Sir R. Collier, instructed by the Jamaica Committee, applied to
Sir Thomas Henry on Thursday for a warrant against Governor Eyre as accessory before the fact to the murder of Mr. Gordon, which Sir Thomas Henry declined to grant. He said that as the bill against the principals in this act, Lieutenant Brand and Colonel Nelson, had been ignored before a grand jury, which was -charged by the Chief Justice himself, he was bound to assume that there was no prima facie case against even the principals, and, a fortiori, not against an accessory before the fact. We suppose Sir Thomas Henry was right. The policy of pursuing further what is obviously a fruitless policy is not, we think, very wise. We hold, indeed, that had the grand jury acted, as they ought, in accordance with the clear drift of Chief Justice Cockburn's charge, Lieutenant Brand and Colonel Nelson could never have escaped ; but the force of prejudice which has determined that matter, will always act with twofold force now that it has pre- . cadent to back it, and there is no sort of use in giving Mr. Eyre the reputation of being persecuted by vexatious and fruit- less attempts to try him. If England does not really regard his conduct as a crime, his criminal responsibility must be allowed to be at least shared with England.
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