The Book features the dramatic battle of Batavia, the sinister British expedition to Palembang, the 1812 sacking and looting of Yogyakarta, and various fights between soldiers and civilians, buffaloes and tigers, and Englishmen and Javanese
In this intriguing book, part history, part travelogue, Nigel Barley re-visits Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia, the places that were important in the life of Sir Stamford Raffles, the founder of the country of Singapore, and evaluates his heritage in an account that is both humorous and insightful.