The Sun.
London, England, 1866-02-09 00:00:00

THE OUTBREAK IN JAMAICA.

(Front the Special Correspomlent of the Times)

KINGSTON, Jan. 15

The Legislature has been summoned, and meets
at Spanish Town on Wednesday for the despatch of
business. It had been prorogued till the 30th inst.,
but it is convened at this earlier date in order to em-
power the Royal Commission to compel the attend-
ance of witnesses and administer oaths. A stiort
bill will be introduced with these objects, and the
extraordinary session is not expected to last more
than a day or two. Here, as at home, the appoint-
ment of the Commission has occasioned a lull in
politics, and people are waiting for the evidence
which is now being -prepared on both sides of the
question. It is difficult to convey any, adequate
notion of the conflicting and contradictory rumours
and statements which meet one here. I have lis-
tened patiently to much that has been told me in
proof of excesses of authority by British officers,
and cruelties committed by subordinates during the
rebellion or after it was stamped out ; but while
some of these stories are horrifying, and will, I be-
lieve, be given in evidence hereafter, it would be
manifestly unjust to repeat them until they have
been properly sifted and substantiated on oath. An
expression used pretty frequently among a few of
the whites and coloured people is that since the new
Governor's arrival they have felt themselves " un-
muzzled," and will now speak out. The arrest,
among others, of Mr. G. W. Gordon in Kingston,
of Mr. Levien in Montego Bay, and their convey-
ance to Morant Bay, seems, indeed, to have created
the greatest alarm among all who were liable to sus-
picion, or who thought that they might be suspected,
for using seditious language. It is possible that
these persons may find representatives in the House
of Assembly who on Wednesday will take the op-
portunity of discussing the policy of the Govern-
ment. But the general feeling is that at this junc-
ture and pending inquiry such a discussion would
be time wasted.

It will be gathered from what I have just said
that a partisan writer finds no difficulty here in
procuring abundant materials either to justify or
condemn the measures taken in suppressing the re-
bellion. To collect such evidence is an easy task,
for it is volunteered on both sides with equal readi-
ness; but you soon find that it cannot be tested
satisfactorily except before a judicial or quasi-
judicial tribunal ; and from all appearances, taking
into account the maxim testimonia non numeranda,
sed ponderanda, even the Royal Commissioners will
be puzzled to discover where the balance of evidence
rests. This caution must not be lost sight of in
reading any of the statements, on one side or the
other, which may come home by the mail. Since
my last letter the evidence taken before the court-
martial on Mr. G. W. Gordon has been published r.
in the colony. The reporters of two Kingston news-
papers were present at the trial, and both were
pledged not to publish the proceedings until they
received authority to do so from the military autho-
rities. In one instance this pledge was not kept, and
the evidence was published by the reporter against
the wishes of the gentlemen who were his employers
at the time when the court-martial was held. After
this publication the military authorities allowed the
Gleaner to publish its report, which accordingly
appears in that journal this morning. Substantially
there is no great difference between the two re-
ports ; and, assuming that they contain the whole
evidence against the prisoner, a foul wrong was
done to him. The case against him, as there stated,
could hardly be weaker. One witness, John Ander-
son) says :--" On a certain day George W. Gordon
came to Stoney-gut, and told Paul Bogle to get
volunteers and get ' the back lands ;' if the lands
were not got all buckras will die. George William
Gordon called Paul Bogle's chapel Island Castle,
and named 11I'Laren as secretary to himself. Paul
Bogle got M'Laren to go to the mountains to look
for hands to come to Morant Bay. I saw M'Laren
with papers in his pocket and pencil behind his ear."
In cross-examination by the prisoner, witness said
this occurred on a Sunday in June or July of last
year, that plenty more people were present, and that
all of them heard what the prisoner said to Bogle.
Another witness, James Gordon, had seen a letter
in which the prisoner proposed the people should col-
lect money and send it to him, in order that he
might pay for a letter to go home to the Queen, or,
" if the letter won't go, prisoner would go himself
to see the Queen face to face." But, though wit-
ness said the letter was signed G. W. Gordon, it
appeared that he did not know the prisoner's signa-
ture. A deposition made by a rebel who was
wounded, and afterwards died, was handed in. This
man (Thomas Johnson) in August, 1864, had
" heard the rebels talk at the meeting-house about
making war," and he said that the prisoner had at-
tended meetings at the same place ; but he did not
depose that this seditious language was made use of
by Gordon, or on the occasions when Gordon was
present. In another written depositionby a wounded
rebel there was good evidence against the Bogies,
and deponent had heard Moses Bogle say that he
had prisoner's handwriting, and that it was the pri-
soner who had put up the Bogles to this rebellion.
Mrs. Gough, the postmistress of Morant Bay,
knew Gordon's handwriting, and proved that he
was in correspondence with several of the rebels.
This seems to have been the substance of all the
oral evidence adduced against the prisoner, except
the fact that whereas he usually attended the meet-
ings at the Morant Bay Court-house, and had not
missed one for some years, he was absent from the
meeting held on the day of the massacre. In his
defence the prisoner said that his reason for not
attending the vestry then was his ill-health, and he
referred to two physicians who had recently pre-
scribed for him. His address to the Court is thus
given in the Gleaner:—

" Your Honours,-1 have to state that I was not
taken up, but gave myself up at Kingston when I
heard there were some rumours about me. Feeling
myself quite innocent, I called on the General, in
company with Dr. Fiddes, and told his Excellency
if I was required for anything concerning the dis-
turbances here I was at his command. He told me
he had no authority over me; and I was about taking
leave of him, when his Excellency the Governor
drove up with Dr. Bowerbank ; and I was stating
to his Excellency the same thing, when he told me
he would come for me and take me on board the
Wolverine. Dr. Bowerbank then escorted me to
my lodgings, and to the wharf for a passage off. I
have been entirely brought up with Europeans, and
all my best friends are of that class at this moment.
I have never had any other feelings but love and
affection for them. I have myself imported Euro-
pean labourers, thinking they would be desirable for
the improvement of the negroes. I have always been
desirous to see Europeans introduced into the country
as a blessing to it; and instead of driving them out,
I should like to see them more numerously located ;
andthe extensive possession of land which I have
would, I think, be sufficient guarantee for my wish-
nn g the safety of property. Therefore a rebellion
would be the last thing I should wish to see. I have
alwaY3 recommended the people, who have frequently
complained torae, patience and perseverance, and
as a proof oft
have their votehat, I have always endeavoured to
and
i srecorded so as to obtain legitimate
position
Court declaresolemnly before my Maker and this
that
or any other person
never knew from Paul Bogle
a of
any insurrection of this
kind. I knew nothing
until I was informed by
a policeman in Kingston it
lthen went to my friend
he
Mr. Airey to inquire if heardrti anything of it. I
never went to any of the pa
inquire about
it in the least degree. I admit parties to
thati
against
are in appearance suspicious
but I
goodwill.
cannot help that. Paul Bogle is
certa.,
friend, and by his profession it was cinelyt .my
his duty to practise peace and
astonished when I heard that he was at the headwaosf
this rebellion. I regret it, but that I could not con-
trol. M'Laren I have lately known chiefly since
last meeting. illy reason for not attending the last
vestry was sorely from ill health. I had a severe
cough, which shook my whole frame. Dr. Major
called on me at the end of September and regretted
my inability to attend the meeting of the vestry. I
then saw Dr. Fiddes. I also refer you to my friend,
Mr. Airey, that I told him my knees were so weak
1 would not be able to attend the vestry, and he
said I was better away. The late Custos and my-
self were old and familiar friends, and, although
we have had political differences, fought upon their
merits, I should never have wished or done him any
personal harm. The proof is this, that at the last
election there was a slight disturbance, and I went
to the baron and asked that he would allow things
to
go on quietly, although we were not on speaking
terms, and I advised the people to go on quietly to-
"rcla and generally. The evidence of the