60 
private lands may eventually be brought within reach of small 
settlers, and these, if accessible by roads and in the neighbourhood 
of habitations, should relieve undue pressure on Crown lands. 
It is necessary, also, before further areas of Crown lands are 
alienated, = certain tracts are defined as reservations for 
ber purposes to conserve the rainfall, and to prevent injury 
by destructive floods. In other West Indian Colonies this 
mportan ter has been overlooked until too late, and in some 
it will be emai probably at a considerable cost, to buy back 
lands that ought never to have been alienated. Forest, as is well 
known, should be carefully preserved on uplands where its 
destruction would either (a) expose the lowlands to injurious 
winds ; or (4) where its clearance from the catchment areas of 
rivers would, by diminishing the natural storage of rain which a 
forest affords, expose the lowlands to floods in the rainy season or 
a dearth of water in a dry. 
175. From this review of the capabilities and circumstances of 
Trinidad, it is evident that although the sugar industry is in a 
critical position, and may eventually be seriously reduced, the 
resources of the island, if carefully developed, should still 
maintain it in a condition of comparative prosperity. ere 
should, however, be no delay in organising measures to safeguard 
the cacao and other industries capable of yielding emplo yment to 
the labouring classes, and there should also be a einn prose- 
cution of efforts to instruct and encourage the people in 
cultivation of the land, and in producing articles of high quality 
for export purposes. 
176. Instruction in sound agricultural methods, the opening of 
b 
moderate rate of interest would find as active a response in 
Trinidad as in any part of the world. 
7 s confirming this view, it may be mentioned that the 
increase in the net value of the exports of native produce and 
manufacture shows, according to a memorandum submitted by 
the Government Statist, that E up to now Trinidad has lost none 
“ of its wonderful powers of development and progress. Notwith- 
“ standing a heavy fall in the price of both cacao, and cocoa-nuts 
“ the increased value of ey exports during 15 years has not only 
* made igs te shortage of 506,989/. in the exports of the sugar 
“ products, but has added 558, 4387. to the total, bringing it up 
n oe A ,678,552/. at the end of 1885 to 7,236, 9907. at the end of 
