Ridley heard that Hiern is to become an 'F.R.S.' [Fellow of the Royal Society]; Ridley thought that Sir David Prain might be selected. There will be a hiatus in the Rubber experiments when Machado leaves; Ridley will be without an assistant until Curtis returns. Machado has earned a good reputation and has secured a job on a rubber estate with a higher wage. Ridley is kept very busy: there is a shortage of labour, the class of the men he does get is very poor and the turnover is high. He has already had three sets of garden watchmen this month, they are usually gaol birds who get drunk, steal or shirk their duties. Ridley cannot offer wages that will attract good men. A habit arose in Singapore of European residents giving their gardeners money to buy tools; the Javanese gardeners would then steal tools from the botanic garden and pocket the money. Ridley put a notice in the paper threatening to prosecute Europeans for receiving stolen goods and it has had a positive effect. He is very disparaging about the character of oriental people. Ridley hopes work will start on the new building soon, with furniture to follow next year. He is also hoping for more money for the garden generally: expenses have increased and their vote [grant] has decreased. Ridley has requested a rather expensive railing to be erected along the road. Ridley discusses Sir Frank [Athelstane Sweltenham] and his bizarre Imperial Service Order list, which includes: two unremarkable individuals from the native states [Gibson and Du Verge]; Leonard Wray; a clerk from Government House; the popular Attorney General. The government analyst, Burgess, has taken an interest in the chemistry of Para rubber and is experimenting with its coagulation. Burgess had to stop working for a while due to an ulcerated intestine, but has begun again. Burgess has managed to produce very high quality rubber using a Pasteur's filter and a calcium chloride desiccator. Ridley hopes to visit Sarawak and get some new plants, even on Beccari and Haviland's old ground. Pages 1 and 4 of 8.