210 TRINIDAD. 



for consideration. The unfixed establishment is regulated every 

 year. All motions for money must come through the governor. 

 There are regular meetings of the board, on the first day of each 

 month, or on the day following, should the first be a Sunday ; and 

 at any other time the governor may think proper to call the 

 members specially together ; and the board is to sit from day to 

 day, until the standing business is disposed of. The president and 

 six members to form a quorum. In the absence of his Excellency, 

 the senior member presides. The sittings are public, and the 

 proceedings reported in the newspapers of the colony. 



It is before this board, then presided over by the chief judge, 

 or, in his absence, by the senior member of the council, that each 

 new governor takes the oath previous to entering into office. 



The governor is vested with extensive powers ; and, as he has 

 the uncontrolled appointment of all officers who are not on the 

 fixed establishment, he can suspend and dismiss them without 

 referring to the Colonial Office : all others he can suspend from 

 office even the members of council until Her Majesty's plea- 

 sure is made known. He may require at the council-board the 

 attendance of all the members, and exact that of the official 

 section. The chief judge being, by position, the only independent 

 member of this section, the governor may be said to have the 

 command of the votes of the officials ; and he can, with a little 

 stratagem and his own casting vote, form a majority on any im- 

 portant question he wishes to carry or oppose. He has also the 

 control of the public funds ; and the receiver-general, it seems, is 

 justified in paying out any sum of money on the governor's 

 warrant. By royal instructions, he is not authorised except in 

 urgent cases to order the payment of any sum of money above 

 200, without special authority from the secretary of state, and 

 previous sanction by the board; and yet, seldom does a year 

 pass away without some such infraction on the part of the gover- 

 nor. He can also veto any measure passed by the legislative 

 council. 



GENERAL ADMINISTRATION. This may be considered under 

 five different heads : administrative, civil, judicial, ecclesiastical, 

 and financial. 



Administrative Section. As I have already stated, Lord 

 Harris introduced, in the year 1849, a new territorial division of 

 the island, which was accordingly partitioned into two grand sec- 



