THE BAHAMA ISLANDS 557 



Colonial Land and Emigration Commissioners took exception to such an 

 arbitrary manner of granting laud, although the Harbor Island people 

 expressed satisfaction with the method. 



The best of these plans for granting land gave no permanent satisfaction 

 to the holders. The prices were too high for lands of such poor quality. 

 Squatting prevailed both under the apprenticeship system and afterwards. 

 In 1839 the House of Assembly threw out the Governor's bill for preventing 

 the unauthorized occupation of land."' The attempt of the government to 

 put a check on this manner of occupation was thus defeated. Squatting had 

 become such an abuse that it caused a deficiency in the supply of labor avail- 

 able for hire.'''' The existing law against the practice was rendered useless 

 bv its own provision, that a magistrate could not eject a squatter until he 

 had had possession for twelve months. The process of ejectment in the 

 courts was long and tedious. Offenders were not discouraged by this fact.*"* 

 Public and private property alike suffered depredation. The renting of pri- 

 vate lands was so unsatisfactory as to engender disputes, which often ended 

 by the tenants occupying Crown lands without title.""^ The occupation of the 

 Out-island lands had not resulted in successful farming ventures. A great 

 deal of the land was held by large proprietors, who cultivated but small tracts 

 and offered no continuous employment for wage labor. The difficulty of 

 cultivating the rocky surface was also a great deterrent to cultivation. 

 Orchards flourished in some places, and a little corn and a few vegetables were 

 produced."'" On Eleuthera and some of the other Out-islands pineapples were 

 produced for the American market. But none of these yielded lucrative 

 returns for capital invested, except the pineapples in a few small districts. 



Commutation of Quit Rents. 



The burden of the quit rents remained as onerous as it had been. There 



was the same disposition on the part of the people to neglect the payment. The 



House of Assembly hoped to gain a reduction in the amount of quit rents, or 



a grant to itself of the disposal of the funds arising from them."" Failing 



•^^^Cockburn to Glenelg, No. 9 (1839). 

 "-^ Cockburn to Russell, No. 20. 

 «^ Cockburn to Stanley, No. 46. 

 "»Sess. P., 1843, 29, p. 15 (28). 

 "^^ Nesbitt to Stanley, No. 18. 

 «" H. v., 1834, pp. 92-94. 



