172 TRINIDAD. 



receive only coarse food, and are much neglected in every other 

 respect. 



Religion. — Although Christianity is the professed religion 

 of the people, yet immigration has been instrumental in intro- 

 ducing Mahometans, Gentoos, and other heathen sects. In this 

 respect the religious community may be divided as follows : — 



Census, 1871. 



Heathen Gentoos and others 27,000 



Christians 80,300 





There were in the colony at the time of the last census, 188 

 37,280 Coolies and Chinese. I do not believe that, out of these, 

 more than 3,000 had become Christians, leaving as heathens 

 34,280. 



The census of 1861 had given the following numbers : — 

 Christians, 65,053; Mahometans and heathens, 4,547. 



Catholicism may be said to be the religion of the majority of 

 the people, since Trinidad having been settled by Spaniards and 

 French, they brought up their slaves in the religion which they 

 themselves professed. 



Episcopalians and Dissenters came in after the capitulation 

 of the island ; but it is since emancipation that their number has 

 increased, by the influx of immigrants from the other colonies* 

 as well as from North America, Great Britain, and Madeira — the 

 immigrants from the latter country being, in fact, refugees, in 

 consequence of a change of religion. 



For some years the Church of England enjoyed all the privi- 

 leges of an Established Church ; it was, however, disestablished 

 in the year 1868, and the various Christian communities existing 

 in the island placed on the same footing. The Anglican and 

 the Catholic clergy had always been paid a stipend from the 

 Treasury. In the year 1869 the sum thus paid was consolidated 

 into an Ecclesiastical Fund, from which are now paid the 

 Anglican and Catholic clergy, also the Wesleyan ministers, 

 according to the numbers of their congregation. The Presby- ' 

 terians and Baptists declined the aid offered. 



The Episcopalian establishment consists, locally, of a bishop, 

 an archdeacon, four rectors, and three island curates ; one assis- 1 

 tant curate. 



The Roman Catholic establishment consists of one arch- 



