THE STRAITS SETTLEMENTS, &C. 27 



success, although he often had to meet obstruction and misunder- 

 standings even from his own countrymen. The founding of Sin- 

 gapore is a proof of this enterprising spirit and clear sight. It 

 took place in opposition to instructions from Bengal, and com- 

 pleted the do\ynfall of Malacca, which, lying between Penang and 

 Singapore, lost its value and importance. It also neutralized to 

 some extent the surrender of Java to us, an action that, to this 

 day, no Englishman can remember without vexation and remorse. 

 In a letter in the Eaffles Museum in Singapore, we read the follow- 

 ing on this subject: — "Xot our interests alone have suffered by 

 "this unexpected return (of the Dutch to Java) but those of 

 "humanity and civilization su:ffer more deeply. They (the Dutch) 

 "ought to have had some common feeling for humanity, some ob- 

 "ject in view beyond the cold calculations of profit and loss" etc. 



First Singapore came under the Presidency of Bencoolen; in 

 1828 it came with Penang under the Government of Bengal, and 

 in 1825 Peuang, Singapore and Malacca were united as a Presidency 

 with Penang as capital, until 1837, when Singapore, which had 

 developed very rapidly, was appointed the seat of Government as 

 it now is. 



However, it was not till 50 years after the English had become 

 masters of the Straits of Malacca that they busied themselves 

 directly with the affairs of the Peninsula. Different forms of Gov- 

 ernment were in use during this interval until 1st April, 1867, 

 when the three Settlements, under the name of the Straits Settle- 

 ments, were separated from British India, and as a Crown Colony, 

 were brought under the direct authority of the mothercountry. 



Although during this time the local Government attempted on 

 several occasions to extend its jurisdiction, these plans never met 

 with the sanction or approval of the Home Government, and ac- 

 cordingly the policy of non-intervention in the Malay Peninsula 

 was observed. The so-called Xaning War, which ended in an ex- 

 tension of the territory of Malacca, formed an exception to this. 

 Naning, one of the Negri Sembilan hereafter mentioned and a real 

 nest of robbers, was then incorporated with Malacca. In view of 

 the fact that the British India Government had to pay the cost of 

 this, and had always, even in ordinary circumstances, to lend the 

 three Settlements pecuniary support, the expenses were limited to 

 what was strictly necessary, and these possessions were left to 

 themselves "to develop on their own resources." Thus the deve- 

 lopment of Penang and Singapore as trade centres became almost 



