Daily union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1865-1866, 1865-12-20
JAMAICA AFFAIRS.
Its Real COndifion-OpiniSn Of the Gov
ernor and Colonial COunciI-English

was either a concerted movement or formid-
able in character. Such is no. the opinion
Of the Governor and Legislature of that Is
land We append an extract from the adj
dress of the Legislature, as well as COM
ments from the London Ii5aes.
| The Legislature. indorsed the rigorous
measures taken by Governor Eyre to sup
press the instruction of the negroes and
says in the course of the address:
We desire to express our entire concur
renee in your Excellency's statement that to
the Misrepresentation and Misrepresentation
Of -philanthropists in England and
this country, to the imfammatory harangues
and seditious meetings Of political dema-
gogues, TO the personal, scurrilous, ryindic-
tive, and disloyal writings of lieentious
and INSCRIPTIONS press, andto the misdirect-
ed efforts and misguided counsel of certain
miscalled ministers of religion, is to be at
tributed the present disorganization of the
colony, resulting in rebellion, arson, and
murder. We cordially agree with your Ex-
cellency that this great wickedness cannot be
attributed to any just grievances under which
it can be said that the peasantry suffer in
this country. We entirely coincide with,
your Excellency in the opinion that they
have advantages which the peasantry of no
other country enjoy; and that it is TO the
causes to which your Excellency alludes that
they have failed to reap the benefit of their
position. Deeply Impressed with the full
conviction that nothing but the existence of
a strong Government can prevent this island
from .lapsing into the condition of a second
Hayti, We shall carefully take into considsra-
ton any measures recommended by your
| Excellency.
The London Times, of December l, COM
menting on Jamaica affairs, says:
The speech of Governor Eyre to the ia
maica Legislature may convince our readers
| that we did not speak at random when we de-
clared that in the opinion of the best in
| formed persons in the island, there had been
conspiracy among the negroes, with no less
an object than the murder and despoiling of
| the white people, and those of the colored
who sided with them. That opinion may, Of
course, be entirely erroneous. 1t is possible
that Mr.. Eyre, the Council, the House of
Assembly, the General in command, the
Custodes, Magistrates, ard other people in
authority in the colony, have all gone stark
mad, and have been in that state for months
1t is equally possible that there has been no
rebellion at all, and that the out=ages COM
mitted in the eastern part of the island are
pure allusion. Thesetwo propositions will
have to be established by those who have
constituted themselves the apologists Of the
negroes and the denouncers of the colo
NAL government. The second sight which
can give them a better knowledge
of the events in Jamaica than the peo-
pie who are on the spot we do not affect to
II.
take the best information which was to be
obtained, to compare it with what was known
of the state and past history Of the island,
and to Judge accordingly. The result is that
there is not a single statement we made
which has not been confirmed on the highest
authority. The dangerous designs of the
negroes, the reasonable spirit that prevail
ed, the pernicious influence of certain poll
ticians and preachers, and the necessity for
a strong Government for some considerable
time, if life and property were to be saved
and civilization upheld, have now been. pos
itively announced by the Queens represen-
tative amid the assent and applause of the
Legislature. SO strong is the conviction
that the only hope for the island is to place
full authority in few hands and to prevent
an ignorant and barbarous race from being
excited by the Vaccinations Of demagogues,
that 1t seems almost likely the ancient insti-
tutions of the island will be abolished, and
the chief British settlement in the West In
dies revert to the condition of crown col |
ony.
Governor Eyre opened the session of the |
Legislature on the 9TH inst. AT that time |
order had been restored in the disturbed dis |
tricts, but it seems that Kingston was still |
crowded with the white inhabitants, that the |
estates were deserted, and apprehension con- |
tinue to prevail. Business in the island had |
just begun to revive after the panic of the |
preceding month, and it was thought that |
the proofs the Government had given of its |
strength would be sufficient to check any re- |
bellious intentions in other parts of the is |
land. We are speaking, we beg to observe,
strictly of the opinions Of the Jamaica peo-
pie themselves, who may possibly be shown |
TO suffer from an hallucination in believing |
that there are any such intentions at all /
and so of the Governors speech His Ex-
cellency having been personally on the |
scene Of the disturbances, having full imfor-
nation of all that had passed, and was pass
ing in the island, reiterates, in the strongest
manner, the opinions expressed in his late
dispatch, and in the presence of the Com
mander-in- Chief, the Commodore, and the
principal officers engaged against the ne
grocs, declares the colony to be in serious
danger He speaks of the wicked and I'M
provoked rebellion" As to the effect
Of it, he declares that ga large amount
of property lss been destroyed, an inn
mense expense has been entailed on the
country, and one of the richest and
most productive districts of the colony has
been left without resident proprietor or
manager to reap the abundant crops now
ready for the harvest As to the nature of
it, he says further on, "To this prompt and
decisive action | firmly believe we owe it.
under Gods Providence, that we are able to
meet here this day. One moments hesita-
ton, one single reverse, might have lit the
torch which would have blazed in rebellion
from one island to the other There is
scarcely a district or parish in the island
where disloyalty sedition, and murderous
intentions are not widely disseminated. Nor
does the Governor hesitate to speak of ''this
most diabolical conspiracy to murder the
white and colored inhabitants of this colo
N.Y. The speech from which we have made
these extracts was delivered on a solemn oc
casion ? fortnight after the rising had been
virtually suppressed; it was addressed to
the Legislature, in the presence of the chief
military and naval officers on the station,
anu was AhLt'Nis''NiN fh''iiohSN' nv We "
believe that a man in his senses would in
this formal manner utter tissue of absurdi-
ties, or make statements which any one of
the many present could contradict? More
over, We find that the Legislature was en-
tircly in accord with the Governor; his adj
dress was praised in the highest terms by
several members, and Mr.. Westmoreland,
a member of the Executive Committee, at
once introduced bill to carry out the prin-
cipal of its recommendations
We repeat that we hope the day will soon
return when the negro population may be
intrusted with free institutions, and may
meet and speak and vote without danger to
anybody. But for their sake, as well as that
Of the whites il is the duty Of the Home
Government TO support TO the utmost the
authorities in the island. We regret as
much as any one can do the recent severi-
ties, the accounts of which, however, have
evidently been preposterously exaggerated
But for some time 10 come there must he a
firm Government. There is, We fully be-
lieve. good deal more to be learned about
the purposes Of the Jamaica negroes. From
all parts Of the island il is reported that