The Sun.
London, England, 1824-12-28 00:00:00

JAMAICA PAPERS.

SAINT JAOO DE LA VEGA, Nov. is.
The Honourable House of Assembly, having
met on Tuesday, agreeably to the Proclamation of his Grace
the Governor, Sir Michail B. Clare and Mr. Lunen were ap-
pointed a committee to acquaint his Grace therewith. Soon
after their return, a message was sent from his Grace, by the
Provost Marsha), requiring the immediate attendance of the
House in the Council Chamber whereupon Mr. Speaker and
the whole House went over, when his Grace Was pleased to
open the Stssion with the following speech (a correct outline of
which we gave in THE Sim of yesterday)
" Gentlemen of the Council, Mr. Speaker, and Gentlemen
of the Assembly,—The unlimited confidence I have always re-
posed in the loyalty and fidelity of the lower classes of society
in this island, renders it more painful to me to acquaint you,
that since your last meeting partial disturbances have taken
place amongst the slaves in several parishes, attended in some
Instances by acts of open rebellion.
" It appears, from the declaration of the principal offenders,
made at a time when there could be no reason to doubt their
sincerity, that they had been led to believe his Majesty had
made them free—a delusion which even his Majesty's Royal
Proclamation, containing the most distinct and positive assur-
ance to the contrary, seems not to have removed.
" Deeply as these events are to be lamented; it is a console-
tion to reflect that the great mass of the slave population has
continued to preserve that peaceable and orderly demeanour to
which I have so often borne testimony, and their good sense has
taught them to avoid those fatal errors which have brought de-
struction on many unhappy individuals.
" I have received instructions from his Majesty's Govern-
ment, containing some propositions for the improvement of the
condition of the slave population, which I shall make the sub-
ject of an early communication to you.
" 1 am also to acquaint you, that his Majesty has been gra-
ciously pleased to appoint a Bishop for this island, to whom is
to be intrusted the controul of the Clergy of the Church of Eng-
land within his diocese, and the duty of reportink upon the
state of the Ecclesiastical establisinnent, particularly as it re-
lates to the slave population, and upon the best means of diffus-
ing the benefits of religious instruction to that part of the com-
munity.
" In order to prove the deep interest which his Majesty's
Government feel In the encouragement of the religious and
moral instruction of the negroes, they have taken upon them-
selves the whole charge of putting the clergy under episcopal
controul, and have placed funds at the disposal of the Bishop for
the more immediate supply of persons in holy orders within his
diocese ; sad his Majesty confidently expects to receive every as.'
sistance from you in promoting the establishment of a system
calculated to produce the most beneficial effects.
" The Lords Commissioners of his Majesty's Treasury have
had under consideration the heavy charges to which the naviga-
tion and commerce of the United Kingdom are liable in his Ma-
jesty's colonies, with a view of reducing as much as possible all
such charges ; and I expect to have it in my power to commit-
nicate toou more conclusive information on the subject in the
course of y
the present month.
ykoeur andwi Gentlemenll cheerfully of
futle A
rinishsaseuncihblgyu,p—pll am
iesitspteirie-
su::dled tha
tea
public service may require.
" Gentlemen of the Council, Mr. Speaker, and Gentlemen of
the Assembly,-1 am not aware of tiny business that can de-
tain you longer than has been usual, and you will find me per-
fectly disposed to meet all your wishes as fur as may be con-
sistent with my duty."
( From the Cornwall Courier of Nov. 3.)
In our last we briefly noticed the disastrous issue of' a small
armed party, which had proceeded on the 25th ult. into the back
grounds of this parish, in pursuit of runaway negroes. The
following are the authentic particulars we have since been en-
abled to collect from various sources, of the total failure of the
expedition :
Early on Tuesday morning a party composed of twenty-four
armed whites and confidential slaves, with ten baggage negroes,
proceeded from Pembroke estates, and at eleven o clock
reached the provision mountain belonging to that property, dis-
tant about 12 miles to the southward ; after resting there a short
time, the party, pursued their route for the rendezvous of the
banditti of runaways, supposed to be about six miles distant
from the mountain, and had traversed nearly an hour over a
mountainous and rocky way, when in a narrow pass, through
which they could only advance in a single file, they were fired'
on from an ambush. Mr. Sutherland, the overseer of Pem-
broke estate, who had the command of, and was leading the
party, was mortally wounded by the second shot, and fell. The
remainder were panic-struck, and took to flight Mr. Galli-
more, a book-keeper of Bounty Hall estate, was wounded, and,
as no intelligence has since been received of him, it is conjectured
that he has died of his wounds in the woods, or fallen Into the
hands of the runaway negroes. An armed negro belonging to
Good Hope estate was also wounded dangerously. The shame-
ful flight of the party put into the possession of the runaways
about 15 stand of arms, and a quantity of ammunition, which
were thrown away to accelerate their retreat.
It is much to be regretted that the degree of caution and se-
crecy so essentially requisite in an undertaking of this nature
was not observed, and from die want of which its failure is,
no doubt, to be attributed ; the whole of the arrangements
were made at least a week previous to the party setting out,
and with which, the melancholy result too plainly shows, the
runaways were duly apprised.
There is reason to believe that the shots fired by the party in
ambush did not exceed 19 or 12; but no idea can be formed of
the number of the banditti, as not one of them was seen.
On Wednesday last a meeting of the Magistrates was held
in this town, when a reward of 150 dollars each was offered for
the apprehension of certain slaves ; and an express was sent to
Captain Smith, of Accomping Town, requiring the assistance of
the Maroons. On Friday, six companies of the Trelawny
militia assembled at Dromilly estate, from which 120, effective
men, rank and file, were draughted, and proceeded on Sunday
morning into the woods, under the command of Lieutenant-
Colonel Scott, who took up his post for that day at Hampden
mountain, about six miles to the southward of ilromilly,
where he was joined in the afternoon by • Captain Smith with
6'5 Maroons. At day-light on Monday, the force, consisting of
nearly 270 men, including baggage negroes and pioneers, moved
into the woods.
Our latest intelligence from Hampden-mountain is up to five
o'clock yesterday afternoon, at which time no accounts had
been heard of the party, since it had left that post at day-light
on Monday.
(From the Cornwall Gazette.)

The following is a brief narrative by one of the party that
proceeded under the charge of Mr. Sutherland, to the back.
grounds in search of the runaway negrocs, belonging to Pem.
broke and other estates

" Mr. Sutherland, overseer, left Pembroke-estate, with a
party of eleven whites, overseers and book-keepers of adjoining
properties, accompanied by about twelve black shots, a little
after day-light on Tuesday morning. After reaching the
Covey-estate watchman's hut,' the horses were returned to the
respective estates to which they belonged. Here they loaded
their guns, and Mr. Sutherland put himself at the head of the
party, and taking the man Sambo (the runaway guide) imme-
diately after him, he gave directions that every white should
place -himself behind one of the black shot, in which manner
we advanced to the Pembroke negro-grounds and there took
refreshment. After which we re-assembled, and Mr. Suther-
land expressed a Wish to have some of the best black shots
next himself, when the narrator offered to act near hire, but
this was opposed by two brows men, who seemed tenacious of
their poses, and the narrator retired to his former station. The
party then proceeded, in the greatest regularity and silence,
for nearly three miles, when a negro said? ' Softly hlassa,
igagement da come l Immediately after which, several of the
negroes said they smelt fire, or smoke, which was strongly
Indicative of their ambush being at hand. At this moment the
party was et the bottom of a gradual ascent, quite clear of bush
distinctly)
or underwood, but :thickly studded with honeycomb rocks.—
The party ascended in Indian file, there being no possibility of
fell back in confu-
two going abreast, aed the first had nearly reached the summit
exclamationswwhen
e niysl
fdtedrentolbYfi
m? IVe ll
rtrevde, gw aline nas
uwr
' hurreh' was heard, anti (%cry
epllartti; Iluckra.' Inune.
:don and those behindfound it difficult to keep their footing.
Not an individual of the runaway*, In close ambush, was seen 1
by the narrator ; but it is evident ,four their. elevated situation
to that of the party, that had .ftwther temerity been displayed
, on the occasion, not a soul would leivii been left to tell the tale. '
1 --A galling tire could have been kept up without the smallest
hope of retaliation or of taking one of them : to add to the
strength of this opinion,
unfortunately, several of the negroes
'of the party were totally unacquainted Witlithe use of fire-arms.
previous ,list"lead had been mortally wounded by the first shot
dupe estate was
confusion, and a negro belonging to the Good
wounded. Mr. nallirtiore is now missing,
a—nd3lirit iSsusttcely probable that he can be alive."
(Front the, irlyston Chronicle of November lb.)
ST. 4 4.01-)DE LA VEUA, Nov. 13-
' team
Tues-
day. Its Pro,,
__, 0 generally will be found under its own
House of Assembly adjourned to TUes.
weeks
9_47th:a message from his Unlace, accompanied
Council, .was sent over to the House,
- sVe then said. ....111)yebaTtdahit.reletlel;nnuluradetru:r5ubt.°1:untrdliibt framed in England. Candid and
plain as die first is, we hardly
expected that the sentiments we
published ~ ago would have been thereby so com-
" that Ooverntnent ex-
pcets in *toe shape or other, they (the Assembly) will in future
legislate with a view to the ultimate extinctionot the property of
their constituents:" the message observes that ~ on atten.
pieielytiostewitised.
tively considering the provisions of the Order in Council, ite.,.
and by incorporating in the consolidated slave-act those ad-