1836.] Native States in the Malay Peninsula. 629 



northern entrance, and to form a settlement at Rhio, an island advan- 

 tageously situated near the southern extremity. " For these and other 

 political purposes, Sir Stamford Raffles was appointed and associ- 

 ated with the Resident at Malacca, Major Farquhar, hy his Lord- 

 ship, and proceeded on his mission from Bengal in December 1818. 

 On arriving in the Straits he found Malacca and Rhio in the hands 

 of the Dutch, as already alluded to ; — consequently, Holland at this 

 time held in her hands the keys of both those gates to the China 

 Seas, the Straits of Malacca and Sunda. 



The Carimon isles and that of Singapore were almost the only eligi- 

 ble spots now left. The latter, with the concurrence of Major Far- 

 quhar, and, some say, at the suggestion of Captain Ross, was judi- 

 ciously selected by Sir Stamford, and the British flag there hoisted 

 on the 29th February, 1819. The new settlement was placed in 

 charge of Major Farquhar ; who, from his great popularity among 

 the Malays, and local experience, was admirably fitted for the office. 

 It appears that Sir Stamford when off Singapore was visited by the 

 Tumungdng of Johdre, a chief inimical to the interests of Holland, and 

 by no means friendly to the claims of the Sultan newly elected by the 

 Dutch, Abdurrahman Sha'h, with whom a reluctant and exclusive 

 treaty, as far as regarded the commerce of other European powers, had 

 been concluded by Dutch agents at Rhio, which gave them possession 

 of that island. The Tumungdng represented to Sir Stamford, that the 

 British were still at liberty to establish themselves on the island of 

 Singapore under the sanction of the legitimate sovereign, whom he 

 considered to be the elder brother, Hussain Mahomed Sha'h, whose 

 lawful claims had been set aside by the Dutch in favor of those of his 

 younger brother, Abdurrahman Shah, with whom they had concluded 

 the arbitrary treaty already mentioned. 



As the recognition of Hussain Sha'h as lawful sovereign of Johdre 

 was a necessary preliminary to treating with him, he was now invited 

 over from Rhio to Singapore by the British Commissioners, and being 

 acknowledged by the two hereditary elective officers of the empire, viz. 

 the Bandahdra of Pahdng and the Tumungdng of Johdre as their law- 

 ful chief, was recognized and treated with as the legal sovereign by 

 the Commissioners ; who forthwith entered into arrangements for the 

 immediate occupation of the port and the establishment of a settle- 

 ment at Singapore, pending a reference to the Supreme Government. 

 By the arrangement with Hussain Shah, of the 26th June, 1819, 

 which appears to have been rather loosely drawn up, it was decided 

 that the British jurisdiction should extend only over a limited part of 

 the island; viz. — from Tdnjong Mallang on the west, to Tanjong 



