In 1824, the foundation stone of a new military barracks was laid at St. James. Most of the material for the construction came from the Maraval Valley and occasioned an action between the Government and Jean Boissière over damage to the latter's sugar estate at Champs Elysées caused by the removal of so much stone. The barracks took three years to build and were completed at the cost of about ₤80,000.〔''The History of the West Indian Islands of Trinidad and Tobago. 1498-1900''. Gertrude Carmichael. Alvin Redman, London, 1961, p. 141.〕