170 



TRINIDAD : THEN AND NOW. 



The next event of importance in the extension of 

 the town was the purchase of the abandoned sugar 

 estate of St. Clair to the west of Port-of-Spain, origi- 

 nally bought for the purpose of f orming a stock farm 

 for the purpose of improving the breed of horses and 

 cattle. There is a curious story told about this pur- 

 chase. It was pretty well known at the time that the 

 government were negotiating for its acquirement 

 and, in fact, if I mistake not, it had formed the sub- 

 ject of more than one debate in Legislative Council, 

 but its purchase for some reason or other hung fire. 

 An Englishman who was here at the time got infor- 

 mation, by some means, that the governor was very 

 keen on its purchase and was totally opposed to the 

 cheese-paring, beating down of the price asked and 

 that he was determined to have the purchase com- 

 plete without further haggling. This gentleman, 

 being either very cute or being very well advised, in- 

 structed a well-known barrister to offer a slight 

 advance on what the government, up to this time, had 

 offered. His offer was accepted, the deeds made out 

 and the purchase completed within less than a week. 

 In the course of a few days he resold it to the govern- 

 ment netting, it was said, £2,000 profit by the trans- 

 action. 



St. Clair Avenue was laid out and when cop- 

 pleted some lots were put up for sale and leased on 

 the same terms as those of Tranquillity. All the land 

 to the north of the avenue was retained as a stock 

 farm and managed for many years by Mr. J. B. White. 

 The portions to the south were to be sold, as I have 



