The Sun.
London, England, 1866-02-10 00:00:00

changed its name in this country, he hoped that
Governor EYRE and his accomplices would have to
stand at the bar of justice for the murder of Mr.
GORDON." " Who," asks Sir JOHN PAKINGTON,
" who and what was the man thus branded with
the horrible crime of murder ?" After having stated
that he spoke without any personal bias, the right
hon. baronet stated that he had heard Mr. EYRE de-
scribed as an " able, honourable, public servant,
and if there was one quality for which he was dis-
tinguished, it was for the friendly hand and good

feeling with which he treated the natives of the vari-

ous colonies over which he was placed." All inde-
pendent and impartial men, to which ever side of the
house they belong, and all lovers of fairplay in the
country at large, will concur in the the truth of Sir
JOHN'S observations, and rejoice that a protest
should have been made in Parliament against the
unwarrantable course pursued by a section of ,politi-
cians within and without the walls of Parliament.
" I say," continued the right hon. baronet, " that it
is a cruel and unjustifiable thing that any man of
eminence in this country should address large bodies
of his countrymen, and endeavour to excite them
and lead them away from a dispassionate and calm
decision, by making charges against a man like Mr.
EYRE, such as those made by the hon. member for
Birmingham."

Passimg to the appointment of the Commission
of Inquiry, Sir J. PAKINGTON expressed his opinion
that such an appointment would have been ren-
dered necessary sooner or later, but he said, with
great justice, that too much haste was shown, and
added the significant declaration, the tone of
which all must recognise—" I confess, sir, I am
not free from fear that her MAJESTY'S Government
was somewhat unduly influenced by that singular
exhibition which is reported to have occurred in the
Colonial-office between the Secretary of State for
the Colonies and a deputation from the Anti-
Slavery Society." In this suggestion the right
hon. baronet very fully explained the real nature
of the affair. All this confusion and misunder-
standing could never have arisen if the Govern-
ment had acted in a fair and honourable manner to
Mr. ETRE.

Mr. BRIGHT has never so committed himself in
the House of Commons as he did last night. In
his reply to the observations of Sir J. PAKINGTON
he displayed a sort of bravado which was most
unbecoming, and with the most consummate
assurance reiterated his violent and unfounded
statement, taking care again to talk of " Governor
EYRE and his accomplices." It is difficult to
say whether Mr. BRIGHT'S remarks are most
irritating or most absurd. When he talks of the
" atrocities" that have recently been perpetrated in
Jamaica by the Governor and his friends, he chooses
totally to ignore the fact that the blacks had com-
mitted most cruel outrages, and showed a deadly
spirit of revenge. But, according to Mr. BRIGHT,
we must believe that it is no sin or misde-
meanour to cut off white men's fingers and per-
petrate such like acts, but that it is a foul murder
under pretence of law to call such miscreants to
account. Certainly the hon. member for Birming-
ham has inaugurated his career in the new house
in a very peculiar fashion ; but, perhaps, it is as
well that he should show himself at once in his true
colours, and let those have an opportunity of judg-
ing of his merits who think of committing them-
selves to his guidance. How can a man, who thinks
to influence others, presume to talk such nonsense
to the house as he did last night, when he said, " If
law be not law to the negro in Jamaica, how long
shall law be law to the working people of this coun-
try or to any of their friends ?" We protest against
the course adopted by Mr. BRIGHT and his fol-
lowers in thus mixing up the question of the
Jamaica rebellion with the working people of Eng-
land. Besides, he talks as if Governor EYRE had
sallied out at the head of his troops and cut down
all the peaceful negroes he found pursuing their
ordinary employments. Again, when Mr. BRIGHT
says—" I tell the right hon. gentleman that he has
allowed his sympathy for Governor EYRE to weigh
with him in this matter," how completely he forgets
to what lengths his own sympathy with GORDON
has led him, and how he confuses right and wrong,
law and misrule, justice and oppression, in his
vehement harangue. One portion of the hon.
member's speech is very noticeable ; it is that
in which he gives a hint to the members :-
4, I believe, sir, that there is not at this
moment a single Christian country in the
world in which all thoughtful men are not
directing their eyes towards this country to observe
what course will be taken by the Government."
We really are puzzled to know what the Govern-
ment can do now, for they cannot interfere with
the decision of the commission, and are bound to
abide by it. Perhaps Mr. BRIGHT thinks that when
that ordeal has been passed that Mr. EYRE should
be made to stand at the bar of justice, and be tried
criminally. At any rate, it is quite plain that
Earl RUSSELL has imperilled his Government and
lost the good opinion of many, and yet not succeeded
in propitiating Mr. BRIGHT.

Mr. CARDWELL did not dwell much on the sub-
ject, no doubt finding it an awkward one, but he
thought it right to inform the house that Mr. EYRE
had always enjoyed a very high reputation. When
Mr. CARDWELL first heard of the disturbances in
Jamaica, he sent for the Governor of Barbadoes,
who was in this country, to give him his opinion.
His reply was, " I can tell you that, if the circum-
stances have been such as to alarm Governor EYRE,
they must have been circumstances of great moment."
He spoke the same to the deputation at the Colo-
nial-office, at the dinner at Oxford, and in the
House last night. Earl RUSSELL'S course is con-
spicuously dissimilar to that of his colleagues.
Never a word has he uttered of sympathy or en-
couragement to one placed in so awkward a posi-
tion ; but perhaps he dreads to offend the oracle of
Birmingham. We have only one remark to make
in connection with this statement ; and that is, that
her MAJESTY'S Government did not show by their
subsequent acts as if they appreciated the opinion
of the Governor of Barbadoes. One thing must
be said in favour of Mr. CARDWELL that he loses no
opportunity of testifying to the merits of Governor
EYRE.

The alarming height to which the cattle plague
has unfortunately risen during the last month or
two has naturally enough induced all those more
especially affected by it to endeavour immediately
upon the meeting of Parliament to organise some
plan for arresting its further progress. The deep
interest and anxiety felt in the agricultural districts
were clearly enough shown by the large numbers
who attended the meeting held on Thursday morn-
ing at St. James's Hall, when fourty-four of the
counties of Great Britain were represented. The
leaders of the conference were determined not to
lose time, and consequently the deputation ap-
pointed to wait upon Sir G. GREY to represent the
views of the meeting visited the Home-office yes-
terday morning, and in both Houses the subject
was referred to in the course of the evening's de-
bate.

The principal object of the meeting was to adept
preventive measures, and those present resolve 4
upon addressing, a petition to Parliament praying
for an act to stop the removal oil.o cattle for 4

; limited period, to provide that all animals suffering
under the disease shall be immediately slaughtered
and buried in the skin, the owners being partially
compensated, and further that any cattle which
have come in contact with diseased animals, or
have been in the same enclosure, shall be
also slaughtered in the premises occupied
by diseased animals; as well as all railway pens and
trucks shall be officially cleansed and disinfected,
and their use prohibited for a certain time. These
measures are certainly stringent enough, and with
regard to the transmission of animals from one
place to another they can scarcely be too severe or
prohibitory for a time. Had such regulations been
rigidly enforced in the middle of last summer, all
markets for live beasts, metropolitan and provincial,
been closed for a time, and all removal of cattle,
whether healthy or diseased, been rendered a legal
offence, we should most probably have succeeded
in confining the disease within a very much nar-
rower circle. Even now, though so much precious
time has been lost, it would be well to adopt these
precautions, and we may reasonably hope they will
exercise a beneficial effect. But, when we consider
the other measures suggested by the petition, there
is more room for doubt as to their wisdom and ex-
pediency. The great number of animals which have
either been in contact with affected beasts, or have
otherwise been exposed to the contagion, is against
the adoption of a wholesale slaughter ; while there
have been instances, certainly few and far between,
in which animals suffering from the plague itself
have recovered. These cases have been so isolated
and so rare that no particular method of cure can
be recommended ; still they show there is a pos-
sibility of cure. It is reported that Lord LEIGH,
whose Warwickshire herds were in danger of
destruction by the rinderpest-22 having already
fallen victims—has discovered a mode of treatment
which has entirely got rid of the disease. We
trust this discovery will lead to an improved and
more successful mode of treatment, but at any rate it
is encouraging, even supposing all infected animals
to be at once slaughtered, we may very reasonably
doubt whether we should succeed in extinguishing
the disease. Epidemics have some mysterious mode
of transit which cannot, we know, be exactly con-
fined by the limits of preventive rules. In many
instances cattle have been attacked when they had
remained quite isolated, and if, as some believe, the
malific influence is really in the air, the wholesale
slaughter will not avail us. There are, besides,
some places which have hitherto enjoyed a
singular immunity, as in one-third of the coun-
ties of Scotland, where no disease exists.
There is another point to consider. The whole-
sale slaughter plan will necessitate so large an
importation of foreign cattle during the next year
or so that we shall renew the risk of infection from
abroad. While there is room for doubt on this
matter, however, there can be no hesitation as to
the reasonableness of substituting dead for live meat
markets, and indeed it is only wonderful that the
inconveniences, dangers, and other drawbacks of
live meat markets in crowded cities should have
been so long tolerated.
The question of compensation is one of the most
important branches of the subject. It must at once
be admitted and recognised as a national
misfortune, and, as such, the whole com-
munity should fairly bear the burden. If
animals apparently sound are to be slaughtered
for the better security of other person's property, it
is certainly only just that their owner should re-
ceive compensation for the loss. But it is the in-
terest of all classes to help any one class over a
severe and exceptional crisis like the present. The
Lancashire cotton famine affected the whole com-
munity, but pressed most heavily on certain classes;
therefore the whole community united in assist-
ing them to surmount the difficulty. The
cattle plague, though it is felt severely by
all purchasers of meat, is ruining numbers
of dairymen and small farmers, while even
large owners are suffering serious loss. It is, there-
fore, no more than consistent that some means
should be devised to lend some partial help to those
who are so largely affected, and as soon as any plan
can be decided upon, whether a system of national
insurance against the plague, or of compensation
for enforced losses, we have no doubt but that all
ranks and parties will cordially support such a
movement. It is the best means of dealing with
difficulty to allow full and free discussion. Only
we hope that no more time will be allowed to elapse
without some of those preventive measures being
enforced by law upon whose efficacy and expediency
all parties are agreed.