|
History proceeded to play in Singapore’s favor during the 19th century. The use of steamships pressed its forward progress in the 1860s, and in 1867, the group of British territories known as the Straits Settlements officially became a Crown Colony. |
 |
These events were followed by the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 along with the arrival of the telegraph in Singapore in 1870. Tiny Singapore continued to make its mark as an important port on the East-West trading circuit. |
