example alike to our own and other countries the London Union are, for by the grace of in this great christian charity. God they are doing a great work, could they Some little time after our commencement, be induced to lead the way in this great chrisas the condition and prospects of the freed-men tian charity, their advocacy, influence, and began to improve, as the people got into free example would go far to give the move general labour, and which, thank God, they are wil-success, and thus ample facilities would be ling to perform, the schools were advised there-afforded for the secular and religious instrucof, and informed that subscriptions would tion of the numerous children of the poor now go towards the rearing and maintenance Freed-men both of Jamaica and America. of day schools, wherein it was presumed sound We may meetly conclude our letter with a religious instruction would also be afforded; pertinent passage from the Report of the and how gratifying it is to know, that seventy Annual Meeting of the American Bible So. thousand or more of those poor coloured chil-ciety, held in New York last month. "We dren are already attending those schools! One may here well pause a moment to contemplate and adore the wisdom and goodness of God in thus opening a way, a once unlooked-for way, for the preservation and renovation of those myriads of youthful negroes, their welfare temporal and spiritual. Thus we once more see, how "God moves in a mysterious way; He plants His footsteps in the sea, remember the time when the Society under. took to give a Bible to every family in the United States except the slaves. We hail with delight the new proposition to give every family a Bible not excluding the Freed-men." Blessed be God, Blessed be God, who is not [ready to exclaim? I am, Mr. Editor, yours truly, E. RIDLEY. Burswell House, Hexham, June 5th. P. S. Enclosed is a cheque for £20 for the Treasurer of the British and Foreign Freed Few indeed thought during that terrible war Men's Aid Association, as part of the above of four long years, which so suddenly termin-money collected in the Sunday Schools. The ated, that "a great door and effectual" would other £22 we remit to the Birmingham Freedthus be opened for the rescue and salvation in Men's Aid Society, E. R. every sense of the offspring of the late bondsmen! But so it is, good again is happily educed from seeming evil, and the wrath of man once more made to praise God. In devout admiration of this illustrious and stupendous event, let us reverently and cheerfully present our free, will offering. While we seek to inspire the children of our own beloved country with the meek and joyous ambition of sharing with us the duty and pleasure of educating and chris. tianising the juvenile negro race, let us not cease to supplicate the blessing of God thereon, so shall they become "a seed to serve Him," a people formed for His praise. ON Wednesday evening, June 13th, a large and influential meeting was held at Trinity Congregational Church, Wandsworth Road, South Lambeth, to advocate the claims of the British and Foreign Freed-Men's Aid Society. The chairman, the Rev. W. Morton Mather, minister of the place, briefly ly introduced the subject for which they had met together, and was succeeded by one of the Secretaries of the Society, the Rev. Dr. Waddington, who gave an interesting account of its objects and the work it had accomplished. The Rev. J. Bourne, recently from Jamaica, then entered May the writer make free to submit to the into some very interesting and touching parCommittee of the British and Foreign Freed-ticulars of the late disturbances there. After Mens's Aid Society the propriety and probable addresses from the Rev. G. Denniston Rev. results of a general appeal to Sunday Schools W. H. Jones, and Dr. Fred. Tomkins, the through the Secretaries and Committees of the Meeting closed. Mrs. Craft and her mother several Unions, and busy as the Committee of were present on the platform. Printed by ARLISS ANDREWS, of No. 7, Duke Street, Bloomsbury, W.C,, in the Parish of St. George, Bloomsbury, in the County of Middlesex. THE FREED-MAN. APPEAL FOR JAMAICA. THE most recent and reliable information from Jamaica leaves no doubt in the minds of the well-wishers to the colony that, as far as regards the negro and coloured population, a state of hopelessness and distress prevails. This is not to be wondered at, when the sad and suffering condition of these poor people is borne in mind. From the report of Her Majesty's Commissioners it appears that at least one thousand houses belonging to the negroes have been wantonly destroyed. According to the evidence of Mr. Parry, the government surveyor, the property thus sacrificed is worth not less than £4,000. This estimate, however, does not include the mills and minor buildings. Nor does it include the furniture and clothing consumed or otherwise destroyed. The distress consequent upon this reckless destruction of property it is painful to template. It is estimated that not less than 5,000 persons, principally omen and children, are at the present time homeless. They are dwelling in the woods or in temporary sheds, in vast numbers of instances deprived by the hand of violence and cruelty of their natural protectors. The colonial government is prostrate and has probably not ability to aid these forlorn and suffering people. Our duty at the present time seems to be in the first instance to provide shelter for these poor outcasts, and afterwards to take measures for their social, educational, and moral improvement. The British and Foreign Freed-men's Aid Society is prepared to undertake this important work. Already it has opened up a correspondence with Jamaica, and a number of clergymen, ministers and gentlemen of the first respectability are prepared to co-operate with the London Society. A gentleman writing to us from Jamaica on the 23rd of May, says " Since the receipt of your letter dated the 8th instant, I have written Mr. intimating my willingness to co-operate in any measures for the carrying out of the wishes of the British and Foreign Freed-Men's Aid Society. My idea of working the thing is, to form a Central Committee in Kingston, with branch Committees at Morant Bay, Blue Mountain Valley, at Bath, and at Manchioneal. I have discovered many real cases of loss and unrighteous suffering." Speaking of the district from whence the letter was written, the writer says "To give a general view of things here, I may tell you that there are some 200 houses in this district burned. 100 may be put down as destroyed by the recklessness of soldiers and pseudo-volunteers under Mr. ——, their brave lieutenant." The writer then speaks of the hardships, loss and impoverishment of the people, and says: "general and great is the distress brought on by our recent troubles." He concludes by presenting the following suggestions:-"That aid be given "1 For the immediate relief of hunger, nakedness and destitution. "2 Pecuniary or material help to those who are desirous of re-building their homes. "3 Aid in building or repairing mills, schoolrooms, places of worship, &c. “4 A fund for the formation of primary schools in villages remote from the central schools." The writer further says: "the 'Friends' gave me £50, and I got £20 from £70 I have been enabled to distribute already, but to feed, to clothe, to aid in providing a temporary hut, what was that among so many? My humble prayer is that great as have been our troubles, greater may be the good stimulated by the Supreme Wisdom and Power." It would be easy to present touching cases of distress, but this cannot be needed. The Report of Her Majesty's Commissioners— "That the punishments inflicted were excessive "1 That the punishment of death was unnecessarily frequent, "2 That the floggings were reckless, and at Bath positively barbarous, together with the Minutes of Evidence, are sufficiently thrilling to afford a sufficient justification for my appealing with confidence to the sympathy and support of the generous British public. I shall be glad to receive the donations of those who are willing to come to the aid of these suffering and perishing people, or donations may be paid into Messrs. Barclay, Bevan,Tritton, & Co., Bankers, 54, Lombard Street, to the account of the British and Foreign FreedMen's Aid Society, or sent to the Secretary, 102, Fleet Street, E.C. I am yours faithfully, ALFRED S. CHURCHILL, President of the British and Foreign Freed-Men's Aid Society. 16, Rutland Gate, S.W., July 3, 1866. In support of the preceding appeal from the President of the British and Foreign Freed-men's Aid Society the most affecting statements might be cited from the minutes of evidence taken before the Jamaica Royal Commission. The chief difficulty is in making a selection and in presenting a summary sufficiently condensed. The Blue Book contains 1162 pages. We present the following case as an example. On the 21st of October Lieutenant Adcock with a small company of volunteers came in carts to the house of Charles Mitchell at a place called Harbour-head. EDWIN GENTLE, a master builder, one of the volunteers, says: (3077) "Captain Adcock gave the word to halt: we all stopped, and he said, 'This fellow (Mitchell) looks d-d suspicious.' (3079) Any of you know this man; can any of you identify this man?' No one could. We all 6 6 said, no we did not know the man. He said Rear, advance.' The rear advaned, and one of the volunteers, whose name was Sigismund Depass, said, I know him, sir; he was one of the men with a cutlass in his hand.' The eaptain then gave orders to tie and shoot him." (3012) "He was tied to a tree in his yard and shot." (3083) Whilst he was hanging shaking on the tree Sigismund Depass loaded his gun and went to his head." (3085) "The others. began to set the house on fire; his wife was bawling, and another old lady." (3092) "We set two houses on fire." (3093) "They were Mitchell's houses." (3095) "He lived in one and his mother in the other." LIEUTENANT HERBERT BURROUGHS ADCOCK did not admit on all points the correctness of the statement made by Mr. Gentle, the volunteer. Lieutenant Adcock said: (34,237) "Mitchell was charged with being concerned with the rebels at Morant Bay' on the 11th of October." (34,339) "I examined two witnesses upon that and it was proved, and I ordered him to receive fifty lashes." (34,240) "He was afterwards charged with having attempted to commit murder' on the 12th of October. I must tell you that he had received the fifty lashes. I then assembled the same officers again, and we examined into the case, and he was ordered to be shot. I had his house searched, and found some plunder there and a bayonet." (34,878) "Depass and Mr. Duffus," Lieutenant Adcock said, "gave the most strong evidence that their lives were attempted by Mitchell." The witness, MR. DUFFUS, was proprietor of Bowden, and in the military expedition rode "in front along with Lieutenant Adcock" (9577). In his examination he stated that at the trial of Mitchell he was not sworn nor was his evidence taken down in writing. On the march he said to Lieutenant Adcock, “there was a man who was threatening me the other day" (9547); the troops were halted and he was arrested. On being pressed to explain the way in which his life was attempted by Charles Mitchell, Mr. Duffus gave the following answers: 9539, The man went and cut off a Lamboo, and said, that is the way to cut off buckra's head. "9540, He did not cut your head off?--No. "9511, Or your overseer's ?—No. "9512, Only the bamboo ?--Yes. 9543, And for that he was executed ?—He was executed.” "SIGISMUND DEPASS, overseer to Mr. Duffus, said that Mitchell, irritated and angry in his manner, gave three chops to a bale of bamboos, and said: I would as soon cut your d-d head off'" (11804). "He was flourishing his cutlass recklessly, as if he were vexed, saying Why don't you put iron hoops on, and then they could not be chopped in that way'" (14,805). "Was any threat made use of by him with regard to yourself? (14,843). Nothing beyond that." (14,814). "11,857, I was called up before Captain Adcock and saw Mitchell tied to a tree. I immediately said to the captain that I could give evidence of threats that man had offered to me. He asked me the nature of the threats : I told him; and he said to me, can you swear that that man used those expressions, and held his cutlass over you, can you swear that that is the man. I said yes, I can swear it; there was some argument for some time, and the man was ordered to be shot. "14,858, What do you mean by argument; what was said ?What was said between the officers I could not say. volgd doors b 4 "14,859, There was something said, you mean, by the three persons, the substance of which you did not hear ?—No. -#abuodengid 4 A 14,860, Was that all you saw done? I saw him shot, bibend 14,861, Who shot him?-The soldiers shot hima na bogogo 14,862, Only the soldiers?Ņɑkot Jude at graut reth "14,863, Who else ?I fired at him too. "14,901, Did you see the house burnt?-I saw the house in flames! 14,902, Who set fire to it?I do not know.?? T MR. WILLIAM ASHWOOD, Captain of the Kingston Volunteer Cavalry, was also examined. Jean zoude boules roth "13,653, Can you recollect the evidence the witnesses gave as to Mitchell being present at Morant Bay?—They identified him as one of the rioters, that was the substance of their evidence. d mult to. yds "13,654, Did they state that they had seen him? Yes.. HI SON "-13,655, Were those witnesses in Morant Bay the day of the riot ?—I don't know; I should presume they were, i de to «13,658, Did you inquire whether the witnesses had been at Morant Bay yourself? Yes, you can understand, your Excellency, that we should not upon such an occasion be so concise as a barrister would be here.”, To complete the case Mr. JAMES HARRISON, attorney, manager and magistrate said, (2146), “We came across this man's (Mitchell's) house, there were two gentlemen present, one of whom, Mr. Duffus, said, if I recollect right, that he L had threatened his life. (5148),We found upon Mitchell several papers, with Paul Bogle's signature. The one I saw was something about a meeting, it was very unintelligibly written, the signature was very indistinct. It was something about payment for some oil or something, at their meeting house, or about procuring some oil, I don't exactly remember the words, but he was found with this, and he was shot." The clearest statement was given by Ann Mitchell as the following extracts will show jeg ob I—Sovt nulto od or ow ca "4978, Where are you diving?At St. Thomas-in-the-East, at Harbour-head. "4679, You were married in October last?→Yes it bore916, odw <! "4680, Were you living at Harbour-head then ? Yes, de 66 66 4681, In a house of your own?Yes, nom qror bits in as or al ra 4682, What business did your husband carry on ?What did we do: he was a bowl maker by trade, and sometimes kept a school at spring. "4685, When was he killed?-Last year. "4686, In October last, during martial law, where was your husband ?—At Harbour-head: they killed him on Saturday in the yard. |