192 
PROCEEDINGS OF THE VICTORIA INSTITUTE 
them as being so uninteresting there was a curious history 
of the development of Trinidad. Taking the population of the 
country as one which was specially indicative of a country’s 
prosperity, or at all events of a country not receding, they would 
find that in thirteen years this colony had risen from 84,000 to, 
at the last Census of 1891 — 200,000, and according to the 
proportion of it and the rate of progression of the population, in 
the year 1897, namely this very' year, the population of this 
Island must be about 250,000 inhabitants. If they compared 
that with the 84,000 only that existed in 1884, that was a proof 
that this colony was making progress, because when they were 
talking of population it did not mean only having a multitude of 
individuals in the place, it meant housing them, feeding them, 
it meant that they should find a means of living and all that had 
to be found. They 'naturally added to the labour market by 
their intelligence, by their work, by their ability. But at the 
same time, it was a proof that the colony was progressing. 
In connection with the population he might Iso say that there 
was very great hope of every lady in the Island finding a 
husband (laughter) because it appeared from the Census that there 
were 845 females to every thousand males, so that there was a 
margin, and ladies could even select between two and three. 
This showed that the Blue Books were at all events 
interesting. The Revenue of the Colony in 1884, which was 
the first year in which a regular Blue Book was published, was 
£476,000. It was in 1896, £618,000, namely a rise of £142,000 
a year. That, he should say, was conclusive proof that the 
Co ony was marching, namely, going on progressing. The 
™ ' ch in 1884 was •£•590,000 had diminished in 
1896 to £38o,000 notwithstanding all the new works which had 
been begun and probably to which they would add this year, 
shoi’ihf V iere We ',? son “« > m P° rt ant works, but that the debt itself 
no >O SO sn| all and the Revenue so good, indicated a sound 
he con ’!! 101 as he Sieved n0 other Colony could boast of, and 
fcrStiM U,is (applause). He could not 
»d L “Ll , l e , t 0, ., h "" d ;C 'if tolk « d f -ore, 
nature. In human 
alwavs hannenprl .n <• 1“ n na , ture - Tn human nature it 
person he •liwiv 1 Y* ' v len OIle had paid a compliment to a 
- 'ill? had sa y f>mething disagreeable after it, and 
• 6 ?aoc nam< ‘-iy that that the schools in 
t.:8, and in 1896 tWr 
this was the dis 
1884 were 
only of 54 in 
in 1884 was 24,000. 
, „ lm in 1896 they were only 192, an increase 
)eais. orse still, the number of pupils 
and it was only 27,000 in 1896. 
£32,000 to £38 00C) U v* 6 ’*. ^ la, d not increased very much, from 
credit of this Colony 'that thle Should ^^^ 0 ^ 
