West Indies. — In the West Indies Crown lands are to be sold by auction at an upset price of not less than 11. per acre.
In the Bahamas the mode of sale is also by auction, but the lieutenant-go vernor is, from time to time, to name the upset price, which is never to be less than 6s. per acre. Land once exposed to auc tion may, in the discretion of the lieu tenant-governor, be afterwards sold by private contract, at not less than the up set price of such land. The ordinary size of the lots in the Bahamas is to be twenty acres, but lots of five acres may, if thought expedient, be disposed of.
The salt ponds in the Turks' Islands (within the government of the Bahamas) have been the subject of recent regulation by the Land and Emigration Commis sioners. These ponds are an important public property, but they were divided annually amongst all persons, without distinction, who happened to be resident on the spot, and these shares had no real value. Instead of this plan, the ponds will in future be granted on leases, which will give the lessees a durable interest, and encourage them to make the outlay requisite for their improvement. It has already been stated that in the United States of North America salt springs are reserved by the federal government, and leased for the public benefit.
The plan under which the great land companies dispose of their lands may be ascertained by application to the secre taries of each company. The principal companies are, the Upper Canada Com pany, the British American Land Com pany, the New Zealand Company, and the New Brunswick and Nova Scotia Land Company. The first of these com panies has a plan of leasing their lands, which is very advantageous to small capi talists. The South Australian Company have lands which they dispose of both by lease and sale.
The business of regulating emigration has been undertaken to some extent by the government. First an agent-general for emigration was appointed. This officer introduced many judicious plans for rendering the passage of emigrants across the ocean as free as possible from discomfort, and a code of rules was framed to secure this and other objects. The functions of the agent-gene
ral for emigration are now exercised by the Land and Emigration Commissioners. Emigrants are also protected by the Pas sengers' Acts, namely, the 5 & 6 Viet. a-- 107, amended by 10 & 11 Vict. c. 103, and in respect to passengers to North America, by the 11 Viet. c. 6. The general scope of these statutes are to regulate the number of passengers in each ship, and to provide for their proper accommodation on board; to ensure a proper supply of provisions and water for their use ; to provide for the sea worthiness of the vessels; and to protect emigrants from the numerous frauds to which their helplessness and inexperi ence expose them. If the ship does not sail on the day mentioned in the agree ment, the Passengers' Act compels the captain to victual the emigrants just the same as if the voyage had commenced ; and they are entitled to remain on board forty-eight hours after the ship reaches her destination.
As a further protection to emigrants and to enforce the provisions of the Pas sengers' Act, government emigration agents are appointed for the ports of Lon don, Liverpool, Plymouth, Glasgow and Greenock, Dublin, Cork, BeIfiist, Lime rick, Sligo, and Londonderry. These officers act under the immediate direc tions of the Colonial Land and Emigra tion Commissioners. They procure and give gratuitously information as to the sailing of ships, and means of accommo dation for emigrants ; and whenever ap plied to for that purpose, they see that all agreements between ship-owners, agents, or masters, and intending emigrants, are duly performed. They also see that the provisions of the Passengers' Act are strictly complied with, viz., that passen ger-vessels are sea-worthy, that they have on board a sufficient supply of provisions, water, medicines, &c., and that they sail with proper punctuality. They attend personally at their offices on every week day, and afford gratuitously all the ance in their power to protect intending emigrants against fraud and imposition, and to obtain redress where oppression or injury has been practised on them.