476 
PROCEEDINGS OF SECTION E. 
before long some return to representative government, wholly or in 
part, would take place ; but the actual change was no doubt hastened 
by the peculiar circumstances which I shall now detail. In the early 
part of this paper I mentioned that Jamaica had special difficulties 
of its own, arising from its proximity to foreign possessions. I have 
no doubt you are aware that in the Haitian Republic revolutions 
follow one another in rapid succession. These revolutions are often 
accompanied by terrible butcheries, and the leaders of the party that 
has been defeated can often only escape death by flying to Jamaica. 
The great Island of Cuba, though held by 20,000 of the troops 
of Spain, is permeated with sedition, and from this place, too, 
the only safe haven for escape is Jamaica. Once in Jamaica, these 
people take advantage of the liberty of an English possession to hatch 
fresh rebellions, and to make Jamaica a starting point for a new 
insurrection. Our law renders it difficult to do more than to keep careful 
watch, and be ready to interpose to prevent arms being sent away or 
expeditions being fitted out and despatched. The Central American 
Republics of Columbia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, 
Nicaragua, Salvador, and Venezuela are more distaut from Jamaica than 
Haiti or Cuba, but they are near enough to make Jamaica convenient as 
a base from which to commence or help on the frequent struggles that 
occur in these republics, especially as it is known that the Governor of 
a British possession cannot interfere one iota beyond the limits of the 
law which prevails, or act in anticipation of a breach of the British 
law in such matters. At the same time, the Governor is bound to put 
the law in motion, to prevent a breach of the neutrality laws, the 
instant he is able legally to do so. As the law is sometimes of 
doubtful interpretation, and as these eight republics are much given 
to revolutions, and comprise between them an area of 1,400,000 square 
miles, and a population of more than 9,000,000 strife-loving people, 
the Governor of Jamaica has many embarrassments usually unknown 
to Governors elsewhere, and these difficulties take a very unpleasant 
shape when he is made a defendant for damages in his own Supreme 
Court for overstepping his not very well-defined powers in his 
anxiety to prevent a British possession under his control from becoming 
a base from which war in foreign territory can be aided and abetted. 
Two Governors at least, in recent times, have come under the 
power of the Supreme Court of Jamaica in consequence of action 
taken or authorised by them to prevent breaches of neutrality. I 
mention the last case only, for both cases were somewhat alike, and 
both, but especially the second, of these actions hastened, as I have 
already said, an important change in the Constitution of Jamaica. 
In July, 1881, two actions were tried in the Kingston Circuit 
Court, at the suit of General Palido, of Venezuela, against the 
Governor, Sir Anthony Musgrave, and the Collector of Customs, for 
the detention in 1877 of the schconer “ Florence” and her cargo of 
arms and ammunition. Damages were laid in the two cases at 
£10,000. The vessel had, on her arrival at Port Royal, reported 
herself in distress, and, after landing her cargo of arms and ammuni- 
tion at Port Augusta, had been permitted to enter Kingston Harbour 
for repairs. On the completion of her repairs, the captain was 
required by the Governor, on the advice of the Attorney- General, to 
enter into security to proceed direct to St. Thomas, her reputed 
