The Express.
London, England, 1866-03-31 00:00:00

TTY DISTURBANCES IN JAMAICA.

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(FROM OUR MOIL 00B.ENSPONDINT.)
SPANISH TOWN, Name 10.
A good deal of time has of late been devoted by
the royal commissioners to the examination of wit-
nesses with reference not only to the trial and exe-
cution, but to the previous life and character of the
We Mr. G. W. Gordon. For instance, evidence
has been given that in the year 1861 there was a
differenoe betimes himself and his father as to
which of them was entitled to the management of
an estate named Fontabelle, and in the course of a
scuffle which took place between them as to the
possession of the books, Joseph Gordon, the father,
received some trifling injury, foe which he proceeded
against his son upon a charge of assault. The wit-
awe who deposed to this circumstance was called as
the instance of Mr. Waleot, who appears for the local
authorities, and after his examination the commis-
sioners intimated to the representatives of
Mrs. Gordon that they need not trouble them-
selves to answer it. Subsequently another
attempt was made to extract out of this in-
cident some circumstance which should pre-
judice the character of Mr. Gordon, by calling a
Mr. Silvers, a magistrate, of Kingston, who inter-
fered in the course of the scuffle, and who stated
that when be threatened to send for the police Mr.
G. W. Gordon said that if he did so he would op-
pose him with a mob. Upon his being cross-exa-
mined it appeared that Mr. Silvers was rather
deeply interested in the disputes between G. W.
Gordon and his father, inasmuch as he was surety
for the latter in the sum of 4501., which was after-
wards sued for and recovered by the son. Two
other important circumstances, deposed to by wit-
nesses called at the wish of the local authorities,
were that on one occasion Gordon contradicted a
charge of immorality which he said had been made
against him by Mr. Herschel, and that about four
years ago he purchased from a Mr. Grey the estate
of Dunrobin, in the pariah of St. Thomas-in-the-
Test. Mr. Grey was called as a witness, but all
that he proved beyond this was that he believed
Mr. Gordon never visited the estate. I am told
that the object of his examination was to show that
after the property passed into Mr. Gordon's hands
the people who lived upon it became dieoontented
and uncivil ; but be this as it may, their rudeness
and discontent could hardly be attributable to the
influence of a man whom they had never seen.

A Moravian missionary, from Manchester, the
Rev. J. J. Simon, was called to prove that, in
December, 1864, he had a oonversation with Mr.
Gordon, who, in discussing public affairs, said
that Kr. Zyre was an ignorant man, and
that matters would never be better in Jamaica
unless they had a republic. And the Rev. Mr. Lea,
a baptist missionary from Falmouth, wassubpre need,
on the part of the local authorities, to give evidence
as to a speech made by Mr. Gordon at a religious
meeting held in his chapel in August last. Mr.
Lee said that with the greater part of that speech
be entirely concurred, but that Mr. Gordon spoke
of the paper published with the beading of " the
"Queen's advise" u a disgraceful document, and
said that in Jamaica there was one law for the rich
and another for the poor, of which expression he
disapproved.

The proceedings of the court-martial itself have
been described by two of the chief actors, Lieutenant
Brand, the president, and Mr. Gordon Duberry
Ramsay. The redoubtable provost-marshal is a
man of almost middle stature, and his figure is
hardly indicative of great strength. The expres-
sion of his countenance is by no means so ferocious
as those who have read or heard the accounts of
his actions might be disposed to expect, but while
he was under examination there was at times an
ugly glitter and sparkle of the eyes which suggested
what might have been their expression when he
ordered Marshall to be banged, or flogged the un-
fortunates in Bath prison with his own baud.
Ramsay's account of the part which he played
in the trial was that he took Mr. Gordon
before the court- martial as a prisoner,
and that he afterwards called the wit-
nesses and prodnoed the documents which were
put in evidence against him, as they were required
by the president. The witnesses, John Anderson
and James Gordon, arrived at Morant Bay with
other prisoners, and there was sent with them a
memorandum, he believed, in the handwriting of
Mr. Bicknell, the police magistrate of Kingston,
that they would give evidence against the rebels.
They were treated as prisoners at large, and they
volunteered to the president of the court-martial
to give evidence against Mr. Gordon.
The testimony of Lieutenant Brand, whose man-
ner in giving his evidence was disagreeably careless,
and at times even flippant, did not materially differ
from that of the provost-marshal, and confirmed the
impression which the latter bad produced that the
members of the court received the documents which
were laid before them without any inquiry as to
their genuineness, and with a oom plete indifference to,
or ignorance of, the circumstances—whether they
were the depositions of living persons who might have
attended and been examined in the presence of the
prisoner, or of witnesses whose death or illness
prevented tbeir being produced.
At the close of Mr. Gordon's trial the proceed-
ings were, as already mentioned, transmitted by
Brigadier-General Nelson to Major-General O'Con-
nor, the commander of the forces, and the major-
general has explained to the royal commissioners
the steps which he took in regard to them, and the
correspondence which afterwards passed between
himself and Mr. Eyre upon the subject. Ido not
know whether-this correspondence has yet appeared
in England, and as it is rather important it may
be well to set out the principal documents. General
O'Connor received the proceedings at II a.m. on
Sunday, 22nd October, and after perusing them
transmitted them to the governor.
On the24th October General O'Connor forwarded
copies of the proceedings to the Secretary of State
for War and to the military secretary at the Horse
Guards with the following letter :
Read-quarters, Rissaton, 24th Oct, 1865.
have the hosoor to tranrmit for the information
of his Royal Highness Comotanding-in-Chief, sad of the
Secretary of State for War. copies of a despatch reepectleg
the trial, sentence and execution at 7.10 IL L 13., on the 23rd,
of George Willeira Gordon, • member of the Roue of
Aaseably, proved to have been *se of the principal insti-
gators of the people to rebellion, and the primary cases el
thentiserable mss•.acre of European, and native inhabitants
at /lomat. & copy of his .Exeellentry the Governor's
hues approving the same is tnoloaad, is which I tally
esseer.

On the 24th he rewired a letter from General
Nelson, dated, " Head Quarters, Morant Bay,
7.10 a.m., Oct. 23," informing him of the execution
of Gordon.

Oa the 26thoiDeoember be received from Governor
Eyre the following despatch :

Fluestsed, 26th December. 1861
Sir,—Her Majesty's goverment have sailed ion wirt
famish, with the least passible daisy, all isteessatisa pre-
. .

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