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THE EARLY YEARS OF THE LAMAHA CANAL. 289 
macious, The estates had all agreed to pay to stivers 
per head for each slave on their estates towards the 
Overseer’s salary, but this they failed todo. As GEORGE 
BAKER, the Overseer could not get his money, he peti- 
tioned the Lamaha Committee for payment of the amount 
of his account for 2,200. The Committee acknowledged 
the corre€tness of his account but said that they had no 
money. They forwarded the account to the Government 
and requested the Governor to pay the amount out of 
the Colony Chest, as also a bill of ALEXANDER FRASER, as 
Manager of the Canal for 4315. The Governor refused 
very properly to do anything of the kind and returned 
the account to the Committee. Pln. Haagsbosch opposed 
the new canal as it would divert the bush water which in 
the wet seasons swept out the canal of that estate and so 
kept it clean. 
However, despite opposition and want of money the 
work went on. A Committee of Management was 
appointed, an Ordinance passed, meetings were regularly 
held and minutes taken. From these minutes which 
have been pretty regularly kept since 1827, the follow- 
ing extracts have been taken which it is hoped will be of 
interest to the readers of Zzmehri. 
The earliest minutes in our possession date from 
January 1827, when His Honour CHAS. HERBERT, First 
Fiscal, was Chairman and the Committee consisted 
of Messrs. STEPHEN CRAMER, J. H. ALBuoy, A, H. 
WALSTAB and RICHARD GRAY. The meetings were held 
at the Colony House and were fixed for the first Tuesday 
in January, April, July and Oétober in each year. The 
shares in the canal were awarded to the different 
estates according to the number of working slaves which 
