Malaysia Methodist Missions. 35 



mission to the Malay Islands. Dr. Tho- 

 burn had wishcd to do this for manV years. 

 India Methodisni lia<J already leapcd across 

 the north end of the Bay of Bengal and 

 w as planted in Burnia, and now Singapore 

 stood invitingly at the southern estremity 

 of the same bay. It was deeided bctwccn 

 them that such a mission should be opened, 

 but as it was without the authorization of 

 thc Gcncral Missionary Committcc, there 

 were 110 iunds available for the enterprise. 

 This, however, sccmed a minor matter to 

 men in a land where William Taylor had 

 alrcady carried the cry of self-supporting 

 missions, and whcre station aftcr station 

 had bcen opened without any regular mis- 

 sionary grauts. 



Once it was dccided that thcre should be 

 a mission i*u Singaporc, earnest quest was 

 madc for the man to organize it. The en- 

 tire list of the South Indta Confcrence was 

 scanncd, but there was no man that could 

 be spared. Until fina1Iy Dr, Thoburn sug- 

 gested there was a man at sea, on his way 

 from New York, that hc expected to take 

 up work in India, whcnce he had gonc to 

 America to prepare for amissiouary career. 



