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By the 1st section of the Act 35 Charles II., cap. 3, the Governor of Jamaica is empowered, by instrument under the broad seal of the island, "to make an alien or aliens, foreigner or foreigners, being already settled in the island, or such as shall hereafter come to settle in it, having first taken the oath of allegiance, to be, to all intents and purposes, fully and completely naturalized;" and the person so naturalized thenceforward has and enjoys for himself and his heirs "the same immunities and rights of, and unto, the laws and privileges of this island in as full and ample manner as any of His Majesty's natural born subjects have or enjoy within the same," or as if the person concerned had been born within any of His Majesty's realms or dominions.

The provisions of this Act have frequently been had recourse to, and this was especially the case in the years during which emigration to a large extent from Cuba and Hayti took place in consequence of the disturbances in those countries.

The procedure under this Act is as follows: A petition is presented to the Governor setting forth particulars of the individual desirous of naturalization, the fact of his having settled in the island or his intention to do so, as the case may be, and his willingness to take the oath of allegiance. To this petition should be affixed the signatures of at least two respectable citizens as a guarantee of the good character and bona fides of the petitioner. If after such further inquiry as may be deemed necessary the Governor should decide on granting letters of naturalization, a writ of dedimus is issued for the administration of the oath of allegiance to the applicant, and, when this writ is returned executed, the letters of naturalization are issued, and an intimation to that effect is published in the Jamaica Gazette by Authority. There are no fees or stamp duties payable in connection with these proceedings.

Under the 6th section of the Act 14 Vic. cap. 40, any woman married to a natural born subject or person naturalized in Jamaica shall be deemed to be herself naturalized and to have all the rights and privileges of a natural born subject.

It has been held that the children of an alien who has been naturalized in the colony, born before their father's naturalization, do not become British subjects by the naturalization of their father, whether they are or are not of age at the time of their father's naturalization.

Certificates of naturalization granted in Great Britain do not give the holders the rights and privileges of British subjects in the colonies.

Governors are authorized to issue passports for foreign travel to persons naturalized in the colonies. The form of passports is given below. These passports must be signed by the Officer Administering the Government, and must contain an express declaration that the person receiving the passport is naturalized as a British subject in the colony. These passports are unlimited in point of duration.

This passport is granted to A.B., naturalized as a British subject in this colony, to enable him to travel in foreign parts.

This passport is granted with the qualification that the bearer shall not, when within the limit of the Foreign State of which he was a subject previously to obtaining his colonial certificate of naturalization, be entitled to British protection unless he has ceased to be a subject of that State in pursuance of the laws thereof or in pursuance of a Treaty to that effect.

(Signed) C. D.

Governor (Lieutenant Governor or Officer Administering the Government of the Colony, Island or Province of

Passports are also issued by the Foreign Office in London on the recommendation of the Secretary of State for the Colonies; but foreigners naturalized in any of Her Majesty's Colonies cannot obtain in England British passports for foreign travel unless they furnish some official evidence of their identity and description from the colony in which they have been naturalized. Any person naturalized in Jamaica intending to travel in Europe should, therefore, before leaving the colony, obtain a certificate of naturalization and identity, for which purpose application may be made to the Colonial Secretary.

If an alien naturalized in a colony, and not possessing a passport, finds himself in need of one when in a foreign country a British Minister or Consul will be empowered, on such evidence as he may deem sufficient, to grant him a provisional passport, limited in duration, in order to meet the immediate requirements of his case, and to enable him to return to his colony or to the united Kingdom, and so establish his identity beyond question, and obtain a permanent passport.

Passports for foreign travel are issued by the Governor also to born British subjects on application.

The Acts 24 Vic., cap. 4 and 25 Vic., cap. 27, relating to Surveyors of Land, were repealed by Law 33 of 1869, which is the enactment now in force.

A person is entitled to receive a Commission as a Land Surveyor under this Law who, having served an apprenticeship of five years to a legally Commissioned Land Surveyor, or having practised the profession of Land Surveyor in Great Britain or Ireland for five years, or being legally qualified in a British colony, shall pass a satisfactory examination before the Inspector of Schools, the Government Land Surveyor and a Commissioned Land Surveyor appointed by the Supreme Court.

This examination embraces the following subjects: Arithmetic, algebra as far as simple equations, plain geometry, plain trigonometry, topographical drawing, the practical use of the principal instruments employed in surveying and their adjustments, and the theory and practice of land and railway surveying.

Unqualified persons acting as Surveyors of Land are liable for each offence to a penalty of not less than £10 and not more than £50; but an apprentice, after having served two years of apprenticeship, may perform the duties and office of a Land Surveyor for his employer with that individual's sanction and under his guidance and responsibility. He cannot, however, sign his employer's name to any plat or survey. Commissioned Land Surveyors are, under this Law, prohibited from having more than two indentured apprentices at the same time, and from taking any apprentice under the age of 16.

Articles of apprenticeship are required to be impressed with a stamp of £30, and the commission of a Land Surveyor, who has served under stamped articles of apprenticeship, is liable to a stamp of £30. Commissions to Surveyors in other cases are required to be impressed with a stamp of £60.

A Surveyor who intentionally, or through negligence, carelessness, or culpable ignorance, makes or delivers an incorrect plan is liable to lose his commission, or be suspended, or to incur a penalty not exceeding £20, and to be required to repay the fees received for the making of such plan.

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*The Director of Public Works, Assistant Director of Public Works, Inspecting Engineers, and Telegraph and Telephone Line Superintendent are reimbursed travelling expenses according to a scale at present in force.

+ The First and second Class Superintendents of Roads and Works receive travelling allowances in addition to their salaries.

The Jamaica Railway, under a private Company, was opened for traffic in 1845 to Angels Station--a distance of 14 miles 5 furlongs. In 1869 an extension from Spanish Town to Old Harbour was opened--a distance of 11 miles. In 1879 the Jamaica Railway Company was bought out by the Government of the island for the sum of £93,932 which at the time of the sale represented a capital expenditure of upwards of £267,000. The extension to Porus, 24 1/4 miles from Old Harbour, was opened for traffic in 1885, and that from Angels to Ewarton, 14 1/2 miles, later in the same year.

The Government sold the Railway in 1890 to an American syndicate, for £800,000 under covenants for the extension of the line to Montego Bay and Port Antonio. In 1994 the extension to Montego Bay was completed--66 miles. In 1896 the extension to Port Antonio was opened--54 1/2 miles.

Under the powers reserved to the Government by the conditions of the agreement for the sale, the line was forfeited to the Government for default in payment of interest on the mortgage Bonds on which the capital was raised, and in 1900 the Supreme Court signed the order vesting the Jamaica Railway in the Government of the Island. It has since been administered as a department of the Government.

In 1913 an extension of 13 miles of line from May Pen to Chapelton up the Rio Minho Valley was opened for traffic, making the total length of line 197 1/2 miles.

Office.....Name of Holder........Salary and other Emolument £

Director, John Hugh Dodd (Acting) £550

Senior Clerk, Director's Office. Herbert George Pascoe £250

Accountant and Cashier, Henry Cyril Litteljohn £400

Asst. Accountant and Cashier, Geoffrey Campbell Gunter £250

Senior Clerk Engineer's Office, Henry Alexander Hamilton £220

Locomotive Superintendent, Paul Coulthard Dewhurst £600

Senior Clerk Locomotive Superintendent's Office, Albert Babington Milner £102

Traffic Superintendent, Charles Augustus Squire £450

Freight Agent, Kingston, George Elliott £300

Senior Clerk Traffic Superintendent's Office, Alfred Walter Burke £220

Supt. of Railway Stores, Charles Shedden Sanguinetti* £400

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*Served abroad as Major with the B.W.I. Regiment. Now serving as Staff Officer of Local Forces.

There is An Advisory Board nominated by the Governor, but they have no executive functions. The Board (appointed 7th May, 1902) consists at present of Hon. D. S. Gideon, Chairman; Henry Cork, E. H. Kerr, Capt. S. D. List, Arthur George, David Henderson, Hon S. S. Stedman, Percy Lindo, F. M. Kerr-Jarrett, J. H. Dodd, Acting Director, and Secretary, H. G. Pascoe.

SHORTLY after the commencement of Sir John Grant's administration a Survey and Lands Division of the Public Works Department was established and the Director of Roads was constituted its head. The officer in charge of the division was styled the Government Surveyor.

On the 1st October, 1890, the Survey Branch was organised as a separate service, the Government Surveyor was appointed head of the Department under the designation of Surveyor General.

Government lands have now all been classified, their histories and titles (most of which were previously unknown) inquired into and surveys made and possession taken, in cases where, formerly, the lands had been either unpossessed or in adverse possession. In addition, the titles to lands held by trustees for certain Government purposes and those strictly parochial have been enquired into and verified, and the lands have been surveyed and placed upon stable and certain tenure, and those not required for Government purposes have been leased at fair rentals.

There were also at the time of the establishment of the Lands Department numerous properties all over the island in the possession of squatters, and there were vast tracts on which ordinary quit rents had not been paid for many years. Much of this land was either unowned or unrepresented.

By successive acts from 1867 to 1887 the Government became the trustees of all lands in the possession of persons without any legal or equitable title. The owners may recover the lands upon payment of the expenses incurred by the Government, before seven years have expired.

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