, 1876-01-01

tance to beneficial reforms, into q rut in
which it threatens to stick fast, if, as may
be feared, it should be left in disgust in
the new year.
When in the above we have spoken Of
the year rs as bad from the point of view
OF weather, this only applies to the
crop now growing. The one taken off du-
ring the first half Of the year was above
average, while there is very little pros
pect at the present moment of any such
result from the present crop. During the
year there has been no serious attempt
made at tree-planting, building of reser-
volrs or tanks, or boring for water, which
last was tried in several places unsuccessful
ly last year. Some few have begun the
planting of agave for paper material or ex-
traction of fibre. The year has been too
dry for the good growth of ground provi-
slons, and grass has at times been very
scarce.
The health of the Island has been good,
we should say, although we have had two
epidemics, one beginning in the early part
Of the year, and bearing the formidable
name of Meningitis csrebro-spinalis. 1t
did not last very long, it was confined
almost exclusively to the rural labouring
class, and not as many as 80 cases, we be-
Iieve, were fatal. exact figures are not
easily come at in this country In July a
smallpox epidemic broke out in Frederik-
gted, which gave us our first quarantine,
but the disease was fortunately soon stop
ped.
When it rains we say "tengky" and
so we did when the West India e.
Panama Telegraph Company placed
us in electrical communication with the
world, but the poor Westenders are yet
in the dark, which they will most likely
continue to be until they agree to the
concentration of the military at one point,
and that point so far away from them that
they probably get scared when they think
: of it.
The labourers in the county have lately
shown such murderOus propensities-there
were several cases during the year Of actual
murder among them-that one of our corr
respondents who has good opportunities
tor being W ell Uniformed, wrote sometime
ago 1t is TO be feared that the majority
of our lower classes regard our prisons
rather as places Of refuge from care and
labour, and hence particularly with the
IulLI SldutS WIN huUW ludL III tHCiI OWu
country such crimes would be punished
with the cat or the gallows, it is a common
thing to hear them threaten each others
lives with the assuring and encouraging
addendum that they will only be worked
IN the streets for q few years, for they
don't hang people IN This country."
There was a general election of members
for the Colonial Council in the month of
March, which resulted in a general victory
Of such men who were known to be in
favor Of Central Factories, but that body,
which has now reached the mature age Of
ten, has not been distinguished for any
great activity this year, although we
are Inclined to believe, with the honoura-
BILE Chairman "that the general sentiment
is that we are doing better under it than
before" The best thing the Council has
done for the year is its last act, viz.
soliciting the Governor to go home and try
to save US from ourselves. In the hope
that His Excellency may succeed in his
all-important mission, and that our people
in q position to do SO, will do all they can
to help him in his task, in the manner he has
pointed out to them, we wish our readers
A HAPPY NEW YEAR.