CARAPICHAIMA — COUVA — SAVANETTA. 297 



These wards, being flat, may be considered as damp, at least 

 during part of the year ; they are partly still in high woods or 

 brush woods. The water is very shallow along the whole length 

 of coast, and mangrove swamps occur at frequent intervals ; as 

 a necessary consequence, malarial fevers are rather prevalent. 



During the last few years cane cultivation has been increased 

 in these wards, and much improved. Steam-ploughs have been 

 used apparently with signal advantage, inasmuch as the average 

 yield per acre has been increased, and the cost of cultivation 

 diminished. But the soil, as a rule, is sadly deficient in lime salts. 



The first vacuum pan and turbines ever worked in Trinidad 

 were put up on the Brechin Castle estate (Savanetta) , and with 

 good results to the proprietor, I assume, since he has been 

 induced to repeat the experiment on the bank of the Caroni. 

 These two factories, as compared with our ordinary establish- 

 ments, are undoubtedly great improvements; not such, however, 

 as I would like to see permanently adopted. 



Mr. J. Cumming has erected on the Waterloo estate, in 

 Carapichaima, an improved manufactory, capable of turning out 

 more than 5,000 tons of white crystallised sugar. 



Indeed, this is a progress which we should hail with deep 

 satisfaction. Carapichaima, Couva, and Savanetta : population, 

 1881, 11,305; 1871, 7,477. 



Ward of Montserrat. — This is a newly-constituted ward, the 

 limits of which are not yet well defined, at least on the north 

 and east. As the formation of this ward is intimately connected 

 with the suppression of squatting in the island, I beg to enter 

 into some details on the subject. 



Not many years ago, the district or quarter of Montserrat 

 was mostly, if not entirely, occupied by individuals of Spanish 

 descent — peones of the best class — who had been allured thereto 

 by the fertility of the soil, and the facility of getting land. Not 

 ten could show any title to the land they occupied. They were 

 therefore squatters, but squatters of the good sort, who aimed at 

 becoming proprietors and permanent settlers. They cultivated 

 provisions, cacao, and coffee. This class, numbering at least 

 four hundred, comprised, besides the Spanish peones already 

 mentioned, a few descendants of persons who were free before 

 emancipation — amongst them some tradesmen, especially car- 

 penters. 



