Governor. For two years there was harmony between himself and the Assembly, but at the end of that time he found himself compelled to reject the Poll Tax Bill and to dissolve the Assembly on account of "its partial and unjust proceedings." In December, 1687, the Duke of Albemarle arrived as Governor, bringing with him Father Churchill, a Romish Priest, to convert the inhabitants to Roman Catholicism, and Dr. Hans Sloane, the Great Naturalist, as his Medical Attendant. It was not long before this nobleman and the Assembly were in open antagonism. He dissolved the House suddenly, because one of the members in a debate repeated the old adage, salus populi suprema lex, and had the offender taken into custody and fined £600. Writs were issued for another Assembly. "The freedom of election was grossly violated by the Duke, who admitted hosts of servants and discharged seamen to the poll, and actually imprisoned many legal voters of wealth and consideration. He imposed fines on the latter to a large amount and threatened to whip two gentlemen for requesting a habeas corpus for their friends."* The Assembly thus elected met and while in session the Duke died, and Sir Francis Watson, as President of the Council, assumed the Government. Soon after intelligence of the flight of James II. and the proclamation of William and Mary reached the island. The colonists thereupon petitioned the new Sovereigns against the tyrannical acts of the late Governor, and the illegality of the Assembly that enacted the laws recommended by him. In response the King restored the dismissed members of Council and Public Officers to their places and trusts, remitted the fines imposed and referred the laws to a new Assembly. In May, 1690, the Earl of Inchiquin arrived as Governor, with instructions to ship to England the sufferers from the field of Sedgmoor, and the whole body of the "sold-out rebels" arrived in England on the anniversary of the day on which they had been sent as convicts to Jamaica. The Earl very soon exhibited his natural petulance to the Assembly. Some discussion arose in the House on a bill for the defence of the island and the Earl, taking offence at the proceedings, rejected the congratulatory address to himself and "threw it to them with some contempt." War then existed between England and France and Freebooters and other hostile cruisers were making depredations on the seaside plantations of Jamaica. In retaliation the Earl despatched the "Swan" and "Guernsey," men of-war, to attack the French settlement in Hispaniola, and just about the time of his death these vessels returned with valuable prizes, having been eminently successful in the enterprize. These were taken to Port Royal which was then the "finest town in the West Indies and the richest spot in the universe." On the 7th June, 1692, the great earthquake occurred which almost destroyed this opulent city. Whole streets with their inhabitants were swallowed up by the opening of the earth, which, as it closed again squeezed the people to death, and in that manner several were left with their heads above ground. "It was a sad sight," wrote the Rector of the Parish, "to see the harbour covered with dead bodies of people of all conditions, floating up and down without burial, for the burying place was destroyed by the earthquake, which dashed to pieces tombs, and the sea washed the carcasses of those who had been buried out of their graves." Of the 3,000 houses but about 200, with Fort Charles, remained uninjured. "The whole island felt the shock. Chains of hills were riven asunder, new channels formed for the rivers, mountains dissolved with a mighty crash, burying alive the people of the adjacent valleys, whole settlements sunk into the bowels of the earth, plantations were removed en masse and all the sugar works destroyed. In fact the whole outline was drawn a fresh and the elevation of the surface was considerably diminished. The sentence of desolation was thus, however, but partially fulfilled; a noxious miasma generated by the shoals of putrefying bodies that floated about the harbour of Port Royal, or lay in heaps in the suburbs, slew thousands of the survivors." President White (who succeeded in the government on the death of the Earl of Inchiquin) was among those who died from injuries received at Port Royal during the earthquake. The destruction of Port Royal led to the settlement of Kingston. Many of the survivors removed to the lower part of Liguanea in St. Bridges' Annals of Jamaica. Narrative of the Rector of Port Royal, † Leslies's New History of Jamaica. Andrew, then the property of Colonel Beeston, and formed themselves into a community. They procured for then settlement the status of a town and had it laid out by Colonel Christian Lilly of the Royal Artillery. In March, 1693, Sir William Beeston, Knt., formerly Colonel Beeston, arrived as Lieutenant-Governor and assumed the Government. In May, 1694, intelligence of a projected invasion of the island, in the interest of the fugitive King, was communicated to him, and on the 17th June a French fleet, commanded by Admiral DuCasse, came in sight. They landed detachments of men at Cow Bay and Port Morant, who penetrated the interior and destroyed fifty plantations. By horrid atrocities they secured a large amount of money and other valuables. Both men and women were murdered. The squadron took several merchant ships and carried off one thousand three hundred slaves. When they had accomplished their depredations on the north and east sides of the island they sailed for Carliste Bay on the south, but there they were met by the Colonial Militia wh› bravely encountered and eventually defeated them, driving them back to their ships with the loss of 700 men. The sale of the negroes kidnapped realized £65,000 to the captors. In July, 1702, war was again declared by England against France, and Admiral Benbow sailed from Port Royal in search of the French fleet under DuCasse, and on the 19th August fell in with it off Santa Martha. Benbow was defeated and taken to Kingston where he died from the effects of a wound in his leg. In the following January Colonel Thomas Handesyd (afterwards Major General) was appointed Governor. There were eight Assemblies and fifteen sessions within the eight years of his administration. The Governor in proroguing the last of these Assemblies declared that their conduct reminded him of a 66 party of barbarous people who took off the head of Charles of ever blessed memory." Among the revenue bills of this period was one levying a poll tax of 10/ on every white person above the of 15. age In July, 1711, Admiral Lord Archibald Hamilton arrived as Governor. He was directed in the Royal instructions not to pass any law for a shorter period than 12 months. This was in consequence of the habit of the Assembly to limit their money bills to three months, "under a jealous apprehension of the Council's interference or the Governor's intemperance. ."* The differences between the Governor and the Assembly were as fierce during this administration as during that of Colonel Handesyd and culminated in the Governor's refusing to receive any more messages from the House. Lord Hamilton was re-called and Mr. Peter Heywood, a planter, succeeded to the Government. He was directed not to pass any law that should repeal a law confirmed by the Crown, without a suspension clause, or first transmitting the draft of the bill to the Secretary of State. In April, 1718, Sir Nicholas Lawes, another planter, became Governor. He endeavoured to conciliate all parties, but the publication of a libel by Mr. James Wood, the Clerk of the Council, on the Assembly, led to the renewal of the political conflicts. The libel was in defence of Lord Hamilton. An interchange of intemperate messages between the Council and the Assembly ended in the determination of each party to have no further communication with the other, the last message from the Assembly being thrown off the Council table by one of the members of the Board and trampled beneath his feet. This led to a dissolution of the Assembly. In the following year the Legislative brawls were continued and five members were expelled by the Assembly "for having urged that the House had fallen by the Speaker remaining in the Chair without a quorum." The House was again dissolved. The interruption to the progress of public business involved the Government so much in debt that its bills were at a discount of fifty per cent., and even the expenses incident on the trial of some pirates could not be defrayed. The rebellious negroes also harrassed the country and appeared in such force that it became necessary to summon the aid of the Mosquitto Indians. A party of them arrived under the conduct of their King but the want of money obstructed even that important service. The "Picaroons" from Cuba also made frequent invasions on the unprotected coasts. The house of the proprietor of a considerable settlement on the beach of St. Ann was one night surrounded and set on fire in all directions and in the *Bridges' Annals of Jamaica. morning nothing was seen but the smoking ruins of the building and the ashes of sixteen human beings. Under these circumstances a new Assembly was called; but on their meeting, instead of proceeding with the revenue bills, they resumed a former contest with the Attorney General, who had been expelled from the House for being a" Papist." Another dissolution ensued. While the colony was suffering from these political discussions a dreadful hurricane occurred which ruined so many properties, destroyed so many lives and reduced the survivors to such disasters that Sir Nicholas Laws had to convene a new Assembly that some relief might be administered to the unfortunate sufferers. "Yet so inadequate was the revenue to meet even the ordinary exigencies of the government that the patriotic Governor literally sold his house and lands to discharge the debts contracted by his official establishment."* The Duke of Portland arrived as Governor in December, 1722, and endeavoured, without success, to secure a permanent revenue bill. Pending the settlement of this question for four years the revenue of the island was granted under provisional enactments. During the controversy that distracted the community the Assembly expelled another Attorney General, Mr. Monk, for "an infringement of the liberties of the people." The Duke of Portland died in July, 1726, and was succeeded by Major-General Robert Hunter as Governor. Before his arrival he had made himself acquainted with the state of the colony and urged its distress on the attention of His Majesty's Ministers. In recompence for his early services the Assembly increased his salary from the £5,000 paid to the Duke of Portland to £6,000 per annum. The long agitated revenue bill was passed, under which the permanent revenue of £8,000 per annum was granted to the Crown. In return the King confirmed all the laws which up to that time remained unassented to, and decreed that "all such laws and statutes of England as have been at any time esteemed, introduced, used, accepted or received as laws in this island, shall and are hereby declared to be and continue laws of this His Majesty's Island of Jamaica for ever." During the Legislative dissensions above referred to the Maroons had grown 80 formidable under a very able leader named "Cudjoe" that it became necessary to increase the military strength of the colony and to erect extra barracks. Every barrack was provided with a pack of dogs by the Churchwardens of the parish, to guard against surprises at night and for tracking the enemy in the mountain fastnesses. In 1734 Captain Stoddart attacked the Maroons at their windward town called "Nanny," situated on one of the highest points of the Flue Mountains, and completely destroyed or routed the whole body. Many were killed in their habitations and several threw themselves headlong down the precipice. But the Maroons rallied and were soon again prepared for battle Two hundred seamen and three or four hundred of the Militia reinforced the Military and penetrated almost to the new Maroon settlement. The insurgents attacked the troops on all sides and for a time both advance and retreat for the latter seemed equally impossible At length they effected their escape, leaving behind a number of killed and wounded. This greatly increased the alarm and insecurity that everywhere prevailed. Governor Trelawny arrived on the 30th April, 1738, and his first act was to conciliate the Mountaineers. He commissioned Colonel John Gurthrie (late of the Darien Expedition) to meet the Chiefs of the Maroons and negotiate with them a treaty of peace. Two thousand five hundred acres of land were assigned them in different parts of the island and perfect freedom was granted them and their successors. They were required to aid the Government in repelling invasions and in suppressing internal rebellion. Two European Superintendents were appointed to reside amongst them, and "Captain Cudjoe" was confirmed as Chief Commander. War was declared by England against Spain in October, 1739, in consequence of the "unjust seizures and depredations that had been carried on in the West Indies by the Spanish guarda costas," and Jamaica furnished contingents of Volunteers to assist in the operations against the Spanish American possessions. Porto Bello and Chagres were successfully attacked and surrendered, but every other attempt at * Bridges' Annals of Jamaica. subjugation resulted in utter failure. The British Commanders returned to England and the expedition was abandoned. In the October following a dreadful storm and earthquake occurred. Port Royal again suffered All the fortifications were injured and that at Mosquitto Point was destroyed. The streets were deluged with water and the inhabitants all through the dreary night were looking for instant death. But the greatest injuries occurred at Savanna-la-Mar. "The sea bursting its ancient limits overwhelmed that unhappy town and swept it to instant destruction, leaving not a vestige of man, beast or habitation behind."* Governor Trelawny retired from the Government in November, 1751, and ViceAdmiral Knowles (afterwards Baronet) was sworn into Office as Governor. During the early part of his administration the Assembly claimed the right of appointing their own officers to perform the duties of the Public Treasury and of passing all laws without suspension clauses, whether they affected the prerogative of the Crown or not. These demands led to a protracted and bitter disagreement between the Executive and the Assembly and to the ultimate decision of the House of Commons "that the resolution of the Assembly was illegal, repugnant to the terms of the King's Commission to his Governor and derogatory of the rights of the Crown and people of Great Britain." The Assembly was dissolved and the new House was directed by the Governor to meet in Kingston. The summons was complied with but the Assembly refused to pass a bill for transferring the seat of government to Kingston and was again dissolved. Other dissolutions ensued, but the required measure was at length passed and assented to by the Governor. It was subsequently dissolved by the King and Governor Knowles was burnt in effigy. Just before the Easter of 1760 a formidable rebellion broke out amongst the slaves in the Parish of St. Mary. They seized the fort at Port Maria and possessed themselves of the arms, ammunition and other stores. The white inhabitants of the neighbouring properties were all butchered and the insurgents retired to Ballard's Valley, where, however, they were met by a body of volunteers and driven into the woods. Martial Law was proclaimed and two Regiments of Regulars and a large body of Militia were ordered to the scene of action. The insurgents fought with desperate fury and were at first successful; but they were ultimately surrounded and overpowered. More than 400 were killed in the field; one of the ringleaders was burnt and two were hung in chains. About 600 were transported to the Bay of Honduras. Two years after (1762) Governor William Henry Lyttleton arrived from South Carolina and assumed the government in succession to Lieutenant Governor Moore. Governor Lyttleton brought with him intelligence of the declaration of war between England and Spain and shortly after an expedition sailed from Port Royal against Havannah, which was besieged and captured. Jamaica contributed a subsidiary force. Booty to the value of two millions sterling, exclusive of an immense artillery, with twelve sail-of-the-line and a fleet of merchantmen, rewarded the gallant exploit. The wealth of the colony was hourly increased by the rich prizes which again poured their glittering treasures on its shores. In October peace was proclaimed and the Assembly resumed their political discords. The Governor as Chancellor granted a writ of habeas corpus and released from prison one Wilson, a Marshal's Deputy, who had been committed to gaol by the Assembly for a breach of privilege in levying on the carriage horses of Mr. Oliphant, a member, for debt. The House refused to grant the supplies until reparation was made Three dissolutions ensued but the House adhered to their determination. Eventually Governor Lyttleton applied to the Imperial Government for power to draw upon the British Treasury for the subsistence of the Troops so as to be relieved of the necessity for supplies from the Assembly. The application was granted but the Governor was recalled and Rodger Hope Elletson appointed Lieutenant-Governor. By command of the King in Council, and in presence of the Council and Assembly, he caused a vacatur to be entered on the margin of the proceedings in the case of Wilson. Four years after, an application was made by the Imperial Government for the refundiug of the thirty thousand pounds which Governor Lyttleton had drawn from the British * Bryan Edwards' History of the West Indies. Treasury to pay the troops. The Assembly refused payment, and in an Address to the Throne, urged that compliance on their part "would enable the Governor of Jamaica, in concert with any future wicked or despotic administration in Great Britain, to intermit Assemblies at pleasure; to suspend their legislative rights; and to burden the people of the island to their latest posterity in the most grievous, arbitrary and oppressive manner without bounds and without remedy." The objections of the Assembly prevailed and the claim was abandoned by the Imperial Government. In 1777 another outbreak among the slaves disturbed the tranquillity of the island. A conspiracy to murder all the white colonists was discovered in the Parishes of Hanover and Westmoreland just as it was about to be put into execution. So great was the consternation that a homeward bound fleet of more than one hundred ships was detained for some days. The ready assistance offered by the Navy, with the active support of the Militia, restored peace; and the ringleaders of the conspiracy, thirty in number, were executed. In March of the following year the French recognized the independence of the "United States" and war was declared by England. D'Estaing with a fleet of thirtysix ships-of-the-line sailed for the West Indies. Martial Law was proclaimed in Jamaica and additional fortifications were thrown up on all sides. A Militia, trained and armed, started into existence, which the ordinary laws had never been able to collect. The capital was guarded by the St. Catherine's Regiment, while the Regular Troops were reserved for more important duties, and everywhere the Colonial Corps displayed great enthusiasm. Dominica, St. Lucia, Grenada and St. Vincent fell into the hands of the French, but no attack was made on Jamaica and the hostile fleet was ultimately withdrawn. But Spain having in the meantime joined France in her conflict with England, Governor Dalling despatched an expedition against San Juan de Nicaragua, to which Jamaica supplied a contingent of 1,379 men. Nelson (afterwards renowned as the hero of Trafalgar) who was then Governor of Fort Charles, left his post and accepted a subordinate command. The Castle was captured but disease made sad havoc of the besiegers. More than two-thirds perished in the swamps and the remnant returned to Port Royal broken in spirits and in health. Nelson was carried ashore prostrated by malarial fever and narrowly escaped death. In April, 1782, occurred the great victory of Rodney over the French fleet under Count de Grasse, while on its way to effect a junction with the Spanish fleet preparatory to the invasion of Jamaica, "From all quarters the people assembled for the defence of their capital; the largest trees of the forest were thrown across the roads and the soldiers were relieved by the diligence of the people, who watched while they slept and laboured while they reposed." When, therefore, news of the victory of Rodney was received the entire population joined in the most extravagant manifestations of joy, and throughout the island the people once more breathed freely. The Militia were relieved from active service and the King thanked them "for their spirited exertions in the defence of his valued and important colony." Rodney was raised to the peerage and a marble statue by Bacon was erected in the square of Spanish Town to perpetuate his name. Peace between Great Britain, France, Spain and the thirteen United States of North America was proclaimed in the following year. Three years later the last of five destructive hurricanes occurred. The number of negroes who perished by famine, in consequence of this succession of hurricanes and the restriction of trade with the United States, was estimated at 15,000. In November, 1789, the Council and Assembly met in conference for the purpose of protesting against Mr. Wilberforce's scheme for the suppression of the slave trade. Their joint claim for compensation was embodied in a memorial which was presented to the British Parliament. The value of the island, considered as British property, was then estimated at thirty-nine millions sterling, of which twelve millions and a half was the value of the 250,000 slaves then working as agricultural labourers and otherwise. The democratic doctrines which had for some time been manifesting themselves in France eventually extended to St. Domingo and a sanguinary revolution broke out there in the fall of 1789. Jamaica from its proximity to that island became the resort of many of the proprietors who had to flee with their devoted slaves from the * Bridges' Annals of Jamaica. |