THE PIRATES AND THE PRESS. — The Jamaica papers express in very
strong terms their sense of the alleged neglect of Admiral Fleming in not giving sue. THE PIRATES AND THE PRESS.—The Jamaica papers express in very strong terms their sense of the alleged neglect of Admiral Fleming in not giving sue. cient protection to the shipping against the swarms of pirates who prosecute their trade of plunder in the West Indies, and off the Spanish Main more especially, under cover of the flag of' one or other of the ex-Spanish colonies. The follow-
ing deprecatory letter from Admiral Fleming to the editors of the Jamaica papers has been called forth by these remarks.
a His Majesty's Ship Barham, Curacao, June 5, 1849. " Gentlemen—As paragraphs frequently appear in the different newspapers under your directions respecting piracies said to have been committed in the adjacent seas, many of which reports might be supposed, from the manner in which they are given, to have been communicated by officers of his Majesty's ships, or by passengers brought to the island of Jamaica in them, and which is particularly the case in the Courant of the ith of March, the Chronicle of the 10th, and the Royal Gazette from the 7th to the 14th of that month ; and as no information is ever withheld by me which it is in my power to afford, and I am certain all the officers under my orders are equally willing to follow the same line of conduct, I request you will be pleased to inform the senior officer of Port Royal, or the officer in charge at the Pen, when you receive any accounts of piracies.
• I do not make this request to prevent your drawing such comparisons as you may think proper of the energy of my predecessor, but merely in the hope of preventing un- necessary alarm, which is frequently occasioned by, and often the work of, speculators. " The senior officer at Port Royal will communicate to you all the information I have respecting the affair of the Mayflower off the Caymanas, should you think it proper to lay it before the public. I am, gentlemen, your most obedient humble servant,
"To the Editors of the Jamaica Newspapers." " C. E. FLEMING, Vice-Admiral."
EAST INDIA JUDGES.—The following is a copy of the decision of his Majesty in Council, on the subject of the important question lately argued before the Privy Council, between the Judges of the Supreme Court of Bombay and the Govern. ment of that Presidency :—" That the writs of habeas corpus were improperly issued in the two cases referred to in the petition of Sir J. P. Grant. That the Supreme Court has no power or authority to isstie a writ of habeas corpus, except when directed either to a person resident within those local limits wherein such court has a general jurisdiction, or to a person out of such local limits, who is personally subject to the civil and criminal jurisdiction of the Supreme Court. That the Supreme Court has no power or authority to issue a writ of habeas corpus to the gaoler or officer of a native court as such officer, the Supreme Court having no power to discharge persons imprisoned under the authority of a native court. That the Supreme-Court is bound to notice the jurisdiction of the native court, without having the same specially set forth in the return to a writ of habeas corpus."
THE ENGLISH COMEDIANS IN FRANCE.—Ill-used in every respect, and hooted every evening by an implacable cabal, the English comedians had their closing night on Monday last, and are now returning to cross the Strait, pursued by the hisses which will a little later follow the Prince de Polignac. This new company was a wretched one, we must admit ; but the reception we gave them was gross and cruel. Happily, however, the cabal of which these unfortunate players are the victims, is the work of a gentleman who arrived express from London for this courageous and honourable purpose.* There, then, is French hospitality abused to gratify the rage of John Bull. We do, however, beg of him to send us for the future performers who will ill-use Shakspeare and Rowe a little less.— Constitutionnel.
* Some foolish admirer of Miss Smithson, who is reported to have signalized himself by hissing her supposed rival, Mrs. West, so outrageously that the police took him into custody.
ROYAL MARRraee.—The marriage of the Emperor of Brazil was celebrated at Munich on the 2d inst. The union was blessed by the Papal Nuncio, in the absence of the Archbishop of Munich. The young Empress left that city on the 4th, on her way to Manheim. She travels under the name of the Duchess of Santa Cruz. Prince Augustus, the Empress's brother, accompanies her, and
will go with her to Rio Janeiro. The Marquis de Barbacena left Munich on the 4th, and is now in London, to prepare the departure of the young Queen Donna
Maria de Gloria, who, according to her father's orders, will embark at Ports- mouth in a steam-vessel, and proceed with the Marquis to Ostend, from whence she will accompany her mother-in-law to Brazil—Daily Papers.
Previous page
