My Grandfather's Class

32
Introduction
As Lt. Governor of Java, Raffles
sought the help of his superiors,
pains in his head. He had to leave
made great and important
and managed to find a patroness
the place where the dreadful
reforms. His work, however, was
in no less a person than Princess
deaths of his children occurred; he
not approved by his superiors;
Charlotte, heiress to the throne.
returned to Singapore. And it was
yet this man had the courage
Here was the same Raffles, seeking
because of this strange twist of fate
and determination to say, in spite
to go on, on and on. He was
that our founder was brought back
of opposition, “Let’s get on with
knighted by the Prince Regent.
to Singapore, where for a period
the reforms, and never mind the
Raffles had come to England an
he could make his mark on the
cost.” Finally he was charged for
unknown, insignificant man; he left
land he had founded.
incompetence. Troubles came by
as SIR Thomas Stamford Raffles.
the dozens, and he experienced
The deaths of his children must
one of the blackest moments of his
Having recovered from his bout
have left a very great impression
Robert Morrison, the missionary who
started the Anglo-Chinese
College in Malacca, was one of the
founding fathers of the
Singapore Institution. Painting b John
Richard Wildman.
life. Following the death of his wife,
Olivia, in 1814, Lord Minto, a firm
friend of Raffles, died. His reforms
were unpopular and came to
naught and illness overcame him.
The rank of Raffles was reduced
of illness and having regained
his prestige, Raffles sailed to
Bencoolen to resume his duties.
But Raffles did not go alone –
he had also a wife, Sophia Hull,
with him. At Bencoolen, Raffles
on him. If one studies his life from
that tragic moment when he was
robbed of all but one, we could
see that there was a man trying
to forget. He was left without an
heir, all his sons had died, and thus
to that of Residency at Bencoolen.
again practised “administration
he turned to Singapore, which
he would try to get it. He would
get immense pleasure in rising
higher – why? He was trying to
forget his childhood lowliness. The
only way he could forget it was
to go to the other extreme. And
he was determined to recover his
childhood humiliations, and to
Raffles,“Where there’s a will, there’s
a way”.
Could the man rise from the depths
of despair?
Raffles returned to England –
he was not yet conquered and
subdued by his stroke of bad
luck. With renewed zeal, Raffles
determined to regain his former
prestige – come what may.
Frenziedly, he wrote his “History
of Java” and dedicated the book
without fear and without reproach”
although he had been discouraged
by his failure in Java. Again,
undaunted, Raffles pushed
through many reforms at his post
at Bencoolen. But there again his
happiness was again shattered.
His two sons and a daughter died.
Only Ella, the youngest daughter,
escaped the clutches of death.
The despair that Raffles felt ….. He
he must have called in a state
of affection, his “political child”.
His actions in Singapore can be
reasonably explained, I think, if we
accept the view that Raffles was at
that time under the influence of
emotion. The man almost lost his
integrity; when left our land he was
a very tired man indeed.
Raffles immediately immersed
to the Prince Regent. He again
nearly went insane, he experienced
himself in work. What better way