Image credit: The Bute Archive at Mount Stuart |
*The Bute Map now in The Bute Archives at Mount Stuart in Scotland is attributed to Lieutenant Henry Ralfe of the Bengal Artillery, who was then the Assistant Engineer of Singapore.
Raffles landing site 1819. Image credit: Wikipedia |
Image credit: Screen grab from Google map |
At that time, Singapore (Singapura in Malay) was a backwater of the Johor Sultanate which span of control included Johor and the Riau islands. The Temenggong was part of the nobility responsible for administration, security and defence. Temenggong Abdul Rahman was the Sultan's brother-in-law.
Sultan Hussein Shah. Image credit: Wikipedia |
Realising Singapore's potential as the British Empire's bastion commanding the east-west trade route, Raffles audaciously signed an agreement with Sultan Hussein and Temenggong Abdul Rahman to set up a trading post at the Singapore River just 9 days after stepping foot on the island. The trading post was a (3 mile) strip of land "the distance of a cannon shot" centred at the mouth of Singapore River.
Paperwork done, let's take a walk with Raffles while he makes plans for Singapore's future. (During his first visit here, Raffles remained in Singapore until Mar 1819 when he left for Aceh in Sumatra.)
Raffles ordered a bridge to be built just upriver from his landing site to link both banks of Singapore River.
Further upriver, the water meandered and disappeared into the woods.
Elgin Bridge 2015. Image credit: Wikipedia |
Northeast of Raffles' landing site was Singapore Hill (which was eventually developed into Fort Canning). The small 50 metre high hill was known then as Bukit Larangan or Forbidden Hill to the locals - a sacred place where the ancient kings of Singapura were buried.
At the foothills, there were gambier and pepper plantations operated by Chinese settlers (believed to be Teochews) with the Temenggong's approval. Gambier leaves were used to wrap betel nuts for chewing and also as a leather tanning agent. There were some 20 such gambier plantations when Raffles arrived in 1819.
On Singapore River's south bank across from the fishing village where Raffles landed was a swamp.
The trading post which Raffles envisioned will be here on the south bank directly across from the fishing village on the north bank.
However, the south bank was blocked by a swamp making it unsuitable for berthing boats, so earthworks had to be done before it could be opened for business.
The Singapore River mouth was guarded by two promontories known as Rocky Point.
At the entrance of Singapore River off Rocky Point, there was a 3 metre tall by 3 metre wide sandstone slab erected in the water. It narrowed the entrance to Singapore River and was invisible at high tide. It might have been erected as a defensive measure.
Singapore Stone. Image credit: Wikipedia |
Only a single fragment remained today - it is known as the Singapore Stone. It is considered a national treasure and kept at the National Museum of Singapore. Believed to date back to the Tenth Century, the inscriptions are indecipherable.
Raffles ordered the hill at the promontory flattened, and its soil used to fill up the swamp and build embankments at the south bank. The Chinese settlers at the south bank called the promontory hill 山仔頂 or "Little Hill Top".
Raffles Place. Image credit: Wikipedia |
Boat Quay 1842. Image credit: National University of Singapore Museum Collection |
In this watercolour sketch by Charles Dyce of Singapore River in 1842, we can see many small boats berthed at the embankment and shophouses lining Boat Quay. The quay workers wore pigtails meaning they were subjects of the Qing dynasty in China.
Across the river from Boat Quay was a settlement of boat houses meaning they were probably Orang Laut or Sea Gypsies.
On the horizon were huge sailing ships anchored in Singapore's harbour off Rocky Point. We can see the battery of cannons at Rocky Point pointing towards the sea.
Boat Quay 1860. Image credit: National Archives of Singapore |
By the 1860s, Boat Quay was handling 3⁄4 of Singapore's trade.
Boat Quay 1980. Image credit: National Archives of Singapore |
Boat Quay 2006. Image credit: Wikipedia |
Istana Kampung Glam. Image credit: Wikipedia |
We are not sure if Sultan Hussein or Temenggong Abdul Rahman hosted Raffles to any banquet. If they did, Raffles didn't write home about it 😅
We do know that the Sultans of the Malacca Sultanate (which were predecessors of the Johor Sultanate) did host banquets, thanks to the research of Professor Shaharudin and Chef Norzalina. It was probable that Johor Sultanate cuisine was similar as they came from the same court as the Malacca Sultanate.
Some probable dishes using ingredients harvested or hunted from the surrounding land and sea, cooked with spices from Indonesia 👉
Spicy Johor rendang made with meat from deer hunted in the Singapore and Johor forests, and spices from Indonesia.
Chicken soup made with sweet potato garnished with chili pepper.
Heart of coconut bud cooked with coconut milk, garnished with chili pepper.
Curry made with mussels harvested from the beaches of Singapore and Johor cooked with coconut milk and spices.
Seaweed salad with julienned young mango, torch ginger flower, lemongrass, raw onion, chili pepper, etc dressed with a drizzle of zesty calamansi.
Boiled rice with turmeric powder mixed with ghee.
Side dish of crunchy long beans, French beans, winged beans, fried grated coconut pulp, chili padi, aromatic greens etc.
Hand pounded fresh sambal chili with calamansi juice.
Boiled banana topped with grated coconut pulp eaten with dribbles of sago palm sugar.
I've tried these once and couldn't ever forget them.
References:
On Paper: Singapore Before 1867 by National Library Board
An Old Teochew Oral Account Sheds New Light on the 1819 Founding of Singapore
Date: 27 Jun 2020
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