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British Guiana.-At the request of Mr. Cham- berlain, flogging for praedial larceny has been restricted to cases where one or more previous convictions are recorded against the offender, or which present features of aggravation, ench de offences committed in combination? or { accom- panied by violence or by threats of violence (22 of 1898). Flogging is permitted in other cases within a "proclaimed district," but it has as yet not been found necessary to "proclaim' any district. The maximum number of lashes has been reduced from 39 to 24.

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Trinidad. By the Sale of Produce Ordinance, 1899, flogging may be ordered on a first con- viction for predial larceny, and must be ordered on a second, but the sentence requires the The maximum approval of the Governor.

ntimber of strokes is 24. Persons under 18 could be whipped, the maximum being 20 strokes, or for offenders under 14, 12. By 18 of 1902 persons under 16 can be whipped, the maximum being 16 strokes, or for offenders under 14, 12: The maximum number of lashes in the case of adults remains unaltered.

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Windwards. In Granada males convicted of stealing: cocos or nutmegs may be flogged or whipped once or twice, in addition to imprison ment but not twice within 14 days. The maxfimum, number of strokes under 31 of 1896 was 18 at each whipping, but by 2 of 1899, passed by Mr. Chamberlain's direction, this has been reduced tet:12. Within the same limite Hogging or whipping is allowed for the theft of any cultivated tres, root, plant, or fruit (20) of 1897), slide infrater

118) alto v #Im St. Lucia, under 7 of 1895, juveniles under 16 could be whipped for a first offence, the maximum number of strokes being 20, or for an offender under 14, 12. This was not considered to be effectual, and a draft Ordi- nanee' was submitted, which provided for the flogging | of males above 14 years of age; and the whipping of males under 14, Mr. Chamber- lain directed that, the provisions of the old law shouldebą sustituted, but, owing to a minunder- standing of the direction, the, Ardinange was puiséðill with the flogging, olause included. Diréations were then given for the phasing of 'mandingos

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Leewards Under 10 of 1891 males puder 18 16 may be whipped, the maximum number of strokes being reduced to 12 by 4 of 1900. Memorials urging the introduction of flogging for males above 16 have not been acceded to.

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WHIPPINGS OF CHILDREN...

The question of the whipping of children presents peculiar difficulties in consequence of the deficiency, already alluded to, of proper prison accommodation and the absence of funda from which reformatories and industrial schools could be provided. In these circumstances it appears preferable that children should be birched rather than that they should by imprisonment

be exposed to the possibility of contact with hardened criminals.

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In reviewing the returns of floggings for the years 1897-1900, however, Mr. Chamberlain's attention was drawn to the great frequency with which the punishment of whipping" was inflicted on juveniles in Barbados. He addressed,'' hc- cordingly, a dispatch to the Governor, in which 3994/01. was set forth a comparison of the frequency of flogging in the Leewards and Antigup colonies of which the circumstances are, brossly, speaking, very similar to those of Barbado and in Barbados, and which concluded with request that the matter should have Sir Fi Hodgson's early and most careful consideration.

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As a result the, Governor caused two circula letters to be addressed to the police magie 14891/02. tantes. In the first letter it was suggested that magistrates might in certain cases, with

the consent of the prosecutor, allow the prosecution to be withdrawn on condition that the parent or guardian of the offender would, in the presence of a sergeant of polion, inflict whipping of no greater severity than 12, stripes. The second suggested that in, the 6373/08 case of first and comparatively trivial offences, magistrates should more frequently discharge the offender with a caution, speaking, to him if needs be from the bench; as, to the offence, and as to the consequenoss of again"}|breaking, the law," and pointed out that many cases, such as offences against the Highways Act, which are very trivial, might have been so dealt with. It was added that no impartial person could abubt that the whipping of juvenile offenders was far too frequent in Barbados, and that the Governor trusted that the magistrates would exercise their powers of whipping with the utmost vigilance and circumspection. The Governor also visited 33646/01. the Central Gaol,-and-found-it-possible to pro- vide separate accommodation and employment

for about 85 juveniles, but this proposal has not 6878/08. hitherto been carried into effect owing to un- usual pressure on the prison accommodation. The result of the action so far has been that the numbers of whippings have diminished from 904 in 1900 to 685 in 1901.

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