Clubs & Societies in British Guiana to 1844. 85 
River District Agricultural Society for July 1841, they 
complained very much of the want of labourers, the defi- 
ciency being fully a third. There had been heavy rainsand 
the coffee crop was abundant, but there was not enough 
hands to gather it. A large number of immigrants had 
arrived lately but they regretted to say none had been 
located in the river, which they considered an injustice, 
as they paid the immigration tax as well as others. In 
reply to their complaints the Governor said the immi- 
grants were at liberty to choose their locations, the only 
advice given them being that the sea coasts were the 
most healthy. 
As may be supposed, with ruin staring them in the 
face the planters could only talk over their troubles, and 
make complaints of this, that, and the other thing, for all 
of which of course the Government was to blame. They 
tried their best to keep wages uniform, but there were 
always some independent ones who would not agree, or 
after consenting, could not see their crops spoilt for the 
sake of a few extra guilders. The Government could do 
nothing, as the feeling in England was so strong that 
even the slightest attempt at coercion by law would have 
been disallowed, so the Agricultural Societies tried in 
December 1841 to bring about a new order of things by 
agreeing to certain Rules and Regulations. These 
differed in the several districts as they were formulated 
by the Society of each division, but all agreed to abolish 
the old slave allowances, to reduce wages, and fine the 
occupiers of cottages on the estates who would not per- 
form a daily task. They also agreed in winding up with 
the provision that if the labourers continued on the 
estates for forty-eight hours after six o'clock on the 
