as to some of the geographical considerations that were used in the selection of Singapore as the location for the new British port. It highlights the fact that Sir Raffles, was quick to recognize the island’s potential for providing a deep-water harbor, a factor that prompted him to all the more try and establish a treaty with the Temengong. Yew, L. (2013). Asianism and the Politics of Regional Consciousness in Singapore: Volume 43 of Routledge Contemporary Asia Series. Routledge, 2013. Available online at This reference provides a detailed outlook of the political factors that caused Sir Raffles and Britain to choose to set up a new port at Singapore. It highlights just how the much Britain’s trade with China had grown as well as the pointing out the significance of the shipping passages in the region that the British merchant ships used in their trade with China. Yew (2013) also provides a demonstration of the influence of the Dutch monopoly in the region as well as the potential conflict between the British and the Dutch as a result of the potential threat that was being posed by this Dutch monopoly. Bavarian State Library. 2011. The Asiatic journal and monthly register for British and foreign India, China and Australasia, Volume 23: The Asiatic journal and monthly register for British and foreign India, China and Australasia. Allen, 1837. Digitized 16 Mar 2011. Available online at This resource is used to highlight how the relatively unexploited jungle in Singapore was teeming with timber that could profitably be used by the British in the repair of ships and boats at the proposed new port at Singapore. Maddex, L R. (2014). Constitutions of the World. Routledge. Available online at This resource is used to illustrate the important position that Holland held as a buffer between the often clashing nations of Britain and France. It also explains just how after the defeat of Napoleon, parts of France were annexed and merged with Holland in the creation of this buffer zone intended to protect Britain against a resurgence of French imperialism. Rahim, Z. L. (2010). Singapore in the Malay World: Building and Breaching Regional Bridges: Routledge Studies in Asias Transformations. Routledge. Available online at http://books.google.co.ke/books?id=1utb8ZYyUeQC&pg=PA21&dq This resource is used to show outline the rivalry between the two siblings after the death of Sultan Mahmud. This rivalry involved a contest in which the younger sibling Abdul Rahman was appointed as the Sultan instead of his older brother. The resource also highlights how Sir Raffles was able to use this rivalry for the Benefit of the British. Eddie, Tay. (2011). Colony, Nation, and Globalisation Not at Home in Malaya, Singapore, and Malaysia. Hong Kong Univ Pr. Available online at This resource is used in the research paper to show how Sir Raffles believed that the Dutch should not be allowed to continue with the establishment of a monopoly in the region while the British Empire stood by without taking any action to stop this development. Oon, H. (2008). Singapore. London: New Holland, 2008. Available online at This resource is used to emphasize just how after its establishment, the port of Singapore went on to experience great growth and within a relatively short time, it proved to be very profitable for the British government. It also points out that Singapore eventually surpassed Penang in importance. Ring, T. et al. (1996). International Dictionary of Historic Places: Asia and Oceania: Volume 5 of International Dictionary of Historic Places, Trudy Ring. Taylor & Francis. Available online at This resource is used in the report to demonstrate the accessibility of Singapore as a new port for the British as well as show just how the British found its location to be convenient as it could easily be protected from pirates. Read More