76 STATISTICAL ACCOUNT OF THE 



their influence in electing one of themselves, to maintain their 

 majority in the college, as it is termed. A knowlege of the 

 Dutch language is not necessary to obtain a seat in it. The 

 governor is president of this body, with the privilege of a cast- 

 ing vote. The province of the college not only extends to the 

 appointment of members for the courts of police and justice ; 

 but to the financial department of the colony, so far as regards 

 the proper distribution of taxes raised for the internal improve- 

 ments. It is similar, in some degree, to the British house of 

 commons. The appointments in this college of keizers are 

 not enough rotatory. So many proprietors speculate on re- 

 turning eventually to Europe, that seats for life are neither 

 coveted, nor natural. The number of keizers is too limited : 

 they should bear some proportion to the number of estates 

 under cultivation, and increase with the increase of voters. 

 No doubt when peace returns, some uniform system of elect- 

 ing the administrative bodies will be applied to the whole coast 

 of Guyana ; in which the commercial interest, as well as the 

 landed, will be allowed to take a due representative share. 



A court of justice, which consists of six members and the 

 governor, sits every other month at the court house, and de- 

 cides on all causes laid before them according to the evidence 

 produced. The ability of council on either side, has too fre- 

 quently an opportunity of biassing the opinion of the court ; 

 from the members not having received a regular judicial course 



