THE IMMIGRATION ORDINANCE. 369 



favourite measure ; and, in fact, from its prudent and judicious 

 enforcement, much permanent and practical good might have 

 ensued : it is, certainly, the most important measure passed under 

 his lordship's government. The next in point of significance was 

 the Immigration Ordinance ; and, in treating this subject, I feel 

 but little apprehension of meeting with the objections which will 

 be urged against my opinions on the Territorial Ordinance. 



Demerara, Trinidad, and Jamaica, are the three British 

 colonies, in these regions, which particularly need population, and 

 to which immigration is a matter of vital importance ; they are 

 also the three colonies which have made the greatest efforts, and 

 the greatest sacrifices towards the introduction of immigrants. 

 Demerara and Trinidad have been so far successful, that the 

 quantity of sugar they now produce equals, or even exceeds, the 

 average exported before the emancipation ; and it must be 

 granted that the introduction of immigrants, and of Coolies par- 

 ticularly, has preserved the cane cultivation in these colonies from 

 complete abandonment : the latter form, at present, the great 

 body of working labourers on sugar estates. But as part of that 

 population gradually retires from field labour either by leaving 

 the island to return home, or by adopting other occupations it 

 becomes imperative to make provision for a continuous influx of 

 labourers, lest the cultivation of our staple article should diminish 

 to a large extent, or should even almost entirely cease. The 

 necessity which is still felt of introducing a further supply of 

 immigrants, after nearly 80,000 have been already imported, 

 must have been still more urgent, immediately after the emanci- 

 pation : it had, in fact, become to us the great and vital question, 

 the paramount " to be or not to be." Of course, all sorts of 

 immigrants were at first welcomed ; and, as a consequence, much 

 private and public money was squandered in importing worse than 

 worthless individuals. 



Immediately after emancipation, so pressing had become the 

 demand for agricultural labourers, in consequence of our scanty 

 population, and the preposterously high wages paid for field labour; 

 so palpable, so imminent, had become the danger of ruin, that it 

 was at once and almost instinctively resolved to call in immi- 

 grants by every mode of inducement. Immigration was, at the 

 commencement, carried on by private individuals ; but the losses 

 incurred by those who had made the attempt, soon put a stop to 



