JUDICIAL DEPARTMENT. 219 



Immediately after the capture of the island, Mr. J. Nihell was 

 appointed chief-justice, deciding all cases submitted to him 

 according to his conscience. Governor Picton, in 1800, established 

 the " Court of Consulado " ; Governor Hislap abolished this court 

 in 1807, and re-appointed Mr. Nihell as chief judge. In 1808, 

 however, the Colonial Office sent Judge Smith to Trinidad, with 

 authority over all the tribunals of the island ; he was also em- 

 powered to hear appeals from his own decisions, and the inhabi- 

 tants have preserved in their recollections the case of " Vance," 

 where the learned judge reversed his own sentence. 



In the year 1814, John Bigge, Esq., barrister-at-law, arrived 

 in Trinidad, as chief judge, both civil and criminal, and associated 

 to himself, in criminal matters, Dr. Ramon Garcia, the assessor to 

 their honours the alcaldes : appeals from his decrees were allowed 

 to the governor, as judge of the court of appeal. The alcaldes in 

 ordinary, however, continued to entertain actions in civil matters, 

 concurrently with their assessor and the chief judge, until 1823, 

 when the " court of alcaldes in ordinary " was abolished by an 

 order in council of September, 1822. 



By this, and another order of the same date, beneficial altera- 

 tions were made in the judicial administration of the colony. The 

 powers united in the administration of civil and criminal cases 

 were separated ; the " courts of criminal trial," and " first 

 instance of civil jurisdiction " established ; and a judge of 

 " criminal inquiry " appointed. A " court of appeal," both in 

 criminal and civil matters, was organised, with the governor as 

 judge, and an assessor or assistant his honour Antonio Gomez. 

 He also assisted the chief judge in the " court of criminal trial," 

 as also in that of " first instance of civil jurisdiction." 



Judge Bigge was succeeded, in the year 1828, by Ashton 

 Warner, Esq., of the Middle Temple, who died in September, 

 1830, much esteemed and universally regretted, both as a judge 

 and a gentleman. His successor (in 1832) was his Honour 

 George Scotland, of the Middle Temple, a talented barrister, who 

 retired from the colony in the year 1849 on a pension, and was 

 succeeded by the Honourable George William Knox, barrister, a 

 native of the island. 



At the arrival of Sir Ralph Woodford, in 1813, all suits of law 

 were filed in the office of some " escribano," or public writer, 

 whose duties, in the courts, were similar to those of the registrar 



