‘Colonel Farquhar!’ Raffles screamed as he stormed into the residency. ‘Colonel Farquhar!’
Farquhar almost fell off the chair on which he had been dozing. He rubbed his eyes and looked up to see Raffles standing before him, red in his rage. Farquhar worried about him––the man seemed about to have an apoplectic fit.
‘Calm yourself, Sir Stamford, and tell me what troubles ye.’
Raffles looked with disdain upon the colonel, who was dressed in a loose shirt and sarong.
‘I’ll tell you what troubles me, sir. Your crass neglect of the law, which by Act of Parliament forbids the trading of slaves. But yet you sit here sleeping, ignoring a slave market taking place right under your eyes. The Bugis are selling slaves in the bazaar––about fifty in all––and had the audacity to send me two young women as a present! God’s blood man—it is a public disgrace!’
‘I know about it, Sir Stamford,’ Farquhar calmly replied. ‘I was presented with two myself, but sent them back. I trust you did the same.’
Raffles’ cold look told them that he had.
‘What do you want me to do about it, Sir Stamford?’
‘Do about it, Colonel Farquhar? I demand that you put an end to it, this very instant. As I told you, trading in slaves is illegal through out all British possessions.’
Farquhar rose from his chair and stood facing Raffles at full height, with his arms clasped behind him. As he was the taller of the two men, this meant that he looked down upon Raffles, which Farquhar knew annoyed him intensely. But at this moment he did not care, for he was fed up with Raffles’ sanctimonious claptrap.
‘Well, I could move them back to the Bugis village, if it suits you, but there’s not much else I can do. And it has one unfortunate consequence …’
‘Which is?’ snapped Raffles, interrupting him.
‘Which is,’ Farquhar replied, ‘that we are likely to miss any bonnie wee white laddies and lassies that they put up for sale. We’ve saved a goodly number that way already. As Alex Johnston will tell you, Lizzie Walker was his first purchase in Singapore. Where would she be now if he had not? In some hell hole in Borneo or Sulu, no doubt.’
‘But you must put a stop to it!’ Raffles responded.
‘And exactly how do you propose that I do that, Sir Stamford? May I remind you that you did not think a police force was necessary? And God forbid that I should send our poor force against the Bugis, who number hundreds of fighting men. And if ye send the troops against them, ye’ll have a bloodbath that wid drive a’ the other traders away like a shot––a’ the Malacca men wid tak themselves right back tae Malacca.’
‘You should never have allowed this,’ Raffles responded.
‘Och aye, and what do you think I should have done? Should I have denied Arong Bilawa and his followers sanctuary when they fled from the Dutch? They were a godsend, Raffles––they brought most of the archipelago trade with them. Do you really want to lose them now?’
Raffles was about to respond, but Farquhar beat him to it.
‘And another thing. You were very happy to welcome Syed Omar and his uncle here just afore ye left the last time. You told me to reserve them a good piece of land, to ensure that they would stay and secure for us the benefit of their established Arab trading networks. A grand idea, which has already borne fruit. But do you really want me to go into their houses and inspect their servants, whom I know for a fact were a’ bought at the slave markets. Or whit aboot our friends the temenggong and Sultan Hussein––their compounds are full o’ slaves. And whit about the hundreds of Chinese enslaved through indentured service, which is almost impossible for them to git out of, with their arrack and opium charged to their accounts. Do ye want me to send them back tae China, then? Man, the whole settlement would collapse if ye did that!’
Raffles stood still for few moments, livid with anger, before he responded.
‘You seem not to have heard me, Colonel Farquhar,’ he said with cold but now calm formality, ‘or mean to willfully ignore me. May I remind you again that trading in slaves is illegal through out all British possessions.’
‘That may be so, and I dinna approve of the trade myself, but may I remind you that Singapore is no a British possession––we were only granted authority to establish a factory on this part of the island. But if it bothers you so much I’ll get the Bugis to move themselves out to the sultan’s compound.’ So saying, Colonel Farquhar picked up his walking stick and prepared to go out.
‘You disappoint me greatly, Colonel Farquhar, in this and many other respects. I will put a stop to this!’ Raffles replied, turning on his heel and storming out of the residency.
Farquhar was not sure in which other respects he had disappointed Raffles, or what Raffles intended to put a stop to. But he had no regrets, other than not being able to prevent Captain Flint taking over as harbour master. He had brought the Peranakan merchants and Malays down from Malacca, he had welcomed Arong Bilawa and the Bugis, and he had kept the merchants happy on the east bank, which had enabled the settlement to grow at its remarkable pace, with little disruption and discord between the races, the sultan and the temenggong’s men excluded. And all on a shoestring, with no thanks frae His Lordship.
He whistled for his dogs, and went out to have a quiet word with the Bugis in the bazaar.
* * *
After he received the Land Allotment Committee approval, Raffles moved quickly. On October 29 he issued a proclamation in the name of the (yet to be formed) Town Committee, which was circulated among the merchants, with copies posted in prominent places.
Whereas several European merchants and others having occupied and constructed buildings of Masonry on portions of ground on the East Bank of the Singapore River and elsewhere, within the space intended to have been reserved exclusively for public purposes, viz., between the old lines and Singapore River from the sea inland to the back of the hill:
Under the present circumstances of the Settlement it is not the desire of Government to insist on the immediate removal of such buildings as may have been constructed of Masonry by Europeans and completed before the 10th April last, unless the same may become indispensable for the public service, but the parties interested are warned of what is intended, and the construction by individuals of all further buildings whatever, as well as the outlay of all further sums of money on those already constructed within the limits aforesaid, after this date, is most strictly prohibited.
The merchants were taken aback by this sudden and unexpected proclamation, and deeply concerned about the future of their enterprises. Many, such as Claude Quieros and John Morgan, expressed their anger, and Alexander Guthrie was particularly incensed. He had thought he had been canny renting a godown from an Arab merchant, but when the fellow had sold the building to an Armenian, he had gone ahead with the building of his own brick godown on the land that Farquhar had offered. Given the buildings that had sprung up all around, he had thought it was a safe bet. Surely Raffles would not destroy all the merchant buildings on the east bank? Others questioned each other about what they knew of Raffles’ intention. Did he intend to move them back to the east beach? Many said they would leave if Raffles did that. Tan Che Sang and Lim Guan Chye said they would return to Malacca, and they were sure others would follow. The merchants sent a deputation to Colonel Farquhar to see what they could glean from him, but Farquhar told them the matter was out of his hands. He informed them that it was his understanding that the Land Allotment Committee had approved a plan to reclaim the west bank of the river and relocate the merchant godowns there, a piece of news that was even less well received.
‘Why can’t we just stay where we are?’ said Alexander Johnston, ‘We’re a’ doing just grand as it is.’
‘I agree,’ said Ronnie, ‘but we are in no position to argue if Raffles sticks to his guns. As you all ken, Colonel Farquhar warned us that our leases were only temporary and provisional, and that the Lieutenant-Governor might refuse to honour them. I suggest we send one of our party to meet wi’ Raffles and ask him to clarify the situation, so that we will be in a better position to make our own judgments––including whether we will want to remain under the new arrangements.’
‘I nominate Ronnie Simpson,’ said Graham Mackenzie. ‘There is no merchant more respected, and Ronnie and Raffles go way back … to the day the settlement was founded. We know that he will represent our interests well.’ The nomination was quickly seconded, and approved by all, including the Chinese and Arab merchants.
‘So be it then,’ Ronnie said, and thanked them for their support. ‘I will try to arrange a meeting tomorrow with Sir Stamford. Today being a Thursday, I hope to be able to report back to you gentlemen by the weekend––I ken we are all anxious about these matters.’
But Ronnie did not need to arrange a special meeting with Raffles. When he returned to his home he received a note from the Governor–General, which had been delivered by Nilson Hull, Raffles’ acting secretary and brother-in-law:
My dear Sir
I am sorry to observe that you are going on with a Brick Building in a very objectionable part of your Compound and that I am compelled to stop your progress in it.
If you and Captain Thompson would favour us with your company to dinner on Friday, I shall explain more fully.
Yours sincerely,
T. S. Raffles
At dinner the following evening with Raffles and the Flints, Ronnie listened patiently while Raffles outlined his grand schemes for the settlement: for the new layout of the town; for the resettlement of the merchants and the various races; for the new system of justice he planned to introduce; and for the creation of an educational institution of higher learning for the sons of Malay royalty and princes, so that this once great civilization could receive the intellectual and technological benefits of the European enlightenment and the scientific and industrial revolutions.
‘Most interesting, Sir Stamford,’ Ronnie said when Raffles had completed his vision, ‘but let me get right tae the point that concerns the merchant community––who, by the way, yesterday afternoon appointed me to be their representative in this matter, and to report back tae them on your intentions. We have heard that you plan to move a’ the merchant godowns across the river, once the west bank has been filled and contained. But would it nae be better––and cheaper––to leave them where they are, which suits us a’ just fine, and locate the government buildings further back.’
‘But then we would have to move the European town further east, closer to the sultan’s compound,’ Raffles replied. ‘And then all the races would be mixed up, save for the Chinese already established along the western shore at Telok Ayer. If all the races are settled on the plain, there can be no ordered planning of the development of the settlement, and it may be generations before the west bank is developed for commence; for the more established the merchants become on the east bank and the plain, the less will they be inclined to move their businesses. No, Captain Simpson, the thing has to be done now if it is to be done at all. Colonel Farquhar should have done it long ago, of course, but I fully intend to make up for his negligence over these past few years.’
Ronnie thought this remark was appallingly unfair to Farquhar, whose financial resources for the administration of Singapore had been desperately constrained by Raffles himself, who had even begrudged his small police force. He knew that Farquhar had been forced to hire clerks for the resident’s office from his own pocket when Raffles had authorized funding for only one, while at the same time authorizing three clerks and a peon for his brother-in-law Captain Flint. But this was neither the time nor the place to defend Colonel Farquhar.
‘But how are ye going tae pay for this move, Sir Stamford? Are we going to be assessed on our properties tae pay for the reclamation, as some o’ us have heard? What about those of us who have already gone to the expense of erecting substantial brick godowns, and did so to seize the opportunities that the new free port opened up. We couldna build on the beach or the west bank, and we couldna just sit and twiddle our thumbs either.’
Raffles acknowledged Ronnie’s point with a smile.
‘I grant that you were in a difficult position, and it is unfortunate that my original plan proved to be unsuitable. But in the end it is no excuse, and the godowns will have to be removed. But to answer your first question, you will be assessed on your present properties, as you will be assessed on the new land leases I hope you will accept when they are put up for auction in the New Year. These assessments will, it is true, be used in part to pay for the reclamation, but these assessments would have been made in any case, and you must all have expected that. The port is free, but that does not mean everything in the port is free! We need to assess every property owner and lessee to raise revenue for administration and essential services. But don’t worry about your present buildings, just so long as you don’t add anything more to them. You will be properly compensated for your loss according to the assessments of their value that I have asked Colonel Farquhar to draw up. Half will be paid in advance; half upon the removal of merchants to their new locations. I may have to draw on money from Calcutta to pay for it, but I consider it an investment worth making.’
‘Well, that certainly puts a better complexion on things,’ Ronnie responded, rubbing his chin as he reflected on it. ‘I think most o’ the merchants could be persuaded to move under these circumstances. I’ll report this back to them as soon as possible.’
‘Oh, I want you to do more than that, Captain Simpson,’ Raffles replied. ‘I want you to help me persuade them! I would like you to serve on my new Town Committee to represent the merchants. There will be two other Europeans, Captain Charles Davis of the 23rd Bengal Native Infantry, and George Bonham, whom I have brought from Nattal to serve as deputy resident––an excellent fellow and a good administrator. There will also be representatives from the Chinese, Malay, Arab, Bugis, Indian and Javanese communities, and we will consider everyone’s special needs and interests when it comes to the redistribution of land and resettlement of the different races. We will gather all relevant information, with power to summon any person who may assist us in our deliberations, before we make our final determinations. I hope you will honour me by agreeing to serve on this consultative committee.’
‘I wid be honoured to, Sir Stamford,’ Ronnie replied, ‘and you can count on my full cooperation.’
Ronnie had no desire to serve on any such committee, but he immediately recognized how important it was for him to have a voice on it, to represent his own interests as well as those of his fellow merchants. He felt a little uncomfortable doing so, however, for he recognized the slight to Colonel Farquhar in Raffles’ selection of the new assistant resident George Bonham as a member of the Town Committee but not the resident himself, and did not want to be associated with it.
Raffles seemed to have read his mind. ‘I’m very grateful to you Captain Simpson, and thank you in advance for your time and trouble. In case you are wondering why Colonel Farquhar is not included, it is because he will be busy enough supervising the reclamation work and preparing assessments for the buildings presently occupying the east bank.’
And so it was agreed.