Singapore and the Straits Settlements Described;

£15,000 · Offered by Shapero Rare Books

the earl of carnarvon's copy of a foundational document of singapore Rare and important pamphlet that laid the ground work for the establishment of Singapore as an independent colony, and its first constitution, nine years before the Transfer of the Straits Settlements in 1867. In 1857 the European merchant class of Singapore, under serious stress from the convict and Indian coolie populations amongst the imminent Indian Rebellion, submitted a petition appealing for direct rule to the British Parliament. In response Thomas Braddell (1823-1891), then a humble East India Company Servant stationed in Malacca with aspirations for the Law, wrote this pamphlet addressing the future of Singapore and potential direct rule. Nine years later Braddell would be named the first Attorney-General of the Colony of Singapore, and many of his suggestions in this pamphlet would be adopted as part of Singapore's first Crown Colony constitution. The pamphlet itself was an important, and timely, piece of statecraft that focussed on one of the main grievances of the previous administration: that of an ineffective legal and judicial framework. The economy of Singapore was relying more and more heavily on independent trade between China and Europe, and theft and gang violence was a considerable barrier to growth. The pamphlet lays out plans for a separate executive council and legislative council, both led by a governor, which was adopted and would go on to underpin the Legislative Assembly of indepe

• Binding: Hardcover

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