When did Singapore become an island? Part IV

Peter Borschberg has written an excellent article on the early mapping of Singapore [1]. This article is part of the book published in conjunction with the recently concluded Geo|Graphic: Celebrating maps and their stories exhibition at the National Library of Singapore. I learnt a great deal from the article.

Although the earliest known maps that clearly labels the present island of Singapore with a name, only came about at the beginning of 1600s (See earlier post), there are several manuscript maps in the 1500s covering the Malay peninsula, that already features what is very likely to be present day Singapore island, albeit unnamed [1]. 

One of the earliest of such maps, according to Borschberg [1], is a 1537 portolan map by Portuguese Gaspar Viegas.

Name: Carta nautica dell'Estremo Oriente
Year: 1537
Mapmaker: Gaspar Viegas
Manuscript location: Bibloteca Riccardiana, Florence, Italy

Figure 1. Carta nautica dell'Estremo Oriente, by Gaspar Viegas, 1537. One of the earliest charts that features an island (painted in gold and unnamed. Circled in blue) that is probably the island of Singapore. Image source: Biblioteca Riccardiana.

Interestingly, simultaneous with the appearance of Singapore island on these maps, is the appearance of the Muar-Pahang trans-peninsula river-penarikan system [2]. You can clearly see it in the Viegas map above as the sinusoidal waterway that cuts across the Malay peninsular. 

References

[1] P. Borschberg "Singapore in Early Modern Cartography: A Sea of Challenge", Visualising Space: Maps of Singapore and the Region, (National  Library Board, Singapore, 2015), pp 6-33.
[2] P. Wheatley "A curious feature on early maps of Malaya", Imago Mundi, 11 (1954), pp. 67-72.

Where Olivia Mariamne Raffles and John Caspar Leyden rest...

About 10 minutes walk from the National Museum of Indonesia in Jakarta, by Jalan Tanah Abang, is a small cemetery, or what is left of a bigger one. Nowadays, it is known as the Museum Taman Prasasti (Park of Memorial Stones Museum). It is the remnant of the old European cemetery. This is where many luminaries of old colonial era Batavia still rest [1].

Entrance of the Museum Taman Prasasti, Jalan Tanah Abang, Jakarta.

From 1811 till 1815, Java was under the colonial rule of the British, and Thomas Stamford Raffles was the Lieutenant-Governor. During that period, two persons dearest to him died and were buried here.

John Casper Leyden (1775-1811)

John Caspar Leyden. Picture Source.

Leyden was a great friend of Stamford Raffles and his first wife, Olivia. Leyden is most famous for his translation into English, of Sulalatus Salatin, more popularly known as Sejarah Melayu or Malay Annals [2]. Stamford Raffles and Olivia first met him in 1805 in Penang [3]. Leyden was already an established scholar when they met, and the two men hit it off right away. Raffles, who had not much formal education gained much from his teacher/friend. Leyden was the catalyst to Raffles later scholarly pursuits of the history, culture and politics of the Malay world, which Singapore was part of.  The fact that Raffles knew about the ancient pedigree of Singapore may have been a contributing factor to Raffles' choice of Singapore as the trading post in 1819.

Title page of Malay Annals. Translated by John Leyden. Published posthumously in 1821, with a foreword by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles. (from my private collection)

Leyden died not too long after the British invaded Java in 1811 [4]. His grave is a rectangular platform, with two plaques on the top. This present grave is probably not the original one, as the marble slab platform looks like a modern day patch job.  

John Leyden's grave at Museum Taman Prasasti. 

The top plaque reads... 

SACRED

TO THE MEMORY OF

JOHN CASPER LEYDEN MD

WHO WAS BORN

AT TEVIOTDALE IN SCOTLAND

AND WHO DIED

IN THE PRIME OF LIFE

AT MOLENVLIET NEAR BATAVIA

ON THE 28TH AUGUST 1811

TWO DAYS

AFTER THE FALL OF CORNELIS

while the bottom plaque reads...

THE POETICAL TALENTS AND SUPERIOR LITERARY

ATTAINMENTS OF DR LEYDEN, RENDERED HIM A

ORNAMENT OF THE AGE IN WHICH HE LIVED_

HIS ARDENT SPIRIT AND INSATIABLE THIRST AFTER

KNOWLEDGE WAS PERHAPS UNEQUALLED

AND THE FRIEND OF SCIENCE MUST EVER

DEPLORE HIS UNTIMELY FATE_

HIS PRINCIPLES AS A MAN WERE PURE AND SPOTLESS_

AND AS A FRIEND HE WAS FIRM AND SINCERE

_ FEW HAVE PASSED THROUGH THIS LIFE

WITH FEWER VICES OR WITH A GREATER

PROSPECT OF HAPPINESS IN THE NEXT

Right beside Leyden's grave, lies Olivia, the first wife of Stamford Raffles.

Olivia Mariamne Raffles (1771-1814)

Raffles' first wife was Olivia Mariamne Fancourt née Devenish. They got married in March 1805, one month before they set off for Penang, where Stamford Raffles was to serve as Assistant Secretary to the Governor in the new Presidency in George Town on Prince of Wales Island (Penang). Olivia had an earlier marriage with Jacob Cassivelaun Fancourt, an assistant surgeon in Madras which ended with Jacob's death in 1800. Olivia then went back to Great Britain where she later met Raffles. She seems to have led quite a colourful life before meeting Raffles and there are plenty of interesting stories and rumours about Olivia during her younger days.    

By all accounts, the Raffles couple had a very loving relationship, and when Raffles became the Lieutenant-Governor of Java, she made an excellent 'first lady' that gave much grace and dignity to the office. 

The Governor's mansion in Bogor (then known as Buitenzorg) where Thomas Stamford and Olivia Mariamne Raffles held court. Today, it seats in the lovely Kebun Raya Bogor (Bogor Botanical Gardens). (Photo taken 9th Oct. 2008)  

When she died suddenly in Buitenzorg (Present day Bogor) on the 26th November 1814, Raffles was devastated. It came near the end of Raffles' tumultuous tenure as the lieutenant-governor of Java. Stressed and overworked, coupled with the sudden loss of Olivia, Raffles fell seriously ill, and his friends feared for his life. He survived [5]. 

Olivia was laid to rest right beside John Leyden. The tomb seats on a raised octogonal platform. There used to be a roof sheltering the gravestone, supported by eight pillars [1]. The roof has since collapsed and the pillars shortened to become the stumps that you see in the photo. 
  

Tomb of Olivia Mariamne Raffles in Museum Taman Prasasti, Jakarta. At the left end of the picture, you can see Leyden's tomb. 

On the plaque laid on the tomb, it is carved:

SACRED

To the Memory of

OLIVIA MARIAMNE

Wife of

The Hon'ble THOMAS STAMFORD RAFFLES

Lieutenant Govenor

OF JAVA

and its Dependencies

Who departed this life in

Buitenzorg

the 25th day of November 1814

Most people will probably be more familiar with the memorial that Raffles commissioned, in memory of Olivia. This graceful edifice is on the grounds of the Governor's mansion in Buitenzorg, where the couple had so much sweet memories. Today, it is located within the Kebun Raya Bogor (Bogor Botanical Gardens).

The memorial to Olivia Mariamne Raffles on the grounds of the Kebun Raya Bogor (Bogor Botanical Gardens). Erected by Raffles. (Photo taken 9th Oct. 2008) 

References
[1] A. Heuken SJ, Historical Sites of Jakarta (Cipta Loka Caraka, Jakarta, 2007) Chap. XI
[2] C.E. Wurtzburg, Raffles of the Eastern Isles (Hodder and Stoughton, London, 1954), p. 36
[3] J. Leyden (trans.), Malay Annals (Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, London, 1821)
[4] C.E. Wurtzburg, Raffles of the Eastern Isles (Hodder and Stoughton, London, 1954), p. 167
[5] ibid. p. 362

Date of Visit: 7th Oct. 2012, & 12th Oct. 2014. (Kebun Raya Bogor, 9th Oct. 2008) 

Tree Island: The entrance to the Singapore Strait, and a boundary marker

On display at the Land of Gold and Spice (LoGaS) exhibition at the National Library are several Dutch and British navigational charts from the late 17th to late 18th century. Singapore island itself was not of much interest to the chart makers, judging from the inaccurate depiction of the geographical feature of the Singapore island. Instead the main focus of these charts are the waters around Singapore island, which were important, as they connect the South China Sea to the Straits of Malacca, and onwards to the Indian Ocean. Then, as is now,  the waterways south of Singapore were of immense strategic value. The most important waterway is the Singapore strait, also known as Governor's Strait [1].

One recurring feature on these maps is an island drawn with trees on it. Below are some close-up views of these charts/maps.

Figure 1. From a Hand-drawn chart of the southern portion of the Malay Peninsula, the Singapore Straits by Thomas Bowrey, 1690. Collection of the British Library, Add Ms. 5222-10. The chart has South on top and North at the bottom. Sincapura island is a featureless oblong apart from the sand banks emanating off the east end. Towards the top right is the feature with three trees on it, labelled Sunken Island. The Singapore Strait is labelled Broad Straits here. This map is on display in the LoGaS exhibition. 

Figure 2. A figure on pg. 62 from The English Pilot. The Third Book by Samuel Thornton, 1711.  Passage Island is present day Pulau Satumu where Raffles Ligh House is on. The present day Indonesia-Singapore maritime boundary runs between Tree Island (Pulau Nipa) and Passage Island (Pulau Satumu).  

Figure 3. From an untitled chart of the Strait of Singapore, circa 1675-1700. Collection of the Leiden University Library, 006-14-021. Tree island is near the centre of the figure. The island of the top right corner 't Lang Eylant (The Long Island) is Singapore island. This map is on display in the LoGaS exhibition.

Figure 4. From Chart of the Riau and Lingga Archipelago, circa 1725. Collection of the Leiden University Library, 006-14-012. The round feature with three trees on it is labelled Boompjes Eilant (Trees island). This map is interesting as the island of Singapore is labelled Oude Straat Sincapura. This map was on display in the LoGaS exhibition till April 2015.

Figure 5. From Jacques Nicolas Bellin's Carte reduite des detroits de Malaca, Sincapour, et du Gouverneur, 1755.  Tree island is labelled as Banc aux Arbres. This map belongs to the NLB collection and is on display in the LoGaS exhibition.

Figure 6. From A.E. van Braam van Houckgeest's Nauwkeurige kaart van he oostlijk gedeelte van Straat Malacca, circa 1787.  Collection of the Leiden University Library, 006-14-015. The feature with trees on the left is labeled Zaandplaat met de Boomen (sand bank with trees). On the right side is De Straat Gouverneur (Governor's Strait or Singapore Strait).  This map belongs to the NLB collection and is on display in the LoGaS exhibition.

This island came in several names: Tree Island, Boompjes Eilant (which is Tree island in Dutch), Bumkees Island (Corruption of the Dutch name), and Sunken island, to name a few. 

The reason why this island was so clearly marked is because it was a traffic signpost of sorts to signify that one is approaching the safest (and most used)  channel to go from the Straits of Malacca to the open seas of South china Sea, in the otherwise treacherous waters around Singapore island (Figure 7).

From the classic 19th century manual of sailing directions known as the Horsburgh's Sailing Instruction, the section on Singapore Straits reads [2]:

 SINGAPORE STRAIT, called Governor Strait, or New Strait by the French and Portuguese, may be considered to commence at Tree Island...

The Horsburgh's Sailing Instruction went on to describe this island...

...is a bank of rocks and sand very little elevated above the sea at high water, having on it two small trees or bushes, separated from each other.

Figure 7. Google map of the waters off the southern part of Singapore Island. On either side of the Singapore Straits are multitude of islands and sandbanks that were hazards to ships.

This island is now known as Pulau Nipa. Up till less than twenty years ago, this above description would still apply to this island. It had a high tide area of ​​0.62 hectares (about a football field large) but would bloat to an approximate area of 60-hectare during low tide [3] (See Fig. 8). 

Figure 8. The profile of Pulau Nipa during low tide (greenish-yellow) and during high tide (small specks in yellow). From the maritime chart Singapore and Indonesia Main Strait and Phillip Channel, 1990.

Figure 9. How Pulau Nipa looked like before 2003 (looking southward). Picture Source.

Nowadays, Singapore Strait is still heavily used. With better navigation technology, mariners no longer rely on spotting this island to know their directions into the Singapore Strait. 

Now Tree island or Pulau Nipa should have retired from the annals of maritime history. But if you imagine it be an idyllic little island with a clump of nipah palms and coconut trees, and a sandy white beach (Fig. 9), you would be disappointed.  
It gained prominence again not too long time ago. In 2003, there were concerns that the island was in danger of disappearing, because of sand dredging activities around it. As the island is part of the Indonesian archipelagic baseline on which the Singapore-Indonesia international boundary was to based on, it was deemed essential that this island remains an island. Presumably, Indonesia was afraid that Singapore may somehow not recognize a disappeared Pulau Nipa as part of the baseline (Despite the fact that part of the Singapore-Indonesia boundary had already been marked out in a 1973 treaty which used Pulau Nipa as part of the archipelagic base-line). Furthermore, the dredged sand was exported to Singapore for land reclamation work of Tuas and Jurong Island, which no doubt worried Indonesia. 

Therefore, the Indonesian authorities embarked on an extensive land reclamation around Pulau Nipa to raise it permanently above sea level [4].  In any case, Pulau Nipa remained part of the archipelagic base-line used to extend the Singapore-Indonesia maritime boundary n 2009 [5]. Pulau Nipa now assumes a much more permanent existence (See Fig. 10 below), although hopefully in time to come, trees will flourish on it again.

Figure 10. How Pulau Nipa look like after the land reclamations (looking northward). Picture Source.

References
[1] P. Borschberg, The Singapore and Melaka Straits: Violence, Security and Diplomacy in the 17th Century  (NUS Press, Singapore, 2013) p. 36.
[2] James Horsburgh, The India directory, or, Directions for sailing to and from the East Indies, China, Australia, and the interjacent ports of Africa and South America: Originally compiled from the journals of the honourable company's ships, and from Observations and Remarks, resulting from the experience of twenty-one years in the Navigation of those seas.Volume Second. Seventh Edition. (Wm. H. Allen & Co., London, 1855), p. 266.
[3] "Kerasnya Nipa si Pulau Noktah Perbatasan RI", National Geographic Indonesia. link.
[4] "Indonesia restores key maritime baseline of Nipah  Island: Foreign Ministry", Jakarta Post. Feb. 5th 2009. link 
[5] "RI, Singapore sign maritime boundary agreement", Jakarta Post. March 11th 2009. link

Map of Singapore Town, 1881. Sold for $95,000.

Name: Map of Singapore Town shewing building allotments & registered numbers of crown leases

Year: 1881

Map maker: Thambo Peter

Scale: 4 chains to 1 inch (1:3168)

Size: 980 x 1840 mm.

Image source: Bloomsbury Auction 

This map was sold at the Bloomsbury Books and Works on Paper Auction on 30th April 2015. The hammer price was £38,000. If you include the auction house commission, this becomes £47,120, which converts to a cool S$95,389 (according to the latest exchange rates). The hammer price was way higher than the auction house's original estimate of  £800 – £1,200.

This 1881 map is large (184 cm by 98 cm). It must be quite impressive when fully laid out on your dining table, if you have one big enough. The map is not oriented in the usual North-South axis. Instead, The length of the map is aligned roughly with the coast (along the bottom of the map), from almost Tanjong Pagar from the left to near the mouth of Kallang River on the right end, with the mouth of Singapore River and today's Esplanade park in the middle. Landwards (towards the top of the map), one can follow the Singapore River all the way to beyond present day Zion road.  

This is apparently an extremely rare map. According to the auction house, there are no auction record found for this scarce map. The National Archives of Singapore has only a portion of this map which contains the title block [1,2].

According to the auction website, the map was published by Stanford's Ltd, London. It was signed off by Captain Henry Edward McCallum, the acting Colonial engineer and Surveyor General then. McCallum was appointed acting Colonial engineer and Surveyor General in 1881 and was elevated to the substantive position in 1884, a post he held till 1896 [2].  He was a very successful colonial administrator, moving on to be the Governor of Lagos Colony (part of present day Nigeria), the Governor of Newfoundland (part of present day Canada), Governor of Natal (part of present day South Africa) and finally, the Governor of Ceylon (present day Sri Lanka), before retiring. In Singapore, he is better known as the architect of the Raffles Library and Museum on Stamford Road (today's National Museum of Singapore), which was officially opened in 1887. McCallum Street, in down town Singapore is also named after him.

References
[1] National Archives of Singapore. Accession Number: SP002984. Accessed 20150503 
[2] Mok Ly Yng "Mapping Singapore 1819 - 2014", Visualising Space: Maps of Singapore and the Region, (National  Library Board, Singapore, 2015), pg. 97.

Sketch of the Land round Singapore Harbor, Feb 7 1819

One of the main exhibits in the 'Land of Gold and Spice' map exhibition at the National Library (on till 19th July) is undoubtedly, this group of pencil sketches. 


Name: Sketch of the land round Singapore Harbor Feb 7  1819
Year: 1819
Artist: Anonymous
Location: National Archives, 344/1307. Kew, U.K.

Image source: [1]

This sketch, according to a recent article [1], was 'rediscovered' only recently. It sits in the collection of the National Archives (U.K.), Kew, and was originally from the British Admiralty. Its importance is  apparent when you read the caption at the bottom: Sketch of the land round Singapore Harbor Feb 7  1819. This is just one day after Sir Stamford Raffles, representing the British East India Company (EIC), signed a treaty with the Temenggong Abdul Rahman and the newly installed Sultan Hussein to allow the British EIC to set up a trading post in Singapore. This date, Feb. 6 1819 is what most Singaporeans will know as the date of the founding of modern Singapore. This sketch may therefore be one of the earliest views of Singapore [2].

Although the sketch is unsigned, it is likely that the artist is Lt John Michael Houghton of the Bombay Marine [1]. The Bombay Marine survey ships had been requisitioned by Raffles for his mission to establish a trading post at the southern end of the Straits of Malacca. Part of Houghton's job would be to make such survey sketches for future navigational and military use. 

The series of of five panels can be linked up to depict a sweeping view from a point out at sea, off the south coast of Singapore island.  

The top panel starts from the left with A. S by W Flagstaff. A flagstaff atop the hill on present day Kusu island. Next we have B. St John's Id. This would be what we commonly know as Lazarus Island or Pulau Sakijang Pelepah. On some older maritime charts, this island is also known as East St. John's Island. C. Sisters Island. D. Pulau Tekukor. E. Sentosa Island. The highpoint at the right end of the panel is Mt. Serapong. 

The second panel continues with Sentosa and F. Tanjong Pagar on the main Singapore island. This is followed by the former coastline of Teluk Ayer Basin. The high ground in the background, G. is most likely Pearl's Hill (incidentally, this hill's namesake James Pearl, was the skipper of Indiana, the ship that brought Sir Stamford Raffles to Singapore. Pearl should therefore be somewhere in the vicinity. In 1822, Pearl acquired the land on and around this hill. Hence the name Pearl's Hill). 

The third panel is the most interesting. H. N 73"30W Village of Singapore shows the settlement at the mouth of Singapore River, centred on the Temenggong's house sited at present day Empress Place (Asian Civilization Museum). The settlement seems quite big, definitely not simply a tiny fishing village. I. Watering place. Outlet of Stamford Canal, near the south corner of the present day Civilian War Memorial Park. One of the attractions for Raffles and co. to set up shop in Singapore was the availability of fresh water from this stream. J. Ryat Village N38W. Rakyat village, or the People's village. The newly installed Sultan Hussein made this place his seat of power, which became Kampong Glam. 

The fourth panel begins with K. Sandy Pt. N30W which is Tanjung Rhu. The rest of the panel takes in the east coast of Singapore island.  

The last panel features the rest of the east coast of Singapore with L. Red Cliffs, also known as Tanah Merah. This was already a major navigational landmark then. The view terminates with M. N64E Johore hill. This is Bukit Pengerang, Johor which was also a major navigation landmark.  

The writings below the right end of the fourth panel, H.O. Dec. 30 1864  I 32/5 is probably from later archival recording at the Hydographic Office (H.O.).   

The bearings attached to some of the locations in the sketch allow us to approximately pin-point where the artist's vantage point was. 

From Google map. The red lines trace the bearings provided in the sketch. The grey circle denotes the approximate location of the survey ship, on which the artist drew the Sketch of the land round Singapore Harbor Feb 7  1819.  

As can be seen, there may be some errors in the bearings, but nonetheless, we can conclude that the position was about one kilometre off the Marina Barrage. 


References
[1] M. Langdon and C.G. Kwa, "Notes on ‘Sketch of the Land round Singapore Harbour, 7 February 1819’". JMBRAS 83, 1 (2010), 1-7.

[2] One contender for the earliest view of Singapore is Singapore from the Rocky Point, 1819. Will talk about this sketch in the future, after I have gathered some more information.

Another Early Close-up Map of Singapore: Manuel Godinho de Erédia, 1615

Name: Folio 26, Historia de Servicos com Martiro de Luis Monteiro Coutinho 
Year: 1615
Map maker: Manuel Godinho de Erédia
Manuscript map location: Biblioteca Nacional Lisbon, Cod. 414

Figure 1. A 1615 map that portrays a naval battle on the 1st of Jan. 1577, between the Portuguese and Acehnese just south of present day Pulau Tekong.

Figure 2. Google map of the similar area for reference.

Here is another early map with a close up view of Singapore. This manuscript map comes a few years after the de Bry's map that was mentioned in a earlier blog entry.

What the map (Fig. 1) shows corresponds roughly to the area depicted in the Google map (Fig. 2). The map depicts a naval battle that happened on January 1st, 1577 [1]. In this battle, a Portuguese fleet under Captain-General Mathias de Albuquerque (nephew of Afonso de Albuquerque, the conqueror of Malacca) clashed with a fleet from Aceh at the mouth of the Johor River, just south of Pulau Tekong between Changi and Pengarang. 

This map is from a 1615 manuscript [2] about the life and martyrdom of a Portuguese soldier by the name of Luis Monteiro Coutinho. The manuscript author Manuel Godinho de Erédia is more famous as the author of the Declaracam de Malaca e da India Meridional com Cathay which contains the earliest map that shows Singapore as an island. 

The busy naval engagement is illustrated in a lively manner with the Portuguese vessels' cannons ablaze and the Acehnese galleys oars in action.   

On the map (Fig, 1) are written several words. They are listed below with the modern references: 
A. Barubuquet : Berbukit (In malay, it means rolling hills). In later maps, the Europeans typically mistook it as the name of the hill that is present day Bukit Pelali. They could also have mistook it for Bukit Pengarang) 

B. Chani : Changi (Present day Pulau Tekong)
C. Rio de Jor : Johor River
D. Tanjon Rusa : Tanjong Rusa (Present day Changi Point)
E. Luís Monteiro Coutinho
F. Mathias de Albuquerque

There are some other interesting points to note which seem to demonstrate the accuracy of this map: The location marked 1. on the map looks like the mouth of Sungei Sebina. The sand bank at 2.  is a common feature in a lot of later maps of Singapore. Nowadays this sandbank does not appear on maps as it has been subsumed under the land reclamation that is Changi Airport today. Could this small island marked 3. be representing Pulau Ubin?

References
[1] P. J. de Sousa Pinto, The Portuguese and the Straits of Melaka, 1575-1619  (NUS Press, Singapore, 2012) pp 276-278.
[2] A pdf file of Historia de Servicos com Martiro de Luis Monteiro Coutinho can be download from this link.

The Earliest Close-up Map of Singapore: de Bry, 1606

Name: Contrafactur des Scharmutz els der Holander... (from Achter Theil der Orientalischen Indien, Frankfurt am Main) 

Year: 1606

Publisher: Johan Theodor de Bry, Johan Israel de Bry & Johan Dieterich de Bry

Figure 1. (L) De Bry's 1607 map featuring a sea battle off the Changi coast. Source image link.  (R) Google map of the similar area for reference. 

The subject of this map is a naval battle that happened on the 10th-11th of October 1603, off the coast of Changi point, Singapore. It would probably be more instructive to understand the location as the mouth of the Johor River. 

This is the earliest known map that provides a close-up view of Singapore. The Google map on the right (Fig. 1 (R)) gives you an idea of the orientation and geographical location of what the de Bry map is depicting. 

Fig. 2. Close-up view of the de Bry map in Fig. 1(L).

In this map, Singapore is not shown to be an island. However the general outline of the south coast of Singapore is reasonably accurate, from Tuas, in the west to Changi in the east. Fig. 2 shows an enlarged view of part of the map in Fig. 1(L) with some the geographical locations identified.

Below are some of the location names marked on the map in Fig. 1(L), and their present day names. 

Oudt Ior : Old Johor. Johor Lama

Rio Batasubar : Present name: Johor River. Batasubar refers to Batu Sawar, the capital of the Johor Sultanate during that time. 

Sinca Pora: Singapura. Likely the mouth of Singapore River

Tansse Pora: Tanjung Buru. Present name: Tanjung Piai, Johor, the southernmost point of the Eurasia landmass

The purpose of the map is not to portray Singapore or Johor river mouth's geography, but to detail a naval encounter between the two dominant naval powers of the day. But why were they battling off the coast of a small island thousands of miles away from their home ground?

The Portuguese and the Dutch were then fighting for supremacy for Melaka Straits and the waters off Singapore. Since their first venture to these waters at the end of the 16th century, the Dutch has been slowly eating away the Portuguese dominance of these waters. The Portuguese had been the dominant power there since conquering Melaka in 1511. The Dutch and Portuguese formed shifting alliances with the local powers of Johor (direct successor to the Melaka sultanate) and Aceh, and engaged in a series of skirmishes through the early 17th century. One major incident was the Dutch seizure of a richly laden Portuguese carrack Santa Catarina off the waters of Singapore in Febuaury 1603 with the help of the Johor sultanate.   

In response, a Portuguese armada under Estêvão Teixeira de Macedo blockaded the mouth of the Johor River (where Changi and Pulayu Tekong are located) to punish the Johor sultanate then based in Batu Sawar, as well as to protect their carracks like Santa Catarina plying the Macau-Melaka trade route, lest they fall prey to the Dutch and Johoreans. A passing fleet of Dutch ships under Vice-Admiral Jacob Pietersz van Enkhuysen, responding to a request by the Johoreans to help lift the blockade, decided to engage the Portuguese fleet. The naval battle lasted from the 10th-11th of October 1603 and resulted in a Dutch victory.

For a much more detailed analysis of the origin and ramification, and blow by blow account of this naval encounter, do read the excellent book by NUS historian Peter Borschberg, entitled The Singapore and Melaka Straits [1]. 

Les Petit Voyages is a series of books that described the various early voyages to the East Indies. The work was initiated by a German publisher based in Frankfurt am Main, Theodor de Bry (1528-1498), and was continued after his death by his descendants. 

The map described in this entry is from the appendix of the eighth book of the Les Petit Voyages series. The book was published by Theodor de Bry's sons Johan Theodor and Johan Israel. There is a German edition (1606): Achter Theil der Orientalischen Indien, and a Latin edition (1607) [2]: Indiae Orientalis Pars Octava, published in 1607. 

From the coastline details and the presence of depth readings on the map, I am guessing that this map was probably derived from an actual navigation chart.

References
[1] P. Borschberg, The Singapore and Melaka Straits: Violence, Security and Diplomacy in the 17th Century  (NUS Press, Singapore, 2013) pp 79-88.
[2] A pdf file of Achter Theil der Orientalischen Indien can be download from this link.

The Oldest Map in the National Library Collection

Name: Undecima Asiae Tabula (from Geographia)
Year: 1478
Map maker: Arnold Buckinck
Type: Copper Engraving

Picture Source: National Library of Singapore

This 1478 map is the oldest item in Singapore's National Library Collection.

You can now take a look at this map, which is prominently showcased in the Land of Gold and Spice Map exhibition. It was part of a lot acquired at a Sotheby's auction in May 2012.

The map's name is Undecima Asiae Tabula or Asia Table No. 11 from Ptolemy's Geographia.

Claudius Ptolemy (90-168 A.D) from Alexandra, Egypt was at one time in charge of Alexandra's legendary Library. One of his major written works was Geographia. Geographia is about map making principles and methods and tables, with locations (latitude and longtitude in degrees and minutes) of over eight thousand places [1]. 

His work, after passing through the Islamic and Byzantium civilizations (where it was revised with information added) over the successive centuries, appeared in Europe in the early 15th century. Geographia then dominated map making for more than a century until the latest details of the Portuguese (and other subsequent European) exploration voyages rendered Geographia obsolete.

It is not known if Ptolemy had any maps in his original Geographia. In any case, renaissance scholars managed to reconstitute a series of maps from the tables of locations compiled in Geographia. 

With the printing press invented barely twenty years before, the first edition of Geographia with the reconstituted maps was published in Rome in 1477 [2], thereby becoming the first ever printed atlas of the world [3]. The map here is from the second edition published in 1478. The work of creating these first ever printed versions of Geographia was started by Conrad Swehnheym, but was finally completed by Arnold Buckinck after Swehnheym's death.  

The series of maps contain twelve maps on Asia, in which the eleventh map (hence the name Undecima Asiae Tabula) depicts India beyond the Ganges River (INDIA EXTRA GANGEM) and China (SINA). One other geographical feature, that of a peninsula, is of interest to us.

The peninsula is labeled AUREA CHERSONESUS which means the Golden Peninsula, and is typically acknowledged to be the Malay Peninsula [1].  If we look at the southern tip of AUREA CHERSONESUS, we can see SABANA EMPORIUM (Emporium means trading post). Now, if AUREA CHERSONESUS is indeed the Malay Peninsula, then it will be tempting to say that SABANA EMPORIUM is Singapore. 

However, there is nothing to prove that SABANA EMPORIUM is indeed Singapore. The fact is that it could be any number of places on the coast of the Malay Peninsula or the islands of the Riau Archipelago [1]. Speculations of the location of Sabana include Sabak Bernam, in Selangor, Kundur Island in the Riau Archipelago and Sabana River Sungei Sebina, a tributary of Johor River. Until some Roman era artifacts are found in Singapore, or any of the other locations, we will never know for sure.

References
[1] P. Wheatley, The Golden Khersonese (University of Malaya Press, Kuala Lumpur, 1961). Chap. X.
[2] T. Suarez, Early Mapping of Southeast Asia (Periplus, Singapore, 1999). p. 82
[3] Barry Lawrence Ruderman Antique Maps Inc. accessed 20150215.

When did Singapore become an island? Part III

To the best of my knowledge, 1613*.

In Manuel Godinho de Erédia's Declaracam de Malaca e da India Meridional com Cathay [1], there is a series of manuscript maps portraying Singapore as an island. These are the first instances where Singapore appears distinctly as an island on a map, instead of as a cape or promontory.  

Name: JOR: Regno. [Folio 45R, Declaracam de Malaca e da India Meridional com Cathay].
Year: 1613
Map Maker: Manuel Godinho de Erédia
Manuscript map location: Bibliothèque royale de Belgique, Brussels, Belgium. Ms. 7264.

Figure 1. (Left) Eredia's map JOR: Regno, where Singapore (SINCAPURA) appears, for the first time, as an island. Source: [2]. (Right) Screen capture from Google map of the area for reference. 

This manuscript map (Fig. 1) is oriented south-north and shows the southern end of the Malay peninsula. It shows an oversized Rio de Jor (Johor River), where the Johor Kingdom (JOR: Regno) is based along. An island labeled SINCAPURA sits at the mouth of the Johor River. Another interesting feature is the island below SINCAPURA which is labeled Pulochagni. This probably means Pulau Changi, and is the old name for Pulau Tekong.

Name: Discripsao chorographica dos Estreitos de Sincapura e Sabbam. Ano 1604. [Folio 61R, Declaracam de Malaca e da India Meridional com Cathay].

Year: 1613

Map Maker: Manuel Godinho de Erédia

Manuscript map location: Bibliothèque royale de Belgique, Brussels, Belgium. Ms. 7264.

Figure 2. (Left) Eredia's map Discripsao chorographica dos Estreitos de Sincapura e Sabbam. Ano 1604. The island of SINCAPURA appears in the southwest corner of the map. Several place names on Singapore island are labeled (See Fig. 3). Source: [3]. (Right) Screen capture from Google map of the area for reference. 

This map entitled Discripsao chorographica dos Estreitos de Sincapura e Sabbam. Ano 1604 (Chronological description of the Straits of Singapore and Sabbam. A.D. 1604) is a close up version of the the map in Fig. 1 placing the strategically important straits south of Singapore in the centre stage. Several places on Singapore island are also labeled (See Fig. 3 for details). Comparing with the map of the Google map on the right, it is clear that Eredia got the shape of Singapore island wrong. The places labeled on the coast of Singapore island facing the east according to the map, should instead be on the south side of the island.

Figure 3. Close up view of SINCAPURA island (from Fig. 2).

The map in Fig. 2 also shows that some of the current familiar place names in Singapore dates back more than four hundred years ago. Here's the list of names labeled in Fig. 3 and their modern names and identifications:

blacan mati : Pulau Blakang Mati, old name of Sentosa island. Although the location of this island on the map does not fit the location of Sentosa island. My guess is that either Eredia got the island wrong, or that another southern island bore the name of Blakang Mati four hundred years ago.

estreito nouo : New Straits. Channel that passes south of Sentosa island [4]. 

estreito Velho : Old Straits. Present day straits between Sentosa and Singapore island, where Keppel harbour is. The island on the map between estreito nouo and estreito Velho should be Sentosa island.

xabandaria : Shahbandar. (Persian word for harbour master). Settlement around the shahbandar official loyal to the Johor sultanate. The location is either near the mouth of Singapore River or Kallang basin [5]. 

Tanjon Rû : Tanjong Rhu

Sunebodo : Sungei Bedok

Tanamera : Tanah Merah

Tanjon Rusa : Tanjong Rusa. Obsolete place name. Probably present day Changi Point.

Turucan: Terusan (Malay word for Channel)

Salat Tubro : Selat Tebrau (Tebrau Straits that separates Singapore and Malaysia)

Pulo Ular : Pulau Ular (Snake island). Now known as Pulau Merambong

Manuel Godinho de Erédia (1563-1623) was born in Malacca of Ibero-Bugis parentage. Educated in Malacca and Goa, he was commissioned in 1594 as the Descobridor e Adelantado da Nova India Meridional. His assignment was to set out from Malacca to discover for Portugal, new lands south of the East Indies. However, that did not quite work out. 

Right during that time, the Straits of Malacca became a geopolitical hotspot as the Dutch became active in the region. The Dutch, allied with the Johor Sultanate, were challenging the Portuguese dominance of the Straits of Malacca. Instead of setting out to explore the unknown seas, Eredia had to help out with the fortification and survey of the region. This led to a more detailed exploration of the strategically important waters around Singapore.

This new information gained, together with the new maps drawn were eventually written up by Eredia in 1613 as his Declaracam de Malaca e da India Meridional com Cathay, more commonly known as Description of Malaca.

*Added 24th Sept.: There are several manuscript maps dating from the 1530s onwards that show Singapore as an island, but unnamed. See this entry.  

References
[1] J. V. Mills, "Description of Malaca, Meridional India, and Cathay. Translated from Portuguese with notes". JMBRAS 8, 1 (1930).
[2] ibid. Plate III, after p. 218.
[3] ibid. Plate VI, after p. 224.
[4] P. Borschberg, The Singapore and Melaka Straits: Violence, Security and Diplomacy in the 17th Century  (NUS Press, Singapore, 2013) p. 31
[5] ed. P. Borschberg, trans. R. Roy, The Memoirs and Memorials of Jacques de Coutre: Security, Trade and Society in 16th- and 17th-century Southeast Asia (NUS Press, Singapore, 2013) p. 378.