HAP. 1v] IMMIGRATION OF COLOURED RACES 1093 
A plain distinction may be drawn between these two 
classes. 
With respect to the first class—future immigrants—His 
Majesty's Government recognize that, for the reasons set 
out in your Dispatch, there is a strong opposition among 
the European population of the Transvaal to a continued and 
unrestricted influx of small traders and others of Asiatic race. 
The same feeling has already received expression not only 
in Australian and New Zealand legislation, but also in the 
Acts passed by the Legislatures of the neighbouring Colonies 
of the Cape and Natal within the last few years. His 
Majesty’s Government, deeply as they regret the necessity 
of hindering the free movement of British Indian subjects 
within the Empire, feel that they are unable to withhold their 
sanction to the immediate introduction into the Legislative 
Council of the Transvaal of a measure restricting immigration 
on the lines of those Acts. 
The adoption in this measure of a language test in a 
European language only, and the exclusion of the alternative 
test in a literary Indian language, will undoubtedly effect 
the purpose in view of limiting, and indeed will, as I believe, 
almost entirely check, the influx of British Indians and 
Asiatics into the country. The exclusion of this Indian 
literary test will, as you are aware, in all probability prevent 
the Indian Government from viewing favourably any scheme 
for the introduction of Indian labourers under indenture, 
but I understand that the Transvaal Government do not 
now press any such scheme, and I realize that something is 
to be said from the South African point of view of keeping 
the legislation in the various Colonies of South Africa on 
this subject as far as possible on a uniform basis. 
With respect to the second class—British Indians—now 
resident in the Transvaal, who are confirmed by the decision 
of the Supreme Court in the rights for which His Majesty’s 
Government have so long contended, the case is wholly 
different. Every rational precaution to safeguard the health 
of the community and of the British Indians themselves 
must of course be taken, and regulations securing this end 
with respect to their residence, and to the general treatment 
of their lower classes, carefully prescribed. 
But an apprehended trade competition from the British 
Indians now in the country, whose number is now compara- 
tively small, and will, under proposed restrictions on immi- 
grants, be in a diminishing proportion, cannot be accepted 
as sufficient reason for the legislation proposed. His 
Majesty's Government have steadily declined to allow this