habits of life, &c.; but which we contend, as already stated, is in no way influenced by the BRITISH GUIANA. period of arrival being restricted to any particular months of the year.

This, probably, gentlemen, would form a complete reply to the single inquiry submitted by you for our consideration; but, as it by no means exhausts the subject, and as we think we should but imperfectly discharge a duty to the community at large, which your reference to us affords us so favourable an opportunity of doing, did we not record our opinion also of the causes which have led to the very great mortality among the Madeira immigrants, we shall therefore, without further apology, proceed to do so.

These causes, in our opinion, are—

1. An almost general and total want of proper hospita accommodation on estates.

2. The insalubrity of the apartments generally allotted to the immigrants on their arrival, sufficient attention not being paid to the contiguous drainage, and to the proper ventilation of their abodes.

3. The nature of the present engagements as to medical attendance, whereby the remuneration now given is not such as to enable the medical practitioner to make his attendance daily, as it generally should be, and also that the medicines are not furnished by the estates, which they ought to be.

4. The consequences resulting from a change of food; the general want of cleanliness particularly remarkable in this class of immigrants not being sufficiently guarded against by proper and vigilant supervision. For these evils, the remedies, in our opinion, are no less obvious than they are easy of application, while the present and late mortality among the Madeira immigrants appear to render their adoption (apart from considerations of humanity), imperative, if this character of immigration is to be continued. These remedies are either the establishment of rural hospitals throughout the colony, or the stringent and effective enforcement of Ordinance No. 4 of the present year, the 1st section being amended so as to enforce the daily attendance of the medical practitioner, and also with the elision in the same section of the words, " under contract for six or 12 months" after the word "labourer," their retention having hitherto effectually served to render this Ordinance, in other respects well adapted to its intended purposes, all but totally inoperative, and a mere dead letter in the statute book of the colony.

In conclusion, gentlemen, we deem it unnecessary to offer any further apologies for exceeding the strict limits of reply assigned us by your communication than such as are furnished by the consideration that we have afforded information, based on personal experience, on a subject with which of necessity we must be supposed to be particularly con

RETURN of Portuguese Arrived in the Colony of British Guiana, und er Colonial Bounty,

during the Year 1849.

Encl. 2, in No. 53.

BRITISH GUIANA.

A.

MORTALITY of the Portuguese, as taken from the existing Returns of the Stipendiary Magistrates.

B.

C.

D.

E.

F.

G.

H.

I.

K. L.
M.

TOTAL NUMBER of Portuguese admitted Monthly in the Colonial Hospital during the Years 1848 and 1849, showing the number of those, who, when admitted, had not resided Six Months in the Colony.

I HAVE the honour to forward the return of produce exported from this colony in the quarters ending respectively 10th October 1849 and 1850, showing a reduction under every head in the present year, amounting in the article of sugar to no less than 2,905 hogsheads.

I am glad to be enabled to add, however, that this reduction is accounted for in part by the spring tides, at which alone heavily laden vessels can leave port, having occurred a few days later in 1850, nearly 2,000 hogsheads of sugar having been cleared out between the 11th and the 14th instant. In

fact,

27

22235

20

13

9

15

3

10

1

4

fact, were a return of the shipments from the commencement of this year made BRITISH GUIANA. up to the last-named day, they would prove slightly in excess of those to the same period of 1849, which gives reason to hope that if the planters are blessed with a continuance of fine weather, the crop of the whole year will not at any rate turn out worse than the indifferent one of last.

AN ACCOUNT of the Quantity of PRODUCE Exported from the Colony in the Quarter ending Encl. in No. 54. 10th October 1850, as compared with the corresponding Quarter of 1849.

My Lord,

Government House, 22 October 1850. (Received, 20 November 1850.) (Answered, 30 December 1850, No. 280, page 446.) THE enclosed is copy of a proclamation which I have issued on the recommendation of a Committee of the Court of Policy, fixing the rates of bounty under the Ordinance just passed for encouraging immigration on that system.

Your Lordship will observe that the bounty on immigrants brought from the coast of Africa in terms of the Ordinance, is reduced from 30 to 25 dollars, while that on immigrants from Madeira is again raised to 30 dollars, though the latter increase will not, in fact, entail more expense on the colony than the

No. 55. Governor Barkly to Earl Grey. 22 October 1850.

BRITISH GUIANA. reduced bounty of 20 dollars payable under the recent alteration, as 10 dollars will be recovered by the Colonial Receiver-general on the execution of the indentures. A bounty of 100 dollars has likewise for the first time been provided in the case of Chinese.

Soliciting your Lordship's approval of these arrangements,

Encl. in No. 55.

(L.S.) Henry Barkly.

Enclosure in No. 55.

PROCLAMATION

By his Excellency Henry Barkly, Esquire, Governor and Commander in-Chief in and over the colony of British Guiana, Vice-Admiral and Ordinary of the same, &c. &c. &c.

By virtue of the power and authority vested in me, Henry Barkly, Esquire, Governor of the colony of British Guiana, by Ordinance No. 23, of the year 1850, intituled," An Ordinance for the Encouragement of the Introduction into this Colony of Labourers in general, I do, by this my proclamation, with the advice and consent of the Court of Policy, name the ports or places from which immigrants may be introduced into this colony, and the rates of bounties to be allowed for such introduction of immigrants, under and subject to the provisions of said Ordinance, to be as follows:

Given under my hand and seal of office, at the Guiana Public Buildings, in Georgetown, Demerara, this 2d day of October 1850, and in the fourteenth year of Her Majesty's reign,

GOD SAVE THE QUEEN!

No. 56. Governor Barkly to Earl Grey.

21 Nov. 1850.

COPY of a DESPATCH from Governor Barkly to Earl Grey.

My Lord,

Government House, 21 November 1850. (Received, 23 December 1850.)

1. I HAVE the honour to enclose the Reports of the Agent of Immigration and Health Officer of the port of Georgetown, relative to three arrivals of immigrants from the Island of Madeira, in the British ships "Unicorn" and "Lucknow," and the Portuguese schooner "Uniaõ."

2. The voyage in each case was unattended with sickness or mortality, and BRITISH GUIANA although in the first-named ship complaint was made both as to the quantity and the quality of the provisions served out, your Lordship will be glad to observe, from the remarks of the Health Officer, that there appeared on investigation to be no serious ground of discontent.

3. With regard to the alleged lunatic landed from the same vessel, I both refused payment of the bounty for him, and required a pledge from the agents for his reconveyance to Madeira.

4. I have only to add, that the whole of these people were engaged by the proprietors of estates at the full current rate of wages, either under one or three years' contracts, according to their own discretion.

I have, &c.

(signed)

Enclosure 1, in No. 56.

Henry Barkly.

Sir,

Immigration Agent-general's Office,
22 October 1850.

I HAVE the honour to report that I have located the Portuguese immigrants who arrived Encl. 1, in No. 56. in the ship "Unicorn" on the following estates:

EXTRACT from Health Officer's Report of Immigrants by the Barque "Unicorn," which arrived here on the 16th instant, 29 days from London, having touched at Madeira:

GENERAL REMARKS on Surgeon's Diary and Journal, Provisions, Water, Vessel, &c. &c. COMPLAINTS were made by a number of the immigrants of short allowance and bad quality of provisions during the voyage. As to the allowance, the appearance of the people does not indicate any ground for such complaint, and as to the quality, the provisions which were shown to me were all good, with the exception of a bucketful of corn meal, which one of the immigrants had kept for inspection on arrival in port. Water very good.

I BEG leave to lay before his Excellency the Governor the list of the manner in which, Encl. 2, in No. 56. pursuant to his Excellency's orders, the Madeirian immigrants were distributed from on board the "Lucknow."