IMMIGRATION. 341 



with Grenada, Nevis, Montserrat, and St. Christopher. The 

 captains who introduced them being entitled to a bounty, 

 managed to bring over as many as possible ; and, in order to 

 keep up the trade, they would take back the very same people 

 for whom they had received a premium on some former voyage, 

 in order to have the opportunity of re-introducing them a second, 

 or even a third and fourth time, thus converting the same indi- 

 viduals into an ad libitum bounty. This discreditable practice was 

 carried on until, being discovered, the bounty system was discon- 

 tinued. Thus ended the ill-contrived and injudiciously-managed 

 intercolonial immigration. 



The demand for labour, however, was still pressing. Immi- 

 grants came from Havre, Madeira, and the United States. 

 Those from France were engaged either as house-servants or 

 field-labourers. The former, after their term of service had ex- 

 pired, preferred a livelihood as shopkeepers, carters, or petty 

 traffickers ; only a very few succeeded. The latter were carried 

 oft' by fever. The immigrants from the States did not succeed 

 any better, inasmuch as being generally carpenters, bricklayers, 

 &c, they had to compete with the same class of tradesmen, 

 already too numerous in the colony. Immigrants from Madeira 

 were more successful. The two sources, however, from which we 

 have received the largest accession of labourers are Africa and 

 Hindostan. 



The Home Government having decided that the Africans 

 liberated from the captured slavers would be sent to the West 

 India colonies, Trinidad received a good share. A few hundred 

 voluntary immigrants also came from the Kroo coast. It soon, 

 however, became evident that we could not depend for any length 

 of time on a supply of labourers from this source ; and it was 

 decided to follow the example of Mauritius, and to introduce 

 Coolies from Hindostan. Accordingly the Fatel Rosack left 

 Calcutta with a first cargo of Coolies, and anchored in the har- 

 bour on the 30th May, 1845. The pressure must have been 

 great indeed to compel the colonists to seek labour from the far 

 East ; and such a determination certainly argues much in favour 

 of their energy. Other vessels followed in regular succession ; 

 and in May, 1848, 5,162 immigrants from India had been landed 

 in the island. The two or three first draughts answered the 

 expectations which had been formed ; but the others did not. 



