The Sun.
London, England, 1866-03-30 00:00:00

board were safely landed. The Court therefore re-
tern to Capt. Stuart his certificate of competency,
The Court cannot conclude this report without re-
cording their opinion that this disaster would have
been prevented had there been a light on the east
end of the island. The position of the Countess of
Ripon at the time of her approaching the land wag
such that the light on the South Point could not be
seen, nor could that light be seen by any vessel ap-
proaching the island from the north-east. The
Court desire in the strongest manner to express
their opinion on this point, because it appears abso-
lutely certain that had not the ship been of unusual
strength, and so holding together in a sea where nc%
ordinary boat could approach her, or had she taken
ground a very short distance to the north or south
of the spot where she was wrecked, the loss of life
must have been frightful."

JAMAICA.

(Per the Tasmania, via Southampton.)

KINGSTON, Mardi. 11.

The Royal Commissioners are bringing their in-
vestigation to a conclusion, and are requested to
leave for England by the next packet.
The Morning Journal says :—" The evidence of
most importance during the fortnight has been re-
specting the extent of the so-called rebellion, and,
how far Governor Eyre was justified in his assertion
that the conspiracy was general throughout the
island. Mr. Eyre based his opinion upon a multi-
tude of evidence, both oral and documentary, which
he said he had received from the custodes and other
gentlemen of property and influence in the country.
Strange to say, his excellency, when called upon
was unable to produce the documentary evidence,
and had altogether forgotten from whom the oral
evidence had been obtained."

Among the witnesses examined as to the means
employed for the suppression of the disturbances
have been General O'Connor, Colonel Nelson, Lieut.
Brand, and Provost-Marshal Ramsay. Mr. Ram-
say has been arrested on the charge of murder. The
Rev. Robert Gordon has presented his excellency
with an address of loyalty to the Queen from over
5,000 persons, chiefly blacks. The address depre-
cates the massacres at Morant Bay, and deplores
the means employed for the suppression of the dis-
turbances.

The Colonial Standard of March 1 says :

"We have often had occasion to advert to the fact that
the rebels in Saint Thomas in the East unreservedly
proclaimed that the object of their rebellion was to exter-
minate the white people, and to have the land for the black.
Not one, whether in the field, before the tribunal trying
him, on the way to execution, or even whilst listening,
with death staring him in the face, to the exhortations of a
lipast:tnocdar,ned to
iacdovnacneced another reason for his revolt but that he
intended
'killvethbautcpkerars'enasndingEetng'ltahnedbwachko landshave n
freevee.;
and
dd
ofo markingpportuni his dominanttiesofobserin gpatahaieencharacterfor the
negro,poefaatheseaionof
land, find it difficult to realise the degree of excitement
which may be produced in his mind by flattering that pas-
sion. Gordon knew this tender chord in the negro's heart
well, however, and took care to make it vibrate incessantly
in order to overpower every other consideration among the
people who were to be seduced from their allegiance and
propriety, and to be rendered willing tools of his ambition.
It was only necessary for him to represent the white man
as the only obstaelo standing between the negro and the
coveted prize to arouse in the latter's breast an uncompro-
mising desire to get the obstacle out of the way. Accord-
ingly, every speech uttered by Gordon, whether in the
House of Assembly or at public meetings, touched in a
manner more or less direct on this main point ; whilst
throughout his correspondence it was also kept in view.
The apologists of the rebels in England have endeavoured
to show that the negro suffered a variety of grievances,
every one of which was sufficient to have aroused him to
deeds of bloody retaliation against his supposed oppressors,
but even if thosd grievances had existed, we believe all
persons of experience here will go with us in saying that
the negro could never have been induced to seek redress
by violent means. It was necessary to connect the pos-
session of the land ultimately with the result of tha
violence in order to drive him to adopt it. Hence
was that the cry, 'kill buckra,' and get the ' back lands
expressed the means by which the knot was to be cut, and
the one consummation which would comprehend the ac-
complishment of every other purpose.
" It has been alleged in England that the only men who
who could have thrown any light on the cause of the re-
volt have been silenced by death ; and, forgetting the
statement of the rebels themselves, many persons are still
bent on showing that the oppressive administration of jus-
tice, and other fancied wrongs on the part of the whites
against the negro, provoked the rising; but, fortunately,
there is some evidence still left to prove the contrary. The
testimony given on the trial of Alexander Taylor, con-
victed before the Special Commission, two days ago, of the
murder of Mr. Walton, at Morant Bay, on the memorable
11th of October, is of this class. John Spence, ono of the
witnesses examined for the prosecution, said—" Three
weeks before the outbreak I saw the prisoner at a meeting
house (M'Laren's) at Church Corner, close to Morant Bay;
prisoner told me when he came out of the meeting that
they wanted the back lands, and were going to kill
buckra. M'Laren store the people at the meeting, and the
prisoner was one of those who were sworn; they were told
not to tell their father or mother the secret.' The witness
then described the part which the prisoner took in the
murder, and the cruel process of thrusting a stick down
the unfortunate gentleman's throat to finish him. Now,
Taylor, the murderer, it appears, did not live where he
' could have experienced any act of oppression at the hands
of Mr. Walton. His residence was in the direction of the
cottage, away altogether from the Retreat, the residence of
Mr. Walton, which is on the opposite road from Morant Bay.,
cWo
mh amt
tct oe
du lbdu
th
tahvee d impelled
mna
ohimn tottakeo t he
pabratrbinartohls act he
the plot
he
had three weeks ago sworn to aid, namely, to kill buckra'
and 'get the back lands free ?' "