The Express.
London, England, 1866-08-01 00:00:00

THE MANCHESTER DIVLSION PETIT SESSIONS

COURT BILL.
This bill was read a third time and paned.
SUBURBAN COMMONS BILL

On going into committee on this bill,
Lord ItEDSSDALE objected that this bill, which had
been originally introduced as the Metropolitan Commons
Bill, had had its title changed to the Suburban Commons
Bill, and now extended to all commons situated within
two miles of any town of 10,000 inhabitants. It would,
therefore, interfere with the rights of landowners all over
the kingdom.
The Earl of BELMORE said the bill had been brought
in by the Isle government, awl had been referred by them
to a select committee, in which the title of the bill was
changed, and its operation extended. Care bad been taken
however, to protect manorial rights.
The bill then passed through committee.
The house adjourned at five minutes to 6 o'clock till
Thursday.

Mr. CLIVE asked the Secretary of State for the Home
Department whether he would introduce a bill next mission
founded on the report of the commission appointed to in-
quire into the condition of all mines in Great Britain to
which the Act Et and 24 Vie. c. 151 does not apply.
Mr. WALPOLE said he thought that some Lill would
have to be introduced on the subject, but be could not
state what the exact nature of the bill would be.
INDEMNITY BILL
Mr. HADFIELD asked the Secretary of State for the
Home Department whether, after passing this session the
Parliamentary Oaths Bill and the Qualification for Offices
Abolition Bill, he considered it necessary fur any and what
reasons to introduce a yearly Indemnity Bill!
Mr. WALPOLE said the set would be clearly unneces-
sary in reference to those offices alluded to in the Act of
HOUSE OF COMMONS.—TIIIVIDAY, JULY 31. ! George the Fourth; but there were other acts of older
date which he did not think the bill of the hon. gentle-
(Continued from yesterday's Express.)
man applied to. He (Mr. Walpole) was now inquiring
CURRENCY AND BANKING. into the matter, and he trusted by Thursday next to be
Mr. AKROYD hoped that her Majesty's government able to date whether a modified Indemnity Bill would be
would disposed to assent to the motion for an inquiry. required. He thought it would.
The government of this country showed • general desire to
give what relief it could to suffering classes of the commu- ,!
THE DISTURBANCES IN JAMAICA.
nity, as had been conspicuously shown of late in the salami- ' Mr. BUXTON rose to call attention to the concluding
ties which had fallen upon the agricultural body. Yet the paragraph of the report of the Royal Jamaica Commission,
mercantile community were now in a much more grave vie.: That the punishments inflicted were excessive ;
position, and he trusted the house would give the motion that the punishment of death was unnecessarily frequent ;
of his hon. friend the member for Stockport its favourable that the floggings were reckless, and at Bath positively
consideration. (Hear, hear.) , barbarous; that the burning of 1,000 houses was wanton
Sir S. NORTHCOTE said he thought no one could be ' and cruel ;" and to the further statement of the commis-
surprised that this question should have been brought sion that among the sufferers " there were many who were
under the notice of parliament. While it would be neither directly nor indirectly parties to the disturb-
extremely mischievous to refuse to alter the law anon ;" and to more the following resolutions : " That
where it needed improvement, that would be as this house deplores the excessive punishments which
nothing compared with the disasters that would arise followed the suppresaion of the disturbances of October
from bolding out to the commercial public and last in the parish of St. Themas Jamaica, and cope-
to the world that it was possible by remodelling or re- daily the unnecessary frequency with which the punish-
handling the law to obviate the effects of imprudent or mein of death wan inflicted. That this house, while ap-
unsound trading. (Cheers.) The house must take care proving the course taken by her Majesty's government in
how it encouraged imprudence and over-speculation. It dismissing Mr. Eyre from the governorship of the island, at
was particularly necessary to press this consideration the same time concurs in the view expressed by the late
upon the people of England, because there wee no doubt Secretary of the Colonies, that ' while any very minute
something very fascinating in the extent of our eommer- endeavour to punish acts which may now be the subject of
vial operations ; and if we altogether unshackled enter- regret' would not be expedient, still that great offences
prise there was too great danger lest that enterprise should ought to be punished ; and that grave excesses of severity
dngenerate into insane speculation. (Hear, hear.) If the on the part of any civil, military, or naval officers ought
government were indifferent to the sufferings of the corn- not to be passed over with impunity ; that, in the opinion
menial interests, or if they were unwilling to apply a re- of this house, it is the duty of her Majesty's government
medy where one was possible, they would be greatly to to award compensation to those whose property was wan-
blame ; but they would be still more to blame if they en- tonly and cruelly destroyed, and to the families of those
couraged the idea that it was possible to avert the cense- who were put to death illegally; and that since consider-
quences of imprudence or insane speculation by tampering ably more than a thousand persons are proved to have
with our currency laws. The government, however, would been executed or severely flogged on the charge of pant.
take the whole matter into their careful consideration. cipating in these disturbances, all further punish.
If they were now, after what had been said, to issue this ' ment on account of them ought to be remitted."
commission, they wouldbe indulging false expectations, and He said no one need fear that in supporting these resolu-
not producing good, but most serious danger and mischief tions he would run any risk of hampering or increasing the
to the country. responsibility of any governor or other official who might
Mr. FAWCETT said that though be was not in favour of have to deal with any emergency on future occasions. He
the Bank ChancrAct, he did not wish it to be supposed that did not ask the house to express any opinion whatever
he looked for any great advantages from its alteration. If upon anything that was done during the suppression of
it could be modified, and he believed it could, so as to pre- the disturbances. On the other hand, he wished it to be
vent the necessity of frequent suspensions, a great point t clearly understood that these resolutions meant nothing
would be gained. But, on the other hand, he dad not gym- else than • decisive and emphatic condemnation of the
pathise with those who thought that any great or peculiar excessive severity with which the disturbances had been
advantages had been derived from the passing of that act. . punished after they had been suppressed and authority
England s commerce would have gone on much the same had been completely restored ; while, per contra,
whether that act had existed or not. At any rate he was those who might vote against these resolutions
convinced that even if they repealed that act it would not would in the first place be incidentally ceu-
prevent a financial crisis, and would do nothing even to During the course taken by the late government,
lower the average rate of discount throughout the country. but much more than that, they would, so far as in them
It was said that the currency was insufficient. He believed lay, be expressing a deliberate approval on behalf of the
that the currency, instead of having been undulydecreased, British people of the excessive severity with which the die-
had greatly increased. There was no doubt that owing to turbances had been punished. With regard to the pro-
the gold discoveries the quantity of gold had been quadru- pawl for compensation, of course the funds must be sup-
pled, and the currency of this and other ministries had been plied by the mother country. At the outset of a long
se much increased that throughout the world there had speech, Mr. Buxton entered into a narrative of the cir-
been • depreciation of currency, or, in other words, a curustances of the outbreak to show that these severe
feeLal.rLis.e of prices. When hon. gentlemen talked about punishments were not necessitated by any settled design
• the currency they should remember that in- to massacre the whites—though he admitted that when
crease currency did not mean decreased power of bor- the negroes came down to Morant Bay they meant ink-
rowing, for if they increased the amount of the currency in chief—by any atrocities committed by the negroes them-
cireulatioa jest in the same ratio they increased general selves, or by the smallness of the force at Governor
prices, and they increased the amount they Lyre's command. He then went on to describe in detail
had to borrow for any particular object. (Hear, the wholesale punishments inflicted in different parts of
bear.) He would only say in conclusion that even if the island, confining himself to the period subsequent to
the commission or the committee had been granted, the the suppression of the disturbance, and quoting many
fact would have been indisputably established that the striking passages in the evidence given to the commis-
Bank hail been managed with singular firmness, wisdom, animus. I am almost sorry (he said) to have am-
end prudence, and that its directors were a body of men fined myself to official documents. How can I expect
of whom any commercial country might be proud. They to rouse the feeling of the house with mere dry statistics
bad not produced, they had not aggravated the crisis, but like these ? I wish it were possible for me to payee here,
the crisis had been produced because the old simple eco- but lam bound to remind the house that Use commis-
nomio axiom had been forgotten, that wealth could only sionen tell us that beside the 439 persons put to death, at
be made by the application of capital to labour and to least 600 were flogged. I have already quoted Colonel
machinery, and because it had been thought that wealth Hobbs's words, that the writhing and intense agony of the
could be produced by • system called modern financing. lash to the negroes was frightful to witness. Colonel
Depend upon ft wealth thus produced would soon prove to Hobbs, however, only used tie ordinary cat-o'-nine-tails,
be illusory, and would fade away like a cloud before the but Mr. Kirkland, at Bath, was not content with that
mama, sun. (Cheers.) . intense agony. He must needs twist strong pianoforte
Mr. HUBBARD affirmed that not only bad the
.principle wire with the oords, sometimes with twelve, sometimes
of the Bank Ast been unaffected, but it had been victorious. withmorelashes,and then tiethem up in knots, soestocaueer
It had triumphed over great difemiltiee, and all that he the utmost conceivable amount of agony, and with these
lamented was that the terms of the remedial measure had infernal instruments some hundreds of persons were
tended to give an unfavourable sppwaraoee to its operation. flogged until the Found was soaked with gore some of
As a matter of verbal criticism ft would be better that the them having received as much as one hnndmsd laihes each.
letter of the Chancellor of the Exchequer or any indemnity All this was nob:aims at the time, yet not • finger
bill to be submitted to that house should sanction the did Mr. Eyre move to punish this ruffian? He was allowed
ISMS by the Bank of England el an additional amount b Mr. Eyre to continue as a magistrate, and as the holder
of notes in excess of the amount of bullion. It dome petty office under the crown and the most painful
would then be seen that so far from the bank note being thing ie to kern that many of those who bad thus been
is danger, it was because the Bank was so strong that it flainei were afterwards sent to Morant Bay to be hu ,
might make zoom. He did not deny that in • stated proo and-yet nothing in all this strikes me as more horrible