£45,000 sterling money. But this establishment is still further extended by occasional grants by the Assembly of Jamaica, by parliamentary grants, and by certain religious societies in England, and by individuals there and in Jamaica. In addition to this establishment, very extensive means of religious instruction are afforded by the Presbyterian, Moravian, Wesleyan, and Baptist missions, established in Jamaica, and those schools and places of worship are thickly spread over the colony; and large contributions for supporting and extending these schools are derived from parliamentary grants, from grants by the Assembly of Jamaica, by charitable institutions, and by private individuals here and at Jamaica."

British Guiana.

"If I were not convinced that the unhappy Africans are benefited by the transfer to this colony, I should not so urgently press the continuance of the countenance of Her Majesty's Government to that effect. I have, in my residence on this coast, seen that the Africans from Sierra Leone are far from being in the civilized state I should have anticipated; that their condition must, therefore, here be improved: how much more so, then, must the pure savage be raised by being brought amongst his own colour, who are in a high progressive state of civilization."

"Religious instruction administered at fifty-seven places of public worship. Each parish has at least two parochial schools under the superintendence of the minister. Each missionary has a school attached to his domicile, and nearly all the principal plantations in the colony, if at a distance from the schools, maintain a school for the instruction of their laborers' children, free of expense.

"An annual grant has been made by the colony in aid of the education of children of the laboring population in the rural districts, amounting to 13,333 dollars."

"The average rate of wages for agricultural laborers is about 5-12ths of a dollar per task; a day's task is understood to be seven hours, but is generally performed in four or five hours by

an industrious man; any extra time or labor is paid for additional."

"House-room, garden ground, medicine, and medical attendance, have hitherto been granted free; all other requisites are provided by the laborers themselves."

Trinidad.

"By Mr. Latrobe's Report in 1839, it appears there were thirty-five day and evening schools, and fourteen Sunday, of all denominations; whereas, by the Return of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, the Established Church alone has now twenty-eight schools, and it is calculated that the present number in all is not less than from fifty to sixty. As regards churches and chapels, there are no less than eighteen connected with the Established Church, eleven Roman Catholic, four Wesleyan, and one Presbyterian, together thirty-four, for a population of from 50,000 to 60,000 souls; this would give a school for every 1,000 souls, and a Church for every 2,000.

"In the Colonial Estimate for this year, there is a provision of £1,660 for the Established Church, and for the Roman Catholic £3,236, as fixed expenditure, besides £5,865 towards building churches, and £1,937 towards education.”*

"The soil of Trinidad is a rich marl that requires no manuring whatever, and of such soil there are fully one million of acres in brushwood and forest. Were there only a sufficiency of labor, every British market might be amply supplied with sugar from this one island; hence, foreign sugars would be excluded, and the Slave-trade, as it refers to Great Britain at least, would be practically discouraged.

"In Trinidad, too, Christian ministers can live and labor with far less risk of health and loss of time. Government is also extremely willing to give half the amount required for the erection of chapels, school-houses, teachers' salaries, &c. in any part of the island where we may have even a small society of emigrants.

*

Extract from a letter addressed by Rev. J. Blackwell, Wesleyan minister in Trinidad, to Wesleyan ministers at Sierra Leone.

F

1

"It is therefore my deliberate conviction that the people would gain an accession to their religious privileges by quitting any part of Western Africa for the island of Trinidad.

“But again I think that the worldly circumstances of the emigrants would be considerably advanced. The laborers may very easily earn half a dollar per day on their arrival here, and in a couple of weeks, that is, as soon as they fully understand the nature of the work, the able-bodied may make a dollar. A house and garden are given to every laborer. On these parti

culars Mr. David and the laborers who have returned with him will be able to satisfy you."

Now after looking at such a picture, drawn from the most unsuspected sources, we cannot doubt that, whether for the homeless Negro just rescued from the hold of a slave-ship, or for the ignorant and uncivilized African who comes down to our settlements to pick up a small pittance by the hardest labor, and to return with it to his barbarous home, it would be of the highest advantage, it would be the greatest blessing, to make such an exchange.

*

*

*

We need hardly add more to prove that it would be well for the African, in every point of view, to find himself a free laborer in the free British West India Colonies, enjoying there, as he would, higher advantages of every kind, than have fallen to the lot of the negro race in any other portion of the globe.

We pass the question, though not absolutely to be lost sight of, that, in Sierra Leone, the newly liberated African is a burden to the British Government as well as to himself; and that, in the West Indies, not only would his own condition be improved, but he would become a source of wealth and prosperity to the empire. But we must not omit the advantage to Africa, of the probable return to her soil of many of her own sons, enriched with civil and religious knowledge, and bringing back with them wealth, and the means of wealth and civilization; "that reflux of the West upon the East, in moderate numbers, and managed with caution," in the words of Sir John Jeremie, " to which we must look for the civilization of the East."

For the correspondence between the Secretary of State and the Governors of Jamaica, British Guiana, Trinidad, and Sierra Leone, relative to Emigration from Sierra Leone and the Western Coast of Africa to the above Colonies; together with the rules and regulations adopted thereupon, see "Appendix to the Report of the Committee of the House of Commons on the West India Colonies, 25th July, 1842," page 553. And for regulations subsequently adopted, with despatches from the Secretary of State to the Governor of Sierra Leone, see "Papers relative to Emigration from the West Coast of Africa to the West Indies," presented to Parliament, 1843, No. 438.

From the General Report of the Colonial Land and
Emigration Commissioners.

EXTRACT of principal parts of Instructions to the Lieutenants in charge of Transports conveying Passengers between the Coast of Africa and the West Indies.

"The officer employed on this service is to hoist the pendant intrusted to him for the purpose by the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty; namely, the same as is hoisted by an agent for transports.

"When upon service he is to wear the uniform established for his rank, agreeably to the practice of Her Majesty's navy.

"He is not expected to interfere directly with the navigation of the vessel in which he may be employed; but still it will be his duty, especially on approaching land, to pay attention to the conduct of the master, in order that the lives of those on board may not be exposed to peril by any neglect or ignorance of navigation and in case it should appear to him that a pilot is at any time indispensably necessary, he is to direct the master to procure one; and, on his failing to do so, he is himself to engage one,-advising Her Majesty's Colonial Land and Emigration Commissioners of his reasons for having so done, and transmitting to them an account of the expense incurred, in order that the amount may be abated from the ship's freight.

“He will be furnished with proper authority to enable him to pass any of Her Majesty's ships of war engaged in the prevention of the Slave-trade. He will oppose no obstacle to such visit or inspection as may be made by the officers of such vessels of war, whether British or foreign.

"The officer will receive on board no passengers but those for whose reception he shall have authority from the Governor of the colony, taking care that a nominal list of all such passengers, authenticated by the proper officer of the Colonial Government, be delivered to him at the time of their embarkation.

"The officer will see that the number of passengers does not exceed that which is allowed by the Passengers' Act; but should he find sufficient reason for thinking that the accommodation afforded for that number is not adequate for their health and convenience, he will be at liberty to represent the circumstance to the Governor of the colony, and to request that an abatement from that number may be made to an extent not exceeding 10 per cent.

"The officer will see that all the other provisions of the Passengers' Act are complied with, both as regards the period before sailing and during the whole course of the voyage.

"The officer will attend personally at the embarkation and