The Sun.
London, England, 1848-09-26 00:00:00

JAMAICA.
In the sitting of the Jamaica Legislature of the 9th
ult., the address of the Assembly to the Governor of
Jamaica, in reply to his speech at the opening of the
session, was read. It is as follows :
" May it please, your Excellency,—We, her Ma-
jesty's dutiful and loyal subjects, the Assembly of
Jamaica, thank your Excellency for your speech at
the opening of the session.
• " Whilst we appreciate the motives which have in-
duced your Excellency to call us together at this
unusual period, we '.regret the circumstance ; because
we fear the opportunity so anxiously sought by the
inhabitants at their many public meetings, for devis-
ing measures to avert the abandonment of properties,
now too far gone for beneficial support, has passed by;
and because we cannot see the propriety of issuing
:Treasury certificates at present to meet the deficiency
in the ways and means of the year.
"It may not be wise legislation to vote a certain
amount of expenditure without the means of defray-
ing it; but relying on relief and assistance from the
Imperial Parliament—a reliance encouraged by your
Excellency's assurances contained in your opening
speech to us last session—we did not disturb the ex-
isting institutions of the country at that period,
though we then felt assured of the utter impossibility
of raising sufficient means to uphold the present out
lay, unless the system of British legislation which
has brought frightful misery and desolation to the
door of every inhabitant of the colony, was materially
and beneficially altered.
" Seeing now no chance of the fulfilment of those
hopes oa which we wore induced to rely, we feel that
it were better to suffer the imputation of unwise than
oppressive legislation. With every desire, therefore,
to support institutions so necessary to our social exist-
ence, we deem it our bounden duty to abstain from
increasing taxation on a people no longer able to
endure it.
" We agree with your Excellency, that under
usual circumstances it would be a pity, having had
the trouble of assembling, to separate even by ad-
journment for any considerable period without doing.
something for the general and permanent benefit of
the colony ;but, under existing circumstances, wholly
destitute as we are of the means,
.we feel our power-
less position and our utter inaby to enter upon
improvement of any kind. It were nee.dless, there-
fore, to dwell at any length on the various sugges-
tions which your Excellency has nmde to us, doubt-
less with a sincere desire for our ultimate advantage.
" Your Excellency has informed us that it is your
sincere conviction that the destinies of Jamaica, for
many years to come, may be said to be in our hands,
and that there is nothing likely to be done by the
mother country that need prevent us, with God's
blessing, and our united exertions, from making the
inhabitants of this island one of the happiest of the
communities of men, and an example to the western
world of all that is good in the various conditions of
human society. We should, indeed, be happy if we
could join your Excellency in this delightful antici-
pation ; but our present gloomy position presents far
different prospects, which are not brightened by the
assurance of your Excellency, that we are standing
in dangerous and critical circumstances, which, by wil-
ful and desperate courses, and the erroneous manage-
ment of public affairs, may lead to a great and signal
calamity.
" We feel bound to express how deeply we deplore
that your Excellency should have found it necessary,
in drawing our attention to these circumstances, and
the proximity of neighbouring countries, to infer that
there is one man in this island, or a British subject
anywhere, so insane, or so divested of just and moral
feeling, as to wish to retrace those steps which have
led to the banishment of slavery for ever from British
soil. We, one and all, repudiate even the thought
i.-
;
and, on behalf of our constituents, declare unequ
vocally our belief that no such sentiment, even by
stealth, has penetrated the heart of any single inha-
bitant of Jamaica."
Ilis Excellency replied as follows :
" Mr. Speaker, and Gentlemen of the Assembly,—
I am happy in knowing that I have never given you
any assurances which I was not justified in giving,
or on which any reliance on your part would have
been misplaced.
" I observe with great, if not with unqualified sa-
tisfaction, that you characterise the idea of any return
towards slavery by the names of immorality, injus-
tice, and insanity; and I hope that there is no- indi-
vidual among :t you who will not himself carefully
abstain from any language which might create an
impression of his entertaining such ideas, and that
you will inculcate a like caution on those who may
be in your employment, or over whom you may have
any influence. ••••••041•11.111M1MM...........
IMPORTATION, or FOREIGN WIIEAT."--Duri4 this
week six vessels from Holland, laden with upwards (of
33,400 bushels of wheat, have arrived at this port. One
vessel has also arrived from Denmark, with 5,120 bUshels
of barley.—Bristol Mirror.

Almost every relation of Mr. Smith O'Brien (says
a Limerick paper), including his venerable mother,
wife, mother-in-law, brother, cousins, and sisters, are
now at Clonmel, watching with anxious and painful
solleitude his trial. The Dowager Lady O'Brien
had a long interview with her son at Clonmel on
Thursday last, the first for several weeks before his
being made prisoner. Mrs. Smith O'Brien accom-
panied her to the prison. This affecting scene took
place before Mr. Smith O'Brien was removed to the
Court-house on true bills being found. As Airs. S.
O'Brien was proceeding towards the gaol in her car-
Iriage a large crowd of persoes followed. The High
Sheriff told them that they should not annoy the
lady, who was in trouble, when one of the party
cried out, " She won't belong so, for we'll rescue her
husband, and I'll be one of the first to do so." The
Sheriff at once arrested the speaker, and handed him
over to two constables.
ARREST OF A BRITISH OFFICER AT KINGSTOWN,
AND SEIZURE or Ins ARMS.—On the arrival of her
Majesty's mail-steamer on Saturday at Kingstown,
about 12 o'clock, a gentleman, dressed in the clothes
of a civilian, or private individual, landed with others
on the pier. A policeman, not in uniform, was on the
pier at the time, and be observed amongst the gentle-
man's luggage what appeared to his sagacious zeal to
be a collection of pikes, besides two handsomely-
mounted dress•sworde. The zealous official at once
pounced upon his arms, and arrested their owner,
who, notwithstanding the fatigue of his journey, had,
nolens colons, to accompany his captor to the office of
the Police Commissioners, at Dublin Castle, there to
give an account of himself, and doubtless to prove
that he was not a foreign emissary sent to Ireland
with full powers to treat with the generalissimo and
leaders of the " formidable army of Irish rebels
encamped on the Tipperary and Waterford moun-
tains." On the gentleman's arriving at the Castle.
yard he inquired for the commissioner (Colonel
Browne), but he was at the time absent. It then trans-
pired that the supposed foreign emissary was just no
more or no less than Doctor French, navy surgeon,
in the service of her British Majesty, an Irish gen-
tleman, the only things foreign about him being his
name (though that too is Irish), and his complexion,
which was in no small degree bronzed by the long
sojourn of the gallant and learned gentleman on
service in the East. He, it appeared, had brought
with him, as curiosities, one large and some smaller
spears, used by the Affghanistan troops, and these,
with his dress-swords, had, in the excited fancy of
the policeman, been set down as direct evidences of
an incendiary purpose. Doctor French, after having
waited a long time, in the hope of seeing Colonel
Browne, left his card (being of course liberated on
his identity being established), and stated that he
would call on Monday to claim his property.
LIBERATION OF POLITICAL PRISONERS.
On Saturday, pursuant to the order of the Privy
Council, made on the 18th instant, Mr. Justice
Crampton attended in chamber for the purpose of
admitting to bail the parties mentioned in the order,
who have been confined under the Habeas Corpus
Suspension Act.
Mr. Baldwin, Q.C., and Mr. Perrin appeared for
the Crown ; Messrs. J. A. Curran, John E. O'Moore,
James Burke, O'Driscoll, and Hickey, attended on
the part of several of tha prisoners.
A difficulty arose with reference to the gentlemen
who are confined in country prisons, as the order
limited the power to take bail to Justices of the
Court of Queen's Bench, and as the presence of the
parties was necessary. Mr. Baldwin, however, on
the part of the Crown, stated that the persons con-
fined in the country prisons would be brought to
town, for the purpose of carrying out the order of
the Privy Council. The prisoners, with respect to
whom this course will have to be adopted, are Mr.
Thomas Bergin, Mr. Stewart Wright, and Thomas
M`Grade.
The other prisoners mentioned in the order who
were confined in Newgate and Kilmainham were
brought up in the custody of the governors of those
gaols, and having entered into their own recogni-
zances of 1001., and two sureties of 601. each, were
liberated. Their names are—Gabriel White, Mi-
chael Thinly, Patrick Mulhane, Edward Lambert,
Peter M‘Kenzie, James M‘Grath, Gunning Taafe,
James _Edmond O'Donohoe, John Sheehan, Henry
13rox ten, Andrew Behan, Edward Behan, and Richard
Johnstone. The condition of the recognizance was
that the party should appear at the next commission,
and then from time to time. A few were admitted
to bail at a lower amount of recognizance than that
mentioned above.
THE GODLESS COLLEGES.—The Freeman's Journal
of this morning states, on the authority of a Roman
correspondent, that " in a few days more the infidel
colleges will stand condemned for ever, and thtit the
bribery scheme, as affecting the clergy, will also fail."
This intelligence confirms the statement published
some days since.
STOCK EXCHANGE,
Three per Cent. Consols, 85-;]. ; Dublin and Kings-
town Railway Debentures, four per cent., 91 ; Dun-
dalk and Enniskillen, li; Great Southern and Wes-
' tern, 22k.

SHORT-TIME MOVEMENT.A meeting of the ope-
rative bakers of Woolwich and its vicinity wits held on
Saturday evening at the Steam Packet Hotel, for the
purpose of aiding the movement in progress in the me-
tropolis for the abolition of night work, and the limita-
tion of the hours of labour, and to take such measures
as would most effectually promote the passing of the Bill
introduced in the last session of Parliament by Lord
Robert Grosvenor and Sir B. Sall. A deputation from
the central committee of London attended the meeting.
Resolutions were carried in support of the Bill, and for
the formation of a protection society similar to that re-
cently established in Greenwich, to prevent baking and
carrying out dinners on Sundays.—A similar meeting of
the journeymen bakers of the Paddington district to the
at
. A
above movement was also held on the same evening
the Wahner Castle, Stingo-lane, New-road
presentir.
Gibbsd
in the chair. Resolutions deploring their
graded position, asserting the necessity of legislative in-
terference, and expressive
of confidence in the centre
committee, were proposed and paissed The speakers
enumerated the hardships and inconveniences to which
the system of night-labour subjected them, and defined
the enactment which they sohtt'or as a bill of health,‘
not a labour bill, one which would place the operativo
baker on
.a par with other tradesmen, and afford him an
opportunity of self-culture. They , were sanguine of
having a measure in their iGwour passed next session, as
they had received from the ovecor-romeernattTopnlefrdogme ofenneuo-f
neu-
trality and a promise of active
‘N,every political creed in the llouspe of Commons,m their
arm est advocates being Lord Robert Grosvenor, Sir
Zenjamin Hall, and Lord Ashley.
_ CONSERVATIVE PARTY.—The sudden death of Lord
George Bentinek will probably lead to the re-union of
the Conservative party. We understand that on Wed-
nesday next a numerous and influential meeting of the
1
leading members of the Dissenting body will be held, to
consider the rumoured intention of the Russell Cabir et
to propose in some form the endowment of the Roman
Catholic clergy in Ireland. It will probably be then
determined whether it is expedient not to proceed at
present beyond a simple declaration of hostility to any
proposal of the kind, or at once to organise an oppo-
bition to a measure not yet before the public.—Patriot.