HISTORICAL SKETCH. 459 



It was under the government of Lord Harris, in 1853, that 

 an Ordinance was passed for the regulation of municipal corpora- 

 tions in the island. Port-of-Spain and San Fernando were 

 constituted boroughs, under the title of Mayor and Burgesses of 

 Port-of-Spain, and Mayor and Burgesses of San Fernando. 

 Port-of-Spain was divided into five wards, each ward being 

 represented by three councillors. Under the old constitution, 

 the Governor was the president of the Town Council, but the 

 meetings were presided over by a vice-president. The Governor 

 signed the minutes, and had a right of veto. The exercise of 

 that right of veto was, on more than one occasion, a cause of 

 conflict between the Town Council and the Governor. 



A much regrettable event occurred during the government of 

 Lord Harris. A serious riot took place on the 1st of October, 

 1852; the military were called out, and had to make use of 

 their arms; one person was killed, and several others were 

 wounded. The immediate cause was the indiscriminate enforce- 

 ment of certain regulations, which, however, were not applicable 

 to debtors ; they had been cancelled, but a public meeting had 

 been called; the people became highly excited, and assembled 

 riotously round the Government- house ; there the conflict took 

 place. 



Lord Harris was unassuming, persevering, and straight- 

 forward. His charity was unbounded, and no poor were ever 

 sent away unassisted ; and more than one indigent respectable 

 family received from him substantial pecuniary aid. The exports 

 and imports of the colony had fallen off, and the revenue had 

 decreased in proportion ; the funds were hardly sufficient to pay 

 the salaries of the public officers. The Governor had come to 

 the determination of retrenching from those salaries, beginning 

 with his own. The colony, however, was not brought to such 

 an extremity. 



During the whole time of his office, Lord Harris never left 

 the island, thus devoting his whole time to the administra- 

 tion of the colony entrusted to his care. He is one of the few 

 Governors of Trinidad who, on leaving, were accompanied by 

 the regrets and good wishes of the colonists ; even those who 

 had disapproved some of his acts were afterwards compelled to 

 recognise his sterling qualities. 



Commodore Sir Charles Elliot succeeded to Lord Harris, and 



