Indian Immigration to St.Vincent

On June 2, 1861 the first ship load of East Indian immigrants arrived here on the ship ‘Travaucore’. It had taken 92 days from Madras. On board were 260 immigrants made up of 160 men, 62 women, 34 children under 10 and four infants under one year. There were 2 births on board and 5 reported cases of illness. These immigrants were accommodated at the Commissariat buildings at Edinboro until arrangements for their distribution were finalized; They were assigned to the following estates; Rabacca, Tourama, Argyle, Adelphi, Calder, Rutland Vale, Sans Souci, Union, Mt. Greenan, Mt. Bentick and L’Ance Joyeaux (Bambareaux). The largest numbers 49 and 40 went to Rabacca and Tourama respectively. One individual was retained as an Interpreter.{{more}}

In August 1861, 2 months after the arrival of the first batch of Indians applications were made for an additional 276. This was seen as urgent and from all indications there was a great deal of satisfaction with the first group, with the only complaint being about drunkenness. But by November the Lt.Governor had to cancel the order for a second ship since he was convinced that they could not have been disposed of. The anxiety for receiving immigrants was not matched by any readiness to take them up for the first group had to wait some time before they were distributed. On April 11, 1862 the ‘Castle Howard’ arrived with 307 immigrants. Again there was a long delay of several weeks before applications were made for them. By December of that year despite advertisements for applicants none was received.

It is estimated that a total of 2, 472 Indians came to St.Vincent on indenture with 1,050 eventually returning to India. In the period between 1838 and 1918 a total of 5, 610 persons, including Portugese from Madeira and liberated Africans had come to St.Vincent as indentured immigrants. The 1881 census listed 192 Caribs, 2,190 Indians and 13, 916 other laboureres, most of whom were creoles. The journey from Calculatta to St.Vincent, based on the record of ships arriving in the 1860s and 1870s, averaged from three to four months. The records of voyages that I have been able to examine suggested that 14 deaths and 6 births were the largest numbers in those categories that were reported on any one trip.

There were only a few cases of intermarriage. Of 2,000 Indian immigrants arriving by 1871 there were only 6 or 7 cases of intermarriage. The Indian immigrants came in almost equal proportions of male to female and the estates themselves maintained that ratio when selecting immigrants. A number of relationships were forged on board. There was the 1871 case on the ship ‘Dover Castle’ of a relationship having developed between an immigrant woman who was bound for Demerara and a man coming to St.Vincent. This case ended happily when the Demerara woman was allowed to stay in St.Vincent having been exchanged for a Vincentian bound woman.

Why were Indians brought to St.Vincent? The traditional answer was that this was to fill the gap created when emancipated slaves left the estates. Based on the evidence this was not so. In fact one historian echoing a colonial official described immigration to St.Vincent as a sieve. While immigrants were arriving there were large numbers of workers leaving for colonies such as Trinidad and British Guiana. Proprietors seemed to have gotten some psychological satisfaction from having them around, but really, it had more to do with stability of wages. There was always fear that native labour would have had an upper hand and so demand high wages. Immigration was to provide competition and limit any efforts at forcing wage increases and making other demands. I have already pointed to the delays before taking the immigrants. In 1863 there was no response to the advertisement for applicants. In 1879 the colony had to request a reduction to 200 from the 400 that had originally been asked for.

One commentator since 1861 made the point that all agricultural bodies were anxious for immigrants and ready to facilitate their coming especially through enforcing the passage of legislation but few were willing to take them when they arrived, each hoping that their neighbours would have taken them while they resorted to native labour. The problem also had to do with the fluctuating fortunes of the sugar industry. In the 1880s managers of estates were warning non-indentured immigrants and those whose contracts were about to expire that their services were no longer needed. They were even given notices to quit the estate houses. Numerous appeals for employment were made to the Lt. Governor by non-indentured Indians. He had on occasions, therefore, to approach the authorities in Trinidad and British Guiana seeking employment opportunities

The cost of lodgings was borne by the estates that had to provide separate rooms for each couple and to ensure that the buildings were whitewashed at least once per year. Medicines and medical attention had to be provided by medical practitioners visiting the estates at least once a week. Provisions for back passages were to be provided once 8 years had been served. If the immigrants were under indenture for the whole period their passages were free. If, however they were not indentured for the last three years they had to pay part of the cost. Additionally if applications were not made for these passages 18 months after the 8 year period, they were assumed to have lapsed. Immigrants who wanted to re-indenture were allowed to do so and were paid a bounty in return for giving up their back passages.

Payments for bounties and back passages created a heavy strain on finances and sapped the enthusiasm of the planters, particularly from the 1880s when there was a heavy demand for back passages. Those who were due to return to Indian often had to wait long periods until ships from Trinidad and British Guiana were ready. The issue of remittances or rather of money taken back to India was an important one. In July 1880 for example the ship ‘Horrah’ left with 166 immigrants, 42 of whom had deposited _2,653.2.2 to be sent to India; also an additional _1,715.16.6 was withdrawn from the Savings Bank. Actually most of the immigrants preferred lodging their money with merchants rather than the Banks because of the higher interest rates offered to them. On the other hand native labourers were complaining about their inability to get work on the estates. Immigration, in fact, was not forced on the colonies because of any shortage of workers but was influenced by the planters desire to continue to exercise a measure of control over labour. Apart from those who had returned to India many also left to take up residence in Trinidad and British Guiana. The Sugar Industry faltered in the latter part of the 19th century but certainly not for want of labour