CRIME. 199 



whole period, 13 commitments for murder and manslaughter, 

 viz., 2 in 1850, 2 in 1852, 2 in 1853, and as many as 7 in 1854. 

 Amongst the latter were three Chinese, for the murder of one of 

 their countrymen, and two Coolies. There were altogether 9 

 commitments for arson, 32 for burglary, and 63 for cutting and 

 wounding. 



Murder and manslaughter are generally the results of re- 

 venge ; and I recollect only one case, since emancipation, wherein 

 a man was murdered with the view of appropriating money. The 

 crime of arson is of very frequent occurrence. Magass houses, in 

 which the cane refuse or magass is stored as fuel, are generally 

 selected as being the more easily fired ; it is, however, with the 

 greatest difficulty that the perpetrators can be discovered or 

 apprehended. There were in the above years an annual average 

 of thirteen cases of cutting and wounding ; and how many more 

 were, and are, never brought before the magistrate ! For the 

 negro very much resembles the school-boy, who prefers silently 

 to suffer rather than call for the interference of his master. The 

 weapon most commonly used in such cases is the cutlass, an 

 agricultural tool, which is too often turned into an instrument of 

 malice and revenge. The negro is irritable, obstinate, and vin- 

 dictive, so much so that, whenever his passions have been roused 

 by contention or stubborn opposition, they become unmanageable, 

 and he then strikes his opponent with whatever weapon he can 

 grasp. 1296 cases of theft, or 259 as a yearly average, show to 

 what an extent the practice of stealing is carried ; but in how 

 many cases is information not lodged on the offended party re- 

 covering the stolen goods, or how many are disposed of by the 

 injured party's summary procedure of inflicting corporal punish- 

 ment on the thief. 



There appear further on the list thirteen cases of rape : this is 

 also a crime of rather frequent recurrence, and of which Africans 

 chiefly are guilty. 418 cases of drunkenness, and 840 of breach 

 of contract also occur, to the latter class of which offences the 

 indentured labourers, viz., the Coolies and Chinese, mainly con- 

 tribute the largest quota. To the above 840 cases may be added 

 254 more, for other infringements of the provisions of the Immi- 

 gration Ordinance, and for which they alone are responsible : so 

 that it may be safely affirmed that of 1,361 Coolies and Chinese 

 committed to prison, during the five years ranging from 1st of 



