A number of issues had arisen in…

A number of issues had arisen in Singapore in the past sixteen years that caused increased agitation to remove the Straits Settlements completely from India's administration and place it directly under the British Colonial Office.

Among these issues are the need for protection against piracy and Calcutta's continuing attempts to levy port duties on Singapore.

Mostly as a result of the need for a place other than fever-ridden Hong Kong to station British troops in Asia, London designates the Straits Settlements a crown colony on April 1, 1867.