The Express.
London, England, 1866-01-03 00:00:00

LONDON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, JANUARY 3, 1866.

THE MINISTERIAL CRISIS IN ITALY.

The Nazione of the 31st ult. says :—" The
ministerial crisis that during yesterday appeared
far from its termination took a turn in the evening,
according to information obtained by us from
authentic sources, and may now be considered at
an end. Signor Lanza, when asked to accept the
Finance portfolio, laid down certain conditions re-
specting his entry into the cabinet that General La
Marmora could not accept. It being seen therefore
that an understanding was impossible, negotiations
were broken off after a final conference held yes-
terday at midday. In the evening the portfolio of
Finance was, it is said, offered to Signor Scialoia, the
senator, who accepted it in consideration of the
gravity of the situation and the necessities of the
country. A Finance Minister once found, the forma-
tion of the cabinet no longer presented any difficulty.
Signor Chiavas will, it is said, retain the portfolio
of the Interior • Signor Jacini that of Public Works ;
General La Marmora, with the presidency, the
ministry of Foreign Affairs. We have not yet
heard the names of the other ministers, but we
believe we shall know them in the course of
to-morrow."

The Diritto, the organ of the Left, says, in its
impression of the same day :
the hope that General Ls Marmara would snood is
forming a misistry is one, mon dinappeialede---Aar we her
saw, Signor Luna could not apse with him, and &Wain
is therefore spoken ofinow an the future Finance minister.
Amid so many contradictory reports, all that is certain and
evident is that the patience of the country is being shame-
fully and indecently abused. It is as though Italy were
meant to be the sport of these men ; destined to wait and
remain in doubt while they arrange their own affairs
in the best way they one. This want of respect ter the
country, the country that yet is substentially the master of
all, is a characteriaticeign of the opinions and the ideal that
prevail among a pertain party. The blame, perhaps, does
not wholly rest with those man. In no other country
would a party think itself at liberty so to abuse
public patience ; nor would any think so in
Italy, had Italy not shown since 1860 how extremely
eiaily she puts up with every kind of insolence. Since
General La tdarmora has not succeeded in ten days in form.
log a new admipiatration, how is it he does not see that
the great, the only difficulty in forming it rests with him-
self? Why has be not renounced, from respect to the
chamber and the country if not from patriotism, a task
which be now sees he moot accomplish? After so many diffi-
culties it is not to be supposed that he flatters himself he
can form aseriousand lasting administration.

JAMAICA.

The Lady News publishes a letter from a
member of the Jamaica House of Assembly, and
lately a member of the Jamaica Privy Council,
dated Spanish Town, Dec. 9, describing at some
length the events of the previous two months.
According to this statement the labouring
classes in St. Thomas-in-the-East bad for a
long time been dissatisfied with the ad-
ministration of justice by the magistrates,
and were particularly mortified by the removal,
through the cuatos and Mr. Eyre of stipendiary
justice Jackson, who was regarded the negroes
as their friend. The writer finds it difficult to
say by which party the affray at the Vestry-house
was commenced. It is absurd, he asp, to call
what followed a rebellion, for not one in-
dividual ever turned round to face the
forces hostilely ; not a single soldier, sailor, or
volunteer returned with • scratch ; while on our
part is lees than a week over three thousand of the
negroee, innocent and guilty, were sacrificed. "Of
this number," he adds, "547, I am told, have
been hanged by sentence of drum-head court-
martial, 500 shot in the woods by the Maroons,
and nearly 2,000 shot by the combined forces, to
say nothing of the quantity whipped. I pause
here_tp uplift my heart to God, while the tear
triages dawn my furrowed face, and wily Him not
to cause Hie wrath to descend upon us all for this
terrible slaughter of those into whom He has
breathed the breath of life. It would occupy sheets
to detail the individual cases of cruelty which took
place during the enactment of this terrible tragedy.
"God forbid that I should attempt to justify
the conduct of the ill-advised negroes, but of
her Majesty's Government will, as I hope,
send out a commission of men of probity,
they will, on inquiry, I strongly suspect, find out
that the riot was only local : it was long brewing,
sod owed its origin to the maladministration of
justice between the two races. The various reports
we heard during the reign of terror struck a com-
plete panic throughout the colony, but I do not be-
lieve auy conspiracy existed throughout the island.
Our fears imposed upon our judgment. With re-
spout to poor Gordon, against whom the whole com-
munity was aroused as one man, I am strongly of
opinion that time will do his memory Justice. I
have not seen any document that will induce me to
believe that he ever counselled any man to rise up
against the Queen's government, much less to im-
brue their hands in their fellow-creatures' blood.
That poor George was a political maniac no one
will, I believe, deny ; that he has attended what
were here called the Underhill meetings, and made
several violent and inflammatory speeches, must be
readily admitted by all who have known him ; but
that he sought to change our form of government,
or anything of that kind, may be dreamed of, but
as it could not possibly be realised, none but
terror-stricken men would entertain.

"But I am afraid this horrible tragedy is not yet
ended. There are upwards of 170 negroes still in
the Morant Bay prison to be tried, and it is added
that there is evidence sufficient to hang 70. Please
look at the bloody laws which we have been passing.
Their advocates say they are indispensable to our
common safety. This may be admitted as far as
the really guilty are concerned ; but what of the
ignorant and the innocent, who are precluded
from any defence on account of distance from
home, to. ?
"I can only learn that two men of the mixed race
were concerned iu this melancholy affair, and,
as I have already hinted, I am persuaded
that on a just inquiry it will be found that
they and thousands of the poor negroes have
been murdered. It will be found, too, that the
majority of murders at Morant Bay and elsewhere,
an well as arson and robbery, have been committed
by the liberated Africans recently introduced into
that parish under the maddening influence of rum
in its most alcoholic state. Ido hope the benignant
government under which we hitherto enjoyed free-
dom of speech and action (which is for the present
denied to us) will not desert us, but that we may
still continue to be England's care, and that so
splendid a country may no longer be left to go into
that decadence from which no effort of our own
can rescue us. I really do not know whether this
letter will reach you ; since for the first time in the
history of this country the government have con-
descended to intercept, and to open and read, the
letters of private individuals.
" Should you bear any one say that the people of
the mixed race dislike the whites, pray deny it,
and instance myself, whose personal affection
remains as strong towards you as ever.
" The negroes were shut down in the woods like
game, as they fled from the soldiery ; and women,
too, and their infants, and their houses razed to
the ground.
" We sent a message to the governor for all docu-
ments upon which he founded his statement that a
general insurrection was on the eve of taking place.
He sent some, but we cannot succeed against the
majority in getting them printed. We are, there-
fore, iu ignorance of everything that has been
going on."
The same journal also contains a communication
from Mr. Chamerovzow, including written statements
from correspondents in the island, setting forth the
state of things there as a reign of terror. All the
evidence, he states, goes to show that the disturb-
ance at /donut Bay is traceable to a moat trivial
origin. We subjoin a memorial to her Majesty,
which has been signed by all the missionaries in the
parish connected with the Wesleyan, Presbyterian,
and Baptist Missionary Societies :