2 6 
II. Bishop's House, 
Singapore, \yth December , 1891. 
My Dear Mr. Belfield, 
I could not sooner answer to your official letter, in which you were asking me to 
do something for the introduction of labourers in the district of Krian, on account of 
my being on a tour of Confirmation. 
You know that I have always taken the greatest interest in such a matter, and in 
a long conference with the Governor not later than Monday last 1 urged the taking in 
hand the cultivation of all the available land forpadi, in order to render the Peninsula 
quite independent for rice from Rangoon, Siam and Saigon. That which has been 
done in Province Wellesley, in Krian district and Malacca may easily be done on the 
littoral and in the interior, and for this we have only to get some more Indians, but 
the authorities are in India quite opposed to emigration. 
This we can overcome with our people, but as we are missionaries we cannot 
possibly become responsible for the money which may be advanced to the natives of 
India who may choose to come to this country. We may only promise to help in 
India and here in supervising, in encouraging, but we cannot employ the funds at our 
disposal for pure mission purposes. You have at Bagan Serai Father Diridollon, who 
will help you with all his power, and he has a great authority on the people, being 
more firm than Father Fee. \ou have at Taiping Father Gazeau, who will as well do 
whatever is in his power to supervise the Chinese in his district. I give both of them 
full liberty to assist the emigrants, and I only recommend them not to take any respon- 
sibility for the money other than to offer a faithful record of the receipts and disburse- 
ments. 
It is well known that In Bagan Serai for many years the crop has been destroyed 
by rats. 1 he Assistant Resident, at Parit Buntar, told me of the deficit he had in the 
collection of quit-rent on account of tins plague. The country being now open, and 
the land being freed from the trunks of trees, will leave less shelter for the vermin, but, 
however, Father Fee had to feed the poor people, who very nearly got discouraged and 
were to leave the place. For a Tamil man who can earn 24 or 26 cents a day it is 
easier to live as a coolie than as a raiat. It is cheaper for him to buy rice in the bazaar 
than to grow it— therefore if we want to have padi cultivation, we must encourage the 
Indians, for Chinese will never take to padi fields. Hard labour is too highly remu- 
nerated to make padi cultivation pay. And yet, let the communication between 
Burmah, Siam and Cochin China be intercepted we are reduced to starvation, and this 
is not an impossibility in time of war. So you see that I am quite willing to give you 
any assistance in my power. Please give me particulars, and I am at once ready to 
give instructions to ray missionaries. 
Believe me, 
Yours very sincerely, 
3 EDWARD, 
Bishop of Malacca. 
HI. Department of Land and Mines, 
Taiping , 1 6th May, 1892. 
To the Secretary to Government, 
Taiping. 
SlR,— In continuation of my letter No. 412, of 28th April, 1892, I have the honour 
to forward a letter from the Rev. Mr. Gazeau, proposing a scheme for the settling of 
Chinese padi planters in Perak, and to recommend that free passages be offered to the 
relatives (wives and children in most cases) of bond fide settlers who can produce 
certificates of character from the Rev. Mr. Gazeau or other missionaries, who would 
undertake to look after these immigrants. 
2. The settler wishing to bring his family here would produce certificate stating 
the number of people he wanted to import, their ages and sex. This certificate should 
be filed and passage-note given to the man, on the production of which in Hong Kong 
some shipping company, with which arrangements had been made, would provide them 
with passages to Taiping. 
3. 1 he passage from Hong Kong to Penang is, I believe, $9.50 for an adult, and 
I would recommend that arrangements be made with Messrs. Mansfield, Bogaardt & Co., 
