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

FENIANISM.

Col. NORTH asked the Judge Advocate General why
Drum-Major Farrell, Ist battalion 2d Queen's Regiment,
and Sergeant Butter, 99th Regiment, had not been brought
to trial, either before a military or civil tribunal, for the
alleged offence of drilling parties of Fenians?
Mr. HEADLAM said the men would be placed on their
trial in a few days. The delay had been occasioned by the
absence of several material witnesses in the civil trial
which had taken place in Dublin.
The motion for the adjournment was then agreed to.
THE QUEEN'S SPEECH.
The report upon the Address on the Queen's Speech was
brought up.

JAMAICA.
'Sir J. PAKINGTON, on the motion that-it be received,
said he was sure the house would grant him a few minutes
while he directed its attention to a subject which, although
mentioned in the Speech from theThrone,had not been re-
ferred to except in the observations that had fallen from
the mover and seconder of the Address. He could not say
how much he regretted the observations that-had beenmade
in many quarters with respect to the unhappy transactions
that had taken place in Jamaica. (Hear, hear.) He thought
the various matters had been most unfairly dealt with, and
that the conduct of various officers had been discussed,
prejudged, and condemned by men who had not the means
at their command or any evidence in their posses-
sion which could enable them to come to a
correct judgment. No gentleman had been more vio-
lent in his denunciation of the officers in Jamaica than the
hon. member for Birmingham (Mr. Bright). In a speech
lately delivered at Rochdale he characterised the whole of
the trials that had taken place in Jamaica as a mass of
irregularities—that Gordon had been murdered, and that
those guilty of the crime should be placed at the bar as
criminals, to take their trials for their misdeeds. The most
unjustifiable language had been used, and he could scarcely
trust himself while he made reference to the matter.
Murder was a foul crime, but so also was a foul
accusation, and he could not sufficiently express
the feelings he had experienced in hearing such accusations
as those that had been brought against Governor Eyre.
Governor Eyre was a gentleman known by repute to many
members of that house as an able and valuable public s
want, and if he had one quality over another for which he
was remarkable, it was the humanity, kindness, and
good feeling with which he had treated the native races in
Jamaica. He did not think it either fair or honourable
that such a man as Governor Eyre was to be branded with
the crime of murder without the slightest proof. (Hear.) Ho
thought it was but right that Governor Eyre should know
that there were parties in the British House of Commons
desirous of doing him justice, and that they did not sym-
pathise in the harsh conclusions which had been passed
hear.) The right hon. baronet,
having touched upon some other topics mentioned in the
Queen's Speech, resumed his seat amidst considerable
cheering.
Mr. BRIGHT rose not to complain of the censure cast
upon him by the right hon. baronet opposite, as it had
been his fate to labour under that censure on many occa-
sions. He did not prejudge Governor Eyre, ho took his
own words, and he felt there was not a judge on the Eng-
lish bench who would not say that Mr. Gordon had
been murdered. (Hear, hear.) He thought the Go-
vernment had ,been right in appointing the commission,
not that it had been dono too soon, but that it had been

delayed too long. He was content to leave the matter in
the hands of .the commissioners, feeling certain that jus-
tice would be done. In all the speeches he had made, and
they had not been a few there were none to which he
more firmly held than those referring to .the lamentable
subject now before the house ; and to his last hour he
would adhere to every word he had uttered on the subject
of Jamaica. He had nothing to retract, and if the same
horrible atrocities were to be perpetrated again to-morrow,
he would, if God gave him the power, again denounce them
with more burning indignation, if he hail the power, as he
considered such acts to be a foul blot on the character
of English Governors.
Mr. MARSH thought there was no necessity or want of
a Reform Bill, and said he should oppose any lowering of
the franchise.

Mr. CARD WELL—Sir, I am sure the house will agree
that it would be exceedingly wrong in me to desire to con-
tinue the'discussion which has arisen with respect to Ja-
maica. All I rise to say is that, like the hon. baronet op-
posite, I have known Governor Eyre only by the reputa-
tion he has obtained and preserved in the service. When
I first heard by telegram through the United States of
America that these deplorable events had taken place, I
sent for the Governor of Barbadoes, who happened to be
in this country, and asked him if he could give me any
assistance in explaining what these transactions could mean.
His reply was, "I can give no assistance in the solution of
this enigma. I can tell you, if the circumstances were such
as seriously to alarm Governor Eyre, they must have been
circumstances of great moment." (Hear, hear.) Ile added
that Governor Eyre was a man of courage and humanity.
(Hear, hear.) I feel it my duty to avoid saying anything
that shall prejudge the quesion, either in his favour or
against him ; but I do think meanwhile that the know-
ledge of that reputation which Governor Eyre has hereto-
fore maintained should not be kept back (Hear, hear.)
With regard to the mode in which the conduct we have
pursued has been spoken of both by the hon. baronet
opposite and the hon. member for Birmingham, nothing
that has fallen from them calls for particular reply or
remark from me. They appear both to agree in the main
in the course that has been pursued by the Government,
and if the right hon. baronet thinks that we were a little
too precipitate, and if the hon. member for Birmingham
thinks we were not rapid enough, lam willing not to enter
into that part of the subject, but will leave it to the future
consideration and judgment of the house. There is one
point on which I wish to set the right hon. baronet right.
He says, what has frequently been said, that he is afraid
too much influence has been exercised upon the course
which has been pursued, by pressure put upon us, par-
ticularly by a certain deputation to which he took occasion
to refer. The fact is, when the deputation waited on us,
Sir Henry Storks was on his way from Malta, having re-
ceived from me information of his appointment.
Sir G. GREY, rising in explanation of a previous
speech, said—l wish to say a word as to what fell from
the right hon. member for Droitwich as to the construc-
tion of what I said in answer to a question. I said I
agreed in the opinion that it is very undesirable that the
question of reform should be kept dangling as a party
question before the house and before the country from
year to year. I think he said the answer I gave was that
it was a matter of complete uncertainty whether a bill
founded on the information we had yet to receive would
be presented this year or next year. I intend to give rise
to no such uncertainty. :What I said in answer to the
question meant, whatever the expression might be,
that until the day for the introduction of the bill had
been fixed, and until we were in a condition to lay
the information before the House, it was impossible, to
say what that interval might However the Li?-
vcrnment might bo agreed on the principles of the
bill
they could not lay the details before the house until the
information was complete. If it had been complete when
Parliament met, the paragraph in the speech would have
been in different terms. That paragraph pledges the Go-
vernment to give information to the house at the earliest
period, and to bring in a bill founded on that information
in the present session.
Mr. BOUVERIE observed that he was glad to learn that
the Government intended to stand or fall by the contem-
plated Reform Bill. He hoped, however, that it would
prove to be a measure worth standing or falling by. A
mere lowering of the franchise in counties and boroughs