452 TRINIDAD. 



The Governor had not it all his own way ; pamphlets were 

 written and petitions signed, supporting the rights of the land- 

 owners. These measures of Sir Ralph Woodford had their evil 

 consequences. Discontent prevailed, and the titles of property 

 being questioned, confidence was shaken, and the value of pro- 

 perty lowered. This was an egregious error of Governor Wood- 

 ford, and a political blunder, especially as the question might 

 have been easily settled by simply causing the disputed grant 

 to be re-surveyed and registered. 



The whole matter was laid before Parliament, when Mr. 

 Hume moved for the appointment of a Commission to report oi 

 the state of the island. Messrs. H. Maddock and Eortunati 

 Dwarris were appointed commissioners, and ordered to proceed 

 Trinidad to inquire into and report upon the state of the lan( 

 and the land question. Subsequently Mr. Jabez Henry ws 

 appointed chief commissioner, Mr. Maddock having been oblige 

 to leave. The question was fully considered by the other coi 

 missioners, and finally settled to the entire satisfaction of tl 

 colonists, after twelve years of incessant litigation. We ougl 

 to suppose that Governor Woodford acted either at the insti^ 

 tion or with the tacit support of the Government. 



On two different occasions, in 1819 and 1823, there wei 

 rumours of a rising amongst the negroes ; fortunately matters 

 were not as bad as first reported ; the alarm soon subsided — only 

 some wild talking among a few discontented slaves, but no 

 actual plot. 



In 1824 a law was passed for the protection of slaves ; and 

 in 1826 a royal proclamation was published removing certain 

 vexatious regulations respecting the free blacks and people of 

 colour. 



In May, 1818, the town of San Fernando was destroyed by 

 fire. Liberal sums were subscribed in aid of the sufferers. 



In 1813 the minutes of the Cabildo were ordered to be kept 

 in English ; and in 1814 the English language was, for the first 

 time, used in the law courts. 



An Order in Council was also published in 1823, making 

 changes in the tribunals of the island. 



Sir Ralph Woodford was absent from the colony a short 

 time in 1820, during which absence Lieutenant- Colonel Young 

 acted as Lieutenant-Governor ; again, in 1821-22, Colonel Young 



