evidence: The Straits Settlements, comprising Penang, Malacca and Singapore, was an administrative unit of the East India Company (1826–1867) and later the British Colonial Office (1867–1946). It was formed in 1826 as a presidency under the administration of the East India Company in India. The Cocos-Keeling Islands, Christmas Island and Labuan were also briefly part of the Straits Settlements. Following the dissolution of the Straits Settlements in 1946, Singapore (together with the Cocos-Keeling and Christmas Islands) became a crown colony, Penang and Malacca were made part of the Malayan Union, while Labuan was incorporated into the North Borneo crown colony. [...] The three territories – Singapore, Malacca and Penang – were governed separately, each with its own set of administrative apparatus. The burgeoning operational costs, however, resulted in the EIC uniting the three settlements into one administrative unit – Presidency of the Straits Settlements – in 1826. The seat of government was in Penang. In December 1832, the seat of government was moved from Penang to Singapore, given the latter’s increasing commercial and strategic prominence.4 [...] On 1 April 1946, the Malayan Union was inaugurated, replacing the Straits Settlements. Under the new arrangement, Singapore was made a separate crown colony, while Penang and Malacca became part of the Malayan Union together with the other nine Malay states of Selangor, Perak, Pahang, Negeri Sembilan, Kedah, Perlis, Kelantan, Terengganu and Johor.41