106 TlMEHRI. 
Manager of the Colonial Bank in Kingston is describee^ 
as giving him the following cheery account of things : — 
" No one understood better than Mr. M the 
" troubles and dangers of the Colony, but he was in- 
" clined, perhaps by temperament, perhaps by knowledge, 
" to take a cheerful view of things. For the present 
" at least he did not think that there was anything serious 
" to be feared. The finances, of which he had the best 
" means of judging, were in tolerable condition. The debt 
" was considerable, but more than half of it was repre- 
" sented by a Railway. If sugar was languishing, the 
" fruit trade with the United States was growing with 
" the liveliest rapidity. Planters and merchants were not 
" making fortunes, but business went on." (pp. 267, 268.) 
Such was the state of things in Jamaica, at a time when 
its most important industry had well nigh suffered from 
a catastrophe. Surely, the outlook was rather a hopeful 
one. And yet, according to Mr. FROUDE, the colony's 
future was imperilled by the privilege the Taxpayers 
enjoyed of electing a certain number of the Members of 
the Legislature of the Island, (pp. 354, 355.) 
It cannot but be regretted that Mr. FROUDE should 
have seen so little of the soldier-statesman who has for 
the last four years and a half so ably and so happily 
filled the office of Governor of Jamaica. When Mr. 
FROUDE made his first stay in the Island, Sir HENRY 
NORMAN was away in England, whither he had been 
summoned on public business of an exceptional nature. 
Of him, when absent, our author writes thus: — "The 
" Governor, Sir Henry Norman, of Indian fame, I was 
" sorry to learn was still absent; he had gone home on 
" some legal business. Sir HENRY had an Imperial 
