relation back to its date; but as between vendee and mortgagee and subsequent purchasers or incumbrancers it must be recorded within three months, otherwise the first vendee or mortgagee will lose his priority if subsequent purchasers or incumbrancers have recorded their deeds within the proper time. The principle that priority of registration carries with it priority of right is better secured by a provision which now requires the hour of presentation to be endorsed on every document entered for registration. Abstracts or notes from the registers may be taken by persons interested in searching the records, but copies of all public records must be made and certified by the Deputy-Keeper, and sealed with the official seal of the office at the cost of the person desiring the same. Office copies so made and certified are evidence in all Courts of Justice, without further proof, in every case in which the original record would have been received as evidence. Parties transacting business at the Record Office must attend personally or by an agent whose name should be first registered with the Deputy Keeper. Deeds or writings presented for Registration shall if required be returned at any time after registration but 90 days is fixed as the maximum delay within which such Deeds must be recorded. Recorded documents (with the exception of original wills) are returned to the parties entitled thereto on production and delivery of the original receipts. Should a receipt be lost the applicant must file a declaration setting forth such loss, and identifying the document, and sign a receipt on the margin of the record. One of the rules of the office requires "searchers to replace the indices which they have been using, and to return the records, documents and books they have received to an officer of the Record Office." No public record may be taken out of the Record Office unless under an order of some competent Court. The expenses of the office, including salaries, are limited to the sum of £1,200 per annum. All revenue is paid over to the Treasury for the use of the public. SCHEDULE OF PHES IN THE RECORD OFFICE. For recording deeds and other writing per legal sheet (of 160 words) plat or diagram at the rate of 1/3 for each quarter of an hour or per hour memorandum of mortgage under Benefit Building Society's Act, 1865 For copying office copies of deeds or other writings recorded in the Record Office, perlegal sheet (of 160 words) For each docket of land for Collector-General receipt for any deed or writing received to be recorded " search not exceeding three hours, per diem For entering satisfaction on mortgage, including the search For taking each receipt for any deed or other writing delivered out of office, the receipt being lost 0 663060004 110102120 020 004 For recording "with expedition" any deed or instrument (in addition to the ordinary fees for recording) 0 10 0 0 1 0 050 For each inspection of the Register of Companies Incorporated and Societies established by law certificate of registration of a Friendly or Building or Benefit Building Society All fees are payable before doing any act in respect of which they are exigible. PUBLIC GARDENS AND PLANTATIONS. This Department has charge of the public gardens and plantations at Castleton, Hill Gardens, Hope, Kingston Parade, King's House Gardens and Grounds, and the old garden at Bath. Full details of these establishments will be found in Part XI-Agricultural and Pastoral. SINCE the commencement of Asiatic immigration in 1845, 27,096 East Indian immigrants have been introduced into the colony of whom 8,809 have returned to India. 1,152 Chinese have also been introduced. In 1871 the system of permitting immigrants returning to India to make remittances by Government bills was inaugurated, and since then 6,136 men, women and children have returned taking bills to the amount of £76,424 10s. 7d. On the 31st March, 1898, the number of coolie depositors in the Government Savings Bank was 950, and the amount of deposits £25,668. Under the Immigration Laws any person wishing to employ indentured immigrants is required to pay to the Immigration Fund in respect of each immigrant (a) £15 10s. in cash on allotment; or (b) £2 in cash £1 10s at the end of one year, and £3 10s. at the end of two, three, four and five years, equal to a total of £17 10s. by deferred payments; and any person employing immigrants who have completed their indentures but have not resided for 10 years in the colony, must pay, also into the Immigration Fund, £2 10s. per annum or 1s. per week for each immigrant employed. The estimated East Indian population in December, 1897, is: Number serving under indenture Number who have not completed residence of 10 years ... 1,523 2,207 10,349 14,079 With furnished quarters. NOTE-For the entire History of Immigration-see previous editions of Handbook. REGISTRATION OF TITLES. THE Registration of Titles Law, 21 of 1888, came into operation on the 1st October, 1889, and is now extensively used. The law is similar to that in force for over 30 years in the Australian Colonies, "The transfer of land by Registration" and where it has been a decided success. The manner of bringing lands under the law is as follows: An application describing the lands, stating the value and giving the names of the persons in possession, and of the owners and occupiers of the adjoining lands Cessation of immigration until 1860. † Cessation of immigration until 1867. Previous to 1871 there was no system of Government bills for the remittance to India of money belonging to returning immigrants, and the amounts carried away in specie and colonial bank bills of exchange are unknown. A large amount of silver and gold jewelry and gold coins is still carried away in each ship, gold being at a large premium in India. Only 40 females to each 100 males are introduced. Protector receives travelling allowance on the same scale as other Heads of Departments. is made (on the printed form to be obtained from the Registrar) to bring the lands under the law and to have the certificate of title issued either in the name of the applicant or in that of some other person. The deeds or other documents in support of the title to the lands, with a certificate from the Collector of Taxes for the parish in which the land is situate, that the taxes on such land have been paid up to the date of the application, must accompany the application. Upon their receipt by the Registrar he enters the application in a book kept for that purpose and then submits the application and papers to one of the Referees. After the Referee has given his approval in writing of the applicant's title, notices of such application (describing the lands as fully as possible) are published in the Jamaica Gazette or other local newspaper and served by registered letter through the Post Office upon such persons as the Referee may indicate as likely to be interested in such land; and also upon the occupiers and owners of adjoining lands. These notices set forth the purport of the application and intimate that unless objection be made, by lodging a caveat in the Registrar's Office within the time prescribed by the notice, the land will be brought under the provision of the law and an indefeasible title will be granted to the applicant, or to the person in whose name the certificate of title was directed to be issued. The Referee may upon documents submitted, refuse his provisional order of approval, or may call for further evidence in support of applicant's title. If a caveat be lodged within the appointed time the Registrar will suspend proceedings until 1st, it is withdrawn; 2nd, by the lapse of the caveat not being followed up by other proceedings; 3rd, by the receipt of the final judgment of the Supreme Court upon the question raised. If no caveat be lodged the land is brought under the law by the issue of a certificate of title in duplicate. The certificate of title defines the land and the nature of the estate taken thereunder. Space is left in these certificates for the endorsement of subsequent dealings with such land. One of the certificates of title is bound up in the register book and the other is given to the owner of the land. Under the law an assurance fund is created of d. in the pound upon the value of land when first brought under the system, and upon land transmitted by will, or upon the intestacy of a registered proprietor. This fund is for the purpose of compensating any rightful owner by a money payment instead of allowing him to recover the land. There has been no claim hitherto on this fund. On the issue of a certificate of title, at the request of the applicant in the name of a purchaser of land, there is no formal deed of conveyance necessary, neither is there any stamp duty payable. The fees payable are stated in the schedule to Law 20 of 1889, amending Law 21 of 1888. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. THE Governinent Printing Office was established in October, 1879, previous to which date the parliamentary, departmental and parochial printing had been done under contract with private firms and by the convict labour at the General Penitentiary. The Office is situated in Duke Street, Kingston, and conveniently adjoins the Colonial Secretary's Office and the Legislative Council Chamber and Office. The buildings are divided into the Machine and Press Room, the Composing Extra clerical assistance is allowed when necessary. Room, Bindery, Warehouse, Stereo Foundry, Type Store and Photo Etching Room. The present plant consists of three large Cylinder Presses, one small "Fleet" Cylinder Press, and one Platen Press, with two Otto Gas Engines, as motors, of 11 and 3 horse-power. There are also efficient Standing Presses, Guillotines, Ruling, Paging, Wire Stitching, Perforating and Sawing Machines, Arming Presses, Gas Stoves, &c. The Compositors' Department is well equipped with standard and job types. Facilities also exist for the reproduction of drawings in line by Photo-Mechanical Process. The following statement shows the Expenditure of this Establishment for the twelve months ending March 31st, 1898, and for the two preceding years:— The value of the work done in the establishment and the cost of the stationery supplied to the various Departments are thus shown for the same periods. The stock of Paper, Stationery and sundries on hand on 31st March, 1898, was £2,889 98. 2d., and Profit and Loss showed a net profit of £1,778 10s. 9d. for the year. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. THE INSTITUTE OF JAMAICA. (FOR THE ENCOURAGEMENT OF LITERATURE, SCIENCE AND ART.) BOARD OF GOVERNORS. Hon. S. Constantine Burke, F.R.G.S., M.L.C., Chairman, 1898-99. Hon. C. B. Mosse, C.B., Superintending Medical Officer H. Vendryes, Esq., Advocate. Rev. William Gillies, D.D. G. C. Henderson, Esq., M.D., Lond. J. Cargill, Esq., M.D. Sir Fielding Clarke. Kt., Chief Justice of Hon. Wm. Fawcett, B.Sc., F.L.S., Director of Public Gardens and Plantations. J. W. Plaxton, Esq., M.R.C.s., Medical Superintendent Lunatic Asylum. Rev. William Simms, M.A., Master of University College. L. J. Bertram, Esq., Auditor General. SECRETARY-Frank Cundall, Esq., F.S.A. HISTORY.-One of the earliest of the important scientific societies in the island was the Royal Agricultural Society of Jamaica, which was founded as the General Agricultural Society of Jamaica in 1843 during the governorship of the Earl of Elgin, although there had existed from time to time, since 1807, various local agricultural societies in certain of the parishes. The device of the seal of this society (the Arms of Jamaica impaling those of Elgin) is ueed by the Institute. Eleven years later, in 1854, during the administration of Sir Henry Barkly, the Royal |