1. Raffles finding
Singapore

2. • Sir Stamford Raffles sailed with his
assistant, William Farquhar, to Saint John’s
island
• At 28 January 1819, the two of them
arrived at Singapore
• They believed that Singapore was a
suitable place to be the third British port
in the Malay Archipelago

3. Reason why Sir Stamford Raffles
chose Singapore
• Natural Harbor
• Sufficient supply of drinking water
• Absence of the Dutch
• Strategic location

4. Natural Harbor
• Singapore was suitable for ships to anchor
as it had a deep harbor
• Singapore was protected by Peninsular
Malaya and Indonesia and could offer
protection to the British ships from stroms

5. Sufficient supply of drinking
water
• Sufficient supply of water could help make
a new settlement

6. Absence of the Dutch
• The Dutch settlement in Singapore was
absent
• This would make it easier for the British
to set up their trading settlement

7. Strategic location
• Singapore was located at the southern
entrance of the Straits of Malacca . This
make it an important position on the trade
route between the East and the West
• It’s commanding position help the British
break the Dutch trade monopoly in the Malay
Archipelago as both place could monitor the
Straits of Malacca. The entrance of the Straits
can help control the ports which gives the
British a chance to control the entire
passageway to the Malay Archipelago as the

8. • Singapore was located near to various
trading center in Java and other part of
the Malay Archipelago which attract
traders to trade by the region. This gives
the British a chance to break the Dutch
trade monopoly

9. Problem faced by Raffles to set up
a settlement and Raffles solution to
the problem
• Singapore was under the control of the
Dutch indirectly
• Succession dispute in the local political
situation

10. Singapore was under the control of
the Dutch indirectly
• Singapore belonged to Johor-Riau
Sultanate which was under control of
Sultan Abdul Rahman
• Bugis and the Dutch supported the Sultan
which mean that the Sultan was under
control of the Dutch
• Raffles knew that the Dutch will never
give in to set up a trading settlement
• Raffles take the succession dispute as a
chance for him to conquer Singapore by

11. • He asked Tengku Hussein and the
Temenggong to sign a treat in 1819 with
the British so that they could set up a
settlement on Singapore

12. Succession dispute in the local
political situation
• When Sultan Mahmud of Johor died in 1812,
his elder son, Tengku Long was absent
• Tengku Abdul Rahman, the younger son, who
had the support from Bugis and the Dutch,
was made as the ruler
• Raffles installed Tengku Long as the rightful
Sultan of the Johor Riau Sultanate to make
the British claim in Singapore authentic .
• He promised to suport him as the Sultan and
also protect Sultan Hussein and the
Temenggong when they are in danger
• Sulatn and Temenggong were promised to
get a large amount of payment; they got

13. Summary
Sir Stamford Raffles sailed with his assistant,
William Farquhar, to Saint John’s island
and reached at 28 January 1819. They
believed that Singapore was a suitable
place to be the third British port in the
Malay Archipelago. Natural Harbor,
sufficient supply of drinking water,
absence of the Dutch and strategic
location are the factors that made Raffles
think Singapore is a suitable place to be