GENERAL ADMINISTRATION. 209 



president, and twelve members, of whom six are official, and six 

 non-official. The official members are the colonial secretary, 

 the chief judge, attorney-general, solicitor-general, receiver- 

 general, and superintendant of immigrants. Previous to the 

 offices of treasurer and collector of customs being consolidated 

 into that of receiver-general, these officers were ex-officio members ; 

 and when the Bishop of Barbadoes who has jurisdiction in 

 Trinidad is in the colony, he is entitled to a seat and a vote at 

 the board. The non-official members must be British-born sub- 

 jects ; they are nominees of the crown, and chosen from among 

 planters and merchants, to the exclusion of professional men and 

 others. 



The position of the chief judge, as a member of the legislative 

 council, is a rather delicate one, since he may be called upon to 

 give, at the board, his opinion on matters which will have, after- 

 wards, to be decided on the bench. 



The legislative council discusses and adopts such ordinances 

 arid measures as are introduced or proposed by the governor, or 

 any member of the council. To become law, all measures passed 

 by the council must receive Her Majesty's sanction. Ordinances 

 which have been neither disapproved, nor formally approved 

 within two years of their having been passed, become void and 

 null. Generally, whenever any member proposes a legislative 

 measure, he must ijimself prepare it in a legal shape an objec- 

 tionable course, in my opinion, because it is almost impossible that, 

 under such circumstances, some glaring errors should not creep 

 in, and render the law defective. It may also happen that such 

 a measure, though passed in council, is not transmitted home for 

 confirmation, and thus becomes null after two years. This was the 

 case with the ordinance establishing vestries for the Roman 

 Catholic churches in this island. And yet it was seriously stated 

 that it was the fault of the Roman Catholics, since they ought to 

 have asked for its transmission home, and for its confirmation. 



The legislative council discusses also and votes the estimates 

 for each year, in the month of May. The items may be ranged 

 under two heads, viz., the fixed and the unfixed establishments. 

 The estimates, as regards the fixed establishments, are laid before 

 the board, as a mere matter of form, and are not submitted for 

 discussion. Members, however, may propose alterations in the 

 shape of resolutions, which are transmitted to the Colonial Office 



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