Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1899 American Edition.djvu/593

 JAMAICA 245

Council of 9 Members, and House of Assembly of 24 members, elected annually by the people ; in 1897, there were 2,208 registered electors.

Area, 166 square miles ; population (1891), 182,306|; (1897), about 190,000, Capital, Bridgetown, the principal town ; po^julation, 21,000 ; Speightstown, 1,500. Births (1897), 7,197 ; deaths (1897), 4,963. Church of England, 156,539; Wesleyans, 14,485; Moravians, 6,801; Roman Catholics, 816; Jews, 21, according to the census of 1891. The legislature grants to the Church of England, 10,070Z. ; Wesleyan, 700^. ; Moravians, 400/. ; Roman Catholic 501. — per annum, 11,220/. Education is under the care of the Government. In 1897, there were 179 primary schools, and 15,556 pupils in average attend- ance ; Government grant 11,490/.; 5 second-grade schools, 235 pupils ; 2 first- grade schools for boys, with an attendance of 168 and 44 respectively, and 1 first-grade school for girls with 119 pupils ; Codrington College, affiliated to Durham University, 13 students. Two monthly, two bi-weekly, two weekly, and three daily newspapers.

There is a Supreme Court ; Grand Sessions once in every 4 months ; 7 l)olice magistrates. In 1897, 9,027 summary convictions.. 76 in superior courts ; 287 (daily average) prisoners in gaol. In 1896, 29,240/. was spent in poor- relief, &c. Police, 315 officers and men. Harbour Police, 40 officers and men.

Barbados is the headquarters for European troops in the West Indies. The garrison consists of 32 officers and 815 non-commissioned officers and men.

The area of the colony in acres is about 106,470, of which about 100,000 are under cidtivation. The staple produce of the island is sugar. About 30,000 acres are annually planted with the sugar-cane, which yielded in 1893, 67,157 hhds; 1894, 66,262 hhds. ; 1895, 36,451 hhds. ; 1896, 49,399 hhds. ; 1897, 58,600 hhds. There are 441 sugar works and 9 rum distilleries. Of " man- jalc" or "glance pitch," a bituminous petroleum for fuel, 1,880 tons (3,760/.) were exported in 1897. In the fishing industry, 370 boats are employed, and about 900 persons. Value of fish caught annually, about 17,000/.

The Colonial Bank has a paid-up capital of 600,000/. On January 1, 1897, its liabilities were: Circulation, 1,985,097 dollars; various, 12,268,505 dollars ; total, 14,253,603 dollars. Its assets were : Specie, 1,892,753 dollars ; various, 16,100,890 dollars ; total, 17,993,644 dollars. Government Savings Bank (December 31, 1897), 12, 278 depositors, and deposits 213,984/.

In 1897 the registered shipping consisted of 48 sailing vessels and 2 steamers of a total tonnage of 7,105 tons net. There are 470 miles of roads in the island ; railway 24 miles. The colony pays an annual subsidy to the Railway company of 6,000/. Owing to the failure of the Company to com- ply with the provisions of Act (1896-51) only 83/. was paid out of this subsidy in 1897. Telegraph line, 24 miles. Revenue (1897), 5,502/. (exclusive of Government subsidy) ; expenditure, exclusive of charge for interest, 5,952/. There are 35 miles of line for telephonic communication in the island to the several jjolice stations. Private Telephone Co. 466 services 600 miles of line.

Grenada. See Windward Lslands.

JAMAICA.

Largest of the British West India Islands, 100 miles west of Hayti and 90 miles south of Cuba.

Governor. — Sir Augustus Hemming, K.C.M.G. (5,000/.), assisted by a Privy Council and a Legislative Assembly, partly elected and partly nominated. There are boards elected in each parish (14) for administration of local affairs.

Attached to it are Turks and Caicos Islands, Cayman Islands, Morant Cays, and Pedro Cays. Area of Jamaica, 4,200 square miles ; Turks and Caicos Islands, &c., 224 square miles. Total, 4,424 square miles. Population