478 
PROCEEDINGS OE SECTION E. 
had been considered in England, and I was able to proclaim an Order in 
Council by Her Majesty granting a new Constitution and ordering the 
registration of voters. Elections took place in September, and the newly 
formed Legislative Council was opened on the 30th of that month. 
I will presently describe the form of the new Constitution, which, 
though at first thought not sufficiently liberal by some of the political 
leaders, has worked with considerable success to the present time. 
During the period of more than live years during which I remained 
in Jamaica, and during the last six years in which Sir Henry Blake 
has been Governor, it may, I think, be affirmed that Jamaica has made 
good progress, and many measures of improvement have been carried 
out. Drawbacks and troubles there have been, and in my time there 
were, in addition to the almost inevitable drought and floods, a 
cyclone and a prolonged epidemic of smallpox. Various interesting 
events took place in these eleven years, but I must hasten on, and 
merely say that I believe there are now few possessions of Her Majesty 
of which the inhabitants are more loyal, and, I believe, contented. 
By the Queen’s Order in Council, the new Legislative Council 
was to be composed of the Governor as President, the Senior Military 
Officer, the Colonial Secretary, the Attorney- General, and the 
Director of Public Works, not more than five other members to be 
appointed by the Crown, and nine elected for the nine electoral 
districts into which the island was divided ; but it was provided that 
not more than two, instead of five, members were to be nominated by 
the Crown for the present, as it was desired to give the elected 
members a majority, and not only have the latter remained with this 
majority, but it was laid down that, in any case affecting finance in 
which two-thirds of the elected members agreed, no resolution or Bill 
was to be carried adverse to the views of that proportion of the 
elected members. Speaking generally, this legislative body has much 
the same power as Colonial Parliaments, but without the means of 
forcing a change in the members of the Executive Government. 
Some change was subsequently made in the franchise first 
proposed, and since 188G every male British subject of tweutv-one 
years of age and upwards, and who has no legal incapacity, can vote, 
provided he — 
Is an occupier as owner or tenant of a dwelling-house within 
the electorate, capable of being rated in respect of all poor 
rates, and has paid taxes to the amount of not less than 
10s. in the year ; or 
Is possessed of property on which he has paid taxes to the 
amount of not less than £1 10s. in the year, and ordinarily 
resides within the electorate; or 
In the electorate in which he claims to vote, is in receipt of an 
annual salary of £50 or upwards. 
The number of registered voters in 1893-94 was 42,266, or about 
30 per cent, of the adult male population. 
I will now give a few particulars concerning the island at the 
present time. 
By the last census the population, as I have already said, was 
639,491, and is now estimated at 650,000. Of these about 2 per 
cent, are white. The remainder are, with the exception of 12,000 
Indian coolies and 200 Chinese, chiefly of African descent, and 
