This is a letter written in 1819 from Sir Stamford Raffles to Colonel John Peter Addenbrooke, an equerry to Prince Leopold of the Belgians. Raffles started corresponding with Addenbrooke in March 1818, after the two first met at Claremont in 1817, where Addenbrooke was employed. This letter contains important details about the founding of Singapore, with Raffles notifying Addenbrook of his discovery of the settlement, describing it as “the most commanding and promising station” for the British in their rivalry against the Dutch over the control of trade in the region. Singapore’s prized status was due to its geographical location in the “very heart of the archipelago”. Raffles also informs Addenbrook of certain developments in his personal life, such as the birth of his son Leopold and daughter Charlotte in 1818, and his imminent return to Bencoolen, where he parted from his daughter and Lady Raffles a year prior. Lastly, he illustrates to Addenbrooke the progress he has made in his recent expeditions in Sumatra, where he was accompanied by a new botanist, Dr William Jack, and consults Addenbrooke on the transportation of his biological specimens to Claremont.
