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In January 1819, Sir Stamford Raffles, a British colonial administrator determined to secure a new base for trade, arrived at the island of Singapore, then a small fishing village ringed with mangroves and jungle. He negotiated with Temenggong Abdul Rahman, the Malay chief who oversaw the settlement, and gained the support of Sultan Hussein Shah, the ruler of Johor with royal claim to the territory. Together they signed a treaty that allowed the British to establish a port. Within weeks, the forest was cleared, huts and warehouses rose along the river, and merchants arrived with rice, spices, cotton, opium, silk, and porcelain, while Singapore exported tin, pepper, gambier, and timber. Free of heavy tariffs, the port attracted ships from across Asia and Europe, and this moment marked the beginning of modern Singapore.