, 1892-10-15
WHAT A DUKE SAYS ABOUT
JAMAICA.
From The Vest Indian & Commercial
Advertiser.

had to say Of our West Indian possessions,
and now we find the Duke OF st Adams
giving the world his opinion on the chief
Of those islands in the pages OF the N'me-
teenth Ceaturq, under the title Of m
~Resurgen1,"
'As II the case with those who have gone
before him. in the task of criticlslng the
climate and beauty Of this marvellously
fertile and luxuriant island, his Grace grows
eloquent in his descriptions OF the scenery
and the climate of this once great and pros-
porous sugar island-an. island which, IN the
pre-abolition days, possessed enormous es-
tates. and where now, as we are Eold Wy INC
ducal writer. there are only simple PlAnCa-
TONS Of coffee, cocoa, 30. Why inc name
oplantation'' should be taken TO slgnhy
properties of no Importance we are at d loSS
to conceive, seeing that IN Ceylon inc largest
coffee and tea properties are known unoea
The designation Of estates, often up W ooo
acres and more. whilst IN India tea propeI!eS
of 1000 acres are called gardens an
this is evidently a mere matter OF fancy anu
fashion. l.,
There was a time when yellow Jack"
was rampant in Jamaica now, thanks TO
sanitary arrangements and the clearing Oh
land and drainage of swamps, the island is
nodlEnV enough 1OI UuOb0 WIZ oNC
ordinary precautions as regards undue ex-
posture to the sun in the midday hours.
Sunset" we are told. "has none OF the
dangers Of italy day is turned into night
but the temperature, winter and summer,
undergoes no change, and the alterations of
weather, which are found SO trying IN AL
giers and even in Lower Egypt, here are I'M
known, and a cloudy day or q strong wind
are welcomed as a pleasant relief from
constant sunshine. Given ordinary caution
in living, and precaution against exposure
to the heat Of the sun between 8 a. m. and 5 p.
m. the risk to health in the West Indies IS
small"
The ducal writer makes pointed alluslon
to the scanty and Indifferent hotel
ton in the island. as well aS to the defective
means of locomotiOn throughout the interior,
and he believes that O. well-written local guide
book would be an invaluable boon to the VI
sitor. Without attempting to enter closely
into calculations as to the proftableness OF
p%lqpting speculations in Jamaica, he states that
it is the opinion of those we'll able to judge,
that a Young man prepared to exert himself,
live carefully, and with a small capital, can do
better here than in most other parts OF the
world.
We are told that estates can be pointed out
in the island which have repaid the purchase
money in the first year, and others paying 10
and even so per cent, and considering the
general healthy climate, the productlveness
of the soil, the low taxation, and the security
of a settled Government, land purchases, with
a knowledge of tropical agriculture, and
selected with ordinary care and Judgment,
should prove to the energetic settler a remu-
n~erative investment.
The remarks on the commercial policy OF
the mother country are to a certain extent
warranted by the circumstances, but when the
writer of the article institutes a comparison
between the action of Great Britain as COM
pared with that of France to her colonies, 1t
should not be forgotten that England is
guided entirely by a free trade policy,
whereas French statesmen are protectlonlsts,
espe cially in regard to their colonies. What
is said of the political constitution of
Jamaica is true enough it was got up in the
time of the Baptist imbroglio during Governor
Eyre's administration in a very hasty and
crude fashion, and has remained to the
present day without modification. The
President Of the Legislative Council is the
Governor. who acts as q jack-Of-all-trades in
the legislative work of the colony; he sits as
speaker, and also acts as chairman of oom-
mittees.
Great fault 10 found with the constitution
of the legislative chamber, and it is con
sidered that the Government Of Jamaica car
ried on by King, Lords and Commons sitting
together in one long room with three
~volrobn o0;Ur - q constitutional and at