The Sun.
London, England, 1850-08-05 00:00:00

THE WEST INDIA MAIL.

SOUTHAMPTON. AUG. 4.—The Royal Mail Company's
steam-ship Dee, Captain Allan, arrived this morning
at five o'clock, from the West Indies, with the usual
mails, in charge of Lieutenant Ray, R.N., Admiralty
agent.

On her homeward voyage the Dee experienced strong
head winds from Jamaica to St. Thomas, and then a
strong gale from the S.W., with heavy thunder and
lightning.
The latest dates brought by the Dee, are Chagres,
June 28; C4rthagena, July 1; Jamaica, 8; Demerara,
6; Trinidad, 8; thrbadoes, 11; Grenada, 9; Porto Rico,
13; St. Thomas,'ls; Ls Guayra, 7; Fayal, 28; Antigua,
12; Jacmel, 10; Santa Martha, 21; Grey Town, June
26; Panama, 26.

The Dee brings on freight 1,400,813 dolls, on mer.
chants' account, gold dust, and gold in bars, about
1,155 dolls. plating (four packages), 33 serons of indigo,
2 packages of pearls, 4 barrels cf ginger, 87 bags pi-
mento, 112 bales of sarsaparilla, 4 barrels of arrowroot,
and a large number of packages of sundries.

JAMAICA.
The Dee left Kingston Harbour at three o'clock on
he afternoon of July 8. We have our customary ad-
vices up to the latest moments.
The Legislature of the island was opened on the 25th
of June, when the Governor, Sir Charles Grey, ad-
dressed the two branches in the following speech:—
" Gentlemen of the Council—Mr. Speaker, and Gen-
tlemen of the Assembly: You aro aware that at the
close of the last session an Act was passed, namely, the
13th Vic., chap. 26, of which the most immediate object
was to raise, by way of loan, a sufficient sum to enable
the Receiver-General to pay off the island certificates
falling due this year, to the amount of between eighty
and ninety thousand pounds. To that extent, at least,
it was hoped that the guarantee might be obtained, which
her Majesty's Government was already authorised by the
Imperial Parliament to give to a loan of greater amount
for other purposes, which purposes the island Legislature
appeared to think of less importance than the punctual
observance of its engagements with the public creditor;
and it is, perhaps, to be regretted that the Act was
not passed earlier, so as to have enabled me to bring
it under the consideration of her Majesty's Ministers,
before the meeting of the Imperial Parliament.
Coming to them, as it did, in the middle of a ses-
sion, we ought not perhaps to be much astonished
that the Home Government has been unwilling to apply
for authority to guarantee a loan for any other purposes
than those already specified in the Imperial enactment.
But the consequences are important; because, in the ex-
pectation that the guarantee would be obtained, you pro-
hibited your loan commissioners in London from offering
any higher rate of interest than four per cent., and they
have informed the Board of Commissioners here, that
without the guarantee, it is impossible to effect a loan at
that rate.
"Mr. Speaker and Gentlemen of the Assembly—lt is
a great misfortune that the public creditors of the colony
should sustain any disappointment, but it is in your
power to make up for it, and everything depends on what
ou may choose to do. The provision which is made in
the Import Duties Act, 13 Vie., c. 1, sec. 3, secures the
payment during this year of the stipulated interest on
the certificates; and as these instruments are in form ne-
gotiable it the value of them in exchange could be sus-
tained at par, the holders would know no real loss, but
might obtain in the market the repayment of the principal
moneys, which you are obliged to confess they cannot
obtain directly from you at this appointed time. There
are two measures which, without any loss to the colony,
or increase of charge upon its revenues, could scarcely fail
to produce that result, if they were to be adopted with a
willingness and unanimity which should give assurance
to the world of a prevailing intention amongst the in-
habitants of this island that no one should suffer loss for
having put their confidence in them. The duties with
which you have charged me, under the Act of the
13th Victoria, chapter 26—a charge which was not of
my own seeking, and from which I shall not object to be
at any time relieved—must be my :apology for pointing
your attention to those measures. The first would be,
to give to the holders of existing certificates the same
permanent security fur the interest upon them which you
have offered by the Act to any person who may advance
the money fur paying those certificates off, The second
would be to authorise, by express enactment, that which
I have reason to believe is now done by direction of the
Commissioners of Public Accounts—namely, that the
holders of such certificates bearing five per cent. interest
us may become due without ) our being able to discharge
them shall be paid what is called the legal rate or in-
terest, or that which, in the absence of express stipula-
tions, is allowed upon a debt by the courts or law
and equity in this island—namely, six per cent.—
that being the rate also at which, as a maxi

mum, I apprehend you should now authorise
the Commissioners in London to Effect any loan
which is not to be guaranteed by the Imperial
Parliament. Seeing that the import duties, out of
which the permanent fund enacted by the Act of 13► th
Vic., chap. 26, is constituted, are producing much
larger returns In this year than in the last, and that

there are fair prospects of an increasing commerce, es-
pecially with the Spanish Main and Central America,
I cannot believe, if those two measures were to be
adopted, that any negotiable securities of the colony
could be kept below par in the London market by any
other cause than such doubts or uncertainty as to the
intentions of this Legislature, as its proceedings may at
any time tither produce or prevent. There are other
provisions which might be introduced with advantage
into any Bill in aid of the Loan Act of the last session,
or which you may substitute for it; but these you
would probably prefer to originate amongst yourselves.
There is one other subject, however, which, whether it

can be incorporated with the Loan Act, or will require
a separate enactment, you have yourselves compelled
me to bring under your notice; I refer to the repre-
sentation which the members of the honourable House of

Assembly, in their capacity as Commissioners of Public
Accounts, have recently made of the difficulty which the
Receiver-General has freely stated he experiences in his
endeavour to find sureties for the large amount of sixty
thousand pounds, required by an Act of the last ses-
sion. Ido not see how it is possible for me to apply
any remedy without your assistance; for, if the law
should remain unaltered, my impression is that any other
person would experience at least as much difficulty as the
present Receiver-General. But in my opinion the diffi-
culty might be easily solved by you. The Receiver-
Ge❑eral's office, as I have before had occasion to state,

is held only under a provisional appointment; and if you
were to lighten the responsibilities of that appointment,
I do not conceive that there would be any injustice in
applying a moderate portion of the present salary for the
accomplishment of such an object. It might be effected,
I clink, by creating a new office of comptroller of public
accounts; in which case I would recommend that the
duties of the office should be stated in the most simple

and general terms to be those of corn ptrolling the public
accounts, and of publishing quarterly in the Gazette,
the receipts and disbursements of the Treasury, and the
issues of loan certificates and other public securities,

and of every description of island paper, or
public engagement. If you should go beyond
this, and attempt a more detailed specification
of the comptroller's duties, I am afraid you
might cnly afford grounds for opposing a salutary mea-
sure. The existence of such a control would greatly re-
lieve the Receiver-General from responsibilit), by pre-
venting the facilities of error in his office, and the public
and its creditors would have a better security than they
now have fbr the correct management of the revenue.

If the new office were once well established, I think that
Vie amount for which the Receiver-General is called
upon to find sureties might safely be reduced from sixty
to thirty, or even to twenty thousand pounds. On the
part of the Crown, I can undertake that the obsolete
and merely nominal appointment of Auditor-General,
which is held under a commission from a former Go-
vernor, shall not be any obstacle in the way of such an

enactment.
" Gentlemen of the Council, Mr. Speaker, and Gen.

tlemen of the Assembly, , _
"I regard the present occasion as a cardinal point in
the progress and fortunes of Jamaica, because upon the
faith yott may preserve with the public creditor, I be-
lieve it to depend whether the island shall hereafter
share or be excluded from the advantages of the fund-
ing system, which I take to be the greatest political
lever and most powerful instrument of civilization and
prosperity in the present age of the world. Do
not condemn yourselves to permanent insignificance br
repudiating benefits of which I believe that you will find
that some of your sister colonies are even now availing
themselves, and in which under careful, masterly, and
uniform regu!ation, I believe that the true bond of union,
the bond of mutual benefit between the metropolitan

State and its colonies, will hereafter be found. Be as
cautious as you please, and make no other enactments
on the present occasion than what the strictest justice
prescribes; but do not let any party differences amongst
yourselves, with which the creditors of the public have
nothing to do, be made a reason or excuse for leaving
them in the lurch, and put it out of their power to say
that there has been any violation of their rights—any
evasion of their just claims—or any unfair neglect of their
interest by the Local Legi.la,ure of Jamaica."
The speech was replied to by the House in the follow-
ing terms:—

" May it please your Excellency,
" We, her Majesty's dutiful and loyal subjects, the
Assetnbly of Jamaica, thank ybur Excellency for your
speech at the opening of the session. We very much
regret that our reasonable expectations of a guarantee
from the Government for a loan, to enable the colony to

keep faith with any existing cre litor who might demand
payment of his money, has not been re a,lised ; and the:,
there being no other remedy than a new legislative enact-
ment to enlarge the powers of the CJmmissioners ap-
pointed under the 13th Victoria. chapter 26, it became
necessary to convoke the Legislature at this inconve-
nient period of the year. We still cling to the hope that
her Majesty's Government may be induced to lend its
aid to lighten the burdens of this impoverished colony',
at least by giving its countenance, with the sanction of
the Imperial Parliament, to the raising the requisite
sum on loan, on the most reasonable terms, based on the
appropriation of an adequate portion of the island re-
venue to give security to the lenders. The House con-
tinues folly alive to the importance of upholding public
credit, and will proceed with measures requisite for that
purpose, to carry out the purpose of that Loan Act of
last session, which has been found inadequate,
and to
take such other steps as may be necessary to remedy
the difficulties respecting the Receiver General's office,
to which your Excellency has made allusion."
An attempt was made in the House to substitute
another address rather less temperate in its tone,
delaying the consideration of the Loan Bill until
the usual period for the meeting of the House;
but the amendment was lost by
a large majority.
The House made the necessary amendment to the
Loan Bill, and also to the Receiver-General's Bill,
reducing the amount of security to forty thousand pounds.
The session only lasted a few days.
Vacancies have occurred in the representation of
several parishes by the retirement of members, some of
whom have accepted offices of emolument.
A little interest was excited in St. Catherine cn ac-
count of the resignation of the Hon. Custos Turner,
who threw up his commission in consequence of his Ex-
cellency the Governor appointing a magistrate for the
parish, of whom the custos did not approve, and without
previously consulting him on the subject.
Our advises announce the death of the Hon. John
Wilson, deputy postinaster-general, at an advanced age.
There had been pretty fair rains in various parts of
the island.
EXCHANGES ON LONDON.—.Jamaica Bank: 30 days,
per cent. prem.; 60 days, 4 per cent. prem.; 90 days,
-41- per cent. dis. Colonial Bank: 30 days, 1 per cent.
prem.; 60 days, :I per cent. prem.; 90 days, par.
FREIGHT.--Vessels have suddenly become scarce, and
tonnage is consequently wanted. We have heard of
several vessels having been taken up at 555. to 60s. per
ton.

GREY TowN, MusQuiTo, 04.—The inha-
bitants here %ere hourly in expectation of an attack
from the Nicaraguans, influenced by the Americans, but
before the Dee's departure all fears were dispelled, news
having arrived from the interior that all was then quiet.
The American Chargé d'Affaires, Mr. Squires, left for
the States, under the direction of her Britannic Majestys
Acting Consul-General and Agent, Dr. Green. Grey
Town has assumed a much more regular and organized
state, though from the many interruptions of the Nicara-
guans, it has not progressed so rapidly as the settlers
anticipated. Messrs. Beshar and Co. have contracted for
and hold the Customs' Duties for 800 dolls, per month.
The ship canal is still under consideration.
CHAGREB.—Large numbers of passengers continue to
pour in here for the gold regions. Preparations are
being made for the railroad, about 200 Carthagenian
labourers were landed for the works. A depot has
been formed at Navy Bay, opposite the old town of
Chagres; the Americans have formed a regular settle-
ment; unfortunately it is the resort of the lowest cha-
racters, and scenes of a desperate nature frequently
occur.

NORTHERN ISLANDS.—These islands were visited by a
most terrific gale on the 12th and 13th of July. The
extent of the damage has not been ascertained, but it is
supposed to be very considerable. We shall not get the
particulars until the arrival of the next mail.
Stations of her Majesty's Ships.—Jamaica: Imaum,
Commander Bennet. Halifax: Wellesley, flag of Vice.
Admiral Earl Dundonald; Plumper, Helena. Antigua:
Alarm, schooner, Bermuda to northward. Gult' of
Mexico: Persian. Andromache left Kingston a few
days since.
Stations of the Company's Steam Ships—The Tay,
Captain Chapman, Gulf of Mexico ; the Avon, Captain
Hash, Jamaica, en rook to Chagres; the Medway, Cap-
tai❑ Symonds, St. Thomas, would have returned to Eng-
land, instead of the Dee, had not the gale prevented her
arriving in time; the Clyde, Captain Moss, St. Thomas
to Jamaica; the Conway, Captain Woolley, Bermuda ;
the Eagle, Captain Restanck, Demerara.

Ships spoken with on return voyage-19th July,
lat. 24 20, long. 58 40 W., ship Caroline, steering north-
ward; 24th July, lat. 33 45, long. 43 20, schooner Junon.
Particulars of Wrecks—Mary Ellen, capsized off Grey
Town in a squall, crew saved, 12th July; at Antigua,
one of Messrs. Shands' ships had cut away her masts to
ride out the gale, reported at English harbour; Osborne,
Captain Cousins, a total wreck, off Dominica, crew saved;
Catherine Green, a total wreck, St. Kitt's, crew saved.