25
TRINIDAD.
No. 6.
TUTTI
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference —
C.O. 8
885
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO
3PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
Acting Governor Bushe to the Earl of Carnarvon.—(Received August 12.)
(No. 167.) My Lord,
IN pursuance of the instructions contained in the circular of the 30th January,
Trinidad, July 22, 1874. 1872, I have the honour to forward herewith a copy of a report from the Acting Attorney-General as to the statistics for 1873, relating to crime, and one from the Inspector of Prisons on Prison Discipline, for the same year.
2. The Magistrates were enjoined to be very careful in the preparation of the Return of Criminal Statistics, so the presumption is that the information contained in the abstract forwarded herewith is of a reliable character.
the
8. The Return compares favourably with that of the previous year, more especially with regard to the graver crimes, for although there was a larger number of persons brought to trial in the Superior Courts-180 as against 143-there were actually fewer convictions, only 93 having been obtained last year as against 107 in 1872. Mr. Philip remarks that the number of acquittals during the latter half of when he acted as Attorney-General, is below the average of former years. year, During the first six months of the year, or at the Criminal Sessions held during the first two quarters the acquittals must have exceeded very considerably the convictions. Had Mr. Garcia, who was then Attorney-General, been in a state of health to furnish any explanation of this circumstance I should have deemed it my duty to call bim to do so, but such a step would, I fear, be useless under the circumstances.
upon
4. In the number of persons apprehended by the police or summoned before the magistrates there was a slight falling off as compared with the Return for 1872, and there were consequently fewer convictions.
The fact of there having been a diminution of crime among an increasing popu lation, and one which is recruited almost entirely from the lowest classes of other countries is in itself satisfactory, but with the spread of education and an improved system of prison discipline, together with the establishment of reformatory and industrial schools I think that the number of criminals may and will be still further reduced.
5. With regard to Mr. Fraser's report, I would observe that the subject of prison discipline was very carefully considered by Mr. Longden, and I think it would be premature to discuss the effect of the changes introduced by the new gaol rules, which only came into operation at the beginning of the present year. It certainly would be unwise to alter unadvisedly any portion of that system until a longer opportunity shall have been afforded of testing its efficiency.
(Signed)
I have, &c.
J. S. BUSHE.
Sir,
Inclosure 1 in No. 6.
Attorney-General's Office, July 18, 1874.-
I HAVE perused the Returns relating to crime forwarded to me by your Excellency for the purpose of making a Report thereon.
2. Those purporting to represent the statistics of offences dealt with in the several districts of the island during the year 1873, having been compiled by the several stipendiary magistrates from their own official records, 1 have no means of ascertaining their correctness, or of comparing them with the results of former years.
3. Looking, however, at the classification of the offences-the different heads seem to embrace all the crimes which, in my experience, are of common occurrence in a community so peculiarly constituted as that of Trinidad, and the offences dealt with are provided against by local legislation.
(128)
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