The Express.
London, England, 1849-12-03 00:00:00

WEST INDIA MAIL.

The Royal Mail Packet Tay, Capt. C. M. Chapman,
arrived at Southampton yesterday, and landed her
mails under the charge of Lieut. J. Y. Wilkinson,
R.N., Admiralty agent. The dates of the Tay are :
Santa Martha, Oct. 21; Grey 'roes), Oct. 26 ;
Chagrea, Oct. 29 ; Carthagens, Oct. 31; Porto CAW-
ler, Nov. 3 ; La Ousyra, Nov. 6 ; Jamaica, Nov. 7 ;
St. Jago de Cuba, Nov. 6; Demerara, Nov. 4 ; Trini-
dad, Nov. 7 ; Grenada, Nov. 7 ; Barbados", Nov. 9;
Antigua, Nov.lo ; Martinique, Nov. 10; Porto Rico,
Nov. 11 ; St. Thomas, Nov. 14 ; Fayal, Nov. 26.
The Tay also brings from Chagres the Pacific mail
with the following dates, received at Panama on the
23rd Oct.:—Valparaiso, Sept. 30; Cabija. Oct. 4;
Arica, Oct. 6; Islay, Oct. 7 ; Cellos, Oct. 13 ; Pay ta,
Oct. 16 ; Guayaquil, Oct.n.
M. Dillon. French! consul at the Sandwich Islands,
with his lady and two children, came home in the
Tay. Ttere were in all 28 passengers on board.
The freight of the Tay cowries of :—Gold and sil-
ver, valued at 960,896 dollars; gold (frdm California)
1,256 oz. ; British coin, 1,4231.; silver, 688 cz.; 3.390
five-franc pieces; plaque, 15 cz ; pearls, valued at
4,880 dollars ; 24 serene indigo; 251 biles sarsaparilla;
71 barrels coffee; 25 bags pimento; 55 packages
sundries.
The Des had favourable winds and pleasant weather
from St. Thomas to Fayal; the first two drys from
Fayal she had fresh gales from S.S.W. to N.N.W. ;
the remainder of her voyage moderate breezes from
the same winter.
When the Tay sailed, the Dee was at Vera Cruz,
the Avon at Jamaica, the Medway had sailed from
St. Thomas for Jamaica, the Conway was at St.
Thomas, and the Eagle at Demerara.
The Tay brings the disastrous intelligence of
the loss at tea, by fire, of the Ame ken emigrant
ship Caleb Grimshaw. The British barqle Sarah,
D. Cook, master, from London to St. John's,
put into Feral, on the 24th of November, with 390
passengers (emigrants) taken from the above-named
ship, which it encountered on fire 16 miles S.E of
the island of Flores. The unfortunate people lest
everything but their lives, and were glad so to escape.
The muter of their ship has chartered the Sarah to
carry them on to the United States, at the expense of
his owners.

JAMAICA.
The governor and the country party continue still
at odds, and the country partT are the majority in
the Assembly.; The following article, from the
Jamaica Morning Journal, states the case between
them—it must be borne in mind, however, that the
Journal is a partisan of the g. vernor :
The governor, anxious to direct the attention of the As•
sembly to the unusually large amount of island certificates
which will become due next year, and for the payment of
which provision ought tobe made, has, in a message to it,
given certain extracts from a despatch of the Secretary of
State for the Colonies, relative to the offer lately made by
the imperial government of a loan for particular purposes,
mentioned in the act of parliament which authorised it. The
object is evidently twofold. First, as already stated, to call
the attention of the house to a matter cf vital ins.
portanosto the character of the oolony. Second, to indicatethe
source whence the means which are required fur :pettier the
anticipated demand may be obtained. This menage or
communication, we were told in the Howe on Friday even-
ing, by the member for St. George, was a breach of its pri.
vilegee, and the opinion has been repeated in the Standard.
It is not our intention to discuss the question, whether the
manage is or is not a breach of privilege, because whatever
may be the decision of the house upon it, no one can suppose.
or will believe,. that the communication originated in any
desire or intention to invade the privileges of the people.
The facts are simply these: The Governor, knowing that a
large sum of money, due and owing by the Wand,
Wit be called for in the coarseof next year, and
that provision must be made for its payment during the
present sitting of the legislature, has felt it to be his
duty to direct the attention of members to the circumfuse,
so that they may consider in time what course ought is be I
pursued in reference to it. The object, wnicb is to remind
the house that this heavy demand is to be met, is a very
proper one. It has arisen out of a desire that the credit of the
island should be upheld. Breach or no breach of privilege.
this desire is creditable to the eaten: ive, and no man who
values the character of the Wand will blame him for his
anxiety in the Inner. We are as great sticklers for the
privileges of the assembly as any of is members, but are
content to waive them when, as in this case, and admitting,
for argument sake, that the message is a breach of privilege,
there is no personal object to serve, no motive beyond a re-
gard for the public credit, a desire to uphold the public
honour. The subject which Sir Charles Grey has
so very jpreparly brought under the notice of the
House and the public is one of considerable in:Tortola at
the }meat moment. With a oonfessedly inadequate
to the expenditure of the colony, and the popular branch of
the legislates, in a frame of mind unfavourable (judging
from awlearences) to the consideration of a matter so per-
plexing as its financial difficulties, Sir Charles Grey may well
fear that members may be disposed to banish it from their
thoughts or to put off its unsideration to a period so remote
as not to leave the time or leisure which is necessary for
mature deliberation. Let those who will, blame this
anxiety. We think it reasonable, and must regard it as evi-
dence of the desire of the executive to place matters
upon a more satisfactory footing than they are at present.
It may be demanded of the country party, or the majority of
the Assembly by whom this debt was contracted, for it is one
of the legames bequeathed by the planters to the public, how
is the 30,0001, which-will become due in the course of the
next year, to be met—what provision do you propose to make
Ise it—how, and by what means is the public credit to be
srdstained ? Very possibly the parties alluded to find it
lesonvenient to answer such questions, and are unwilling to
I he reminded of the liabilities which they have contracted.
This is no reason, however, why silence should be mai:,tained
or the executive should expose himself to the charge of
neglect of duty. The legislature has been sufficiently long
be session to enable the members who ought to take
the lead in the business of the house, they having the ma-
jority, to take up this question and deal with it. titles
they intend to waste twomouths margin Spanish Town, they
meet admit the period has arrived when something should
be dew, at least, respecting these demands. As to meeting
the mat of the unassisted resources of the island itself,"
that seems out of the question altogether, or hopeless. To
UM quarter is the House (that being the case) to look for
esietenee ? Only to the government. To expect to riles
money without the aid of this latter is simply absurd. Will
that aid be invoked? If it will, then it is necessary to read
red iseseidm Earl Grey's Despatch of the 16th March,
NA die extract from it is properly laid before the
lease. Then is no use in bristling up, and being