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81
BRITISH GUIANA.
No. 14.
Governor Longden to the Earl of Carnarvon.—(Received August 13.)
(No. 149 British Guiana.) My Lord,
Government House, Georgetown, July 17, 1875. I HAVE had under my most careful consideration the remarks in your Lordship's despatch No. 28, of the 6th of March, 1875, relative to the penal settlement at Massaruni.
2. The dangers which your Lordship forcibly points out are the dangers of abuse, which are incidental to the remote and isolated position of the settlement, the difficulty of access to it by the friends of prisoners, and the absence of the check of publicity, since abuses in a prison situate in a more peopled neighbourhood would be more likely to transpire through warders and inferior officers than in a remote wilderness.
3. It has been to guard against the possibility of such abuses that frequent, efficient,
and thorough inspection by responsible officers is absolutely necessary.
4. Since the date of my despatch in January last, the settlement has been regularly visited, and from the reports of inspection I select two, one made by Mr. Brumell, Sheriff of Demerara and Police Magistrate of Georgetown, of a visit made by him in February, and the other by Mr. Young. Government Secretary, of a visit made in March, which I inclose, as showing both the points on which a fair degree of discipline has been attained, and those in which improvement is required.
5. I find, however, that illness, absence, and the pressure of public business are likely to interfere with the regularity of such inspections, and I have, therefore, recon- sidered the recommendation of the Committee of the Court of Policy as to the appoint- ment of an officer to visit the settlement frequently, and be responsible to the Govern- ment for its proper working. I gather from your Lordship's despatch that this recom- mendation is not considered objectionable, and I would, therefore, ask leave to propose to the Court of Policy to place on the estimates for the following year a provision for the appointment of such an officer.
I would suggest that the officer should be appointed a Stipendiary Justice of the Peace for the whole Colony, having no district assigned to him, but having, in every part of the Colony, the jurisdiction of a Stipendiary Magistrate; that he should be Inspector of the penal settlement, and of all prisons throughout the Colony, namely, Georgetown, New Amsterdam, Essequebo, Fellowship and Mahaica (for male coolies only), and the temporary prisons at the Abary, the Best, and in Wakenaam. I would propose that the salary of this officer should be the same as the other magistrates, namely, 7001. a-year, with 1001. for travelling allowances, making a total charge of 8001. As this officer would be at least twice a month at Massaruni, he might very properly be charged with the adjudication of the very few cases which come before the special magistrate for the Essequebo River, and that magistracy (of which the salary is 5007. a-year) might be discontinued when a vacancy occurs. This would reduce the net increase to 3001. a-year.
6. In order to insure efficient inspection, it must be made more easy than it now is to visit the settlement. At present every visit is made in a steamer hired expressly for the occasion at the rate stipulated in the mail contract. This involves an expense of 200 dollars for each day the steamer is under steam, and 50 dollars for detention when not under steam, making a total sum of 450 dollars for each trip, supposing the visitor to remain one clear day.
7. There is at present steam communication three times a-week between George- town and the Island of Wakenaam, at the mouth of the Essequebo River. The steamers leave Georgetown at 7 A.M., reach Wakenaam usually at 11 A.M. From there they go on
to the coast of Essequebo, called the Arabian coast, and return to Wakenaam about 1 P.M., and return thence to Georgetown. From Georgetown to Wakenaam is a distance of about 32 miles, and from Wakenaam up the river to Massaruni is about 28 miles.t I propose, therefore, instead of hiring special steamers, to visit Massaruni on
† See Tracing from Map inclosed.
* On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays.
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