PROCEEDINGS OP THE VICTORIA INSTITUTE. 
34? 
Now, in the year 1887, the situation was as follows : The 
North Coast was provided with a large number of bays, where 
sloops could shelter fairly well, planters could ship their produce 
at these bays without much difficulty. Therefore, the best way 
to develop the North Coast, speaking generally was, to open up 
short roads running from the northern range of hills to the 
various shipping bays. The southern and south-eastern coasts 
where the}' were fertile could be developed in the same way, 
also the coast from Cedros to San Fernando. The basin of the 
Caroni was fairly well supplied with means of communication 
by a railway, and by a large number of roads, and the south- 
western basin of the Guaracara and the Cipero was provided 
with a large number of railways and roads. The district of 
the southern Oropuche east of Siparia, was certainly cut off 
from the rest of the world — but that could be opened up very 
easily by a system of roads converging on San Fernando. But 
with regard to the two large districts in the east central portion 
of the Colony, namely, the basin of the Oropuche, and the basin 
of the Nariva and Ortoire, some special mode of treatment 
seemed advisable. There are large districts stretching from 
the centre of the Island up to the east coast, the coastline is 
short in comparison, and being exposed to the easterly winds, 
and having no bays, shipping operations are carried on 
with difficulty. The Manzanilla district, one of the most 
fertile parts of the Colony, had absolutely no stone suit- 
able for metalling a road. It was agreed, therefore, that a 
railway should be made almost entirely with that one object in 
view, to take road material into the district, and then that 
roads should be constructed from the railway in all directions. 
I will now describe the selection of the route for this railway, 
and the position of its terminus. It was considered advisable 
to creep down south as much as possible so as to keep on the 
good land; in fact, if the country had permitted it, we should 
have gone right down to Tumpuna, taken the left bank of the 
Caroni and worked eastward some three miles to the southward 
of the present line. But it was found that the lateral ridges 
starting from the main central ridge, came right down to the 
Caroni river, making it impossible to run a railway there excep 
at very great cost for cuttings and embankments. Many have 
said, why did you stop at Sangre Grande ? Firstly, it was 
considered unnecessary to put ca railway where you could pu < 
road. Now, having arrived at a spot within eight miles 0 ' 
coast, we were within the limiting distance toi r ? ns ^ ii pf i 
fetal. A road could be built to the sea coast, and retail 
, rom tiio terminus. Secondly, the last five mi es w0 . * r0 
been very expensive for a railway ending on a coast whei 
no harbour. Thirdly, because the actual position 
