The Express.
London, England, 1848-08-05 00:00:00

WEST INDIA MAIL.

The ro3 al West India mail packet, Dee, Captain
Allan, irom the West Indies, &v., arrived at South-
ampton yi sterday afternoon, and landed her mails
nnd.r the charge of Lieut. J. Brown, R.N., Admiralty
Iler dates are : Chagres, June 27 ; Cartha-
ge" ; Jamaica, July 8 ; Demerara, 6 ; Trinidad,
8 ; Bar9idoes, 12 ; Grenada, 9 ; Porto Rico, 16 ; St.
Thorny., 13; La Gaayre, 7; Fayal, 99.
Amoutrat the passengers by the Dec are : his Ex-
cellen Governor Shortland and lady ; His Excel-
lency Governor General Von Scholton ; Mr.
Guyes, French Consul at Valparaiso • Mr. Nunes,
French Consul at St. Thomas; Mr. A. White, Colo.
ni3l Secretary. The freight on board consists of
602,099 (lola. from the Pacific eta Chagres, on mer-
chan.s' account, principally in gold dust, bar silver,
and dollars.

Ih'r Majesty's brig Bermuda was at Nicaragua ;
Imatim, at Jamaica; Trincomalee, at St. Thomas. 1 icr
st. Vixen left Jamaica on the 7th July for
Port-Au-Prince.

JANIAIM—This colony still remains in the same
eta e of depression as formerly reported, or rather
matters have, if possible, become worse within the
last fortnight. The island treasury is bankrupt, and
no means are consequently available to meet the de
=aide of the public creditors, or to maintain the in-
stitutions of the island. A spirit of disaffection among
the labourers has shown itself in the prishes of
Hunover, Westmoreland, and St. James's. Some of
the ringleaders hare been apprehended, and will be
brought to trial at the neat quarter sessions. It is
bel eyed that this spurt is coutined to that part
of the island, and that the measures taken by the
authorities will prove effectual in putting it down.
The bankruptcy of the Treasury is clearly shown by
the folio sing document :

Public Treasury, June 26, 1848.—Notice.—The Receiver-General
being without funds to pay the public salaries felling due on the 111th
lo•t., will give public nut.ce, w soon as be ho the means of paying a
mete.— be bones is the course of next month. Collecting conutables
are reminded that the rum rolls of the 2sth March last are DIM pay-
able itito utlke.

The ministerial declaration respecting the sugar
question had reached Jamaica, where it had been re-
ceived with the greatest dissatisfaction. The Chamber
of Commerce bad, at a meeting held on the 4th of
July, passed resolutions to the following effect:
The: this chamber has learned with unspeakable regret that Lord
John Ito-sell has, on the part of his gavernnient, and in the face of
the 1CdOltlitill• reported fmm the committee of the Mouse of lemmons
Implanted to consider the eats of the British eager colonies, deeleteil
the ileteriiiimation of ministers to abide by the act of Mill. That the
heartless disregard of every conaideration foe the property and seed
happiness of the Queen's loyal sebjects residing ins these colrepes,
evidenc.4 by this determined aillienstioe by minietere to a policy
which has been reported by a large and fairly sonetruc'ed
committee of parliament to be fraught under present cir-
cumstances. with consequencess the most disastrous to all elem.
of Martial( society, and eakulated,to increase indefinitely the duo-
thin ai d horrors of slaveryand the slave trade, convinces this chani-
ter that the c.olonista have nothing to hope from the pence or huma-
nity of the prevent government. That it would be mere weaknem
any linger to title with a condition of thing. which threatens insulin
rum tooter fortunes, and places us, without appeal, beyond the pale
of those eat. guartla which are supposed peculiarly to belong to tic
British constitution. That while avowing the most atfectii nate and
devoted attachment to the throne of England, 'And iropreeed with
the Menne feelings of loyalty towards the exalted perron who reigns
In the hearts of thin extended empire, this chamber protests firmly
but respectfully that the policy pursued by her Mujesty'e ministers
towards thee colonies has been subversive of the rights of pro-
perty, trues and heartless towards her 31ajegy's faithful rub-
jecte, destructive of the colonies as a powerful element in the na-
te nut strength, unjust to the large clams of people lately redeemed
from slavery, end unprincipled in its open encouragement of that
slavery abroad which the mine minierters deblertel to be • blot on tee
notional honour when suffered in a mitigated form in these colonies.
That it is the undoubted right of an oppressed and injured people to
adopt all constitutional means within their pewee to enforoe that re-
dress of ',roved grievances which the junior of the government may
be unwilling to concede. That the mast powerful weapon with
which the constitution invests the people in defence of their as-
fiscal rights is the prerogative of supply. That it Ls the duty of
the iesiMe's represeotetives in the present alarming condition of onto-
Mal alfan a to refuse all vote of supply to the Queen's government, un-
til the injuries under which the colony i. now 'uttering are fully end
autatantialty redressed. That this eharnheris painfully alive to the dis-
astrous consequences which may and must result to society from the
stopp pent these means by which alone the cleil and religiose, in-
stitutions of the colony can be maintained t but the responsibility f fir
all results must rest with those who have occasioned the necersity
that dries a loyal people to so extreme a measure. That if the coo-
stitieional liberties of the people raid not per. mptorily demand each
a step, the ruined condition of the island would render it compulsory
on the • assembly to decline further to tax a people who'
have been driven into absolute bankruptcy by the Niel
nt the gvernment. That this destruction of colobial pro-
perty ha- been effected by government under the guise of
public good. That it is a constitutional maxim that the property of
the intlividuol cannot be sacrificed for the tn.t of the Plate without
ample compensation to the party injured. That we claim, therefore,
on behalf of the West Indian., whose property has been confiscated
with the alleged object of benefitting the United Kingdom, full and
anode cons lineation for their abandoned properties, sisal sacrificed
mint iL That we urge upon the inhabitants of Jamaica generally to
meet in every parish, at as early a day ue possible, in order that their
ri solutions may go forth upon the important queallona above ra•
(erred to.

The governor had issued a proclamation summon-
in.; the assembly for Thursday, the 3rd of August,
then to met for the despatch of business.
An American frigate from Haiti, with 400 refugees
on board, had been wrecked off the Nlorant Keys. It
wet, said that their lives had been saved.

Intelligence had been received at Jamaica from
Ilaiti and from Venezuela. From the latter the news
was, according to the last advicea from Maracaibo,
that victory had once more fallen to the aims of the
coristitut'onal party, and the city of Maracaibo
was once more in the possession of the army
of General Paez, no less than 1,200 men of the
army of Monagas, deserted by their officers, having laid
down their arms and proclaimed Paez as their leader.
From Haiti we learn that a renewal of atrocities
bad taken place. It was said that the President
was taking' a tour throughout the island, and that
instt l of ..xercising his authority to stay the enor-
mou, (Tina s which were being committed, he was
using to cause an increase of them. Refugees had
arrived in great numbers at Jamaica from L'Aus
de Notch They all confirmed the accounts
which had been brought by other vessels that
the greatest atrocities had been committed, and
that a number of the most respectable and influ-
ential inhabitants of the island had been cruelly mur-
dered ; that not only did the President sanction and
assist in the perpetration of the most wicked crimes,
but ti at he endeavoured to prohibit parties who were
made the victims of his barbarity from leaving the
island. Those who escaped, to use the words of the
uthuppy people who arrived Jamaica, did so " with
the knife at their throats." One of the vessels which
had arrived was fired at from the forts.

On the 10th July a slave insurrection took place
in St. Cris, one of the Danish Antilles. They
dt mended their freedom, which was granted, deposed
the governor, Von Scholten, rescued the prisoners
from prison, set fire to and destroyed an immense deal
of property all over the island. Part of the town
was tired. 'the estates which mostly suffered were
Spreat Hall, Rose Hill, Concordia, Negro Bay,
Gulden Grove, Meanings Bay, Mount Pleasant.
Nearly the whole of the island had been more or less
injured. Governor Von Scholten left Croix and came,
as stated above, to England by the Dee.