81-653: Sir Thomas Stamford Bingley Raffles FRS FRAS (5 July 1781 – 5 July 1826) was a British colonial official who served as the governor of the Dutch East Indies between 1811 and 1816 and lieutenant-governor of Bencoolen between 1818 and 1824. Raffles was involved in the capture of the Indonesian island of Java from the Dutch during the Napoleonic Wars . It
162-763: A Chair (all of whom are Fellows of the Royal Society ). Members of the 10 Sectional Committees change every three years to mitigate in-group bias . Each Sectional Committee covers different specialist areas including: New Fellows are admitted to the Society at a formal admissions day ceremony held annually in July, when they sign the Charter Book and the Obligation which reads: "We who have hereunto subscribed, do hereby promise, that we will endeavour to promote
243-607: A better British presence was cemented. However, the Anglo-Dutch Convention of 1814 was not completely clear, especially on the issue of certain possessions such as Padang . The Convention of 1814 only returned Dutch territory that was held before 1803, which did not include Padang. Raffles asserted the British claim personally, leading a small expedition to the Kingdom of Pagaruyung . Yet, as Raffles confirmed with
324-769: A certain uneasiness and instability for the two nations. Tengku Long was claimed to be a pretender to the throne, and, since the succession laws in the Malay sultanates were not clear cut, treaties signed between native rulers and the European powers always seemed to be on the verge of invalidation; especially if a sultan should be deposed by one of his siblings or other pretenders. Nonetheless, amidst uncertainty and intrigue, Raffles landed in Achin on 14 March 1819, with begrudging help of Penang. Once again, it seems that multiple people were in power, but none wanted to formally deal with
405-742: A country gentleman, and ran his colony like an estate, his expenditure on nature preservation was seriously frowned upon. In both Calcutta and London, they discussed his removal from office, while Castlereagh continued negotiations with the Dutch regarding the ongoing diplomatic conflicts. Luckily, the Singapore issue had its supporters in the House, so as negotiations continued in Europe, Raffles remained largely idle in Bencoolen. The only major issue, outside
486-449: A massive reclamation project to build the 920-hectare (2,300-acre) Silicon Island, envisioned as a new hub for high tech manufacturing and commerce, commenced off the island's southern coastline. This is in addition to the creation of Andaman Island off the island's north coast. Meanwhile, the shoreline off Gurney Drive is also being transformed into Gurney Bay , intended as a " new iconic waterfront destination for Penang ". The island
567-513: A more favourable treaty in Rhio (Riau) was met with greater challenge, as the Dutch were present, and made for a rather awkward position. The Dutch were alarmed, and sent a small contingent to the island. Despite a covert offer of subterfuge against the Dutch offered by the Raja of Rhio (Riau), Farquhar returned, and an official protest was sent by the Raja to Java regarding the matter. Raffles declared
648-472: A well-defended fortification at Meester Cornelis (now Jatinegara ). His successor, Governor Jan Willem Janssens , who coincidentally had surrendered to the British five years earlier at the Cape Colony , mounted a brave but ultimately futile defence at the fortress. The British, led by Colonel Gillespie, stormed the fort and captured it within three hours. Governor Janssens attempted to escape inland but
729-658: A year, both massive sums at the time, roughly equivalent to £ 287,000 and £172,000 now. Farquhar was officially named the Resident of Singapore , and Raffles was named as 'Agent to the Most Noble the Governor-General with the States of Rhio (Riau), Lingin (Lingga) and Johor'. Although ownership of the post was to be exclusively British, explicit orders were given to Farquhar to maintain free passage of ships through
810-1326: Is a significant honour. It has been awarded to many eminent scientists throughout history, including Isaac Newton (1672), Benjamin Franklin (1756), Charles Babbage (1816), Michael Faraday (1824), Charles Darwin (1839), Ernest Rutherford (1903), Srinivasa Ramanujan (1918), Jagadish Chandra Bose (1920), Albert Einstein (1921), Paul Dirac (1930), Winston Churchill (1941), Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar (1944), Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis (1945), Dorothy Hodgkin (1947), Alan Turing (1951), Lise Meitner (1955), Satyendra Nath Bose (1958), and Francis Crick (1959). More recently, fellowship has been awarded to Stephen Hawking (1974), David Attenborough (1983), Tim Hunt (1991), Elizabeth Blackburn (1992), Raghunath Mashelkar (1998), Tim Berners-Lee (2001), Venki Ramakrishnan (2003), Atta-ur-Rahman (2006), Andre Geim (2007), Bai Chunli (2014), James Dyson (2015), Ajay Kumar Sood (2015), Subhash Khot (2017), Elon Musk (2018), Elaine Fuchs (2019) and around 8,000 others in total, including over 280 Nobel Laureates since 1900. As of October 2018 , there are approximately 1,689 living Fellows, Foreign and Honorary Members, of whom 85 are Nobel Laureates. Fellowship of
891-434: Is also the most populated island city in the country, with a population of 794,313 as of 2020 . The island's terrain is irregular and consists of a hilly and mostly forested interior. The coastal plains are narrow, with the most expansive one being at the northeastern cape. It was at this cape where the early development of George Town began, eventually reaching down the eastern seaboard. Mangrove swamps are prevalent along
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#1732765041144972-737: Is confirmed by the Council in April, and a secret ballot of Fellows is held at a meeting in May. A candidate is elected if they secure two-thirds of votes of those Fellows voting. An indicative allocation of 18 Fellowships can be allocated to candidates from Physical Sciences and Biological Sciences; and up to 10 from Applied Sciences, Human Sciences and Joint Physical and Biological Sciences. A further maximum of six can be 'Honorary', 'General' or 'Royal' Fellows. Nominations for Fellowship are peer reviewed by Sectional Committees, each with at least 12 members and
1053-421: Is nominated by two Fellows of the Royal Society (a proposer and a seconder), who sign a certificate of proposal. Previously, nominations required at least five fellows to support each nomination by the proposer, which was criticised for supposedly establishing an old boy network and elitist gentlemen's club . The certificate of election (see for example ) includes a statement of the principal grounds on which
1134-545: The Malay Peninsula . It was established that there was no Dutch presence on the island of Singapore. Johor also no longer had any control of the area, so contact was made with the Temenggong Abdul Rahman . The contacts were friendly, and Raffles, knowledgeable about the muddled political situation, took advantage to provide a rudimentary treaty between the nominal chiefs of the area that called for
1215-525: The Resident of Singapore , replacing Farquhar. Upon his arrival, Travers found the colony a delightful smörgåsbord of different races and cultures, numbering over six thousand. He also found that Singapore's trade was slowly overtaking that of Java. As in Java, Raffles collected samples of local species of plant and animal, as well as describing them in his journals. He located other tribes, and recorded their customs, especially their religions and laws. Bringing
1296-610: The Strait of Singapore and the nearby seas in the region, particularly the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea . His actions were initially not endorsed by the British government and led to tensions between the British and the Dutch . The Anglo–Dutch Treaty of 1824 established their respective spheres of influence, the Dutch relinquishing their claims to Singapore while the British ceded Bencoolen to them. An entrepôt
1377-590: The Strait of Singapore , and a small military presence was established alongside the trading post. After issuing orders to Farquhar and the remaining Europeans, Raffles left the next day, 7 February 1819. Raffles also planned to start a British presence in Achin , on the northern tip of Sumatra . As soon as he had departed, the Raja of Rhio (Riau) sent letters to the Dutch, disclaiming the deal, protesting innocence, and blaming British encroachment. Meanwhile, in Malacca ,
1458-577: The Yogyakarta Sultanate to launch an attack against the British led to uneasiness among Britons in Java. On 20 June 1812, Raffles led a 1,200-strong British force to capture the Royal Palace of Yogyakarta . Yogyakarta forces, surprised by the attack, were easily defeated; the palace fell in one day, and was subsequently sacked and burnt. Raffles ordered the much of the palace's archives to be removed, taking them back with him. The attack
1539-426: The post-nominal letters FRS . Every year, fellows elect up to ten new foreign members. Like fellows, foreign members are elected for life through peer review on the basis of excellence in science. As of 2016 , there are around 165 foreign members, who are entitled to use the post-nominal ForMemRS . Honorary Fellowship is an honorary academic title awarded to candidates who have given distinguished service to
1620-407: The 12,481-hectare (30,840-acre) Penang Hill Biosphere Reserve was inducted into UNESCO 's World Network of Biosphere Reserves as a recognition of the biodiversity and importance of Penang Hill as a protected forest reserve. Due to land scarcity, land reclamation projects have been undertaken at high-demand areas such as Tanjong Tokong , Jelutong , Batu Maung and Gurney Drive . In 2023,
1701-462: The 1819 expedition party, Captain John Crawford, recalled in his diary an encounter with “upwards of 100” of Chinese. British colonial documentations revealed that Temenggong Abdul Rahman had provided these Chinese who were Teochews the cost and expenses of opening gambier plantations at Mount Stamford (now Pearl’s Hill) prior to British arrival. He had also “in some instances” advanced money to
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#17327650411441782-414: The British. The hostile atmosphere created allowed Raffles to cancel the only meeting he was able to arrange, with Panglima Polim , a powerful divisional chief, fearing treachery . As the influential merchant John Palmer , Raffles, and fellow commissioner John Monckton Coombs of Penang sat offshore, awaiting a response, Calcutta debated whether to reinforce the port city. Evacuation plans were made, but
1863-485: The Dutch acted at once, commanding that no Malays could go to Singapore. Raffles's bold claim of Singapore created a curious geographic situation: although Penang was clearly closer in distance to Singapore, Raffles, in his capacity as Lieutenant-Governor of Bencoolen, was nominally still in control. This undoubtedly irked the authorities in Penang, to the point where they refused to send any sepoys to Singapore to complete
1944-402: The Dutch in Java. The competition in the area, between Raffles and the aggressive Dutch commissioner-general , Cornelis Theodorus Elout , and later Raffles' former advisor on Java, Muntinghe , now a member of the new High Government of the Dutch East Indies, who Elout had put in power, certainly led at least in part to the later Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824 . Raffles looked into alternatives in
2025-439: The Dutch never acted, and ultimately Lord Hastings prompted Colonel Bannerman, the governor of Penang , to send funds to bolster Singapore. Finally Raffles was capable of convincing his fellow commissioners to sign a treaty with Jauhar al-Alam Shah , the ruler of Achin, which installed a British Resident , as well as guaranteeing the exclusivity of bilateral trade. By the time Raffles had returned to Singapore, on 31 May, much of
2106-457: The Dutch, or taken violently by force when Castlereagh's negotiations had ended. Still William Farquhar stirred up more trouble, especially with local English merchants over trivial matters of self-importance, and overreaction over small infractions of white traders, for some of which he was reprimanded by Calcutta officially. Public works , commissioned by Raffles but undertaken by Farquhar, were becoming overwhelmingly expensive. Fellow of
2187-582: The High Court of Java, Herman Warner Muntinghe , especially in the matter of the reform of the public finances of the colony, and its system of taxation. Under Raffles's aegis, a large number of ancient monuments in Java were systematically catalogued for the first time. The first detailed English-language account of Prambanan was prepared by Colin Mackenzie , while the Buddhist temple of Borobudur
2268-609: The Honourable Philip Dundas , the new governor of Penang. At this time, he also made the acquaintance of Thomas Otho Travers , who would accompany him for the next twenty years. His knowledge of the Malay language , as well as his wit and ability, gained him favour with Lord Minto , the governor-general of India , and he was sent to Malacca . In 1811, after the annexation of the Kingdom of Holland by France during Napoleon's war, Raffles had no choice but to leave
2349-613: The Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society ( FRS , ForMemRS and HonFRS ) is an award granted by the Fellows of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural knowledge , including mathematics , engineering science , and medical science ". Fellowship of the Society, the oldest known scientific academy in continuous existence,
2430-439: The Royal Society has been described by The Guardian as "the equivalent of a lifetime achievement Oscar " with several institutions celebrating their announcement each year. Up to 60 new Fellows (FRS), honorary (HonFRS) and foreign members (ForMemRS) are elected annually in late April or early May, from a pool of around 700 proposed candidates each year. New Fellows can only be nominated by existing Fellows for one of
2511-663: The Society, we shall be free from this Obligation for the future". Since 2014, portraits of Fellows at the admissions ceremony have been published without copyright restrictions in Wikimedia Commons under a more permissive Creative Commons license which allows wider re-use. In addition to the main fellowships of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS & HonFRS), other fellowships are available which are applied for by individuals, rather than through election. These fellowships are research grant awards and holders are known as Royal Society Research Fellows . In addition to
Stamford Raffles - Misplaced Pages Continue
2592-588: The Strait or on Sumatra was appointed, and Raffles, whose health was slowly ailing, returned to Bencoolen. Raffles returned to Bencoolen in ill-health, but as his health improved, he continued on his quest to learn about the island he now called home. He studied the Batak cannibals of Tapanuli , and their rituals and laws regarding the consumption of human flesh, writing in detail about the transgressions that warranted such an act, as well as their methods. He also noted
2673-542: The Sultanate of Johore and hence, Rhio, and the diplomatic exchanges between Baron Godert van der Capellen and Calcutta continued throughout this time. The legitimacy of the British treaties was also questioned once again, but finally, as Singapore grew at an exponential rate, the Dutch gave up their claim on the island, allowing the colony to continue as a British possession. However, the pressures put upon Calcutta ensured that no single governor of all British possessions in
2754-568: The Teochew cultivators on the understanding he would be repaid in the form of gambier or other produce. Farquhar had the impressions that the Temenggong’s interests in these plantations were represented by a brother-in-law of his named Baba Ketchil and the first Captain China of Singapore, a Teochew merchant named Tan Heng Kim ((陈亨钦), was “one of the principal persons concerned”. A few days later,
2835-471: The age of 45. His legacy while complex remains significant in Singapore, most notably the Raffles's Landing Site , as well as his name being a common sight in numerous entities and institutions throughout the country. Others have argued against excessive reverence as he was an imperialist who projected colonialism onto the population of Singapore that predated his arrival . Thomas Stamford Bingley Raffles
2916-625: The area. Hussein Shah had been the crown Prince of Johor, but while he was away in Pahang to get married, his father died, and his younger brother was made sultan, supported by some of the court officials and the Dutch. To circumvent the situation of having to negotiate with a sultan influenced by the Dutch, Raffles decided to recognise, on behalf of the British Crown, Hussein Shah as being the rightful ruler of Johor. Farquhar's attempt to establish
2997-517: The area; namely Bangka , which had been ceded to the Dutch after its conquest by the British during its occupation of Java. Bintan was also under consideration. Despite the fact that Francis Light overlooked the island before settling upon Penang in 1786, the Riau Archipelago was an attractive choice just to the south of the Malay Peninsula , for its proximity to Malacca . In his correspondences with Calcutta , Raffles also emphasised
3078-667: The army. In 1795, at the age of 14, Raffles started working in London as a clerk for the East India Company . Nine years later, in 1804, the 23-year-old Raffles married Olivia Mariamne Devenish , a widow ten years his senior, who was formerly married to Jacob Cassivelaun Fancourt, an assistant surgeon in Madras, who had died in 1800. In 1805, he was sent to Prince of Wales Island , Malaya , starting his long association with Southeast Asia. He started as assistant secretary, under
3159-667: The award of Fellowship (FRS, HonFRS & ForMemRS) and the Research Fellowships described above, several other awards, lectures and medals of the Royal Society are also given. Penang Island Penang Island is the main constituent island of the Malaysian state of Penang . It is located off the western coast of Peninsular Malaysia by the Malacca Strait , with the Penang Strait separating
3240-612: The cause of science, but do not have the kind of scientific achievements required of Fellows or Foreign Members. Honorary Fellows include the World Health Organization's Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (2022), Bill Bryson (2013), Melvyn Bragg (2010), Robin Saxby (2015), David Sainsbury, Baron Sainsbury of Turville (2008), Onora O'Neill (2007), John Maddox (2000), Patrick Moore (2001) and Lisa Jardine (2015). Honorary Fellows are entitled to use
3321-511: The colonised the alien language or culture of the coloniser. In addition to preserving the artifacts , fauna , and flora of his colonies, he also allowed religious freedom , which was especially important as the Malay states were largely Muslim . Christian schools were started by missionaries in all of his colonies. Colonel Bannerman's death in Penang in October 1819 brought new opportunities for Raffles to expand his power to also include
Stamford Raffles - Misplaced Pages Continue
3402-465: The colony. However, Bencoolen was not as self-sufficient as Singapore. The area was poor and disease-ridden: the first reports from the committees reflected very poorly upon the condition of the colony. Unlike the salutary neglect Raffles granted upon Singapore, he delayed European-inspired reforms, emphasising only the cultivation of whatever land was available. Native authorities were given power in their respective districts, and were answerable only to
3483-553: The country. He mounted a military expedition against the Dutch and French in Java , in the Dutch East Indies . The war was swiftly conducted by Admiral Robert Stopford , General Frederick Augustus Wetherall , and Colonel Robert Rollo Gillespie , who led a well-organised army against an opposing army of mostly French conscripts with little proper leadership. The previous Dutch governor, Herman Willem Daendels , had built
3564-599: The end of his tenure as Lieutenant-Governor of Java), the now well-connected and successful Raffles was able to secure permission to set up a settlement. At this point in Singaporean history , the name Lion City was applied. The city was in a strategically advantageous position; however, he was ordered not to provoke the Dutch, and his subsequent actions were officially disavowed by the British government. In London, Lord Castlereagh attempted to quell Dutch fears, and continuing efforts were made to reach an agreement between
3645-532: The exclusivity of trade, and the British protection of the area. Members of Raffles's party surveyed the island, and proceeded to request the presence of the sultan, or whoever at the time had supreme nominal power, to sign a formal treaty, while Major Farquhar was ordered to do the same in Rhio (Riau). The writings of Raffles and Farquhar indicate that the British found Temenggong Abdul Rahman with 400 to 500 residents in Singapore in January 1819. Another member of
3726-528: The fellowships described below: Every year, up to 52 new fellows are elected from the United Kingdom, the rest of the Commonwealth of Nations , and Ireland, which make up around 90% of the society. Each candidate is considered on their merits and can be proposed from any sector of the scientific community. Fellows are elected for life on the basis of excellence in science and are entitled to use
3807-459: The formal treaty was signed by Hussein Shah who claimed to be the "lawful sovereign of the whole of territories extending from Lingga and Johor to Mount Muar". Although Hussein Shah had had no previous contact with the British, he had certainly heard of the strength of the Royal Navy , and was in no position to argue against the terms. Raffles reassured him that the Dutch posed no threat in
3888-409: The foundation of what was to become modern Singapore on 6 February, securing the transfer of control of the island to the East India Company . With much pomp and ceremony, the official treaty was read aloud in languages representing all nations present, as well as the Malay and Chinese inhabitants. Sultan Hussein Shah was paid 5,000 Spanish dollars a year, while Temenggong Abdul Rahman received 3,000
3969-472: The garrison. Official Dutch complaints came before the end of the month, and Raffles attempted to appease the situation by instructing Farquhar to not interfere with the politics of surrounding islands. Despite numerous threats and serious considerations by the Dutch governor-general Van der Capellen in Java, they did not take any military action. The confused political situation in Johore and Rhio also created
4050-540: The good of the Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, and to pursue the ends for which the same was founded; that we will carry out, as far as we are able, those actions requested of us in the name of the Council; and that we will observe the Statutes and Standing Orders of the said Society. Provided that, whensoever any of us shall signify to the President under our hands, that we desire to withdraw from
4131-443: The handover, and officially replaced by John Fendall Jr. on account of the poor financial performance of the colony during his administration, and allegations of financial impropriety on his own part. He sailed to England in early 1816 to clear his name and, en route, visited Napoleon , who was in exile at St. Helena , but found him unpleasant and unimpressive. In 1817, Raffles wrote and published The History of Java , describing
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#17327650411444212-562: The history of the island from ancient times as well as its geography, flora, and fauna. In 1817, Raffles was created a Knight Bachelor by the Prince Regent George IV , whose daughter, Princess Charlotte , was particularly close to him. At the publication of the book, he also stopped using the name 'Thomas', preferring to use his middle name, 'Stamford', possibly to avoid confusion amongst his associates with Sir Thomas Sevestre, or his cousin, Thomas Raffles , who both bore
4293-517: The immediate crisis that the colony had caused in Penang and Calcutta had passed. By then, the initial five-hundred villagers had grown to become five-thousand merchants, soldiers, and administrators, packed onto the island. Raffles was determined to destroy the Dutch mercantile monopoly in the area, to replace it with a gateway for trade with China and Japan. The latter he had attempted but failed to reach an agreement with while governing Java. While in Singapore, Raffles established schools and churches in
4374-556: The island from Seberang Perai on the mainland. The 295 km (114 sq mi) island makes up approximately 28% of Penang's total land mass and is home to about 45% of the state's population as of 2020 . The entire island falls under the city of George Town , which also administers the surrounding islets. With an area of 295 km (114 sq mi), Penang Island is the fourth largest island wholly in Malaysia, after Banggi Island , Bruit Island and Langkawi Island . It
4455-598: The island of Nias under British rule, he noted its civilised state and high production yields of rice. Yet the production of food remained a problem. In Bencoolen, Raffles paid special attention to the agricultural methods of the Chinese, including an introduction to the only issue of Proceedings of the Agricultural Society . To remedy the shortages, his employer, the East India Company , concerned themselves only with profit-taking. Even as Raffles lived like
4536-434: The lieutenant-governor. The slave-debtor system was brought in, instead of the old slavery system that Raffles had abolished in Java, Borneo , and initially in Bencoolen. Slave-debtors were registered, and educational reforms started to focus on children, instead of the entire population. Raffles looked into a long-term plan for the slow reform of Bencoolen. Unlike many other European adventurers, Raffles did not impose upon
4617-606: The nations that eventually became the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of London of 1824. As well as the treaty, instructions were sent out to Raffles to undertake far less intrusive actions; however, the long distance between the Far East and Europe meant that the orders had no chance of reaching Raffles in time. After a brief survey of the Karimun Islands , on 29 January 1819, he established a post at the southern tip of
4698-443: The native languages. He allowed missionaries and local businesses to flourish. Certain colonial aspects remained: a European town was quickly built to segregate the population, separated by a river; carriage roads were built, and cantonments constructed for the soldiers. Otherwise, no other duties were imposed. Confident that Farquhar would follow his instructions well, Raffles sailed for Bencoolen once again on 28 June. Raffles
4779-413: The need to establish a certain amount of influence with the native chiefs, which had greatly waned since the return of the Dutch. Raffles sent Thomas Travers as an ambassador to the Dutch, to possibly negotiate an expansion of British economic interests. When this failed, and when Raffles's own expeditions into his new dominion found only treacherous terrain and few exportable goods, his desire to establish
4860-477: The other minor British factories and outposts; from Sumatra to Cochin China . He sailed to Calcutta , and as Lord Hastings sought to consolidate all of the small British possessions in the East Indies . During his sojourn, he had the opportunity to argue for free trade, and the protection of the private enterprise. Education and the retention of small British outposts were also discussed. The Dutch claim on
4941-460: The politics of the local sultans, involved the replacement of Farquhar, who decided that he had no intention of leaving his post voluntarily, causing a moment of tension between him and Travers. Raffles's request for Travers to deliver dispatches to India nullified the issue late in the year, and Farquhar remained in charge of Singapore, with its survival still in doubt for many in both India and London, who believed that it would either be handed over to
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#17327650411445022-514: The post nominal letters HonFRS . Statute 12 is a legacy mechanism for electing members before official honorary membership existed in 1997. Fellows elected under statute 12 include David Attenborough (1983) and John Palmer, 4th Earl of Selborne (1991). The Council of the Royal Society can recommend members of the British royal family for election as Royal Fellow of the Royal Society . As of 2023 there are four royal fellows: Elizabeth II
5103-552: The proposal is being made. There is no limit on the number of nominations made each year. In 2015, there were 654 candidates for election as Fellows and 106 candidates for Foreign Membership. The Council of the Royal Society oversees the selection process and appoints 10 subject area committees, known as Sectional Committees, to recommend the strongest candidates for election to the Fellowship. The final list of up to 52 Fellowship candidates and up to 10 Foreign Membership candidates
5184-512: The rise of the Sikh religion in certain parts of Sumatra. By early 1820, Tengku Long had firmly established himself as the Sultan of Johor to the British, but the political situation in the area remained a befuddled mess, with the old sultan dying, and many new ones attempting to gain either the crown or regency. As Farquhar was involving himself poorly in local politics, Raffles appointed Travers as
5265-477: The same first name. On 22 February, he married his second wife, Sophia Hull , and later set sail to Bencoolen (present-day Bengkulu in Indonesia) to take up his new post with his new wife. Raffles arrived in Bencoolen on Sumatra on 19 March 1818, where he was appointed as the lieutenant-governor of Bencoolen on 22 March 1818. Despite the prestige connected with the title of Lieutenant-Governor, Bencoolen
5346-521: The sultan regarding the absolute British influence of the area, he realised that the local rulers had only limited power over the well-cultivated and civilised country, and the treaty was largely symbolic, and had little actual force. Major-General William Farquhar , the British Resident of Malacca, had been attempting to negotiate commercial treaties with the local chiefs of the Riau Archipelago , especially before Raffle’s arrival. Farquhar
5427-493: The western shoreline of the island. Combined with the hills at the centre of the island, urbanisation along the western half of the island has been limited. Standing at 833 m (2,733 ft), Penang Hill , at the centre of the island, is the highest point in Penang . The hilly centre of the island serves as a crucial water catchment area and is also home to rainforests that have been around for over 130 million years. In 2021,
5508-497: Was a colonial backwater, whose only real export was pepper , and only the murder of a previous Resident , Thomas Parr , gained it any attention back home in Britain. Raffles found the place wrecked, and set about reforms immediately, mostly similar to what he had done on Java ; abolishing slavery and limiting cockfighting and such games. To replace the slaves, he used a contingent of convicts , already sent to him from India. It
5589-546: Was also ordered to occupy the nearby Bangka Island in order to establish a permanent British presence in the area, in case Java returned to Dutch rule after the end of the War of the Sixth Coalition in Europe. During his lieutenant-governorship, Raffles placed some restrictions on the local slave trade in line with wider British policy across its Asian territories, although slavery remained widespread and Raffles himself
5670-421: Was at this point that he realised the importance of a British presence that both challenged the Dutch hegemony in the area, and could remain consistently profitable, unlike Bencoolen or Batavia . However, the strategic importance of poorly maintained but well-positioned British possessions , such as Penang or Bencoolen, made it impossible for the British to abandon the unprofitable colonies in such proximity to
5751-416: Was born on ( 1781-07-05 ) 5 July 1781 on board the ship Ann , off the coast of Port Morant , Jamaica, to Captain Benjamin Raffles (1739, London – 23 November 1811, Deptford ) and Anne Raffles (née Lyde) (1755 – 8 February 1824, London). Benjamin served as a ship master for various ships engaged in the direct trade between England and the West Indies . Although some biographers have suggested that Benjamin
5832-581: Was captured. The British invasion of Java took a total of forty-five days, during which Raffles was appointed the lieutenant-governor of the Dutch East Indies by Lord Minto before hostilities formally ceased. He took his residence at Buitenzorg , and despite having a small group of Britons as his senior staff, kept many of the Dutch civil servants in the governmental structure. During the relatively brief period of British rule in Java, Raffles negotiated several peace treaties along with ordering several military expeditions against local rulers. Rumours of plans by
5913-676: Was compelled to sign the treaty not with the official head of the sultanate, but rather, the Raja Muda (Regent or Crown Prince) of Riau . He noted it as a success, and reported it as such to Raffles. Raffles sailed to Malacca in late 1818, to personally secure a British presence in the Riau area, especially Singapura , which was favoured by him both through the readings of Malayan histories, and by Farquhar's explorations. Despite Lord Hastings ' less-than-stellar opinion of Raffles before (which had necessitated his trip to England to clear his name at
5994-598: Was involved in the slave trade , modern historians have refuted such claims. When Benjamin ended his involvement in the West India trade in 1800, it caused his family considerable hardship. The little money the family had went into sending the young Raffles to the Mansion House Academy, Hammersmith , a moderately priced boarding school, offering Latin, Greek, French, arithmetic, bookkeeping and geography, that specialised in preparing boys for clerkships or
6075-421: Was not a Royal Fellow, but provided her patronage to the society, as all reigning British monarchs have done since Charles II of England . Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (1951) was elected under statute 12, not as a Royal Fellow. The election of new fellows is announced annually in May, after their nomination and a period of peer-reviewed selection. Each candidate for Fellowship or Foreign Membership
6156-606: Was returned under the Anglo–Dutch Treaty of 1814 . He also wrote The History of Java in 1817, describing the history of the island from ancient times. The Rafflesia flower was named after him. Raffles also played a role in further establishing the British Empire 's reach in East and Southeast Asia . He secured control over the strategically located Singapore from local rulers in 1819 to secure British access along
6237-400: Was served by a large retinue of slaves at his official residences in Java. Raffles also attempted a replacement of the Dutch system of forced agricultural deliveries-in-kind with a cash-based land tenure system of land management, probably influenced by the earlier anti-feudal critiques of Dirk van Hogendorp He was advised by a holdover from the previous Dutch regime on Java, the president of
6318-407: Was still the lieutenant-governor of Bencoolen when he returned. Raffles started more reforms that were, by now, almost trademarks of his rule over the colonies. Forced labour was abolished when he first arrived, and he declared Bencoolen a free port as well. The currency was regulated and, as he had an excess of out-of-work civil servants, they formed committees to advise him on the daily running of
6399-400: Was subsequently established in Singapore for maritime trade between Europe and Asia. While Raffles was largely credited for the founding of contemporary Singapore, the early running of day-to-day operations was mostly done by William Farquhar , who served as the first Resident of Singapore from 1819 to 1823. Raffles soon returned to England in 1824, where he died on his birthday in 1826 at
6480-467: Was surveyed and cleared of vegetation by H. C. Cornelius. When his wife, Olivia, died on 26 November 1814, Raffles was devastated. In 1815, he left again for England shortly before the island of Java was returned to control of the Netherlands following the Napoleonic Wars , under the terms of the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1814 . Raffles had been removed from his post by the East India Company ahead of
6561-762: Was unprecedented in Javanese history, as it was the first time an indigenous palace had been captured by a European army, humiliating the Yogyakarta Sultanate. Although peace returned to Central Java in the immediate aftermath of the attack, it may have fuelled the deep-seated instability and hostility to European involvement in the region that ultimately gave rise to the Java War during the 1820s. Raffles also ordered an expedition to Palembang , Sumatra to depose local sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II . The expedition
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