The Sun.
London, England, 1839-06-04 00:00:00

JAMAICA.

MEETING OF PROPRIETORS.—(THIS DAY.)
A meeting of planters, merchants, and others, interested
in the island of Jamaica, took place to-day at 'Willis's
Rooms.
The following is the petition to Parliament which was to
be proposed, as expressive of the feelings of the meeting :
" That your petitioners are, as landowners, mort-
gagees, annuitants, and otherwise, interested in, and
connected with the island of Jamaica, and are in-
terested in, and most desirous of promoting, the
success of the great measure of emancipation. That
they heard, with great satisfaction, the abandonment
by her Majesty's Government of a Bill To make
temporary provision for the Government of Jamaica.'
They considered its provisions subversive of the constitu-
tion of the island, and dangerous to its welfare, as well
as injurious to the interests of petitioners. That it
was the opinion of petitioners that by evincing a spirit of
conciliation towards the Assembly respecting the consti-
tutional rights and privileges of that body,—and abstaining
from Parliamentary legislation, the confidence of the As.
_ sembly would be won; and they would be induced, when
the Governor was directed to convene them, to exercise
their legislative functions ; and in such a manner as
would best promote the welfare of all classes in the
colony, and would satisfy the just expectations of
Parliament and the people of Great Britain. That
it was with surprise and alarm that petitioners heard a
second Bill had been introduced into Parliament—entitled
' A Bill for Enacting certain Laws in the Island of Ja-
maica.' That this Bill, so far from being calculated to
win the confidence of the Assembly, cannot fail to excite
the greatest dissatisfaction among all classes in the
colony :—as the Bill enables the Governor and Council,
by disagreeing to measures proposed by the Assembly, to
suspend the fnnctions of that body, and transfer them
exclusively to themselves; that the grounds stated in
the preamble arc untenable, and subversive of the
constitution of Jamaica; that they tend to degrade the
Assembly in the estimation of all classes, and render ineffi-
cient the exercise of its legislative functions ; that nothing
could be more calculated to offend the feelings of all classes
in Jamaica than adopting as a sample of legislative inter-
ference, the Orders in Council made for the Crown Colo-
nies, where another system of Government exists, and
where not the common law of England, but foreign laws,
are established; and petitioners therefore pray to be
heard by Counsel against the Bill."
The meeting was called by Mr. Burge, the Agent for
the island.
The Earl of Harewood took the chair.
Mr. BURGE entered into a long statement of the com-
munications which he had with the Government. He
said he had repeatedly represented to the Govern-
ment that their best course would be frankly, and in
a spirit of conciliation, to abandon all idea of legis-
lation upon the subject, and to call upon the Governor
to invite the Assembly to meet and resume their legislative
functions. He had especially urged this in a conference
with Lord Melbourne and Lord Normanby, but
they were immovable, and were firmly resolved to
persist in some Legislative measure. The effect
of Mr. Labouchere's Bill was to give the Governor
and Council the power of making, or reviving, or re-
enacting any laws which might not previously have been
made, revived, or re-enacted by the Assembly, with refer-
ence to the hiring of servants, or the vagrancy regula-
tions, &c.
The meeting had not finished when we went to press.
EXCHEQUER CHAMBER.