“Persons desirous of clearing and cultivating waste and forest land, must make application to the superintendent of lands, stating the district and place where the land is situated; also the description of land, whether hill or level land, and also its extent. After due survey, the superintendent will report the application to the chief civil authority, who, if no objection exists, will grant a permit to clear the land, which must be effected within such time as may be determined. The land being cleared, the holder of the permit shall be entitled to a lease, subject to the following limitation and provisions:—that the rate of rent shall not exceed one dollar per acre, on the first lease given, fifteen years being the duration;—that the lease so granted shall be, at its expiration exchanged, for a second lease for a future term of fifteen years, at such rate as shall be determined on, not exceeding three dollars per acre;—that on the expiration of the second lease, a third, for fifteen years, shall be granted, at a rate not exceeding six dollars per acre;—that on the expiration of the third lease, a fourth shall be granted, at a rate not exceeding ten dollars per acre. “It shall be optional with the government, in the event of the leaseholder refusing to accept a lease at, or under the rates above specified, to eject the holder and resume the land with all buildings thereon. The rate of ten dollars per acre, being declared to be the maximum of rent demandable for lands occupied for cultivation, and beyond the limits of the town of Singapore, or any other town that may be hereafter established, it shall be optional with leaseholders to demand a permanent lease of nine hundred and ninety-nine years at the rate of ten dollars per acre, per annum. “The foregoing rules, however, are applicable only to lands beyond the limits of the town, and occupied for agricultural purposes; those respecting ground occupied within the limits of the town, for the erection of buildings, being different. For such ground, the rate of quit-rent has been fixed, on regular leases for nine hundred and ninety-nine years, at one dollar for nine hundred and sixty-six feet, or in the proportion of forty five dollars per acre.