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tion of Crown land, which are renewed year after 
year, and have had considerable effect in keeping 
the small cultivator on the land. 
Penang. Land in Penang, Province Wellesley 
and the Dindings territory is held of 
the Crown, as in Singapore, by grant of lease. The 
conditions of tenure vary with the policy of the 
Government at the time the documents were issued. 
For many years after the founding of the Settlement 
the question of the land system was beset by every 
kind of difficulty. Mr. Light, who took formal 
possession of the island of Penang in the name of 
the Honourable East India Company, on the 12th 
of August, 1786, had before leaving Calcutta written 
to the then Governor-General as follows: — 
“ People will come from Malacca, from coast 
Coromandel and many other places, to settle 
at Penang, it will be necessary to grant them 
a portion of land, and to establish a Police for 
their Security." To this enquiry he received 
merely the brief reply. “ That will be proper/' 
After his arrival in the island Captain Light 
reported that Christians, Malays and Chinese 
had applied for land and requested full instruc- 
tions respecting the divisions of the lands. 
The Supreme Government in a despatch dated 
22nd of January, 1787 replied. “We leave it 
to your discretion to receive such Colonists, as 
you may think it safe and advisable to admit, 
and to give each family such portion of land 
as circumstances will allow, and you may judge 
expedient." 
Further instructions were issued on the 17th 
January, 1790 as to lands applied for by settlers 
directing their apportionment according to the 
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