Major Forbes Ross MacDonald (died 1799), a gentleman in the service of the Nabob of Arcot, was appointed by Governor-general Sir John Shore as superintendent of Prince of Wales Isle to succeed Philip Manington who had resigned due to ill health.
MacDonald's tour of duty was not a happy one as he was in conflict with the merchants and his own civil servants.
He widened streets and built a new road from town, at the coast, right into the interior of the isle.
He ensured that streets and roads in town were clearly marked and had them extended to sixty-five feet wide.
[4][5] Macdonald was trusted and held in high regard by his superiors and had been given supervision of the military force that seized Malacca in 1795.