23 MAY 1868, Page 3

Mr. Eyre has, at last, been committed for trial on

a charge of "" having issued an illegal and oppressive proclamation, and caused divers illegal acts to be committed under the same ; and further, with having unlawfully caused the arrest, imprisonment, and flogging of divers persons resident in the island of Jamaica, by virtue of the said illegal proclamation of martial law issued by him." The summons was applied for under the Act 11th and 12th•William III., cap. 12, an Act intended to provide penalties for colonial governors guilty of oppressing Her Majesty's subjects. After a protracted investigation, Mr. Vaughan, the magistrate, -committed Mr. Eyre. Mr. Eyre himself addressed a few vehement words of protest to the Court, in which he very justly remarked that the " foul disgrace" (if any) of bringing him there did not rest on himself, but on the prosecutors. We imagine that this is usually so with defendants of all kinds, and Mr. Eyre certainly -did manage very successfully for a time to stave off this " foul disgrace" by keeping well out of the way of a London summons. Of course, the grand jury will ignore the bill against him, and of -course he will gain in his ill-deserved popularity by the prosecu- tion; but we are glad that the precedent has been established that the governor of a colony can, under such charges, be at least -committed for trial. Lieutenant Brand and Colonel Nelson got off partly at least because they were regarded as mere subordinates -of Mr. Eyre's. It is only fair that Mr. Eyre should bear his own 'responsibilities.