468 TRINIDAD. 



In May, 1873, an Ordinance was passed to amend the law 

 with regard to immigrants ; a mean death-rate was declared, 

 calculated on the average death-rate of all indentured immigrants 

 in the colony ; in case o£ excessive death-rate on any plantation, 

 no allotment of new immigrants ; regulations were made re- 

 specting day and task work, and provisions introduced for 

 offences of immigrants. 



Another important measure was the Ordinance for the 

 custody of lunatics. For many years only lunatics who had 

 committed assaults or were dangerous were confined in the 

 asylum. Under the new law all classes of lunatics became ad- 

 missible. 



In 1876 the law with regard to wardens was amended; again 

 in 1878, power being given to the Governor to proclaim provinces; 

 the colony was consequently divided into two provinces, the 

 northern and the southern, and two commissioners appointed. 



A volunteer force was also formed, subject, as far as possible, 

 to the regulations for the voluntary force in England; the volun- 

 teers may be called on for military service in any emergency. 



As an amendment to the Wardens' Ordinance, the rate 

 leviable on lands was made an uniform tax, and buildings 

 exempted under former Ordinances became rateable — a fair 

 arrangement, which was well received by all landowners. 



In 1879 an Ordinance was passed "for constituting one 

 Supreme Court, and for other purposes relating to the better 

 administration of justice'''' — an Ordinance imitated from tht 

 English law, and entitled "the Judicature Ordinance/'' 



Governor Irving was absent from the colony once, from 

 December, 1877, to February, 1878, when the colony was ad- 

 ministered by the Hon. J. Scott Bushe, Colonial Secretary, and 

 George William des Vaeux, Esq., C.M.G. On his leaving 

 finally in July, 1880, and pending the arrival of his successor, 

 the colony was administered by Wm. A. G. Young, Esq., 

 Lieutenant-Governor of British Guiana, from August, 1880, to 

 November, same year. 



The present Governor of Trinidad is Sir Sanford Freeling. 



I will conclude this chapter with a few general remarks. 



Every Governor in succession had to revise, alter, and amend the 



Immigration Ordinance as first passed ; this was natural enough, 



and is easily understood. The Ordinance was, at first, as an 



