448 



JAMAICA. 



offences, the greater evils of society forgery, bur- 

 glary, cattle-stealing, etc. are all left out, so that this 

 measure is strictly one aimed against the lower classes, 

 who, just now, are in a state of great destitution. 

 And, honorable sir, if yu could only behold them, I 

 opine that your feelings of compassion would be 

 aroused to mercy and relief instead of the infliction 

 of corporal punishment, which is death or next to it; 

 and I fear the indignation which may arise from this 

 evil measure will be such as to have serious conse- 

 quences. Representations unfounded and unchari- 

 table, may be wickedly made against the peasants of 

 this country, but in good truth they are as peaceable, 

 civil, and well-disposed as any people can well be, 

 and their character cannot justly be unfavorably com- 

 pared with those of the laboring classes of Great Brit- 

 ain, the continent of Europe, or America. What 

 they require is what has been neglected attention 

 to their sanitary improvement and education, paro- 

 chial asylums for orphans and adults, and relief to 

 some extent from the excessive taxation on the ne- 

 cessary articles of food and clothing, which in its 

 tendency produces that destitution which leads here 

 as in other countries, to a great extent, to petty lar- 

 cenies. These are the points which should have been 

 attended to, but which are lost sight of, for the de- 

 basing purpose of the whip, as if that will instil prin- 

 ciples of morality, or supply the mental and bodily 

 wants of a poor suffering community. 



I do trust that, after due reflection, you may be led 

 to consider the measure in its odious and injurious 

 light. It seems to me an evil of the greatest magni- 

 tude, and shows to what extent inconsiderate feelings 

 still exist in Jamaica. 



But the manner in which the bill passed the As- 

 sembly is discreditable to the Government, as may 

 be seen by the division on the question, and by which 

 you will perceive it did not pass with the feeling of 

 the country. The members of the Government, after 

 allowing it to remain on the table of the House for 

 nearly three mouths, did not give any intimation of 

 its being put up, but seized upon an opportunity, 

 and in two hours passed about four bills of a most 

 important nature, at the same time suspending all 

 the rules of the House in order to put them through 

 all their stages within this time: this did not seem to 

 be a creditable proceeding. A bill was also passed 

 on the same occasion and under similar circumstances, 

 to reestablish a district prison at Port Maria. This 

 bill also provides that hard labor shall include the 

 "treadmill," "shot-drill," and "crank." 



Immediately after the emancipation, the treadmill 

 was introduced into use in this island ; but soon it 

 was discovered that its severities and tortures, as 

 exercised here, were diabolical, and the Governor of 

 the island, as well as the Colonial Secretary, deter- 

 mined that it should be abolished, and not one was 

 allowed to be used or even to remain in the prison ; 

 yet we find after a lapse of thirty years, when we had 

 a right to expect better things, a British Government 

 sanctioning such a thing. But this said Port Maria 

 is really the grave of Jamaica. During cholera its 

 population was nearly entirely swept awav^ by that 

 disease, and Dr. Milroy, the skilful medical inspector 

 sent from England by the Government, condemned 

 it, above all other places in the island, as most un- 

 healthy and death-like; and yet we find that the 

 prison which was abolished is again to be reestab- 

 lished, with the iron shackles to which the unfortu- 

 nate prisoners have been consigned by the present 

 Governor, with hard labor. 



From the injurious atmosph'ere of Port Maria, a 

 transfer of patients had frequently to be made to the 

 public hospital of Kingston. From the depreciated 

 health to which the prisoners must be reduced at 

 Port Maria, many of them will leave the prison, for- 

 ever after to be worthless and a tax on society. When 

 it is remembered that many are sent to prison for 

 very minor offences, under many cases wrongfully, 

 und under long sentences, by erring judgment and 



unlearned justices, it does seem that it is n most cruel 

 proceeding. I feel it a bounden duty to bring these 

 subjects to your notice. The consequences I cannot 

 control, but I sincerely trust that notwithstanding 

 any explanation which will, no doubt, be tendered by 

 the Governor on these remarks, the facts only of the 

 points may be considered. I have a conscientious 

 assurance that I intend no undue reflections, and 

 only write from the stern obligations of a sense of 

 justice and common humanity. 

 I have the honor to be, sir, your obedient servant, 

 G. W. GORDON. 



In the beginning of October, in the district 

 of Morant Bay, in the eastern portion of the 

 island, an attempt was made to expel the ne- 

 groes from certain uncultivated lands, of which 

 they had taken possession. This called forth 

 great indignation, and when, on October Yth, a 

 negro was tried on account of this affair before 

 the court of Morant Bay, a mob of negroes col- 

 lected, threatening to liberate him. The court 

 ordered the arrest of the leader of the mob ; 

 but the negroes overpowered the police, and pre- 

 vented the arrest. On October 9th, the court is- 

 sued writs for the arrest of twenty-eight negroes, 

 charged with having participated in the riot. 

 The police at first did not succeed in accom- 

 plishing their object, but on the following day 

 effected the arrest without resistance. On Oc- 

 tober llth, when the prisoners were to be 

 brought before the court, a new riot broke out. 

 A number of volunteers who had been called out 

 were overpowered, and many of them, together 

 with several magistrates, massacred, and the 

 court-house burned. According to an official 

 statement of the Governor, the number of whites 

 killed was sixteen, and wounded eighteen. In 

 several adjoining districts, the negroes likewise 

 rose and plundered the plantations. But as far 

 as known, only two persons were killed. 



The Governor, on being informed of the dis- 

 turbance, at once proclaimed martial law in the 

 insurgent district, ordered out troops, and sent 

 the war-vessel Wolverine to Morant Bay. He 

 hastened himself to the scene of the insurrec- 

 tion, and arrived at Morant Bay on October 

 13th. He despatched several columns of troops 

 into the interior, and as he found every thing 

 quiet in Morant Bay, he went, on October 15th, 

 on board the war- vessel Onyx to Port Antonio, 

 situated about twenty miles west of the scene 

 of insurrection. There also he found every thing 

 quiet; and in a despatch to the British Colonial 

 Minister, dated October 16th, he represented 

 the rebellion as " overtaken, arrested, and hem- 

 med in." On October ICth the Governor re- 

 turned to Jamaica, and as, by this time, six war- 

 vessels had assembled in the waters of Jamaica, 

 and two regiments of regular troops with a 

 large number of militia and volunteers were At 

 his disposal, besides a considerable force which 

 was immediately expected from Barbadoes and 

 other islands, he did not deem it necessary to 

 proclaim martial law in Kingston. 



While on his way to Morant Bay, the Gov- 

 ernor claimed to have received cogent proofs 

 of the guilt of Mr. Gordon, the above-men- 



