- The deputy president.
- The town-clerk; and
- Nine counsellors.
The above court superintends the public buildings, streets, orange-trees, canals, &c. and decides all pecuniary disputes that are under twenty-five guineas; any sum above which must be referred to the court of justice.
Besides these, there is an orphan and insolvent debtors college, consisting of
- The commissaries.
- The town-clerk.
- The book-keeper.
- The treasurer; and
- A sworn secretary.
The public revenue offices are:
- The office of importation and exportation duties.
- The office of excise and small imposts.
- The office for head-money, or poll-tax.
- The office for public sales and vendues.
- The office for re-taking negro deserters, &c.
But these I shall more amply explain when I speak of the general revenue of this colony, and for the present shall only consider its government. I have formerly mentioned that the governor is at the head not only of the [[78]]civil but military departments; the other public employments are chiefly
- The secretary to his excellency the governor.
- The commissaries of the victualling-offices.
- Four inspectors of the exportation of sugars.
- One inspector of the melasses hogsheads.
- One supervisor of all the North American vessels.
- Two public auctioneers.
- Two serjeants or messengers of the court.
- Two sworn land-surveyors.
- Three measurers of the squared timber.
- One inspector of the black cattle, &c.
- One sworn overseer of weights and measures.
- Three Low-Dutch clergymen.
- One French clergyman.
- One Lutheran clergyman.
- Three public schoolmasters, &c.
The militia consists of eleven companies, with one captain, one lieutenant, one second lieutenant, one ensign, one secretary, and one cashier each. The captains are generally the sworn appraisers of the estates for sale on the different rivers, where they chance to have their department.
These are the principal functionaries in the government of Surinam; which is not originally upon a bad establishment, were it not depraved by sordid avarice, to the great detriment of this beautiful settlement in general, and to that of its inhabitants in particular. The [[79]]colony, by proper management, might be made a garden of Eden, not only for the European settlers, but also for their African domestics. It would not indeed be difficult to suggest improvements, nor even to carry them into effect. What has occurred to me upon the subject, I will candidly state on another occasion; and I have no doubt but a little attention even to one single point would be productive of the happiest consequences. Thus, if I cannot on the spot, like the good Samaritan, pour the balm into the wound of any one sufferer, at least I can leave the prescription, which, if properly applied, would, I am persuaded, afford relief to the complaints of thousands.