Treasures – Presentation Cup to William Farquhar (1823)

Singapore became an overnight sensation in the region. Many traders were attracted to Duty-Free trade. William Farquhar kept it all together and rose to the occasion at this most early period of Singapore’s second incarnation.

Presentation Cup to William Farquhar

Silver | 1823, Philip Rundell of Rundell, Bridge & Rundell | National Museum of Singapore collection

The first British Resident and Commandant of Singapore from 1819 to 1823, William Farquhar (1774-1839), was instrumental in developing the early infrastructure needed for Singapore to thrive as a port city. This silver cup was presented to Farquhar on 27 December 1823 by prominent European and Armenian residents of Singapore to express their appreciation towards him prior to his departure from the country. This includes John Crawfurd, who succeeded Farquhar as Resident and Commandant, and pioneering merchants Alexander Guthrie and and Alexander Laurie Johnston.

The list of names inscribed on the cup include pioneering merchants who settled and flourished in Singapore during its early years, many of whom had followed Farquhar from Malacca (now Melaka). The Chinese mercantile community also similarly presented Farquhar with a silver epergne as a parting gift.

Farquhar first arrived in Malacca as an officer of the East India Company in 1795 when the British occupied the Dutch port. He was appointed its Commandant in 1803, and in 1812, in recognition of his wide responsibilities, his title was changed to Commandant and Resident. It was in Malacca that Farquhar honed his skills as an administrator, the experience laying a strong foundation for his subsequent management of Singapore.

During Farquhar’s 15-year stint in Malacca, he was answerable to two lieutenant-governors and nine governors in Penang, all of whom were more than satisfied with his administration Farquhar dramatically turned Malacca’s economy around, implemented British laws declaring the slave trade a felony, and fought for the town’s survival. It is implausible that Farquhar would have changed from being a competent ruler in Malacca to an incompetent one in Singapore.¹

Landmarks in Singapore such as Farquhar Street, Mount Farquhar and Farquhar’s Strait have all disappeared.² Singapore’s first and only Commandant and Resident suffered the converse of memorialisation: the “phenomenon of forgetting”, a phrase coined by the 20th-century French philosopher Paul Ricoeur.³

History of Singapore

Singapore’s history is a journey from ancient settlement to modern metropolis. Initially known as Temasek, it was a 14th-century trading post, later falling under the influence of various empires. Sir Stamford Raffles established a British trading post in 1819, transforming the island into a thriving port. Post-World War II, Singapore gained self-governance and eventually independence, first as part of Malaysia and then as a sovereign nation in 1965. 

The Singapore Treasures series focuses on the artefacts, relics and key monuments and moments that shaped this young nation. It is divided into four main parts.

• Pre-colonial before 1819
• British Colonial Rule (1819-1942), Japanese Occupation (1942-1945) and Post-War (1945-1955)
• Self government (1955-1963) and merger with Malaysia (1963-1965)
• Independence since 1965

Treasures – Revere Bell (1843)

National Treasure – Daguerreotype of Boat Quay and Singapore River from Government Hill (1844)

Treasures – Artefacts of Lee Kuan Yew (c. 1950s)

Singapore’s First Airport – Kallang Airport (1937-1955)

Lest We Forget – Sook Ching Massacre (18 Feb – 4 Mar 1942)

Lest We Forget – Fall of Singapore (15 Feb 1942)

Treasures – National Day Rally Rostrum from National Theatre (c. 1970s)

Chasing Dragons (c. 1900s)

Coolies that Moved the Nation (c. 1900s)

Treasures – Straits Chinese Panel Belt (c. mid 20th century)

National Treasure – Portrait of Sir Frank Athelstane Swettenham (1904)

Treasures – Silver Epergne for William Farquhar (c. 1823)

Treasures – Portrait of Sir Stamford Raffles (1912)

National Treasure – Mace of the City of Singapore (1953)

Malaysia Day 1963

National Treasure – Majapahit Armlet and Earrings (c. 14th century)

National Treasure – Singapore Stone (c. 14th century)

Treasures – Javanese Gold Jewellery (c. 14th Century)

Declaration of Independence

Footnotes :

1. Dr Nadia Wright, Farquhar & Raffles : The Untold Story. BiblioAsia, Vol 13, Issue 4, Jan-Mar 2019, https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/files/pdf/BiblioAsia%20Jan-Mar%202019.pdf ↩︎
2. Although some 380 streets in Singapore are named after government officials and prominent people from the colonial era, none commemorate Farquhar. Farquhar street, which ran parallel to Rochor Road, disappeared in 1994 after roads in the area were expunged. Mt. Farquhar. which was a low hill near the General Hospital has long been levelled. Farquhar’s Straits appeared as an alternative name to the Old Straits of Singapore in the first map of Singapore but was short-lived. ↩︎
3. Ricoeur. P. (2004. Memory, history. forgeting (0.284). Chicago: University of Chicago Press. (Call no.: SING128.3 RIC) ↩︎