By the time Sir Stamford Raffles arrived in Singapura on 29 January 1819, there were an estimated 1,000 people there. There Raffles befriended Temenggong Abdul Rahman who lived near the river (present day Singapore River). Due to him being the staunch supporter of Tengku Hussein Shah, the Temenggong helped Raffles to smuggle Hussein from Riau to Singapura.