The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-07-24 00:00:00

BRAZILS

We have received the Jornal do Commercia, via" Rio de
Janeiro, to the 23d May, by the Gipsy. A change of ministry
had taken place in consequence of the chambers not having
approved of the estimates. Those sent up from the Chamber
of Deputies had beef► augmented in the Senate, of which
nearly all the ministers were members ; the deputies rejected
those amendments on the ground that the senators had no
right to alter a money bill, and. demanded a conference with
the' Senate ; neither chambers would give way, and a union
of both chambers took place in consequence, in which those
amendments were again discussed, and a majority of the
members (of both chambers thus united) decided against all
the amendments, except that of the minister for foreign
affairs, Senhor C. M. Lopes Gama; all the other ministers
accordingly resigned, and Senhor Lopes Gama formed the
following new administration : _ _ _

Enipit7e, J. J. Rodrigues Torres ; Marine, Ditto, (pro
tempore ;) Justice, P. J. Soares de Souza ; Foreign, C. M.
Lopes Gama ; Finance, J. A. da Silva Maia ; War, L. I.
Maciel.

COLONIAL INTELLIGENCE

THE WEST INDIES

By the Hope packet dates have been received from Jamaica
to June 16, from Trinidad to the 9th, from Barbadoes to the
6th, and from Demerara to the sth. They are uninteresting
from all these colonies but Jamaica. The accounts from
thence add nothing to previous 'information respecting the
late commotion headed by some of the Baptist missionaries,
which therefore may be considered, through the resolute
conduct of the authorities, to have had no worse results so
far, although it must be considered as an example of insub-
ordination and disobedience to the laws, fraught with very
perilous consequences. It may be hoped, from the exami-
nations which have been taken, and the lengthened investi-
gation already gone into upon this affair, that-the principal
parties really guilty, whether on the side of the Baptist peo-
ple or the police, will be brought to punishment, as a warning
against future offence. So far the weight of the evidence is
decidedly, and, as it would seem, irrefutably, against Ward,
the Baptist missionary, and his particular relatives concerned
with him in the disturbance. The accounts of the crops are
exceedingly unfavourable, both in Jamaica and the other
West India colonies. From 16 out of 20 of the agricultural
parishes of Jamaica statements had been received, showing a
very disastrous state of affairs. From the remainder no par-
ticular details were forthcoming ; but it was apprehended
they would not prove much more favourable. It is proper
to add, however, that, so far as appears, this unfortunate as-
pect of things was owing chiefly to the excessive drought with
which the island had been and continued visited. It is no-
ticed that the Colonial Bank was about to issue bank notes
payable to bearer, and redeemable in specie on demand at the
option of the holder, and this, it was considered, would tend
beneficially to place the currency of the island on a more
stable and satisfactory footing. The colonial paper now in
circulation was not redeemable in any coin whatever, which
was a prevailing cause of the vicious system, of currency by
which the island was oppressed and business embarrassed.
The island checks, it is clear, must now be called in and
otherwise provided for, since, inconvertible as they are, it
would be impossible to keep them in circulation alongside
bank paper convertible on demand. The recommendation
was that they, with the whole debt of the island, should be
funded at once, and so withdrawn from circulation. As a
floating debt they cckuld only be a source of continual em-
barrassment to the treasury. Whilst on the subject of the
West Indies, it may be properly mentioned that an associa-
tion now formed here, under the title of the " West India
Emigration Society," is powerfully calculated to advance the
interests and welfare of these late valuable colonies. Occa-
sion will be taken to explain the objects of this meritorious
society more fully on an early day.

In the Barbadoes papers there is a statement of sugar and
molasses shipped from that island up to the sailing of the
packet ; of sugar there was 9,482 hhds., 470 tierces, and 194
barrels ; and of molasses, 1,462 puncheons, 90 hhds., and 33
barrels. .

It appears by the Trinidad papers that a meeting of cocoa
planters had been held there for the purpose of petitioning
for the removal of the restrictions fettering the commerce of
Trinidad with Spain, and for a further reduction in the duty
on cocoa. The result was the adoption of a petition to the
Home Government on the subject, and an expression of hope
that this would be accepted as worthy of suggestion in the
proposed new treaties of commerce which it was understood
were about to be entered into the between Great Britain and

Spain. A return of the commerce of the island had been
published for the year 1839. According to this, the value of
imports on which duties were paid during that period was
£397,020. On the imports of foreign articles the customs
had received £95,336 12s. Bd., and the official value of the
exports was £424,343. The amount of sugar was about four-
fifths of the whole.