With his long Malayan experience, and an intimate knowledge of Riau-Lingga politics, Major Farquhar was given the task to help Sir Stamford Raffles find a settlement on Singapore island.
The next day, 7 February 1819, Raffles appointed Farquhar as Singapore's first resident to develop the colony according to a specific plan Raffles had drawn up, Farquhar was left to manage the colony when Raffles left, an absence eventually lasting four years.