8 
18. The population according to the census of 1891 was 278,328 
(less than three persons to a square mile), and BPR of it are 
n comes the 
ssequebo, and lastly Berbice. In these settled portions of 
the Colony are included the principal towns, sugar plan ntations, 
cattle farms, and negro villages. There is a single public roa 
running parallel to the coast, and a railway ina Georgetown to 
the eastward. Recently a short railway has been constructed to 
connect the uia river with the aaao abo ozo soni falls. 
Beyond these all communication in the Colony is by w 
19. In the days of the Dutch occupation and down to 1829 the 
principal productions of Guiana were sugar, coffee, cacao, and 
cotton. In 1817 11,000 slaves were employed. In 1829 there 
existed 230 sugar estates and 174 coffee and cotton estates, i 
all in full cultivation. The total sugar production in 1829 w 
46,026 tons ; cnet there were also produced 9,230,486 lbs. of 
coffee, and 1,596,171 lbs. of cotton. The island of Leguan, in the 
mouth of the Essequebo, was so fertile and meaner that for man 
d the Colony 
Wakenaam had 20 sugar estates producing in 1829 crops wei 
9,363,934 lbs. Twenty years ak (1849) owing to the abolition 
of the slave trade, and subsequent emancipation, the number of 
sugar estates in the Colony was ko cere o 180, and the coffee and 
cotton estates had almost entirely Aieppenned. From this time 
the population became gradually concentrated on the coast lands, 
and sugar became the staple production of the Colony. The sugar 
rop had increased in 1579 to 95,078 tons, and in 1889 to 115,587 
E All other exports had practically disappeared. 
20. One result of emancipation, viz., the abandonment of estates 
in the interior, led to the settlement of the negroes in villages on 
the coast. The freed men combined together and bought ky 
sugar plantat aie i which in the aggregate they paid nearly 
l 
half a million ars. On these they erected cottages, and at 
the present time negro villages are p along the coast alter- 
nately with the sugar estates. The appraised value of these 
negro villages in 1896 was nearly 1,000,000 dollars, while the 
population at the census of 1891 had increased to 26,983 souls. 
This large population is only partially and fitfully employed on 
the sugar estates. It poA supports itself by growing plantains 
no oe and engaging for short periods in the gold 
in 
k: io 18°O the labouring population consisted of two yet 
viz.: creole negroes an Sorenson The latter were Africa 
Portuguese, and coolies. The number of creoles resident on cms 
— was 19,98 39, non-resident 42,755, of the immigrants, 5,820 
re African 5,206 Portuguese, 8,410 coolies. The total creole 
population i in 1830 w was 62,694, and the immigrant population 19,436. 
Even at that time “out of the 82,000 compos ing the rural popula- 
“tion, upwards of 42,000 hardly contributed in any way to raise 
“the siaples of the country.’ 
22. At the last census (1891) the total population of the Colony 
