The Sun. — London, England, 1832-02-23 00:00:00

111'1 eintioirfells?ntilislOitig - ,toloti yesterday, T suniinonecl a council of wisi l itliorreseribedbYi r e*:wnd agreeable to the unanimous opiniarriirtboli who' eiinipmed the - council, martial law has been proclaimed. It will be my object to refrain as much as possible from call ing out any portion of the militia, whose services may not appear to be‘absolutely necessary. And I inclose herewith an order I have lotted, by which you will be informed of the regi ments you may now consider at your disposal. These regiments will be found to surround the district now in insurrection, by which means I hope to interrupt any communication with the slaves-in other parts of the island. I have also to observe; that should you deem it expedient to increase the regular force you have ordered for embarkation, I am now enabled to garrison the town or barracks they at present occupy, by detachments from the militia. As it will he highly satisfactory to his Majesty's Government to receive the latest and mostauthentic information of the actual state of the north side of the island, I shall wait with impatience for your report, and detain the packet until I receive it. You will by this means also have an opportunity, should you think proper, to convey an account to the Horse Guards of the result of your proceedings. I am, &c. (Signed) BELMORE. Major-General Sir Willoughby Cotton, &c. No. 16. - Y. S. Estate, Jan. 1, 1832. Mv Lone,--I did myself the honour of addressing your Ex cellency yesterday evening from the post at New Savannah ; since which I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of the militia general orders of date the 30th ultimo, which were handed to me on my way to this post, and from which I observe that your Excellency has further honoured me by plac ing the Hanoiter Regiment under my command. I beg to assure your Lordship the orders shall be strictly attended to. It is now my duty to inform - your Excellency that two corn_ panics Of St. Elizabeth'sregiment, viz : the grenadiers,under the command of Captain Stone, and the sth battalion company, under the command of Capt. Hinlayson, were ordered up last evening to Ipswich estate, and Ginger hill plantation, both in this parish,'(the Warks of which properties had been burnt doWn) where they found the rebels in great force, and attacked them. As far at can yec be ascertained, twenty of them were killed, and many prisoners made; they retreated leaving many stands of arms, and a great quantity of ammunition was found in their houses. Fortunately the attack took place at the moment it did, as they were preparing to come down here to attack this post; and so confident were they of success, that they had provided a great quantity of meat, liquor, &c., for a feast, on their - return to Ipswich. The bravery of these two companies will, I hope, in some measure, restore confidence to the community, - and be the nieins of preventing other news' oes from joining the disaffected party, which I apprehend theunfortunate retreat 'of Colonel Grignon has caused many - to do. lam happy to say the overseer of Ginger-hill was released, after having been for eight days a prisoner of the rebels. His evi dence which has been taken, will disclose to your Lordship some of the causes which appear to have led tolhese unhappy disturbances arnangi the slaves, who had gone so far as to accuse the GovernMent of supporting them against the whites ; which idea alone must have produced a wonderful effect upon the minds of the - slave population generally, and must be removed before they can be restored to a state of subjection and tran. quillity. I therefore anticipate much good from the appear ance of his Majesty's troops being brought against them, which, I trust, will be the means of saving many lives, and preserving much valuable property. It is iny intention to move detachments from the different regiments under my command, into the disturbed districts, and to follow up the advantages we have already gained, which, I hope, will meet the approval of your Excellency. 1 have, &c. (Signed) D, ROBERTSON, Major-General. To his Excellency Somerset Lowry Earl of Belmore, Captain_ General, &c. &c. No. 17. Y. S. Saint Elizabeth, Jan. 2, 1832, Half.past Two o'clock, P.M. Stk—i did myself the honour of addressing you yesterday, since which I have received your despatches, of date the 31st December, and Ist lanuary, which shall have my particular at tention. - Inclosed I beg leave to forward you the deposition re ferred to in my despatch to his Excellency the Governor yes terday. Since the defeat of the rebels in this quarter on Sa_ turday evening, a company was advanced to occupy the district which they had quitted. lam sorry to say discontent is spreading generally in this pa_ rish, as the slaves oil many properties, as well as those under my own controul, have refused to return to their labour this day. From the examination of the prisoners we have taken, I have discovered the names of some of the rebel commanders, viz., Colonel Gardiner, belonging to the Greenwich estate; Captain Dove, belonging to Belvidere ; Captain Johnson, be longing to Retrieve ; and General Ruler Sharp, alias Daddy Ruler Sharp, director of the whole, and preacher to the rebels. I have deemed it advisable to offer a reward of three hundred dollars to any free person or maroon, and freedom, with an annuity for life, to any slave who will bring in, dead or alive, either of these ringleaders of the rebels. A confirmation of the above from head-quarters will have a very great effect as soon as it obtains publicity by proclamation, for warded immediately to the disturbed districts. The prisoners are increasing so rapidly, that in order to secure them it will be necessary to have them lodged on board one of his Majesty's ships. I am most anxiously looking fur a detachment of regular troops in this quarter. I am happy to say the maroons, who came to head-quarters last night, have gone home for their arms, and I expect them to join us during the day. I am sorry to observe the remark you make re s pecti ng th e delay in forwarding the despatches. I can assure you it does not take place within my district. (Signed) W. Bullock, Esq. I have, &c. D. ROBERTSON. Major-General. No. 18. Deposition on oath of Wm. Annand, Overseer of Ginger hill Plantation, in the parish of St. Elizabeth. Y. S. Estate, Ist Jan., 1832. H aving received information from Mr. James Campbell, overseer on y. S. estate, with whom I had lived as book,-keeper, that the slaves from Ginger-hill to Belvidere estate, in Saint James's, intended to disarm the white people during the Christ mas holidays, and advising me to come down to Y. S. estate, as he intended keeping all his white people together there, I was much surprised at such information, having seen nothing in the conduct of the slaves belonging to Ginger.hill to induce me to tissuspect any thing of thi s ki n d . I did not go down, being sa fied by the behaviour of the people that the information was morning, the 28th of December, when they were ordered to • turn out to work, seeing several of the slaves about the house, • j asked what they wanted ; a slave belonging to Ginger-hill, named Wm. Buchanan, said they had come-to beg Busha for to-dagiveny, as Sunday was Christmas-day. .. I said I had already orders to the wanted was to driver to th a t effect ; a ll th a t I see them turn out, and see they were all there, and they should have the remainder of the day. With this they seemed dissati s fi e d , and no thanks were returned. I went into r the house, and was followed immediately by the said slave, [ William Buchanan, who - laid hold of me, saying, " Busha, 1 you now my prjsonere'.and called for his accom plices, namely, William Arnold, Charles Longmore, Geo rge B arre tt, Al exander bill Thomas Medley, and Johnny, all slaves belonging to Ginger , . On• enctillrieg what wis the matter, they said they had worked long enough as slaVes, and intended now to fight for their freedom, which had been long promised them; that all 7.. they wanted of me was to deliver up my arms, and whatever powder I .had ; then I might remain undisturbed on the pro.. perty as long as I chose, provided I did not interfere against them. I endeavoured to reason with them on the iinpro_ priety of such conduct, but to no effect ; they said that I knew [ a s well Di themselves that Jamaica was now free, and pelf the estates from there to Montego Bay were burnt doWn the night before ; that they were obliged to assist their brethren In - this work of the Lord ; that this was not the work of man alone, but they had assistance from God. * I saw that a refusal of their demand was useless, and delivered up my arms, a nd what powder I had in the house. They then departed, ad vising me not to remove from the house, as if I attempted it, I should certainly be shot by some of the ir guards wh house, ow u e s r e e posted on all sides of the property: I . remai ned in the a nd observed them through the day bringing i n arms from the s ettlers around. On Thursday, the 29th, I saw a great many strange negroes, who, as I understood, belonged to Chesterfield, Retrieve, Rich mond-hill, and Belvidere, some of them with firearms, and others with lances, cutlasses, &c. . They had scouts posted on • all the hilli' around, from the Y. S. estate, extending towards , saint James's to give them •notiee of the approach of the militia. -On seeing a company of the Saint Elizabeth's regiment, marching up to Ipswich, estate, they suspected, from the notice they had received f rom th e i r scouts, that the said company was moving towards Ginger-hill, and collected all together a_narrow defile, called John's River, to await their approach. As soon as they found the company had gone to Ipswich, they returned to Ginger-hill. About one, p.m., it was hinted I D lie that they intended burning the buildings on the place that • night.' 1 went for the head driver, who came, and about three o'clock, P., on seeing i strong party of them moving towards the housei.he (the driver) adviied me to follow him, save my o wn life, and mind nothing else; I did so, and he conducted me ;„, to the house of a freeman named Crawford. I was informed, [ that, on coining to the house, they in for me, and expressed ~ tnemselves happy that I had gone awav, as they i n tended setting I:tire to the place immediately. They then went to the negro . houses, and in half an hour retur, taking away every move , • able thing out of the lanuse and st ores , which they accomplished , 1 : by dusk, and aterWards set fire to all the buildings. About ~. seven or eight o'clock ,a Tarty of them came to the; house or Crawford, where .I was, forced his arms from him, and brandishing their cutlasses , over my head, and pointing their Musket; at me, made me swear that I would never stand • betsseen them atidtheir rights. The active person in this scene, • and who seemed to have the command of them, was a slave yarned Samuel Sharp, belonging, I was told, to T. G. Grey,Esq , of f- - F? Y d on. in St. James's, and %Om, I understand, is a ruler (so I lied >ft tie sect of the Baptists. He said he did not wish to to_,, e ,!,Way the Ilfe'a any penal who did net stand between him snu r u i _ights i that it was bid later); thit he had begun to know 0 = or rvligion but that Ile now knew, and I knew as Well:that freedom as their right, and freedom they would have; that ' eters ha d 1 i,,,,r thatth:ng aro been lent out from England to that effect, Peoore of Jamaica kept them as slaves, without any „ ti t hority for dolt, to show that fro m so. He said a great deal More all tend ing •__, • the religious notions he had inibibed, he _ n ceiveu that the AaveS had •htto be free. co , t day-light on the morning r o lg f t 'riclaT the f . ifl ed h tiltim e o_, the . ii,iidings. of Ginger.hill were n f crawtord, harin g bfti, wa rned as es ' , remain t at t th .f ho °pted to make ray esea _,_ lsibyt tr .u reb t e ) ls t ha , I at at, companypa:tof them, j i '' Unden,toodc:uwedn)tethia ki ll ed the h l e pt i ; g w u t a c i r ti d , s. A but, 5e e ,, 1 ,1f,; th e u i n't.g.a?.iitia there, returned, leaving a few hands , to r ' i , ig the night. or that estate, should an opportunity offer I d u " the morning i of Saturday the 31st, three of tlie party, named i On SVillinitl Buchanan, S. Barrett, belonging to Ginger-hill, and G. Little, belonging to Mistress Milne, gone off the country, came to rne, two of them with fire-arms, and the other with a sword : ' I asked William Buchanan what he wanted ; he said, here is the c.iptain, pointing to G. Little. I then asked the latter what he wanted ; he' said, pointing his sword to my breast, that they would give me my choice, whether I would give up my life or my authority on Ginger-hill, which latter they demanded in ' writ ing ; that they intended itresentingit at Black River with others. I gave them an acknowledgment under my hand, that I had given up the charge of the place ; they then warned me to take care what I had written, as they had a man below who would read it to them, and if they found any thing wrong in it, they would pay me another kind of visit. The said George Little said that they had lost one of their profession and now intended chewing less mercy than they had done; he said also, in a boasting man ner, that he with two others had burnt down the buildi,gs of Ipswich the night previous, driving the whole guard before them, and they intended entering Saint Elizabeth's on New-year's-day with two hundred men. .William Buchanan said (in addition to what has already been deposed) that the whites considered the ships of war on their side, but that now they found it was other wise, for that they were dispersing the white guards wherever they were collected all round the island, and landing boxes of black sand (meaning, I suppose, gunpowder) for the slaves. About three or four o'clock on the afternoon of this day, a slave, named George Crawford, belonging to Ginger-hill, who had been forced against his will to join the rebels, came running to me, saying, that the white guard had come to Ginger-hill, taken the negroes by surprise, dispersed them all, and set fire to the negro houses. In fifteen minutes afterwards the grenadier company of the St. Elizabeth's regiment appeared, and rescued me from my perilous situation. During the time of these disturbances, I was told by a s l ave, named Susannah Crawford,' belonging to Ginger.hill, that she heard from Anne Laye, a free person of colour, living near Ginger-hill, and a member of the Baptist persuasion, that a Mr. Burchell, a Baptist missionary, who had gone off the country last year, had arrived at the foot of Montego Bay, on Wednesday or Thursday se'nnight, that he had shewn himself to none, but remained concealed on board a Spanish vessel or some vessel.of_ war. That he did not intend landing until this affair was set tled, but had written to his deputies that his dearly beloved child. ren must not regret his absence, for that he would be to them a pillar of iron, and would always be their support That they must shed no blood, for life was sweet, easy to be taken away, but very hard to give. _ So help me God. (Signed) WM. ANNAND. Sworn before me this 2d day of January, 1832. (Signed) D. ROBERTSON, Custos. • No. 19. A PROCLAMATION, By his Excellency Somerset Lowry Earl of Belmore, Captain- General and Governor-in-Chief of this our Island of Jamaica, and other the Territories thereon depending, in America, Chancellor and Vice-Admiral of the same, &c. &c. Whereas it has been ascertained that certain incendiaries have been employed to poison the minds of the slaves in some parts of the island, anti to induce them to be guilty of acts of outrage and insubordination ; and whereas it is necessary that the ringleaders of this disturbance should be brought to condign punishment, I do hereby, in his Majesty's name, offer a reward of three hundred dollars to any person or persons who shall apprehend either of the following slaves:— A slave calling himself Colonel Gardiner, belonging to Green wich estate, Hanover—A slave calling himself Captain Dove, belonging to Belvidere estate, St. James's.— A slave calling him self Captain Johnson, belonging to Retrieve, St. James's.—And General Ruler, Samuel Sharp, of Tharp, alias Daddie Ruler Sharp, or Tharp, director of the whole, and styled also Preacher to the Rebels, belonging to Craydon estate, St. James's. And in order to afford encouragement to such slaves who may be disposed to assist in apprehending the aforesaid rebels, I do hereby promise his Majesty's most gracious pardon to any slave or slaves who may be disposed to assist in such purpose, except those who have been actually guilty of setting fire to the works or houses on different properties, or attempted the life of any pecceable inhabitant. Given under my hand and seal at arms, at Saint Jago de la Vega, this third day of January, Anno que Domini, one thousand eignt hundred and thirty-two, and in the second year of our reign. BELMORE. By his Excellency's commapd. W. BULLOCK, Sec. GOD SAVE THE KING. No 20. • Montego Bay, Jan. 2, 1832. My Lonn,—l have the honour to acquaint your Excellency I arrived here yesterday and found the town in the greatest con_ fusion and panic, from the apprehensions they have been under of its being the intention of the negroes to lire it every night, and from the immense destruCtion of property that has taken place all around this place. Colonel Grignon (whose report, No. 23, Unclose) has been in collision with the negroes, and his regiment gallantly repulsed them, when attacked by a large body at Montpelier; but the following morning he retired upon Montego Bay, not being in sufficient force to occupy the post. This has obstructed the com munication with Savanna-la-Mar, by the direct road, but I shall take immediate steps to have it re-established, and have directed Lieutenant-Colonel Williams to move up on his side to Haddo and Crown Tavern. I shall send a force of King's troops to ac company. some companies of Colonel Grignon's regiment to Montpelier Barracks ; this will effect, I hope, the above object of opening the road to Savanna-la-Mdr. I have relieved apprehension, and quieted the feeling of alarm here; but the eastern part of Hanover, and the whole of the northern portion of St. James's, are in open revolt, and almost the whole of the estates destroyed, and the negroes gone boldly away. In conjunction with the advice of the custos, Mr. Bar rett, I have issued the proclamation I herewith enclose, which we hope will bring in the well.disposed, as we hear from all quarters that terror prevents a large body from returning; and I have been solicited by the most influential proprietors to issue it. I have sent regulars to Irwin and Latium, as they are well dis posed there, and this will protect these points, and others in tho neighbourhood, which are not as yet free. It becomes my painful duty to acquaint your Excellency that circumstances render itabsolutely necessarythat I should autho rise the assembling a general court-martial to try some villainous ringleaders who have been proved to have be n the most active incendiaries, and the Court have sentenced two men to be shot, and two women; the sentence upon the men, as immediate example is both politic and necessary, I hay.. confirmed, and they suffered this morning; the women I have respited till pleasure. My object will be to employ the troops in such a manner as to prevent as far as practicable the horrid incendiary system from spreading, and the spirit of rebellion from contaminating the districts now tranquil. It will be obvious to your Excellency the utter impossibility of affording parties of military to every estate. It would fritter away. the troops, and render them liable to be beat in detail, nor would ten thousand men be sufficient to do it. Whenever I can ascertain where they are collected, I shalt en. deavour t+trike a blow by simultaneous movement that will have a desired effect, but there the difficulty rests; for, from accounts I have received, that are to be depended upon, they are moving every hour from one place to another. I think from accounts that have reached me since commencing this despatch I may venture to hope that in my next despatch I may acquaint your Excellency that the severe example made, and the manifesto issued, will have had the best effect. To receive the assurance that your Excellency approves of the measures I have been und.r the absolute ne: es iity of adopting, will be highly satisfactory to, My Lord, Yckr L )1 d ,hip's obedient servant, (Signed) WILLOUGHBY COTTON, Major-General Commanding. No. 21. liesd.q.isrters, Montego Bap, St. James's, Jan. 2, 1832. To the Rebellious Slaves. NegrOes,—You have taken up arms against your masters, and have burnt and plundered their houses and buildings. Some wicked persons have told you that the King has made you free, and that your masters withhold your freedom from you. In the name of the King I come amongst you to tell you that you are misled. l bring with me numerous forces to punish the guilty, and all who are found with the rebels will be put to death with out mercy. You cannot resist the King's troops. Surrender yourselves, and beg that your crime may be pardoned. All who yield themselves up at any military post immediately, provided they are not principals and chiefs in the buntings that have been committed, will receive his Majesty's gracious pardon. All who hold out will meet with certain deaths. (Signed) WI LLOUG HBY COTTON, Major-General Commanding. GOD SAVE THE KING. No. 22. Kensington,—five miles from Maroon Town burnt, and all the places around, with the undermentioned Estates Flamstead, Potosi, Spring.mount, Hampton, Williamsfield, Worcester, Retirement, Carthagena, Leyden, Guilsbro', Windsor, Adelphi, Passly, Moor-park, Leogawe, Kirkpatrick hall, Palmyra, Windsor-castle, Roehampton, An chovy-bottom, Montpelier N. W., Montpelier O.W. Seven-rivers, Richmond-hill, Lap'ani', Beltint, Hazlerymile, Belvidere, Green wich,York, Chester Castle, Argyle, Sodnall, Copse, Lethe, Eden, Childermas, Wiltshire, Spring-garden, Unity-hall, Welcome, Haddington, F riendship, Content, New-mile, Bamboo, Flint river, Success. No. 23. Upton, Montego Bay, .Jan. 2. Sts,—l take the earliest opportunity, after your arrival here, to detail to you the proceedings of the western interior regiment under my command. Having received information, on the 24th ultimo, of an in tended insurrection of the slaves in the West Interior district, I felt it my duty to assetn! le the regiment immediately, and I am glad to find that his Excellency the Captain-General approved of my having done so. On the 25th, I sent out parties in search of arms and ammu nition, and brought in a few arms, and a considerable quantity of powder, but it being generally of the coarse description, re quired for blasting, and unfit for muskets, I thought it most pru dent to destroy some of it. Having received intelligence on the 26th, that a considerable number of slaves had assembled in different quarters, 1 thought it proper to remove a few men I had at Shettlewood, where my headquarters were established, to Belvidere, in order to concen trate the regiment as much as possible. On the 27th 1 received information that it was tho-i,tention of the rebels to attack the posts which I held, with large bodies, and I therefore thought it proper to order the Belvidefe division to form a junction with the main body at Great Rive?. Previous to my quitting Belvidere, I had also heard that the negroes in tended to commence .a system of incendiarism on this night, and observing fires to a great extent, which I had heard previously were to take place, induced me, coupled with the former infor. mation, to unite the regiment as before stated. During this night fires .took place at Belvidere, Hazlerymple, and Seven Rivers. On the 28th a detachment of my regiment marched to Bel videre, and surrounded the negro houses, but I found none of the negroes, and their property was removed. Not having heard fur ther from the commanding-othcerof the Westmorland regiment, and as the barracks at Great River were quite insufficient for the accommodation of the regiment, I decided upon removing to Montpelier old works, to form a junction with the detachment of the St. James's regiment, promised by Colonel Lawson. On the 20th I received information that a large body of negroes were assembled at Chester Castle, and I proceeded with a detach ment of the regiment to that place, having first given directions to the officer commanding the Westmorland detachment to meet me there with one company. The negroes had however fled, and I saw nothing of the Westmorland detachment. On my return to quarters, I observed the negroes at Montpelier new works, as sembled in a large body, setting tire to the trash-houses. I imme diately ordered the detachment, who were all mounted, to dash into the mill-yard, and the rebels were dispersed. In this attack (I understood from information afterwards received) there were two of them killed and one wounded. Upon thisoccasion 1 have to notice that Ensign Beanie, with a small advanced detachment, was extremely active, and throughout the whole duty which the regiment had to perform, I was ably supported by this officer. Upon say arrival at quarters, I found the company of the Saint James's regiment had arrived under the command of Captain Ewart, at about five o'clock. At about seven o'clock the rebels advanced upon us in four columns. The first body moved upon the trash-houses, to one of which they set fire, and became engaged with Captain Ewart's company and picquet;.guard of the western interior under Ensign Gibbes. fhe Officers and men behaved in the most gallant manner, and shortly dispersed the enemy. This division, from the statement of Captain Ewart, consisted of about forty men. The three othe r divisions attacked the main body of the W. I. regiment, who had been formed into solid square, and kept up a considerable firing of musketry Upon them. 1 he regiment reserved their fire until the rebels had advanced within thirty or forty yards, when they commenced ii•very rapid fire, which continued for about twenty minutes when the enemy dispersed in all directions. One body of the enemy who attacked by . the main road, could .not have consisted 0f less than two. hundred men ; the nuin_ bers in the other divisions I could not judge of, as they were covered by a stone wall fence and the hill-house, but both divhionsaappeared to have many fire-arms. Where all behaved with so much gallantry, it would be invidious to name ally indi vid,,M, at the same time I ca nnot omit mentioning that Mr. Rhodes Evans, a gentleman resident in the W.l. district , an d who had volunteered his services, distinguiihed _him_ and I am under great obligations for his able assistance. I must also state that I'was much indebted to Captain I3ilMe fortis judici. ous suggestions to me during and after the engagement. I re gret to add, that in this encounter, we had one man killed and fi.ur wounded, and Major King's and Serjeant Siwell's hats were shot through, hut they received no injury. I could not learn the e' act number of the rebels killed and wounded, but r Understood afterwards that they admitted they had lost 'ten *then killed and twenty-five wounded. The company, of the S,:aint James's regi ment, together with the W. 1., lay under arms the remainder of the night. _ _ On the 30th I ordered one of the companies of the Westmor land regiment to move up to Montpelier; but as I could place no dependence on their doing so, from the correspondence which I had with the officer commanding the detachment and as th e company of the Saint James's regiment m os t p os itively refused to remain at the post, and being in want Of both ammunition and provision, I called a meeting of the officers, and they were unaninsopsly of opinion that I could not maintain the post, and I therefore retreated with the whole body to Montego Bay. The information received by the company from St. Jaines's was, that an overwhelming body of negroes was colleCting in every quar ter around us, and I also received similar information. On my arrival at Montego Bay, I was ordered by Coloneliiwson to de tach a company to Catherine-hall estate, and the remaind er o f the regiment remained for the night at Upten, and without any thing to eat. Ou the 315t,•1 was ordered by Colonel LaWsen to move the who'e of my force to support a 'detachment Of the' St. James's regiment, at .Fairfield estate, and I did so (with the exception of a few men left to guard the baggage) but found no detachment there, and 1 therefore placed the regiment at Catherine-hall estate, where it now remains, excepting one company, sent to Fairfield by your orders. You will observe, by the correspondence between the officers of the Westmoreland regiment and myself, what sort of support I could expect from them. I have also to add that the men have been most wretchedly supplied with provisions, and little or no assistance has been rendered to them. In fact, in one case, where a cart had been engaged to carry up supplies to Montpelier, it was appropriated to carrying those - fbr a division of the St. James's regiment at Latium. • _ Our arms are generally 'very inefficient, and seventy stand, which had been purchased for the use of the W. I. regiment, have been otherwise appropriated. I have also to notice that I have not had time to cast a sufficient number of balls and to make cartridges (the usual musket-ball and cartridge not suiting the rifle-pieces), and several of the men have only the suit of clothes on their backs, and which they have now worn four or live days, their servants having been intercepted by the ne groes in attempting to carry their clothes to the guard, and a f ew o f the officers are nearly in the same situation. The cartridge paper, which I lately received from the stores, is so very bad that it cannot be used; and I must, therefore, re quest an order from you on Colonel Lawson, to supply me with half a ream. I have, Fcc., (Signed) W. S. GRIGNON, Col. West Int. Rest. , No. 24. Manchioneal, January 3, 1832. MY Loan,—As a Magistrate of this district, I feel it my duty to make known to your Lordship the state of insubordination amounting, 1 may almost say, to rebellion, under which the slave population labour. I yesterday morning heard that my own people, as well as those of four a.ijacent estates, had refined to go to their work. I used every persuasion, but with no effect ;—every hour since informs us of similar delinquency on the part of other estates ; and from the manlier in which the insubordination first chews itself, there can be no doubt but that it is organised upon a system. To protect this district, fourteen miles in length, and containing a population of three thousand slaveS, we have only one company of militia for our protection, whose utmost force I may estirrate at forty. 'We have sent to Port Antonio for military assistance, but I fear the similar insubordination existing there, will prevent the possibility of any assistance coming from that quarter. I will venture to suggest that a Irmo-of-war of a small class, with a detachment of troops on board, if speedily sent round, may possibly restore tranquillity. , The harbour is bad, but still is frequented by merchantmen ; at any rate, the man-of-war may be in communication with the ves*l stationed at Port Antonio. I have just heard that a number of disaffected negro-men weremet last evening in the immediate neighbourhood of those estates which first struck work, armed with cutlasses and bills. I have, &c. (Signed) EDWARD PANTON. No. 25.—(Copy.) Montego Bay, Jan. 3, 1832, Midday. bfs LORD,—The burnings are executed from signals on the heights by moveable parties of negroes, not belonging to the properties they set on fire, but the negroes on those properties must be in the conspiracy, and co-operators when these men arrive, otherwise they have the me,Jas of preventing their effect ing their purpose. The whole of the men shot yesterday stated they had been told by white people for a long time past they were to be free at Christmas, and that their • freedom order had actually come out front England, but was withheld ; that they had only to strike work en masse, and they should gain their ob ject. That the whole of the estates in Trelawny and St. James hid agreed so to do; that if they were' attempted to be forced to tun] out to work, they were then to fire the properties, but not the canes or the provision. grounds, or their own huts; that this would make the proprietors come to their terms. The above is corroborated by the testimonTof several others now under trial and in prison. The men brought by the Blanche' anded yester day evening, and I was enabled to send out four parties with officers immediately to Fairfield, Belmont, St. Catherine's Mount, and across the river to Maroon Town. The incendiaries set on fire Belvidere, as Captain Smith's. 22d was moving up. He immediately moved upon them, routed them in every direction, and killed about fifteen men. But the fire could not be extinguished. These posts continue occupied, nor is there a man to be seen of the negroes, as I am just re turned from thence. But the woods are so thick in the neigh bourhood, and the paths by which they retire impassable for any quick movement of British to overtake them. Accounts from Colonel Hilton, at Rio Ihieno, state as yet they are quiet. but he is under apprehension for the estates of Lancaster, Harmony-hall, Biddeford, Bengal, and Dornock. He has his regiment at Rio Bueno, 180 men. I have desired him to protect, as far as he can, these estates, which he will be enabled to do, if others do not break out, Accounts from Fal mouth are satisfactory, and Lucia district as yet is quiet. The communication with Maroon Town is now closed, as the rascals from these environs have assembled there. To-morrow mornirg I shall open the communication. Straggling parties of insur gents had got upon the Lucia road, and fired upon the dispatch trooperS. I have opened this morning that road, but the fellows were seen and . fled immediately into the woods, on seeing our troops; therefore, as they may return when the patroles are Away, and as it is impossible, except by dislodging them bodily, to ensure safety on the roads, I . shallmake, as soon as I possibly can, a forward movement altogether, • leaving with the navy merely sufficient men to protect Montego Bay. Combustibles were found in a house here belonging to the wife of one of the men shot yesterday, and no doubt exists she intended to fire it. She, with the incendiaries caught in the fact, are now trying. The other prisoners, who amount to im , re than one hundred, I have put at the disposal of the custos, whose opinion is, in which I coincide, that those not actively im plicated as incendiaries, with the women, had better be dis missed in the interior, with some copies of the paper issued here. (A copy of which I sent your Excellency yesterday.) The Com modore, who is most zealously active in wishing to co-operate in every way with me, has permitted nearly one hundred and fifty sailors and marines to land every evening, and be placed as picquets on the roads leading from the town, and the fort is under their charge. This is to me of the greatest assistance. Further than this, he has by row-boats protected the bay and shores. The Blossom. is at Savannah-la-Mar, aid has atlbrded assistance by marines and others to the town. If from any further accounts your Lordship may receive that that part of the country is still threatened I would beg you would order Colonel M'Leod to send one hundred men from Kingston and its neighbourhood, if you are all quiet there. But recollect the importance of Fort Augustus, and the environs of Kingston and Spanish Town, and lam sure you will agree with me that it is absolutely requisite to have a large force disposable there, should symptoms stew themselves there. I have, &c. (Signed) WILLOUGHBY k COTTON. The Earl of ►lelmore. Major-Lieneral Commanding. The general court-martial have condemned two other negroes, and the woman to be hung. The evidence is so direct, I have Viought it my duty to confirm the sentences. I received every assistance from the custos. I cannot communicate with Accompory, except by General Robertson, with safety. I have written to Colonel Hilton to call upon the Maroons to send a force to Belfont, and to Cut off the insurgents from passing the Great River, and to offer three hundred dolla,s for their bringing in any of the chiefs of the In-' surrection : they are known to General Robertson. If the Ma roons wi❑ cover the Great' River from Chesterfield to Dacket' Spring, we prevent them effectually from ente•lug Westmore land. General Robertson occdpies Nassau, St. Elizabeth. I find the greatest difficulty in acquiring the means of moving pro cisions, which alone prevents my moving this day . (Signed) W. S. C. • No. !.:13.—(Copy.) • Montego Bay, Jan. 3, 1831 ' • • Sia,—l have received your despatch, announcing the ciecla. ration of martial law, as soon as it came to hand, being Sunday afternoon, the Ist instant'; I caused proclaination to be made accordingly, and the rules and articles of war to be read to the militia under arms. The Major-General will inform his Excellency respecting the mllitary bperations. The militia to a man are zealous and loyal, no praise can be too high for their courage and conduct. • Yesterday Bellefield estate was destroyed, being within three miles of the town; an officer and twelve men were stationed there, but were driven off by numbers. A detachment of the 21:d on the next estate (Fairfield) marched upon the _rebels, but too late to save the buildings ; however they killed twelve of them, and must have wounded many. The Ramble (the great house of Benefield, and on the hal above it) was burnt at the sauce time. It is supposed that a hundred plantations and settlements are already in ashes. Ifthe rebellion spreads, our force is quite in_ sufficient to put it down ; all depends on th e mora l e ttb e t e of the eniplo:v inent of the King's troops. Sir \\ illoughby has put forth a proclamation offering a pardon to ali but principals and chiefs ; I have some hopes that, backed by an imposing three, and the many losses the rebels have already suffered, this measure will cause amongst them differences and suspicions of each other, if it answers no other purpose. , Aa yet the insurgents hate exhibited the most wretched cowardice. Captain George Gordon has done much mischief from his post at Latium; he has cestroyed the negro-houses of many properties, when the negroes had first destroyed the works.. Five rebels have been tried by court-martial and shot; a woman, also condemned was spared. I think she should he hanged. I learn from Major Campbell that, assisted by a party of the 22d, he has held out at Schawearth. He states many negroes are fleeing into the woods where they must soon starve. I have, Itc., (Signed) RD. BARRETT, Custos. W. Bullock, Esq. • " No: 27. Head-quarters, Montego Bay, Jan. 4, 5 P. al. ALT LORD,.—I have the honour to acknowledge your Excel lency's despatches, with, inclosures, of the 3d (yesterday), and feel gratified that the measures I have taken have met your Lordship's approbation, I am i o advocate for severe measures, if they can possibly be avoided ; but where example is necessary the sooner it is made the more effect it will have ; and these in famous wretches have not only set the properties on fire, but their cruelty in various instances has been excessive, besides being at this moment in rebellion. lam now happy, my Lord, to give you satisfactory accounts from hence. The measures adopted, together with the proclamation issued, has had the most extraordinary effect; I have this after noon received account s f rom Pi t ( eur and Latium, s t a ting the negroes were coining in fast, and the road to Maroon Town is open.- The attacks made yesterday, and the "number they have lost in various affairs, which.l find is more consider able than I imagined, has spread a panic amongst them that has cleared tbem from this nerghbourhocxl, and 1 think the move mint to-morrow v.il! stop any further depredations hereabouts. I have closed Colonel Hilton upon Falmouth, and begged Gene ral Cox to send three companies to Rio Bueno; Colonel Clinton will occupy, till further orders Diicans, C am b r id ge , and Mountain Spring; my great object', will be to get them between my columns. I have begged the Commodore -(who has acceded directly) to let a sloop of war moor i mme di ately to the mouth of Grea t River, and land a party of marin es ala i sailors to occupy th e post of Roundinl I, from which Colonel Campbell Nal move at four ta.morrow morniag. The road is perfectly open, but it is requi site to insure its continuance, and also come against Nzny scoundrels that may lurk about some properties that sti I remain. It appears beyond doubt that the burninas are conducted by re gular parties; they are dressed many in blue jackets and black cross belts, some thus accoutred (four or five) were distinctly seen yesterday by Caprain Burnett, who advanced, by his report this morning, higher up the hills than I at first understood. He addressed several parties who were standing within hail in groups, and they hallowed " war, war :" he states that not more than 2+3 • were armed that he saw, who .fled with three or four hundred milers, who were on the side of the hills : upon the sailors and marinesßring. am= thus minute in detail that your Lordship may be exactly aware of theirstate, ' I am-hippyyoUris.xcelency.has conferred the rank of Lieu tenant-General of Militia upon Colonel Macleod,. you could not have placed•it2in better hands: • May I request your Excellency would give the Major-Generalship of Ibis .district, now vacant; to Col net CampCampbell , comanding - the -Hanover regiment • he is - .A, m an active serviceable man, And a very good officer, .and I am cmfident you could not bestow it one so deserving in a military sense. I told him I would recommend him, but he fears expence, tli,ugh now he is willing to accept it, • I have communicated with Generals Robertson and Crawford. I will write to-morrow after receiving the reports. Should they find the negroes in force at Seven Rivers, or in position in any of that district, I shall conduct, personally, a reinforcement to the point most essential, and attack them immediately. I hope I shall be enabled to give your Excellency some satis factory accounts to-morrow ; with endeavouring to establish an organized system of conducting affairs, and with being on my horse to reconnoitre the real state of the country, I have had scarce an instant to command to address my reports to your Lord ship, therefore I crave pardon for the hasty manner they may be drawn up in. I have, &c. • (Signed) WILLOUGHBY COTTON, M. G. The Earl of Behnore. No. 28. Falmouth, January 4, 1832. Stn,—You may imagine the state I was in last night, from not being able to sign a letter I 'sent you by post; in fact I was so ill that the people about me got mch alarmed. I am free from fever and better this morning; and, agreeably to Sir W. Cot ton's orders I address you on the present occasion. From a repre . sentation made to him by Col. Cadien, he has instructed me to ap ply to 3rou immediately fora supply-of arms. Col. Cadien states the quantity required to be one hundred stand.of muskets complete, and 30 ball cartridges, which I hope will be sent round as soon as possible. It is the intention of Col. Cadien Warm theartillery.com. pany with muskets; except as many as may be necessary to work •the few field-pieces which we have got. Though Sir W. Cott on h as been made acquainted with my resignation, 'yet he has given orders to Colonel Cadien to act entirely by my advice, which will be most freely given cs long as I am - able. Had Colonel Tyler rifted in the first instance with the promptitude that I wished him to have done,'l,lo not think things would have gotto such a head in this parish, but the three magistrates formerly alluded to, per suaded him-that I ha? not 'sufficient grounds to order a company of Militia to York estate, but I knew the people we had to deal with better than they did, and lam convinced that a vigorotis act at first would have intimidated them before they had committed themselves so far ato endanger their lives. lam now, however, happy to inform you, that the acts of vigour which have been pursued, have induced most of the negraes of this parish to re turn to their work. Orange valley, and one or two estates in that neighbourhood are still holding out, but from its being reported to one this - morning that the noise of artillery has been heard in that direction, I am in great hopes that Major Neilson,- With his strong detachment, has fallen in with them ; and my advic e t o Colonel Cadien was, to take as few.prisoners as possible; these pile (Orange-valley) had quitted. their houses with their valuables, and retired to the woods; this they would not have had any opportunity of doing had my . advice been promptly, complied with ; advice, in fsct, was the .only - Mode in- which could act until martial Was proclaimed. We have here now about one hundred and fifty prisoners ; Sir W. Cotton has sent up orders to form a court martialawhich is just now sitting, and I hope they will be able to bring acts of rebellion home to ' ham, to enable us to make such an example as will intimidate the ethers. Sir W. Cotton has ordered such as cannot be convicted to he dismissed, after having his Majesty's proclamation read to them ; but this they were all ac quainted with before, as immediately on my receipt ofit I had two liunaed copies thrown off and distributed all over the country. There does not appeal.to have-been any combination formed by the negroes in this parish, which I consider fortunate. I find the court-martial has adjourned until - nine o'clock to:morrow. • There is no circumstance of mylite that I regret more than not being able to mount my horse, the moment the first intel ligence of the business at York reached me, as I think I would have acted with such vigour as would have nipped the business in the bud, but as no act of violence took place at York after the burning of the trash-houses, I hope his Excellency will be pleased to pass over what I consider the improper conduct of the magi strates ; the facts are these, th e momen t I t oo k th e d epos iti on on oath of the hook-keeper, I issued a warrant against five of the negroes whom he considered - as the ringleaders, with orders to send up the constables with a company of militia to have it executed; the great error of these magistrates was the 'preventing the militia accompanying the con stables who I was certain could not execute the warrant without any assistance, and which I told them the moment I name down to Falmouth, and that they had taken great responsibility upon themselves in disobeying my orders; my fears proved cor rect, and the delinquents escaped lam sorry the letter they wrote is at Fontabelle, tut I consider it my duty to mention their names, viz., Mr. Lamont, Mr. Dyer, and Mr. -George Miller, as I wish minutely to acquaint his Excellency with every circum. stance that cbmes to my knowledge. I must beg leave to state that I highly disapprove of the conduct of 'Mr. Moulton Barrett; it has been stated to me that he was seen riding out of town With a Mr. Box, who I had ordered to be taken into custody as one of the incendiary preachers; under some pretence he was per mitted to quit the Court.house, and by that means made his es , Cape, supposed to Kingston, where, I hope, he will be taken into custody. I am hapy to inform you since writing the above that Major Neilson has reported to me that many of the Orange-valley ne groes have turned out to work, their depot of valuables having been discovered- and burnt. I regret to say that the Kent ne groes still continue refractory, having every thing from their houses, even their children, but strong measures are to be im mediately punned against them. lam happy to inform you that every estate under my charge have continued faithfully at their work and completely protected their master's property, which is very gratifying - to me. Ido not wish to make any insidious re marks, but if other gentlemen had acted with the same kind ness, and taken the same pains to explain the real nature of things as I have done, I do not think that this unfortuate insur rection would have been so general, as in St James in particular their vengeance seems to be pointed against certain individuals. I am happy still, to bear testimony to the cool, vigorous, and determined conduct of Colonel Callen ; begging, to refer you to the despatches of Sir W. Cotton, Colonel Lawson and Colonel Cadien, it is unnecessary for me to add any thingiurther. I have, &c. William Bullock, F,sq., &c. JAS. MACDONALD. No. 29, King's House, Jan. 6, 1832. S►a,—ln consequence of the information contained in your letter of 4th inst. I have to inform you, that Mr. Box has been arrested ; and although your letter does not state the charge pre ferred against him, his Excel!ency considers it quite suffi cient to c use him to be detained until he may hear further from you ;. you will therefore lose no time in transmitting to me such information as you may have obtained when, if the charges preferred appear sufficient, he will be conveyed to Falmouth to abide his trial. . The lamentable crisis which has now arrived renders ex ample necessary, however abhorrent it must be to resort to it; and if it should appear that Englishmen, men of sense and edu cation, have been wicked enough to excite the slays s to rebel lion, it cannot be supposed that they shall escape because they are also ministers of religion. But his Excellency directs me to it npress strongly on your.mind thegreat discretion which in such a case should be adapted to endeavour, by every means in your power, to divest tribunals from all feeling of prejudice, and above all of prejudice on grounds of religion, for in civil commotion the evil is never so great as when it lassu meshave, - an appearance of reli. gious war. WM. BULLOCK. " (Signed) Hon. James M.Donald. No. 30. Head-quarters, Montego B ty, January 5, Tee A. M. My Lose,--I hasten to aequainv your Excellency : that tran quillity is returning fast to all this neighbourhood; the n groes, availing themselves of the proclamation I issued, are coming in from all directions. The three columns I mentioned to your Ex cellency th-,t I should put in motion to open the S , vannah-road moved btf re day-light this morning, and will reach their points without any opposition. The roads to Lucia, 'Maroon Town, and all round t his town, are clear, and many proprietors and attorneys are now proceeding to v sit their estates. All the ladies and other women who had embarked on board , vessels in the harbour, before I reached this place, are no w. disembarking and resuming their domestic avocations. I hope in a few days I shall be able to have negroes bringing provisions and supplying this place aga n; but it will requi , e time before confidence can be restAred; the fact is, the negroes hi this district have behaved infamously, nor is there the,slightest palliation for. their conduct. I have most minutely inquired into the treatment generally and parti cularly, and can aver it has been most kind, That the overseers, or attorneys, or magistrates, should not have acqu a i n t e d th e Exe cutive Government the extent to which the determination or the negroeS had gone all around this district, ‘. not to work after New-Year's-day, without being made free," is most . stonish mg, as it would appear to have been known on almost all the 'estates that these were the sentiments of the negroes, I have adjourned the general court-martial at this place for the present, and have cleared the gaol as far as possible. Since commencing this despatch I have received accounts of the negree- a t Retirement, and two other properties, h a vi ng come in bodily. • I will write to your Excellency'again in the evening,but the ac counts being so very satisfactory I would not delay a moment in transmitting them. I have, &c. • . • (Signed) WILLOUt*BY COTTON, M G. • Colonel Campbell has taken a ruler, who came with torches, in the act of setting fire to a property, and when questioned fully avowed the purpose- he ;Carrie f , r, and re3retted not doing it. I have ordered them to try him instantly, and if found guilty to approve the court-martial and shoot him. It is the fear of pun!shment that alone acts upon them to come in,' for depend upon it there is a bad spirit amongst them. (Signed) n eci) W. C. No. 31. CIRCULAR TO THE SEVER %L CUSTODES. King's House, July :lit, 1531. am commanded by his Excellency the Governor to in close an extract of a despatch from Lord Goderich, disclaiming, in the most distinct manner, any intention on the part of Ins Maja,ty's clovernmeot, to adopt any measures which may have the effect of interfering with the spir t f the resolution of the House of Commons of 1823 relative to the ultimate extinction of slavery in his Majesty's colonies. His Excellency trusts that this explicit declaration of his Ma jesty's Government will remove any alarm of appretrensioi, which some of the parochial resolutions may have excited in the minds of the commun,ty at large. With a view, therefore, of all qing such u neas i ness, his Ex , ellency requests that you will give the great est publicity . to the inclosed document. I have, &c. (Signed) WDi. BULLOCK. No. 32 . —(Confidential,) King's House, July 30, 1831 . the Silt,—Referring you to my letter of yeste r d a y , hi s E xcellency Governor has desirel me to express to you, in a more pri .vAe manner, his request that you will endeavour to snake your self acquainted With the general conduct of the slaves in your parish ; and should any circumstance arise to require the adop tion of further measures, in order to remove any erroneous im pression they m ay h ave received of the designs of. his Majesty's rnm pleased to give his E xce ll ency t h e ear liest intimation o f It, you will undo. st and that he places the most implicit confidence ou to you, his Ex c ell enc y d es i res in the good conduct of the slaves, and he only suggests a vigi lance, which is a t all times more or less necessary, but more c a u nd s s i i o a n s s r o h p a r v e ra r b t l i e cul to a ru rl i y sc 6 o ° n ‘ s r t h r e u7,ti d o i i i I have, &c. (Signed) W. BULLOCK. e sen ta t k at e iO n i . 'lace, which a' e To the several Custotles. No. 33. hiv Manche, Blontego.Bay, Jan. 5, ;832. Lono,---I avail myself of the de9atch just going off to your Lordship, to stat e how the squadron is now stationed. Your Lordship.b as 'Ong ere . now Bean informed of tho arrival of his Majesty's shjp Manche at this anchorage, with the de tachentof troops which we took' on bard Port Royal. 1 tbund here the /tar. !.arse and Sparrowhawk ; and that the B/osSom was at Sa vainiali-la-Mar ; the Fircfly at Black River; and Chem Pion at Port Antonio. On our first reaching this port, the appearance of the country Itsincs, and the amount of the very general disaffection and revolt of th an e g r °cs, were truly distressing. I am now, how levehapy have it in my power to say,• that by the prompt and active measure s taken by the Commander-in-Chief of tie t Forces, coupled W ith weit6 med proclamation, holding out mercy o tho.e who would shew contrition for their crimes and immediately rf,turn to their duty, the face of afftirs has been very much chang e d for the. be - tier, and Lain. sanguine • in 13e.. Roving that in a short time, a continuance of the same active and judicious measures will produce the most favourable result ; and although the mischief done to the properties aro' the island cannot be restored, yet that confidence and tranquillity will enable the planter to recover what may be possible under tucl unfortunate circumstances. I have the pleasure to assure your Lordship - of the real and' cordial co-operation of my naval department with that of the militaryointl-nothing in my power shall he wanting to forward the view .of Sfr Willoughby Cotton, sod. the public service, who has, kindly on many occasions made me acquainted with his pla of oper.:tions ; veaterdav I despatc i the Sparrotchawk to take up a po , itioti to cover a bride o: or Great River, near Hill, which is wit!,in vie.v of this anchorage whilst a particular ser vice is performing. It may app,ar to your Lordship that severe measures have been taken by the Commander-in-Chief of the Forces as to the number of negroes who have expiated their crimes by the pu nishment of deist!), but I can assure your Lordship that nothing but a sense of public duty could have occasioned that measure, which was absolutely necessary. Before I close this letter, I may beg to mention to your Lord ship, that the arrival of the Race Horse at this anchorage, and the very 'active and judicious measures taken by Commander Williams, had the effect of restoring cciitidence to the town, and, in fact, I might almost say, saved it from the attack by the rebels, who fully intended to burn it. He landed his seamen and marines, and took charge of de fending the several 'passages into the town, which gave the greatest confidence to the inhabitants. I have the honour to be, &c. ' (Signed) ARTHUR FARQUHAR. His Excellency the Right Hon. the Earl of Belmore. IMPERIAL PARLIA ‘IENT. HOUSE OF LORDS, FEB. 22. • Their Lordships met at Ten o'clock, and heard appeals until Three, when they adjourned until to-morrow. HOUSE OF COMMONS, FEB. 2.2. Mr. O'CONNELL presented a petition from the Trades' Political Union of Dublin, agqinst the clause in the Bill for re. gulating Special Juries in Ireland, which conferred upon the Magistrates at quarter sessions power to strike the list of special jurors. The Hon. and Learned Member also presented a peti tion from the same body against flogging in the army ; also a petition from the joiners of Dublin, praying for a repeal of the Legislative Union; and a petition from Ashton-under-Line in favour of the Bill for regulating factories. . Mr. O'CONNELL obtained leave to bring in a Bill for the better examination of persons residing in Ireland, who were wit nesses in suits in the Court of Equity in England. IRISH TITHES. Mr. O'CONNELL said, that on Tuesday next he should move that the report of the Committee on Irish tithes be re. ferred back to the Committee, and that five Members be added to their number. IRISH SECRETARY. Mr. O'CONNELL also gave notice, that on that day he should move for a return of the date of the appointment of Mr. Stanley to the office of Secretary of Ireland, the emoluments at tached to the office, and the number of days which the Right Hon. Gentleman had been in Ireland since his appointment. BELGIUM. Lord PALMERSTON, seeing the Hon. Baronet opposite in his place, wished to ask him a question respecting a motion of which the Hon. Baronet had given notice. That motion had been postponed to a certain day; he wished. to know whether the Hon. Baronet meant to bring it on upon that day, or whether he intended further to postpone it ? Sir R. VYVYAN, when he first postponed his motion, stated that he should again postpone it before the day mentioned as the period of his first postponement, the ratification by the three Powers of the Treaty of Belgium not having arrived. Having thus answered the question of the Noble Lord, he should wish to put a question to the Noble Lord ; the object of which was, to inquire when the ratification of that treaty was expected to arrive ? He should like to put another question to the Noble Lord. ' There were reports that an expedition was in the course of fitting out at one of the ports of France ; the expedition, it was said, was destined for the shores of Italy, and the particular places designated were Civita Vecchia and Ancona. He wished to know if these reports were true, for it did seem to him, that if they Were, the amount of French interference in the ports of the Mediterranean was becoming too extensive ? Lord PALMERSTON certainly could not say that he had any re a son to expect that the ratification by the three Powers of the Treaty of Belgium was likely to arrive before the 28th of this month. Indeed he thought there would hardly be time for it to arrive before that period. With respect to the second question of the Hon. Baronet he could only state, that the Go: vernmept had received information that preparations for send ing a srnall detachment of troops were in progress at a port of France, and that these troops were to be sent to the. coast of Italy, hut he did not, know to what particular part of Italy they wee to be sent. Sir R. VYVYAN wished particularly to know whether the Noble Lord understood that Civita Vecchia or Ancona was the place intended to receivethese troops ? Lord:PALMERSTON could not take on himself to answer as to what were the intentions of other Governments. Mr. LEADER wished to take that opportunity of asking the Nzible Lord whether the negociations of the Great Powers were still going on with respect to the affairs of Greece ? Lord PALMERSTON answered that these negociations were still going on, and that he believed they would be settled to the satisfaction of the country of which they were the subject. Sir It VYVYAN, after the little satisfaction he had obtained from the Noble Lord, could not say positively about postponing his notice. Lord 'PALMERSTON had given all the answer he could— namely,tthat he had no information, and that he could not an. sorer for the intentions of other Governments. An ,HON. MEMBER asked whether the Noble Lord in tended to lay on the table any papers connected with the affair of the death of Mr. Boyd P Lord PALMERSTON had no intention of doing so. If the Hon. Member desired to have any papers connected with that affair, he had better make a motion to that effect, and then it would be for the Government to say whether they could comply with his desire, or to assign reasons which should induce the House to refuse the information. MASTER OF THE ROLLS (IRELAND). On the question that the House go into a Committeeon this Bill; Mr. STANLEY opposed the motion, on the ground that the Bill was , an invasion of what he most sincerely believed to be the just rights of the Chancellor of Ireland. The Master of the Rolla had never exercised the patronage he now claimed, and the Chancellor had never ceased to exercise it. Re moved that the Bill should be committed this day six months. Mr. KNIGHT had never understood there was to be any opposition raised to this Bill, the object of which was to enable thd parties to try the right. The Master of the Rolls claimed the right•of appointing his own Secretary, but the Chancellor at present exercised the power of the appointment, and the Master of the Rolls had no remedy. The right to appoint the Secretary was not such an old right as the Right Hon. Gentle man seemed to imagine. The office itself had not existed a century. The fact was, that up to 1733, there did not appear in the business of the Court a reason for the appointment of such an officer ; but at that time his office was found to be necessary, and he was then for the first time appointed. At the time of the Union, judicial functions having been given to the Master of the. Rolls by an Act of Parliament, that Judge appointed a Secretary, and compensation was paid to the Chancel lor's Secretary, who complained that his einoluinents were abridged by that appointment. In 1806 Mr. Curran was ap pointed Master of the Rolls, but the Lord Chancellor (Pon sonby) prevented him from appointing a Secretary, by making an order that no petition should be received in his Court unless signed by his (the Chancellor's) Secretary. When Sir A. Hart was made Chancellor, in 1826, he had notice from the present Master of the Rolls, Sir W. M`Mahon (who succeeded Mr. Curran) of that gentleman's intention to try his right to appoint a secretary. But Sir A. Hart put a stop to the proceeding, by making an order similar to that formerly made by the Lord Chancellor Ponsonby. Now, the present Bill was brought in for the purpose of giving an opportunity to try the Master's right to make the appointment. The SOLICITOR-GENERAL contended that no case had been made out to justify the appointment of an official Secretary to the Master of the Rolls in Ireland. If the Hon. and Learned Person who now claimed the appointment conceived that he had the claim, he ought not to have concealed his opinion from the Commissioners.—(Hear.) There had really, in his opinion, bee;i ir r . m o th ,c in o g N ad s v E aned s o a z i r d t , he th o a t t h sidee t r he GboveyeroLd Government re of ass l e re rt la io n il. sought to place the Irish Lord Chancellor in a very unenviable position. It placed him in the situation of a man who, having the power to arrest the course of justice, used that power, and did arrest the justice cour m se p o ao f rL2iw.2it s upont n ho pe h eeot i ly s ,itethirn own s: but 21. n case. When a man h was heard upon motion in th e I r i s h Court of Chancery, the fee was .pt roet eight e ea clearia shillingsscompared o ; saving when 10 .; tt d t e h i d theng er one there e Lordwtonde would be ot h d uitor what in la the Chancellor by his order ?. He gave an undue preference to the one mode over.the other, and when the 21. 10s. was to be paid, he decided that it should drop, into the purse of his own ap pointee. They might talk of Reform after that; but the people of Great Britain would judge for themselves. He, as belong. ing to the Irish Bar, and.as a Member of that House, felt it to be his duty to give the question every degree of attention, and, as a lawyer, it was his deliberate and conscientious opinion, that the right 'was in the Master of the Rolls. The ATTORNEY.GE.NERAL observed, that the Hon. and Learned Member for Kerry had emphatically insisted upon the impropriety of the Lord Chancellor deciding a question which affected his own pecuniary interests, or those of a person connected with him. But had no one else a pecuniary interest in the result ? Was it not as much a matter of private and personal interest to the present Master of the Rolls, as it could be to the Lord Chancellor ? In fact, there were pecuniary in terests on both sides, and there they were in 1832. for the first time called upon to legislate respecting a matter which Sir Wm. M`Malion had allowed to remain'clormant during the time which had elapsed from 1814, the time of his appointment, up to the present moment. In .1801 the Mastership of the Rolls 'was made a judicial office, after an interval of 40 or 50 years ; they had no evidence how the appointments to the office of Se cretary were made before that period. Some reference had been made to what was done at the period of the Union ; but that, he thought, formed no rule for any subject of the nature then before the House, or taking place at the present time. It Was before the House that in 1806 Mr. Curran was informed that he could not exercise the right during the whole Chancellorship of Lord Manners. In 1824, the sth of George tv. passed. That Act recites, that the Ministerial officer, of the Court of Chan ins e i ns might lrelan ( h i e require d r e h g y o a l a n t i g order, an e d f t t h h a e b c t e h e a t t t h s e o u m g e h i n hc n others the interference of Parliament was requisite. If at this time the Master of the Rolls had made good his claim, one line in this .Act would have.settled. the whole; and yet the Act was passed without any notice of the question being taken by the Mas. ter of the Rolls. But that very Act did still more; for it regu. lated the fees to be received by limiting the Secretary of the Lorc Chancellor to certain fees; so that, if it were now decided that 17, '.{,stet of the Rolle had the right of appoi n ti ng thi s Se ci , the fees that this new officer might demand would be u:)l.zoted, as no provi,sion was made for them in the Act; but tbe Act passing, there had not been even so much as a re servatiob of-the right.' In 18'27, it was true, that a reservation Lad been made; but then a different state of things was in ex istence. The Lord Chancellor Hart heard this claim, at the request of the Master of the Rolls; and the Solicitor-General of Irelnd appeared as Counsel for Sir W. McMahon. The argu ments on the question lasted five days; and the Lord Chancellor was of opinion that the Master of the Rolls was not possessed of the right which he claimed. He (the Attorney-General) did not at all mean to say that it was desirable for a Judge to de citle in his own cause; but, nevertheless, he could feel that eases might arise (and this was one of them) were such a duty ne cessarily devolved on the Judge; and it was his firm belief, that if there had been anything like doubt in the case, Lord Chan. cellor Hart would have given -it against himself, rather than in his own favour. But shortly after this Lord Plunkett suc ceeded to this office; and then, for the first time, they heard of such a Bill as this in the House of Commons—a Bill for which he was not aware that there was anything like a precedent: He was quite aware of the maxim contained in Coke—that even an Act of Parliament would be void that required a man to judge his own cause; and he acquiesced in the soundness of that maxim. ---(Hear, hear.) But this was not a proposition parallel with the present instance. In this case the matter was altogether incidental to the particular office, and referred not to the, person, but to the Court over which that person presided. This seemed to him to be a personal Bill altogether ; and he, therefore, could not admit the justice of it ; it was equal, in other words, to saying —here is a petition, and we will there fore frame a Bill by which the petitioner shall obtain all that he is asking. If Parliament choose to say that no Judge of a Court ought to have the power of appointing any officer at all, there was something in that that he could understand ; but the present Bill proceeded on no such grounds.--(Hear.) Sir R. PEEL—I beg to say that I differ from the Hon. and Learned Member for Kerry; for, until I hear the fact an nounced from the Chair, I will never believe that a majority of this Houie will consent to stifle the Bill thus early, without even allowing its clauses to be examined in a Committee.—(Cheers.) I admit that there is in this House a general disposition among Members to go with their party, and it is right that it should be so ; for no party could exist unless the members are willing to sacrifice their individual opinions on minor details, for the pur pose of combining together the more efficiently. But, Sir, by this time I have had some experience of the House of Comnions, and on a question of mere individual justice, I have never witnessed the interference of political feel ing or party—(Hear, hear, hear)—and I therefore feel satis fied, that in the present case Members will be guided in their votes by a sense of justice alone. The whole argument of the Hon. and Learned Gentleman opposite seems to me to have been built on the hypothesis that the Master of the Rolls has been guilty of negligence for not having claimed this right be. fore, and that, therefore, we ought to punish him by refusing him his right now. But I have .nothing to do with the negli gence of Sir W. M'Mahon. If he has been negligent, let him be punished with a fine, if you please; but I contend that this is a matter of principle, and that we have no right to let the negligence of the officer militate to the prejudice of the office. —(Hear, hear.) Indeed, I cannot conceive a more dangerous principle to act upon than that laid down by the Hon. and Learned Gentleman ; for, if once admitted, it would immedi. ately open the door to all sorts of collusion. The Hon. and Learned Gentleman has told us, that there is no legal right in this country without a remedy. But what we say in answer is —here is a legal right without its remedy; for an action for fees would not lie ; and by the Lord Chancellor a bar - has been placed to the trial of the question at a fair tribunal—(Hear, hear)—and I may here state, that Sir W. M'Mahon has taken the highest legal opinions, and they all concur in saying that no trial can be had as the law stands at present. After this, I ask, will the Hon. and Learned Gentleman consent to stifle a Bill which proposes a remedy for a legal right—and thus exemplifies and carries into effect the very doctrine that he himself has yr:pounded ? And now let me request all those who are r< aly to forget all political feeling on this occasion, which is the object of the present Bill? The whole of that object that this question may be fairly tried before an impar tial tribunal. Is that just, or is it not 2--(Hear, hear, hear.) When this question was originally brought before this House —long before Government took any part in it—long before any heat or 'warmth on either side was displayed—by my Hon. and much lamented Friend, the late Mr. North, several Hon. Gen t:e.nen took part in the discussion that ensued, and every one appeared to agree that that this House was bound to facilitate the decision of this question before a fair and unobjectionable tribunal. From the list of gentlemen who spoke on that oc casion I' will select a few names ; and I will take on myself to say, that if it were intended to refer the matter to arbitration, not one of those names could be objected to by any Member in this House. I find among the speakers on that occasion the mimes of the present Solicitor-General for Ireland, the Hon. tllember for Stafford, Mr. Cutler Ferguson, and Mr. Serjeant Wilde; I believe it is not irregular to allude to those gentle_ men by Name, as the debate has now become a matter of his tory. The opinion of all these four gentlemen was unanimous that inquiry ought to take place, and that thedecision of the question ought to be referred to a competent tribunal.—(Hear, hear.) But Ido not ask the House to act fully up to the prin. ciple laid down by these Hon. and Learned Gentlemen ; I only ask, that as there are great doubts as to the right, that it will permit the matter to go before a competent tribunal.—(Hear, hear.) The question now is that this Bill should be examined in Committee—at all events, let it go there—let alterations be made in it, if you please—let care be taken that there is not the slightest word inserted to prejudice the question ; but do not stifle a Bill that has only justice for its object. I say (without at all intending to impugn the motives of Lord Plunkett) that he ought to be particularly cautious how he places himself in an invidious position, by presenting himselfas a bar or obstruction to the course of public Justice.—(Hear, hear.) Mr. SPENCE said what he should like to see was a Bill that should abolish the fees altogether, especially after the Master of the lalls had stated that he should be willing to give them up. Sir E: SUGDEN said, in his opinion, this claim for trial was on& that ought to be allowed. Mr. STANLEY begge..Ftosay one word in justice to Lord Plunkett. His Noble Friend had over and over again ex pressed his willingness to submit the question to any arbitration whatever, provided the Master of the Rolls would go to that arbitration, on a question that should not involve the removal ;.f the individual who at this moment held the office. This propositipn the Master of the Rolls, however, had positively declined.' Sir E. SUGDEN had never before heard what the Right. Hon. Gentleman had just stated, and never had he been more surprised by any statement? The fact was, that the Secretary was removeable at pleasure ; and Mr. -Long, who had previously held the 'office, had even been told to go by Lord Plunkett, until thi gentlemen of the Chancery Bar had intimated the treat convenience that would arise from his remaining, upon .vhich ad arrangement was made by which his 2,00 W. a year was reduced to 5001. and the remainder was given to a relation of the Noble Lord ; whence arose the joint Secretaryship that had been talked of. He thought, after this, that the country would pretty well understand why the Noble Lord proposed that the present Secretary should hold for life, and that after that he cared but very little who had the appointment of the next gecretary. Mr. C: FERGUSON had been much disappointed when be heard the Right Hon. Gentleman announce, that the Noble Lord held out on the part of the present Secretary retaining the office.—(Hear, hear.) He thought it was most extraordinary that the Lord Chancellor of Ireland should insist upon trying this question, or only leaving it to be settled hereafter by arbi tration, when he had no interest in it. The question had been amply discussed. It was only whether an independent Judge should hive the appointment of his own officer or not. The convenience of- the Court, and the convenience of the suitors, required that the Master of the Rolls should have the appoint ment of Ills own secretary. Mr. STEVENSON said the only object of the Bill was fees. It was to take from those who were entitled to fees under ass Act of *ornament, and give those fees to others. He con tended that several Judges in England did not appoint their own officers. It was only a dispute between tw•o Judges in Ireland, Mr. SHAW admitted that it was a question of fees, but that c l Ireland.lP e o l ar lo roi r if , am st n ati t n g that He h s n a c o n e f e question had been raised b read Fh a qti explanation question '. a already v e given by the decidedht e h e l Lord CA : C at he had no objection to the arbitration, provided it did not in terfere with the fees of the present officers. The Hon. Mem ber also quoted the Master of the Rolls' reply, contending that this right belonged to his office, and contending that the ques tion was a question of vested rights in him or the Lord Chan. cellor. The Hon. Member added, that the Lord Chancellor of Ireland admitted that the question ought to be tried, but the interest of his appointee ought to be reserved, This was di rectly contrary to what the Right Hon, Secretary of Ireland had stated. The Master of the Rolls only asked to have his sight tried by unbiassed parties. He would consent, on the part of the Master of the Rolls, to leave the decision to any two Hon. Gentlemen opposite, even though they had spoken against his right.—(Hear, hear, and no, no.) Mr. STANLEY explained. He did not know that the do.. currents referred to by the Hon. Gentleman were public docu ments. He repeated that the Lord Chancellor of Ireland could do no other than he had.—(Crlcs of spoke.) He was bound to protect the interests of the parties under the Act of Parliament. Mr. HUME could not _allow that any high officer, particu larly a high officer who ought to set an example to others of justice and equity, should decide a question affecting his own interest. It was a dispute who should have 500/. or 600/. its fees. He was astonished that his Majesty's Ministers should stand as a bar in the way of doing justice between these parties. —(Hear, hear.) That was preventing an important question from being tried, and was acting as an active agent in injustice. —(Hear, and question.) Colonel TORRENS said the question was, that the Bill called upon the Parliament to enable law officers of Ireland to deprive a third party of his right.--(Hear, hear.) It was an ex post facto law to do injustice.—(Question.) Mr, J, CAMPBELL deplored that this discussion should have arisen, from the reverence he entertained for our institu tions, and his respect for the individuals. The ofttr of tord Plunkett was wholly unfair ; and he regretts that a mode Of -ettiing the question had not been found, without bringing it forward in that House. Lord Plunkett made an offbr to try 'he question when his interest in it would have ceased. That was like a man in possession of an estate which was claimed by 'another man, who said to him, "Oh, let your claim lie over till I am dead, and then I will allow the question to be settled by Sr. :iitration."—(Hear, and a laugh.) The House, he thought was aoundtopass the Bill, and he should give it his support. Mr. PAGET, while he thought it degrading to the character if these two high law officers to permit their disputes to be con tinued, was of opinion, at the same time, that the present IMI.