, 1866-03-06

more conspicuous ever since. Even after
decreeing its own extinction, the House
of Assembly, if we are to believe Governor
Eyre, reverted to it's old habits, and in a
despatch of December 90 he speaks Of
tparty-tceelings, ""vindictive animosities,"
personalities" construction and annoy
ance," as having revived to such an extent
that he had thought it expedient to close
the Session. Receiving, however, at this
moment a private hint that, if the Legis-
lature should really desire it, Jamaica
might be placed under the immediate pro-
tection of the Crown, he seems to have
originated and carried at the eleventh
hour the Act which now awaits the sane
ton of Parliament and the Royal assent.
1t is not very easy, however, to gather q
consistent account of these transactions
from Mr.. Eyre's three dispatches of the
same date .(December 22). In the first
part H., NO. ID, enclosing a copy of his
address on %proroguing the Assembly, he
speaks of the Act which remode1led the
jamaica Constitution instead Of leaving it
at the disposal of the Grown as if it were
still 10 force, and had not been superseded
by that which Mr.. Cardwell now asks
Parliament to confirm. Yet In the two
latter part II Nos. ~ and l3), he des-
cribes the passing of the second Act, Of
which he transmits u copy, showing that
it passed the House of Assembly on De-
cember 20, and the Legislative Council
on December 81. In another despatch,
dated December %, he acknowledges
the receipt Of Mr.. Cardwell's letter Of
December l, containing the passage we
lave already quoted, and virtually sane
tioning by anticipation the proceeding
Just adopted by the jamaica Legislature.
Whatever be the explanation of this ap-
parent confusion, there is no reason to
doubt that all parties interested in the
government OF jamaica, the Governor,
the Colonial Legislature, and the Colonial
Secretary, are practically of the same
mind. They all agree that it is impos-
sible for the island to govern itself any
longer without Il radical change in its
Constitution, and that government by the
Crown is far better than a system which
is representative only in name. This con-
viction is founded on the experience of a
whole generation since the abolition OF
slavery, an experience which Is fatal 10
the only alternative suggested in 1880
viz, the enlargement of the jamaica con-
stituencies by greatly lowering the sut-
frage.
1t is as an experiment only, and for q
limited time, that Parliament is asked to
invest the Crown with absolute power
over Jamaica. Mr.. Cardwell, however,
does not conceal that, however exception
al the reasons for taking this course, they
are of q permanent, and not of a tempo
rary, character. IF Jamaica is once as
simulated to Trinidad, it will not be easy
to go back, and it is wiser on every
ground to decide now as if our decision
were to be reversible. Now, in Trinidad
the Governor is aided by an Executive
Council of three members, corresponding
to the Executive Committee of Jamaica,
while, instead of the Jamaica Council
and Assembly, there is a single Legislative
Council of twelve members, six official
and six non-oficial, all nominated by the
Crown. 1t ia, in fact, an almost perfect
specimen of a Crown Colony, having
been ceded by Spain TO George III. at the
Peace of Amiens. The early history of
our dominion in Trinidad, it must be
confessed, is not altogether without its