CO885-(2-3) — Page 636

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference -

C.O.885

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

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Committee are clearly of opinion that notwithstanding all the advantages before referred to, and whatever might be the expense or inconvenience thereby occasioned, the Estab- lishment ought to be removed unless a recurrence of such abuses could be rendered all but impossible.

10. The opportunity for these abuses, arising as it has from the isolation of the place, the attention of the Committee has been anxiously directed to the point as to how a proper and efficient control could be exercised. The reason why the present system of super- vision has not been effective may be attributed to several causes, the principal of these being that the time of the Commissioners' visits of inspection is always well known beforehand. The visits themselves are too short, and from the number of the Commis- sioners there is no direct individual responsibility whatever.

11. All the witnesses agree that the monotony and isolation have a prejudicial effect on the prison officers.

12. The Committee would recommend that the Settlement should be visited by one officer directly responsible to the Government for its proper working.

13. This officer should be required to visit the settlement at irregular intervals, and remain for such periods as will enable him thoroughly to ascertion what is there going on. He should receive adequate remuneration, and power should be given to him to try, and punish prisoners for all the more serious offences against prison discipline. Such an officer might be styled the Director or Inspector. It is worthy of consideration whether all the prisons in the Colony might not advantageously be placed under one head.

14. In order to enable such an officer the better to perform his duties, and for other reasons, the Committee think it desirable that a small steamer should be attached to the Settlement. From inquiries they have made they believe that no additional expense would be incurred, as the amount now paid to the steam contractor for the fortnightly trip ought to be more than sufficient to work and keep in repair a suitable boat.

15. The Committee, feeling the extreme desirability of an uniform system in all the prisons, would further recommend that with respect at least to the subordinate officers, there should be one recognised prison staff, the members of which might be sent to any prison as occasion required. If such a staff was established, the inferior officers might serve at the Settlement for a certain portion in each year, or without making the service one entirely of rotation (to which there may be objection) officers more directly con nected with the Settlement could then from time to time obtain change of scene and employment by serving in any of the other prisons. Indeed, it would, perhap, be desirable occasionally to require them to serve elsewhere. Service at the Settlement might fairly be considered as entitling an officer to increased pay.

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16. The Committee hope that if such a service was established, it would be found practicable to train properly the lower officers for their duties and to obtain suitable

They would suggest that a proper uniform should be supplied to them. reward fund somewhat similar to the Police Reward Fund would also be advantageous.

17. Better accommodation for the warders is required.

men.

18. The Superintendent, Mr. Sealy, urged on the Committee the inconvenience that arose from the guards at the Settlement being policemen, and not directly under his own control. He wished to have his own men and to do away with the police guards. The Committee take the same view, and think that the change should be made.

19. In conclusion, the Committee have to report to this Court that they do not consider that it is desirable or expedient to remove the Penal Settlement from its present site. They earnestly trust that if the recommendations herewith submitted are carried into effect, or some similar plan is adopted the recurrence of abuses may be prevented, and the Settlement made, as they believe it can, a well ordered and valuable establishment, and of great service to the Colony.

Demerara, June 27, 1874.

(Signed)

W. F. HAYNES SMITH.

T. H. MACKEY.

JOSIAS BOOKER.

JAS. W. DAVSON.

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No. 30.

The Earl of Carnarvon to Governor Longden, C.M.G.

(No. 155. British Guiana.)

Šir,

Downing Street, October 7, 1874. I HAVE received your despatch No. 150 of the 7th of August, forwarding the Report of the Committee of the Court of Policy on the question of removing the Penal Settlement.

I have read this report with interest, but I shall defer giving it my fuller con- sideration until I shall have received from you an answer to my despatch No. 118 of the 10th of August.

I have, &c. (Signed)

CARNARVON.

No. 31.

Governor Longden, C.M.G., to the Earl of Carnarvon.-(Received October 14.) (No. 175. British Guiana.) My Lord,

Gorernment House, George Town, September 22, 1874.

I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your Lordship's despatch No. 118 of the 10th ultimo,† relative to the overcrowding in Georgetown Gaol. I had previously received, while at Berbice, your Lordship's telegram of 21st July, approving the measures I had suggested in my despatch No. 102 of the 16th June last, for diminishing the number of prisoners contined in Georgetown Gaol, and desiring that an additional hundred should be accommodated elsewhere.

2. I regret to be obliged to report that, notwithstanding the removal of prisoners to other prisons, the Georgetown Gaol has never ceased to be, and still continues to be overcrowded, but the darker and more revolting features of the overcrowding have been removed. Six additional warders have been appointed for night duty alone inside the prison. Gas has been introduced into the prison, and the interior corridors, where the bulk of the prisoners for whom there are not separate cells are still lodged, as well as the associated wards, are thoroughly lighted up at night, and order is kept by the warders, who are relieved and inspected every four hours. These changes have enabled a better distribution of the prisoners to be made, and, although the gaol has at times been overcrowded to an even greater extent since the date of my despatch than it was before, the physical health of the prisoners has not been affected.

3. In order to relieve the overcrowding as much as possible, I ordered as many prisoners, belonging to the county of Berbice, to be sent to New Amsterdam, as the gaol there would accommodate.

4. I also withdrew the police from the Fellowship village, and restored their barrack

to its use as a gaol, as reported in my despatch No. 182, dated 31st August last.

5. On the 1st instant, I proceeded to Suddie, in the County of Essequibo, where a new prison has just been erected as the County Gaol, in lieu of the Capoey Prison, which has been condemned. I found on visiting the Capoey Prison that it, too, was terribly overcrowded, and that the new prison at Suddie would not more than suffice to receive all the prisouers then at Capoey, and would leave no room for the prisoners from the Essequibo Islands, who are now sent to Georgetown Gaol, but whom I desired to send to Suddie, both as being the nearer and their proper county prison, and also to assist in relieving the overcrowding in Georgetown. I, therefore, determined to use the new Suddie prison temporarily as a prison for male convicted offenders only, still temporarily retaining Capoey Gaol in use as a prison for male prisoners committed for trial in the higher Courts, for female prisoners of all kinds, and for twelve male con- victed prisoners, for which number alone there are separate cells. By this additional accommodation, I am enabled to direct the Magistrate of the Essequibo Islands District to send his prisoners to Suddie instead of Georgetown.

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6. I regret to say that the new prison at Massaruni is not yet finished, although gave orders for its immediate construction directly after the vote was passed by the Combined Court in June last. There is great difficulty in getting work quickly done in a remote district, where labour and materials alike are scarce, and I cannot justly attribute any blame to the Civil Engineer's Department or to Mr. Sealy for the delay. But it has caused me to defer sending to Massaruni the 100 prisoners I intended to.

+ No. 28.

* No. 29.