The Express.
London, England, 1865-12-15 00:00:00

AN OPINION 111.0 M BRITISH GUIANA.

(From the Creole (British Gahm), Nov. 711)
There are two 'idea to • story, and the reader, of
the article in the Royal Garettc of of
evening cowerning
the rebellion in Jamaica will do well to keep that fact in
view, and not be too wally led away by popular clamour.
It is not the lint time that plots have bees alleged to exist
amongst the black and coloured people of Jamaica for the
exteresisation of the dominant clam, which had no ex
ence except in the exalted imagioatioo of the timid and
cowardly. Nor is it the first time that they have been
accused of " terrible atrocities" which were never committed.
As in former owe it is very likely to turn out that the
blame of the newt Jamaica outbreak rests with the local
authoritles,and that the lack people are more Witted spinet
thee sinning, tiering been provoked to bloodshed by
rash and foolish prooeedinp oft the pert of officials, which is
England would lay them open to the charge of stepdaugh-
ter, if not to the higher crime of murder. From the Jetsam
newspapera, though cc park and entirely against the
rioters, the following beta are apparent :
That the alleged " rebellion" is • mere local riot, exegge.
rated • hundred fold by the fears of the authorities and the
press, and the credulity ef a frightened people. That the
outbreak woe caused by some proceedings of the magis-
trate' which, though not fully explained, exhibit a sad
want of common owe as far they are karts. Meath, au-
thorities were the first shedders of blood,havieg cansedsome
volunteers to fire amongst a crowd of people and shoot them
down, thus provoking retaliation at the bands of those who
saw their friends and kindred wantonly murdered before
their eyed. That if the people, excited to ungovernable
fury by the murderous attack made upon them, have per-
, pekes/al cruel etrocitim, they have been most fearfully
outdone by the barbarities exercised by the ofilaials. There
IN a paragraph in the statement contaised ia the Royal
°motto which coolly relates • oold•blooded atrocity that in
itself far surpameas everything which the " rebels " have
skew As °Meer reports, " About daylight this mornieg,
ma psasiog through the village of Cross Roads (where the
rebels have destroyed everything), I hued a amber
of special constables who had captured • number
of prisoners from the rebel camp. Finding their guilt
claw, and being unable to either take or leave them, I had
them all shot ; the constables then hung upon trees eleven
in number. The onotenaeoes were all diabolical, and they
never flinched the slightest." Did Claverhouse ever perpe-
trate • more oold.tdooded, cruel murder? Here US eleven
human beings, subjects of the British atoms, without trial
or form of trial, barbarously put to death by a fellow
clothed with • little brief authority simply as a matter of
wovenince, and because he chose to regard their counten-
ances as being what be calls " diabolical"—that is, we sop-
pose, they were black.
It will be very likely to transpire that Mr. G. W. Cor-
don, one of the most respectable coloured men la the island,
• man of property, iutelligenes, and education, has been
barbarously murdered for (taking an active part la main-
taining and Jefendiee the rights of an opposed people.
Some years ago for a similar cause E. Jordan, Esq., C. 8.,
who kw awe beat for many years • leading man In
Jamaica, sod filled most of the principal publics offices,
was brought within thefts adow of the gallows. He
narrowly escaped hanging the utterance of a few simple
words which were construed into treason against the
majesty of slavery.
Let men of good sense wait to hear the whole truth before
they jump to the conclusion that the black people of
Jamaica are a horde of savages, delighting in bloodshed. If
it be true that nearly 300 of them have been alaughtered,
as represented in the newspapers, the boot is surely on the
other leg. For every murder committed by the blacks the
whites appear from the newspaper accounts to bare perpr
kited at least twenty ; unless we have got back again to
old delectable times when it was no murder to kill g
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THE LOSS OP THE DOVER MAIL STEAMER
SAMPHIRE AND POUR LIVES.

-
We have now further particulars of the ea-
bietrophe in the Channel on Wednesday night than were
supplied to us yesterday by the Marino Buperinteedent at
Dever. It seems that the Samphire, om of the fine fleet
of mail steamers of the Loedon, Chatham, and Dover
Railway Company, on the arrival of the emitierestal ex-
press train at Dover from Leaden, embarked about 70 pas-
sengers sad the mail', and at 11 o'dock at night steamed
away for Calais. The sea was oomparatively calm, bet the
atmosphere ems thick and heavy. When the steamer
bad performed four and a ball miles of her passage,
12 minutes having elapsed from the time she left Dover,
an American barque struck Ler violently on her port bow,
and cut her well nigh asunder. The barque turned out to
be the Fanny Buck, of Bootee, bound from Bottenlam to
Cardiff. Bbe is of about 500 toss burthen, and was in Whet
The violence of the collision was so great thew the total
wreck of the steamer appeared inevitable,
made to the small boats, the barque not having *Upped to
save the lives on board the steamer and it was at this
juncture that a most melaneholy and fatal accident ensued.
A Russian count, in his eager effort to get into
the small boat, fell overboard. As he rose to the
surface a life line was thrown to him for his
rescue. He grasped it, but, through exhaustion, as he
you a, large heavy cloak, he lust his hold and sank. Or
rising again, Captain Bennett, the commander of the mail
Mesmer, jumped overboard and secured a line round the
body of the drowning count ; but, unhappily, just as he warn
being raised into the boat, the line slipped from his waist,
and the collet sank to rise no more. When the shock of
the collision was felt, the perimmere rushed from the cabins
to the deck. the fors cabins immediately filled with water,
but, by the peculiar construction of the eteamtr. the fore
part can berenderedincommuoicable with the compartments
aft of the engines, otherwise the steamer would have imme-
diately sunk. As it wee, however, the vowel was able
to keep afloat, though her bulkheads had filled and
her bow was under water. On communication being made
with the shone, the Belgian mail boat, just arrived at Dover
for Ostend, wu sent out, and it towed the thimpinre to
the 'mouth of Dover Harbour by seven o'clock yesterday
morning, the passengers having been landed in small boats.
The cause of the miliaria will of course be • matter for
official investigation. The steamer had her lights burning
brilliantly, and those on board deny that the barque exhi-
bited any lights. On the other heed, two of the crew
of the barque, who scrambled on board the steamer, and
were landed and reserved at the Dover Sailors' Home, de.
clue that the barque bed her proper lights up, and that
they saw the steamer crossing her bows. From the effects
produced upon both mewls, the violence of the
collision must have been terrific. The steamer, which is
iron-plated, as stove in right down to the keel, every
timber in her appearing to have been loosemd. The barque,
which was obliged to enter Dover harbour yeeterday morn-
ing, is else much damaged. The iroo-platea of the steamer
pierced to a depth of nearly a foot into the barque's timbers
at the bow, her stem and cut-water was broken away, and
she was stove in in several place., both below and above
water. But the worst part of the affair is that it was
presumed to have been attended with other
fatal consequences. On counting up the party
two ladies were missed, sod as the last which wu
seen of them was, that they were seated in the fore-cabiu
shortly before the collision, it was supposed that they
must have been drowned in that compartment of the vessel.
This could not, however, be ascertained until the tide was
down and the water ejected from the cabin. But in the
meantime the mails were removed from the vowel. and pre-
parations made for their despatch to their destination. As
the water left the vessel two ladies were seen floating about
in the fore-cabin, and a gentleman sitting upon the bunk.
The bodies were late yesterday afternoon removed to the
dead hems by the police. The lathes were identified, and
the three bodies await a coroner's inquiry, which will be
had to-day.

001711T8 MAItTIAL.—The Adjutant-General, Lord
William Paulet, has caused the following circular memo-
medusa is reference to courts martial to be addressed to the
army at boas sad abroad by commeed of his Royal High-
ness the Field Marshal Commeneinrie-Chiel :—" The at-
' tention of his Royal Highness the Field Marshal Command-
bas been called to the variety of practice of
courts martial, in making reference to the Mutiny Act and
Articles of War, to sentences of stoppage of pay,. sad in
ether cases. Such referees* being unnecessa• y, big royal
Makatea is pleased to direct that, for the futon), in award- .
lag stoppages of pay courts martial shall sesames the
offeeder to be pat ruder stoppages of pay 'iota he shall
• have made pod the following articles (specifying them, ad
adding the pecuniary account where seosesaryr witboat
farther referees* to the Mutiny Act and Articles of Wei.
His royal highness is likewise pleased to order that in all
ether mateeees direct reference to the Matiey Act sad
Miklos el War is to be avoided ; ewe beieg take., se here-
Safer% that the seetesice shell is each Me duly one to
the
.peoviiioos of the Mutioy Act and Ankles of War
spoboabi• Maggio. • espy of tido order is Is be bid Win
I all aerie marlial.