376 
SINGAPORE. 
about restoring the possession of Malacca to Holland in 1818. Major 
Farquhar, then resident at Malacca, in that year entered into a com¬ 
mercial treaty with Abdulrahman Shah, who had been acknowledged 
as sovereign of Johore by the Dutch. By this treaty, British subjects, 
or persons under the protection of the Company, had equal rights for 
commercial pursuits with the most favoured nation, in the ports of 
Johore, Lingin, and Rhio. 
The Dutch had no sooner got possession of Malacca, and received 
information of Major Farquhar’s treaty, than they sent an overpower¬ 
ing force to Rhio, where Abdulrahman resided; declared him their 
vassal, annulled the treaty made with the English resident, and 
dictated another with the sultan, by which British commerce was 
entirely excluded from the ports of the straits. 
In order to counteract this attempt upon the part of Holland to keep 
exclusive possession of the only passes into the Chinese seas, the 
Straits of Sunda and Malacca, the Marquis of Hastings, who was then 
Governor-General of India, despatched Sir Stamford Raffles to the 
Straits of Malacca, to ascertain if there were not a place at the 
Carimon Isles, or Singapore, of which the Dutch had not possession, 
suitable for the establishment of a factory; and in this duty Major 
Farquhar was associated with him. 
On the arrival of Sir Stamford Raffles, he found that the Dutch had 
taken possession of Rhio, as before mentioned; and it was then sug¬ 
gested by Captain Ross, the able surveyor in the Company’s employ, 
that Singapore offered the most suitable location for their purpose. 
About this time, Sir Stamford Raffles, while off this place, was visited 
by the Tumungong of Johore, a chief hostile to the Dutch, and an 
enemy to Abdulrahman Shah. The Tumungong represented that the 
rightful heir was the elder brother, Hassain Mahomed Shah, and that 
the British by treating with him would derive a right to settle from the 
legitimate authority. Sir Stamford saw the force of this advice, and 
determined at once to treat for the occupation of the island of Singa¬ 
pore with Hassain Mahomed. As a preliminary to this, the recognition 
of Mahomed Shah as sultan, by two great officers of the empire, was 
necessary. The Bandahara of Pahang, and the Tumungong of Johore, 
were selected for this purpose, and when this preliminary had been 
arranged, Hussain Shah was invited over from Rhio, installed, and 
recognised. The commissioners at once treated with him as the 
lawful sovereign of Johore, for the cession and immediate settlement 
of Singapore. This was one of the wise arrangements entered into by 
that intelligent officer, who so long and so satisfactorily ruled over 
Java. The treaty, from the hurry in which it was drawn up, was 
