The Sun.
London, England, 1866-08-23 00:00:00

the monarchy itself. (Cheers.) Whatever else it
represented it especially represented to all, in all
classes of society, the magnificent idea, which could
not be well defined, but which he would call chi-
valry. (Hear, hear.) There were many other
names for it, but chivalry was as old a word and as
good a one as any other. An English nobleman
represented, or ought to represent, the highest pro-
duct of the spirit of chivalry, and sportsmanship,
and gallantry, and fair play which, by whatever
name known—whether called "pluck," or "spirit,"
or, as he proposed, " chivalry "—was the life and
soul of England. (Cheers.) He meant, in what
he should say, to tread upon new ground, and not
to mention anything of what had occurred within
the last two or three years. (A. Voice : " Won't
you ?") He hoped that the gentlemen below would
let him hunt his fox in his own way. (Laughter.)
He had gone round to a good many covers to find
him and kill him, but he bad run him to earth at
last. (Cheers.) He was going to speak of what
he knew of this man, their guest that evening—of
what he had done in his own country and in the
country he had made his own, by the pluck, the en-
terprise, the hardihood, the temper, the endurance,
the foresight, thestruggle, the skill, the "reason from
a temporate will." (Cheers.) He wished to speak of
what he had done when no manknew him here or had
heard of his name. He walked— and if he (Mr.
Kingsley) was exaggerating Mr. Eyre would be him-
self the first man to contradict him;—he walked 700
miles on foot round the head of the Gulf of Carpel'.
taria, on that wonderful journey of discovery which
had made him famous. (Cheers.) This was heroism
in the highest sense, and argued that he possessed in
its highest form that English spirit which had car-
ried the Anglo-Saxon tongue round the world, and
would carry it back again, that spirit which had
made us the fathers of the United States, the con-
querors of India. (Cheers.) If they had among
them in Southampton for the last five-and-twenty
years a man who represented the English spirit of
indomitable perseverance, courage, and adventure
—the English spirit of good-nature, of temper, of
understanding of human beings, he should like to
see him, and thank God that there had been two
such men. (Cheers.) A brother of his (Mr. Kings-
ley's) an old Australian, deeply interested in its ex-
ploration, knew the history of that heroical gentle-
man, Governor Eyre, and wrote in Macmillan's
Magazine two articles on his extraordinary and
almost superhuman travels in Australia. Those
letters were written, not as the enemies of Governor
Eyre had attempted to make out, with an arrire
pensee, to carry him through and help him in certain
things which were going on, but before anything of
the Jamaica outbreak was known. (Cheers.) His
brother neither knew anything of the West Indies,
nor, perhaps, even that Governor Eyre:was governor
of Jamaica. He was proud to think that a man of
his family should have been able just at a critical
moment to tell the world what manner of man this
Governor Eyre was. (Cheers.) For his great un-
derstanding of the character of the Australian
blacks—for Governor Eyre had actually been the
protector of Australian savages for some time—he
had been taken, after years of toil and anxiety
which " the gentlemen of England who lived at
home at ease" had little idea of, as the most likely
person to set Jamaica to rights. Upon that part of
Governor Eyre's labours he would say nothing
whatever except chat knowing what he did of the
West Indies and of Governor Eyre, he took him
and his conduct upon trust, as he expected every
man to take him upon trust. (Cheers.) If they
gave up taking men upon trust, especially rulers
and official men, there would be nothing in
the world but anarchy, which would be followed
by despotism and in due time by a big tyrant who
would not take the people on trust. He took
Governor Eyre upon trust, and he was happy to see
the members of the House of Peers present had also
taken him upon trust. The power of the British
aristocracy consisted not in merely sticking to its
ancient blood, but in adopting into its ranks all the
genius, all the talent, all the virtue, and he was
afraid a great part of the beauty. (Cheers.) Here-
after—for time brought round its revenges—after
wider and deeper services, it seemed to him possible
that some of the members of the House of Lords
might have the honour of welcoming Mr. Eyre to
their assembly—(great cheering)—and if this took

place, though he would be a new nobleman, h

would not be the least nobleman in that august and

ancient assembly. (Cheers.)
The Earl of SHREWSBURY, whose name had beef
coupled with the toast, replied.

The Earl of HAIIDIVICKE, in rising to propose
" The health of Mr. Eyre," said—We have now gone
through what I must call the formal toasts of the
evening, and the Mayor has placed in my hand that
which we must agree to be the principal toast in the
list. We are met here for a special purpose—to up-
hold the character of the distinguished man who is
our guest--(applause)—to justify his conduct before
1 the world—(applause)—to give him that support
which every fair and independent Englishman gives
to the man who has done his duty. (Loud and pro-
longed cheering.) Upon the question now before us
—the conduct of Mr. Eyre—there is, we all know, a
great controversy, and we should face it with that
honesty and honour which distinguish the people of
England at all times. (Hear, hear.) The speech of
Mr. Kingsley has saved me from much that I might
have troubled you with respecting the charity, soft-
ness, and amiability of character and bearing towards
the native population, and that he is the last man in
the world to whom cruelty could naturally have been
attributed. (Cheers.) That portion of the subject I
can now put aside, and I ask you only for a few mo-
ments to consider with all fairness the position in
which the late governor of Jamaica is now placed.
All of you know very well the subject I am speaking
of. We all know that there has been a great insur-
rection in Jamaica, that it was an insurrection of free people
—(great cheering)—of people who enjoyed all the liberties
that we do—(renewed cheering)—who also enjoyed much
more happiness and much more wealth than the labouring
population hire do—(applause)—who lived in a climate in
which the tortures of cold are unknown, and in which they
can raise food in abundance, and sleep while it grows.
(Great applause.) That was the population which rose in
insurrection on this question, and which imperilled the
safety of one of the greatest and most magnificent colonies
which adorns the crown of the British Sovereign. (Great
cheering.) That an inquiry into the circumstances of this

insurrection was necessary, do not gentlemen, for God's
sake, seek to deny. Do not let us for a moment think that
there could be an insurrection in one of our colonies at-
tended by great loss of life without there being an inquiry
into the causes that produced it. (hear, hear.) The in-
vestigation, therefore, I must be permitted to say, was one
that it
was impossible to avoid. That the inquiry itself
would be founded upon a strictly legal basis was evident.
an inquiry into constitutional It could be founded upon nothing else ; for when you have
hoaiffn;gtirs you must have a basis
—a locus stancli to proceed : and that basis can be no-
thing,'else than the law of
gen-
tlemen,the land. this is no question of Laanwd. itceheers.) But,
nor less than the insurrection of thous
ands asgnothing more
(Great cheering.) It began with war to the knife.
hundreds.
It began with "Wo will destroy yeu all if yelled o(Cnohteers.)
yourselves." (Continued cheering.) And where wass‘thee
safety then of the hundreds against the thousands ; with
no army in the island, with only a small body of militia,
and still more insignificant police force ? (Cheers.) in
this state of affairs what must have been the result of this
ruinous and ferocious outbreak if we had not had such a

man as Mr. Eyro iu the post of governor? (Applause.).
If we had not had a man of cool and resolute tempera-

ment, who knew how to direct the small energies of the
people whom he governed; if it had not been for him,
that colony would have been lost to tho country. (Great

cheering.) The white population would have been mur-
dered. The inevitable consequence of it must have been the
reconquest of she island by the troops of her Majesty.
(Cheers.) Where, then, was the mercy ? 'Was it in sub-
duing the insurrection with a ,firm and vigorous hand—
(hear,' hear) —or, by pursuing a feeble policy, to let it grow
and proceed until it arrived at so monstrous a head that

the result must have been what 1 stated ? (Cheers.) If
your house is on fire, will you complain of the fireman

who, flooding the flame, put it out, but in doing so also
destroys the incendiary by drowning him ? (Vehementand
prolonged cheering.) No. The man who undertakes to put
out a fire, when ho brings his engines to boar upon the
flames, considers nothing but the paramount necessity he
is under of putting it out. (Cheers.) And I maintain that
I am borne out in what I say by the commissioners them-
selves. These gentlemen had to look at this matter in a
very different manner to that in which we regard it, or in
which it will, as I believe, be regarded hereafter. They,
indeed, only did tlieir duty in the view they took of it, for
they were not at liberty to examine it in any aspect ex-
cept the legal one: Yet, though thus restricted in their
scope and vision, they have borne -testimony to the value
of the services of the governor in dealing with the insur-
rection as he did, and to the different result that musthave

followed if a man of different temper had been in his place.
(Cheers.) The Royal commissioners report that they are
pleased to give the late governor credit for his " skill,
promptitude, and vigour" on the " occurrence of a great
emergency ;" and state that "to the exercise of these qua-
lities the speedy termination of the insurrection is duo."
They further state that though the " original design for
the overthrow of the constituted authority was confined to
a small portion of St. Thomas in the East, yet that the dis-
order, in fact, spread with singular rapidity over an exten-
sive tract of country ; and that such was the state of ex-
citement prevailing in the island that had more than amo-
mentary success been obtained by the insurgents their ul-
timate overthrow would have been attended with a still
more fearful loss of life and property." This was thestate-
ment of the Royal commissioners—" a still more fearful loss
of life and property" would have been the result but for Mr.
Eyre's promptitude and vigour. What does this amount
to ? What but this—that the promptitude of Governor
Eyre redeemed the colony at the expense of an extremely
small loss of life ? (Great cheering.) I now come to
another portion of the subject which, in itself, will give
us a better notion than anything else of the feeling of the
people of Jamaica themselves towards their late governor,
and of the vast importance of the duties that devolved
upon him, and of which he acquitted himself in so signal
a manner. In the farewell address of the people to Mr.
Eyre the following words occur, which you will permit
me to read :—" We rejoice that after a searching inquiry
the Royal commissioners have reported to her Majesty that
praise is due to your excellency for your skill, promptitude,
and vigour, in the recent insurrection ; and that to the ex-
ercise of such qualities by you its speedy termination is to
be attributed ; and we heartily congratulate ycur excel-
lency upon it." Then there is the address from the bishop
and the clergy of the island, in which they say :—" No
former governor has ever rendered to us greater services
than your excellency has done. You have not only res-
cued the island from most imminent peril of general in-
surrection, by your courage, promptitude, judgment,
and administrative skill, but by the exercise of the same
high qualities prepared the way for such a reconstruction
of the form of our constitution as, while we are not for-
getful of our debt of gratitude to the House of Assembly
for its liberal support of our anciently established Church,
thepresent emergency seemed to demand—a reconstruction
to which, if any human means can avail to effect it, the
future prosperity of this colony will primarily be due."
(Cheers.) After these several declarations of opinion I
think that the people of Southampton need no justification
in the course which they have taken by receiving the dis-
tinguished gentleman who is our guest this evening. Now,
then, in proposing the toast, I ask you to drink it for the
purpose of expressing our admiration of the character of
Mr. Eyre, our sense of his eminent services, and our con-
fidence that, when time has softened the present asperities
the vigour and skill with which, at a small sacrifice of life,
he preserved to Great Britain one of her most valuable co-
lonies will be remembered with gratitude by the British
people. (Enthusiastic cheering.)
Mr. EYRE, on rising to respond, was received with pro-
longed cheering, the company rising en masse, and the
ladies waving their handkerchiefs from the balcony. He
said—Mr. Mayor, my lords, ladies, and gentlemen,—I feel
quite unable adequately to express the feelings I entertain
of your great —your overpowering kindness; but of this I
will at least assure you, that I appreciate it gratefully and
value it most highly. It is perhaps only natural that I
should have felt some desire and anxiety to learn how far the
many evil reports which have been circulated respecting me
have impressed my fellow-countrymen
.of intelligence and
thinking minds in England. The numerously and influen-
tially signed address with which you have honoured me
to-day, the magnificebt banquet to which you have invited
me, and at which I see around me so many English gen-
tlemen, the too flattering manner in which I have been
spoken of, have dispelled any feeling of that nature which
I might momentarily have entertained. I cannot now
doubt that wherever I go I shall find that British hearts
are still as warm, as just, and as generous as they ever
were -- (cheers)—and that whatever difference of opinion
may exist on some points connected with the late proceed-
ings in Jamaica the people of England will respect and
uphold a public officer who has endeavoured to do his duty
faithfully when the lives and properties of those entrusted
to his care and the honour of their wives and daughters
were in peril. (Loud cheers.) Those who only knew well
th© character of the negro, the difficult nature of the country
of Jamaica, the isolated and defenceless positions of the
few white residences, and the deliberate and cruel massacres
by which the rebellion was ushered in, can comprehend the
full extent of the danger which existed, and the necessity
for the most prompt and stringent measures, not only to
put down the actual outbreak, but to intimidate and pre-
Yent further risings in other parishes, nearly all of which
were equally ripe for revolt. (Cheers.) Under such circum-
stances, gentlemen, it was impossible for me to hesitate,
and I promptly undertook a responsibility, weighty and
anxious as it was, which necessarily attached to My position
as governor. If my doing so has entailed upon me some
personal disadvantages I havo the gr'atificatiou of knowing
that the course which I took has saved a noble colony
from ruin, and that this is recognised not only in the
colony itself, but by many of my fellow-countrymen in
England. (Cheers.) I have much pleasure in expressing
the very high sense I entertain of the services rendered to
the Crown and the colony of Jamaica by the senior naval
officer in command at the time—Capt. Do Homey—and
by Brigadier-General Nelson, who commanded the troops
in the disturbed districts. To the ready zeal and untiring
energy of Captain Do Horsey it is duo that, with only one
ship of war and a very small gunboat, the troops woro
moved with such rapidity as to etable us not only to
rescue a largo number of white and coloured refugees with
their wives and families, but at tho same time to get
ahead of, if not to stop, the further progress of the rebel-
lion in the north-west. And it was to the skilful manage-
ment of Brigadier-General Nelson that a mere handful of
troops succeeded in surrounding and subduing that re-
bellion, and in holding many hundreds of square miles of
country of a difficult nature occupied by a numerous and
disaffected peasantry. (Cheers.) It is only, gentlemen,
an act of simple justice in me to take advantage of this the
first opportunity presented tome in England of stating how
largely the services of these two able and gallant officers
contributed to the safety of the colony and the suppression
of the rebellion. I feel most deeply indebted to the noble
earl who has proposed my health in such kind but in much
too flattering terms (cries of "No"), and to the other noble-
men and gentlemen who have also spoken of me so kindly,
I might almost say affectionately. From my heart I thank
you one and all for the very hearty welcome you have
given to me. It is most gratifying that I should have
been thus welcomed upon my first landing in England,
and it is more gratifying to me that it is a welcome given
to me at a banquet like the present—graced as it is by the
presence of so many of the fair, the gentle, and the good—
those who render homes happy, those who enhance the
joys and alleviate the sorrows of life, who administer con-
solation and comfort to suffering humanity, but who never
would have cheered me with their countenance on this oc-
casion if they had thought me capable of the cruelty or in-
justice which some attribute to me. (Loud and continued
cheering.)

The remaining toasts were of a local character, and the
company dispersed at about nine o'clock.

COTTON SUPPLY ASSOCIATION.

At the usual meeting of the Executive Committee, hold
on Tuesday, August 21, a letter was read from Tobago,
West Indies, advising the consignment of eight bales of
cotton to the association on behalf of the Lieut.-Governor,
and promising further details respecting the growth of
cotton in the island. Another communication was also re-
ceived from Tobago, stating that four bales of cotton have
been shipped to the association, and expressing the expec-
tation that the next crop will enable tho writer to forward
a much larger quantity. He and others are doing all in
their power to revive the cultivation in the island. A
letter was read from Jamaica, enclosing a fine sample of
cotton picked from a wild bush, and sent for the purpose
of showing what might be produced if the people had the
requisite energy. Samples of eight bales of excellent cot-
ton forwarded from Dominica were submitted for exami-
nation. The grower reports that, owing to the drought,
his efforts in cotton cultivation had not been so success-
ful as ho had anticipated. Ho was resolved, however, to
persevere, in the hope that the next season would be
more propitious. A letter was read from a traveller re-
cently returned from Eastern Persia, and enclosing spe-
cimens of cotton obtained in passing through the province
of Kirman, and which wore grown in three of its minor
divisions—Rawur, Rufsunjun, and Nok. A letter was re-
ceived, describing tho efforts made by the writer, who has
just returned from India, to improve the cultivation of
cotton in that country. He has brought home some good
specimens of cotton grown by himself at Lucknow, and he
reports that acclimatised New Orleans seed has been suc-
cessfully introduced into several villages in Oude. He ex-
presses his firm conviction that a greatly improved staple
could be grown if suitable measures were adopted, and that
if good government for the country were obtained it might
be enabled successfully to compete with America. The
writer does not return to India till October, and he is
anxious that his views should be fully understood by those
who have the power to aid him in his exertions to procure
larger and better supplies of cotton from India. A letter
was read representing that it would be conducive to an
extended and improved cultivation of cotton in Turkey if
Europeans were placed in a better position with respect to
the tenure of land in that country. The chief difficulty,
however, is stated to be the indisposition of foreigners to
become amenable to Turkish jurisdiction, and that under
certain restrictions land may be possessed by Europeans.
It is important that everything should be done to augment
the
of productionsending
useful
of
tt cottonnd
increased in a
s country
u supplies. iceas capable as Turkey
is.

GENEROSITY OF THE EMPEROR NAPOLEON.—A
story is current that as Napoleon 111. was this year
leaving Vichy, he called for Leon, his old valet, and, hav-
ing handed a sealed packet to him, said that the parcel
contained the title-deeds of the chalet and grounds he had
just quitted, and which the Emperor had inhabited during

successive visits. "You are a landlord now," said his

master to Leon, "and I hope you will accept me next year
as a tenant, at the rate of 20,000 fr. rent. I shall pay regu-
larly."