Premier and Colonial Secretary.-Rt. Hon. Sir Robert Bond, K. C. M.G. Minister of Justice.-Hon. E. P. Morris, K.C., LL.D.

Minister of Finance.-Hon. E. M. Jackman.

Minister of Marine and Fisheries.-Hon. Eli Dawe.

Without Portfolio.-J. S. Pitts, J. D. Ryan, G. Knowling, and H. Gear.

For electoral purposes the whole colony is divided into 18 districts or constituencies, 7 of which elect 3 members, 4 return 2 members, and 7 return 1 each. Of the population, 73,008 belong to the Church of England, 75,989 are Roman Catholics, 61,388 Methodists, 1,497 Presbyterians, 9,102 other denominations. At the colleges of the Church of England, Roman Catholic, and Methodist bodies, respectively, in 1901 there were 253, 485, and 449 students. The number of schools of all kinds was Church of England, 254; Roman Catholic, 237; Methodist, 216. The attendance at Board schools was: Church of England, 13, 148; Roman Catholic, 14,006; Methodist, 10,813; total, 38,258; total expenditure, including Government grant, fees, &c., 157,504 dollars.

By the Anglo-French Convention of 1904, France renounced her exclusive fishing rights under the treaty of Utrecht, but retained the right to fish in territorial waters from St. John's Cape northwards to Cape Ray for all sorts of fish, including bait and crustacea. The compensation to French fishermen will be determined by an arbitration commission, one naval officer being appointed as commissioner by each side. In case of disagreement an umpire will decide in accordance with the Hague Convention.

The revenue and expenditure in five years (1 dollar = 4s. 1d.) have been: -

Of the Revenue for 1902, no less than 412,6497., and for 1903, 431,8701. was from Customs. Public debt (1903) 4,119,2477.

The import duties of Newfoundland are protective, but machinery and raw materials of various sorts are admitted free. Among such articles are machinery for mining, agriculture and the manufacture of fishing gear, or of nails and boiler-plates or ships' plates. Similarly live-stock, oil-cake, meal for cattle-feeding, manures, hides, salt for fisheries, wool, and some other articles are free. Persons entering the colony to settle may at the same time introduce their bonâ-fide property duty free. The duties on most articles are from 25 to 40 per cent. ad valorem, but in a few cases are as low as 10 and 5 per cent. Imports of thread, woven goods, iron manufactures, earthenware, books, food-stuffs, coal, petroleum, wood, as well as tobacco, alcoholic liquors, and sugar, are taxed.

The total imports and exports of Newfoundland for five years are as follows:

Imports.
Exports.

1,296,831 1,540,509 1,536,268 1,610,874 1,743,100 1,425,270 1,772,792 1,717,802 1,936,574 2,050,726

Of the imports (1903) the value of 440,6017. came from Great Britain; 589,9237. from Canada; 600, 4107. from the United States. Of the exports the value of 446,6917. went to Great Britain; 226,6587. to Canada; 329,5947. to Portugal; 266,1797. to Brazil; 278,9457. to United States. According to the Board of Trade Returns, the imports into the United Kingdom from Newfoundland and Labrador and the exports of British produce and manufactures thereto in 5 years were valued as follows:

The imports in 1903 included fish, 169,9457.; fish oil, 142,1257.; copper ore, 1,2751.; wood, 84,1667.; skins and furs, 67, 6017. The exports thereto included haberdashery, 107,6817.; cottons, 36,5497. ; woollens, 43,8787.; iron, 31,0117. Total tonnage of vessels entered and cleared in 1903, 1,785,049, of which 1,152,878 was British. The total number of vessels registered in the colony on December 31, 1903, was 2,802 sailing vessels of 110,762 tons, and 54 steam vessels of 10,531 tons; total 2,856 vessels of 121,293 tons. Fishing is the principal occupation of the population, the value of the fish caught being over one million sterling annually.

In 1901 there were 85,533 acres of cultivated land. The chief products are potatoes, turnips, and other root crops, hay, barley, oats. In 1901 there were in Newfoundland 8,851 horses, 32,767 cattle, 78,052 sheep, and 34,679 swine. Some fine pine forests exist to the north, and large saw mills have been established. The mineral resources of Newfoundland are considerable. Large beds of iron ore have been found and are being worked on Bell Island in Conception Bay, on the east coast, and other rich deposits have been discovered on the west coast. Coal of excellent quality is found near St. George's Bay on the west coast, and in the Grand Lake district. In the eastern part of the island gold-bearing quartz rock, and extensive deposits of silver and lead ore have been found.

Railways open in 1903: 638 miles of Government line with a gauge of 3 ft. 6 in., and 21 miles of private line. The transinsular railway has

Մ

been completed, with branch lines to important towns and settlements. Communication between various points on the coast and between the island and the continent is maintained by a fleet of 8 first-class steamers, each of which connects with some central point on the railway. Telegraph line open 2,079 miles; 275 miles of wire are in use for telephone lines. By various contracts the Government has conceded to private enterprise the working of railways, steamboats, and other means of communication.

In December, 1903, the Newfoundland Savings Banks held 1,582,926 dollars standing to the credit of 4,938 depositors.

The legal coin of the colony is the gold dollar, equivalent to 4s. 1d. of British money.

REFERENCES.

Report on the Mineral Resources of Newfoundland. London, 1896.

Correspondence concerning the Contract for the Sale of the Government Railway and for other Purposes. February to June, 1898. London, 1898.

French Fisheries on the Great Bank of Newfoundland and off Iceland

Reports, Miscellaneous Series, No. 492 1899. London.

Baedeker's Canada and Newfoundland. 2nd ed. Leipzig, 1899.

Foreign Office

Bellet (A.), La Grande Pêche de la Morue à la Terre-Neuve Paris, 1902. Cartwright (George), Journal of Sixteen Years' Residence on the Coast of Labrador. Newark, 1792.

Chalmers (R.), A History of Currency in the British Colonies. London, 1893. Colonial Reports. Annual Series, No. 7, (1896) of Miscellaneous Series, on the Mineral Resources of the Colony. London, 1896.

Grenfell (W. T.), Vikings of To-day. [Labrador.] 8. London, 1895.

Harvey (M.), Newfoundland, England's Oldest Colony. London, 1897. Newfoundland in 1897. London, 1897.-Newfoundland in 1900 New York, 1900.

Hatton (J.) and Harvey (M.), Newfoundland: Its History and Present Condition, &c. 8. London, 1883.

Hind, Explorations on the Coast of Labrador. 2 vols. 8. London, 1863.
Pedley (Charles), History of Newfoundland. 8. London, 1863.

Pilot (W.), Geography of Newfoundland. London.

Prowse (D. W.), A History of Newfoundland. 2d. ed. London, 1897.

Roberts (C. G. D.), The Canadian Guide Book. Pt. I. Eastern Canada and Newfoundland. 8. London, 1892.

Smith (F. E.), The Story of Newfoundland. London, 1901.

Willson (W. B.), The Truth about Newfoundland, the Tenth Island.

1901.

2nd ed. London,

St. Christopher, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Sombrero, Tobago, Trinidad, Virgin Islands. See WEST INDIES.

WEST INDIES.

The British West Indian possessions fall into six groups, which are noticed separately, while the statistical results are exhibited in general tables for convenience of comparison. The groups are—(1) Bahamas, (2) Barbados, (3) Jamaica with Turks Islands, (4) Leeward Islands, (5) Trinidad with Tobago, (6) Windward Islands.

BAHAMAS.

Governor.-Sir William Grey-Wilson, K. C. M.G. (2,0007.), assisted by an Executive Council of 9, a Legislative Council of 9, and a representative Assembly of 29 members, electors requiring to have a small property qualification.

A group of twenty inhabited and many uninhabited islands and rocks off the S. E. coast of Florida.

Area, 5,450 square miles. Principal islands-New Providence (pop. 12,534, containing capital Nassau), Abaco (3,314), Harbour Island (1,232), Great Bahama (1,780), St. Salvador (4,658), Long Island (3,562), Mayaguana, Eleuthera (8,733), Exuma (3,086), Watling's Island, Acklin's Island, Crooked Island (1,597), Great Inagua (1,453), Andros Island (6,347). Total population in 1901, 53,735; estimated for December 31, 1903, 56,113. Births in 1903, 2,096; deaths, 1,173. There are (1903) 45 Government schools with 6,258 pupils on the rolls, and average attendance of 4,531; and 11 aided schools with attendance of 626 pupils; Government grant, 4,500l.; 27 Church of England schools with 1,576 enrolled pupils; 23 private schools with 330 enrolled pupils, and 3 Roman Catholic, with 506 enrolled pupils. In 1903, 2,164 persons were convicted summarily, and 36 in superior courts. Sponge and turtle fisheries are carried on; and shells, pearls, and ambergris are also obtained. Fruit culture is on the increase, pineapples, oranges, and tomatoes being exported. Sisal fibre cultivation is rapidly spreading. In 1903, 27,785 acres had been planted out with sisal plants. The total land granted in the colony amounts to 350,653 acres.

The Bank of Nassau issues notes of the value of 20s. and 4s. respectively. The Post Office Savings Bank on June 30, 1903, had 1,610 depositors with 19,3027. to their credit. British silver and bronze coin are legal tender without limit. American half dollars and quarter dollars are current at the value of 28. and 1s. respectively. In 1903, 288,298 letters, 15,096 postcards, and 119,810 papers, &c., passed through the Post Office.

BARBADOS.

Lies on the E. of the Windward Islands.

Governor.-Sir Gilbert Thomas Carter, K. C. M. G. (2,5007.), with Executive Council, Executive Committee, Legislative Council of 9 Members (appointed by the King), and House of Assembly of 24 members, elected annually by the people; in 1903, there were 1,698 registered electors.

Area, 166 square miles; population (1891), 182,306; (1903), about 198,000. Capital, Bridgetown, the principal town; population, 21,000 in 1891, but it has very largely increased since then, it is now between 30,000 and 35,000; Speightstown, 1,500. Estimated population of Barbados, 1903, 198,792. Births (1903), 7,409 ; deaths (1903), 3,929. Church of England, 156,539; Wesleyans, 14,485; Moravians, 6,801; Roman Catholics, 816; Jews, 21, according to the census of 1891. The legisla ture grants to the Church of England, 9,8027.; Wesleyan, 7007.; Moravians, 4007.; Roman Catholic 501.-per annum, 10,9521. Education is under the care of the Government. In 1904 there were 167 primary schools, and 14,987 pupils in average attendance; 6 second-grade schools (2 for girls), 277 pupils; 2 first-grade schools for boys, with an attendance of 138 and 50 respectively, and 1 first-grade school for girls with 117 pupils ; Codrington College, affiliated to Durham University, 15 students. Government expenditure on education in 1903-04 17,6697. One monthly, one tri-weekly, one twice a week, one weekly, and four daily newspapers.

There is a Supreme Court; Grand Sessions once in every 4 months; 7 police magistrates. In 1903, 10, 416 summary convictions, 94 in superior courts;

273 (daily average) prisoners in gaol. In 1903, 17,1947. was spent in poorrelief, &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 40 officers, 4 warrant officers and 688 non-commissioned officers and men.

The area of the colony in acres is about 106,470, of which about 74,000 are under cultivation. The staple produce of the island is sugar. About 35,000 acres are annually planted with the sugar-cane, which yielded in 1903, 38,623 hhds.; in 1902, 52,087 hhds. There are 388 sugar works and 5 rum distilleries. Cotton growing has been introduced; the crop for 1903-04 was 300 bales; for 1904-05, estimated at 1,200 bales. Of "man-jak" or "glance pitch," a bituminous petroleum for fuel, 650 tons (6,5087.) were exported in 1903. In the fishing industry, about 250 boats are employed, and about 1,000 persons. Value of fish caught annually, about 17,000l.

The Colonial Bank has a paid-up capital of 600,000%. The Government Savings Bank on March 31, 1904, had 13,936 depositors, with 113,4627. to their credit. English gold, silver, and bronze coin are in circulation, and 5-dollar notes of the Colonial Bank.

In 1903 the registered shipping consisted of 42 sailing vessels and 3 steamers of a total tonnage of 7,551 tons net. There are 470 miles of roads in the island; and 28 miles of railway of 2ft. 6in. gauge, belonging to a private company. There are 35 miles of line for telephonic communication in the island to the several police stations. A private Telephone Company has about 660 miles of line and 487 subscribers.

Grenada. See WINDWARD ISLANDS.

JAMAICA.

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

Governor.-Sir J. A. Swettenham, K. C. M.G. (5,0007.), assisted by a Privy Council and a Legislative Council, consisting of the Governor as President and of 5 ex-officio, 10 nominated, and 14 elected members. The term of service is limited, in the case of elected members only, to five years. There are boards elected in each parish (15) 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 (Census, 1891): Jamaica, 639,491 (males, 305,948; females, 333,543); white, 14,692; coloured or half-breed, 121,955; black, 488,624; East Indian, 10,116; Chinese, 481; not stated, 3,623. Capital, Kingston, 46, 542. Other towns-Spanish Town, 5,019; Montego Bay, 4,803; Savanna-la-Mar, 2,952; Falmouth, 2,517. The estimated population of Jamaica on March 31, 1903, is 785,434. Births (1902-03), 30,605; deaths, 15,413; marriages, 3,601. Total East India immigrants in colony in 1903, 12, 473, of whom 1,819 were under indentures.. Immigration suspended in 1886 and resumed in 1891. There is no Established Church. The number of members of the different religious bodies cannot be stated with any accuracy, but the churches and chapels are as follows:-Church of England, 219; Presbyterian, 73; Roman Catholic, 28; Wesleyan Methodist, 128; Baptist, 189; Moravian, 27; Church of Scotland, 10; Christian Church, 20; Congregational, 26; United Methodist Free Church, 43.

In 1903-04 there were 711 Government schools, 88,381 children enrolled, the average attendance was 47,803. Government grants, including building grants, 43,7387. There are 3 Government training colleges for female teachers in which 52 students, and one for male teachers, in which 60 students are