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Flacq and Plaines Wilhems I am happy to state that there were no arrears exceeding two months.

21. On the whole I am inclined to believe that there is a favourable tendency in payments of wages. I am led to this conclusion not only by the Magistrates' Reports, but by my personal inquiries so far as I have been able to pursue them.

Of twelve estates which I visited in the district of Grand Port between the 25th and 29th ultimo not one owed more than two months' wages.

22. The following were the estates I visited:-

?

1. Gros Bois.

2. Ferney.

3. Union Vale.

4. Belle Vue.

5. Les Bambous.

La Baraque.

7. Mon Désert.

8. Savinia.

9. Beau Nallon (Dauban).

10. Anse Fouché.

11. Mon Trésor. 12. Virginia.

23. On inquiry at the Stipendiary Court, I found that from the seven first- mentioned of those estates there had been no complaints whatever against their proprietors or overseers since the beginning of this year; and that, against the managers and overseers of the other five, only eight complaints had been preferred, none of which were of a serious nature.

24. On the last-mentioned of those estates (Virginia) a violent assault was com- mitted on the person of an Indian on the 6th of June last. He charged two sirdars of the estate with the assault, and showed all over his body undeniable proofs of his having received a severe beating. As the beating was stated to have occurred while the sirdars were not in the performance of their duties as sirdars, the case was trans- ferred by the Stipendiary Magistrate to the District Court, where after a long protracted trial the complaint was dismissed because the magistrate held that there was no legal evidence in support of it.

25. I took advantage of my visit to that estate to make personal inquiries into the matter in presence of Mr. Levieux, one of the proprietors. Although I have to acknowledge that he gave me all the assistance in his power to enable me to bring the charges home to the parties who were guilty, I failed in procuring any further evidence than that which had been produced before the Magistrate. The failure of my investiga- tion was chiefly due to the absence of the complainant, who had deserted immediately after the trial. I found by the books of the estate that he had been a deserter for upwards of two months before the occurrence of the cause of his complaint, as to the nature of which I may form conjectures, but cannot help admitting that I have been left in the greatest uncertainty, the complainant himself having given two contradic- tory versions of what had happened.

26. I have little doubt that a prompt inquiry on the spot in each case of this nature, by an officer invested with magisterial authority and a right to exercise it summarily, would have a beneficial effect; but such powers will have to be wielded with great tact and discretion, their abuse or injudicial use, might produce evils infinitely worse than those which they would be intended to cure.

I have, &c.

(Signed) H. N. D. BEYTS,

Protector of Immigrants.

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

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882

2 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

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