necessity of starting life afresh. Though the official role allotted to them was that of farmers, their primary ambition was to rebuild their shattered fortunes, and they found it quicker and vastly more lucrative to traffic in the island's natural and abundant resources-tortoises and timber. Between 1784 and 1789 alone it was estimated that more than 13,000 giant tortoises had been shipped from Mahé, while many others were slaughtered for home consumption. Damage to the island's magnificent forests had been on much the same scale. Appalled by this devastation, the French authorities in Mauritius sent M. Malavois in 1789 with orders to end it. The colonists were confined to fixed areas and all trading was forbidden. Thereafter their activities were devoted to the raising of crops, and it is to the credit of the colonists that, as long as slavery was permitted to continue, they managed, in addition to feeding themselves and their slaves, to fulfil their intended role as ship chandlers and purveyors to the garrison, even at times producing a surplus of maize, rice and cotton for export. Nevertheless, their ignorance of the nature of tropical soils and their wasteful methods of cultivation (burning tracts of forest land, cropping them until fertility declined and then repeating the operation elsewhere) led to further impoverishment of a soil already poor by nature. When the French Revolution occurred in 1789, the population of Seychelles numbered 69 persons of French blood, three soldiers of the garrison, 32 coloured persons and 487 slaves. In June 1790 the colonists set up a Permanent Colonial Assembly and a Committee of Administration. They repudiated all links with Mauritius, and invested the Assembly with judicial and other powers of internal self-government, thus anticipating by 113 years the status of Crown Colony granted to Seychelles by Britain in 1903. Their enthusiasm for the revolution, however, evaporated with the arrival of a Republican Commandant who proclaimed, among other changes, the abolition of slavery without compensation. Almost to a man the colonists boycotted him. He was succeeded by the Chevalier de Quincy, who brought news that the edict concerning slavery had been revoked, and Seychelles once more settled down as a dependency of Mauritius. For a number of years serious depredations to British shipping in the Indian Ocean had been caused by French privateers. Several of the marauding ships were owned by Seychellois, and it was partly to put an end to such activities that in 1794 a British squadron appeared off Victoria, demanding the unconditional surrender of the island. De Quincy had no forces to repel attack, but nevertheless managed by admirable courage and diplomacy to obtain a deed of capitulation most favourable to the islanders. In 1802 the Peace of Amiens was signed but hostilities broke out again in 1803. With a view to weakening the British hold on India, Napoleon determined to station a strong fleet on the main trade route in the Indian Ocean. To this end, Mauritius was made the naval and military headquarters, Réunion and Madagascar the depots of food and stores, and Seychelles an advanced outpost. Britain's reply was to place a naval blockade on all these islands. In 1804 Seychelles was forced to capitulate for the second time. Again de Quincy's shrewdness served the colonists well, for he obtained a concession whereby ships of Seychelles flying a certain flag could pass through the blockade unmolested. The many ships calling at Mahé for supplies and a virtual monopoly of trade secured by the Seychelles under the terms of the capitulation, brought considerable wealth to the colony. However, with the fall of Mauritius to British forces in 1810, when Britain made it clear that slavery was to be abolished, a number of colonists with their slaves, estimated at nearly half the population, left Seychelles. During the pourparlers to the Treaty of Paris, Britain offered to restore Mauritius and its dependencies to France if that country would renounce all claims to its small remaining possessions in India. France refused and so in 1814 all these islands were formally ceded to Britain. Although all previous undertakings to respect French ownership of property, law and customs were omitted from the treaty, these continued to be honoured in deed. As a further proof of good-will, the Chevalier de Quincy was invited by the British Government to become Judge de Paix in Seychelles. He accepted and served with distinction in that office until his death 13 years later. From the date of its foundation until 1903, Seychelles was regarded as a dependency of Mauritius. A series of Civil Commissioners under the tutelage of Mauritius administered Seychelles from 1811 to 1888, but some degree of separation was effected in 1872 when a Board of Civil Commissioners was appointed with financial autonomy. The powers of this Board under a Chief Civil Commissioner were extended by another Order in Council of 1874. In 1888 the importance of the islands warranted a further change in the constitution, and an Order-in-Council was passed creating an Administrator with a nominated Executive and Legislative Council as from 1889. In 1897 the separation from Mauritius became more marked when the Administrator was endowed with the full powers of Governor. Six years later, by Letters Patent of 31st August 1903, separation was completed and Seychelles became a Crown Colony with a Governor and Executive and Legislative Councils. CONSTITUTION The present Constitution, which was introduced in late 1967, consists of a single Council with both executive and legislative powers and an unofficial majority. The Governing Council consists of three ex-officio members, eight elected members and up to four nominated members, with the Governor as President. For the first time, the General Election held in 1967 was contested on the basis of universal adult suffrage. At a Constitutional Conference held in London in March 1970, a new Constitution was agreed for Seychelles. It creates a two-tier system of Government with a Council of Ministers consisting of a Chief Minister, up to four other Ministers and three ex-officio members; the Governor or his Deputy will preside. All the Ministers will be elected members of the Legislative Assembly. The Legislative Assembly will comprise 15 elected members and three ex-officio members, presided over by an independent Speaker appointed from outside the Assembly. The new Constitution will be introduced towards the end of the year and will be followed by a General Election. LAND POLICY All land, other than Crown land, is held in freehold. Individual ownership is recognised, but aliens may purchase land only with the approval of Government. GOVERNMENT GOVERNING COUNCIL Up to four nominated members CIVIL ESTABLISHMENT GOVERNOR AND COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF: Sir Bruce Greatbatch, CMG, CVO, MBE Acting Chief Secretary: G. F. Pollard, OBE Attorney-General: D. L. Davies, OBE Britain: H. O. V. Jensen, Esq., Officer in charge of Tourism, Information JP Architect: C. N. Paine Planning Adviser: D. Komlosy JUDICIARY Chief Justice: G. L. Souyave, QC TRADE REPRESENTATIVES 340 Grand Buildings, Trafalgar Square, London, W.C.2, England East Africa: A. W. Bentley-Buckle, Esq., Box 875, Southern House, Kilindini Road, Mombasa, Kenya READING LIST BENEDICT, B. People of the Seychelles. HMSO 1966. BRADLEY, J. T. History of the Seychelles Islands. Port Victoria, 1936. MOCKFORD, J. Pursuit of an Island. Staples Press, 1950. OMMANNEY, F. D. The Shoals of Capricorn. Longmans, Green, 1952. THOMAS, A. Forgotten Eden. Longmans, Green, 1968. TOUSSAINT, A. History of the Indian Ocean. Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1966. WEBB, A. W. T. Story of Seychelles. Seychelles, 1964. Seychelles: Proposals for constitutional advance. Commonwealth Office, Seychelles 1970: Report of the Seychelles Constitutional Conference, 9 to 13 Victoria Reclamation Project. Government Printer, Mahé, 1970. T TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS HE Turks and Caicos Islands lie to the south-east of the Bahamas between latitudes 21 and 22° N. and longitudes 71° and 72° 30′ W. The Turks Islands are said to derive their name from a species of cactus (echinocactus myriostigma) whose scarlet flowers resemble a Turkish fez. There are a number of theories on how the Caicos Islands got their name, one being that the name is derived from the Spanish name 'Cayos' for cays. The territory is made up of two groups of islands separated by a deep water channel about 22 miles wide known as the Turks Islands passage. The Turks Islands lie to the east of the passage and the Caicos Islands to the west. The Turks Islands consist of two inhabited islands, Grand Turk and Salt Cay, six uninhabited cays and a large number of rocks. The principal islands of the Caicos group are South Caicos, East Caicos, Middle (or Grand) Caicos, North Caicos, Providenciales and West Caicos. Geographically the islands are a part of the Bahamas chain and have the same flat characteristics, there being no land above 250 feet. The total land area is estimated at 166 square miles. The climate is good. The south-east trade winds blow constantly throughout the year, giving an equable and healthy climate. Rainfall is variable and tends to be higher in the Caicos Islands; on Grand Turk the annual average is about 21 inches. The temperature ranges throughout the year from 60°F to 90°F. Severe hurricanes occurred in 1866, 1873, 1888, 1908, 1926, 1928, 1945 and 1960. The population at the last census (April 1960) was 5,714 and the estimated population at the end of 1966 was 6,000. The majority of the population are of African descent. The birth-rate in 1968 was 27.1 per '000 and the death rate 6.3 per '000. Religion is Christian, the main denominations being Baptist, Methodist and Anglican. English is the official and spoken language. There are 13 Government elementary schools and two Secondary schools on the Islands; education is free. In 1966 a technical wing was set up at the Secondary School. In 1968 there were 1,665 pupils on the rolls. Expenditure on education in 1968 amounted to £48,865. The literacy figure is approximately 96 per cent. The main seaports are Grand Turk, Salt Cay and Cockburn Harbour on South Caicos. There is an irregular mail and freight service to Jamaica by sea, and ships also call from Holland, New York and Miami. The Royal Mail Lines started a direct shipping service from Great Britain in 1968. Grand Turk island has a number of metalled roads including one from end to end of the island. The regular thrice-weekly air service provided by Bahamas Airways Limited between the islands and Nassau uses the American South Base airfield and arrangements are in hand to open this field for wider use of private planes. There is also a small unmetalled strip for small planes close to the town. On South Caicos there is an excellent airstrip capable of taking planes of considerable size. This strip was paved during the early part of 1968. There are airstrips on Salt Cay, Providenciales, North Caicos and Middle Caicos. In 1967 Caicos Airways Ltd. established a small internal air service and in 1970 Air Caicos started a twice daily service round the Islands. South Caicos has a number of minor roads and a road network was provided during 1967 in Providenciales, 1969 in North Caicos and is being built in 1970 in Middle Caicos. A radio-telephone system connects Grand Turk with Salt Cay and the Caicos Islands as well as providing a service with Jamaica and the United States. There is no broadcasting service but Cable and Wireless (West Indies) Limited broadcast a fifteen-minute daily programme of news and announcements. There is a 20-bed cottage hospital of modern design at Grand Turk, together with a dental clinic. Medical Officers are stationed at Grand Turk and at Cockburn Harbour on South Caicos. There is a clinic at Cockburn Harbour, a maternity clinic in the charge of a midwife at Bottle Creek on North Caicos and a district midwife at Salt Cay. Expenditure on medical services in 1968 was £40,536. There is practically no agriculture carried on in Turks Islands and South Caicos, but in the rest of the Caicos Islands corn, beans and other crops are normally grown in sufficient quantity to satisfy local needs. Sisal production ceased in 1968 owing to poor crops and export difficulties. In the past the principal occupation of the population of the Turks Islands group and of South Caicos was the production of salt by solar evaporation. However, because of difficulties in finding markets, the operations on Grand Turk and South Caicos were closed down at the end of 1964. Operations continue on a reduced scale on Salt Cay. Fisheries have continued to be of great economic importance and crawfish has become the chief export industry of the islands. In 1968, 174,860 lbs. of crawfish (Panulirus Argus) was exported, with a return of £58,115 for the fishermen. Free diving with the use of a wire noose was the only fishing method practised by the fishermen and was carried out from small power-driven boats and sailing sloops. The export of dried conch to Haiti is the second largest export of fisheries products but the industry is declining very rapidly. In 1968, 187,000 dried conch meats were exported, with a return of £597. In conjunction with the export of conch meat 71,000 shells were exported to the United States. These shells are used in the tourist trade. Other fisheries remain undeveloped. The main exports in 1968 were: Crawfish £58,115; Salt £3,796; Conches £630; Conch shells £592. Government revenue in 1968 was £512,168 (including grant-in-aid) and expenditure £532,173. The main heads of taxation are Customs import duties (15 per cent preferential and 20 per cent general f.o.b.) and a special tax of 4 per cent on all dutiable goods. There is no direct taxation. Expenditure under the Turks and Caicos Islands Development Plan during the two years 1st April 1966-31st March 1968 is estimated at £164,000. The main imports for the years 1965-68 were: The islands were discovered in 1512 by Juan Ponce de Leon while on a voyage from Puerto Rico. At the time of their discovery the islands were apparently uninhabited. The first European occupation was by Bermudians who, beginning at least as early as 1678, came regularly for salt about March, remaining until around November when the salt raking season was over. They sometimes stayed throughout the year. The Caicos Islands were settled by Loyalist planters from the Southern States of America after the War of Independence. After the abolition of slavery in 1838 the planters left the islands, their former slaves remaining in possession. In the meantime the islands were placed under the Bahamas Government, but in 1848 in answer to a petition from the inhabitants a separate charter was |