Col. Fyfe, and two Maroons, 1865
|
Colonel Alexander Gordon Fyfe c1801 - c1876 |
It is clear that Fyfe distinguished the Maroons sharply from the rest of the Black population for whom he had none of the affection and respect which he had for the Maroons.
One of the sources of Fyfe’s feelings for the Maroons becomes clear when he noted Eyre’s making him their Colonel, and added: ‘… in my formal Commission I should like to be also termed “& Chief” as I wish to consider them Jamaica Highlanders.’ It is ironic that Fyfe should be writing in such terms, since the original Highlanders in Scotland had by this time all but disappeared. The terrible ‘Highland Clearances’ had depopulated the Highlands to allow land to be turned over to sheep farming; the proud Highland regiments which had helped to fight Britain’s wars since the mid-18th century had dwindled drastically, and recruits were almost impossible to find. The ‘Jamaica Highlanders’ were to have no brighter future.
Writing to Cardwell on 20 November 1865, Eyre said that a Bill was about to be introduced into the Legislature ‘to embody and employ’ the Maroons in a military capacity, to ensure their continued loyalty. Such a Bill was introduced on 22 November in the name of Mr Hosack; the Bill was read for the first time on 28 November as a measure ‘for the formation of the Maroons of this island into septs or clans, and for their embodiment as a permanent military corps’. It was read for the second time on 5 December and referred to a committee. The reference to ‘septs or clans’, both terms connected with the Highlanders, showed that Fyfe’s idea had persisted, but in fact nothing more seems to have come of this measure.
The House of Assembly was abolished and there is no indication that Sir John Peter Grant, the first governor under Crown Colony government showed any interest in maintaining the Maroons as a permanent force. Fyfe, and the Maroons, had failed to restore their old status; the Maroons were to be ordinary Jamaicans, like it or not
Writing to Cardwell on 20 November 1865, Eyre said that a Bill was about to be introduced into the Legislature ‘to embody and employ’ the Maroons in a military capacity, to ensure their continued loyalty. Such a Bill was introduced on 22 November in the name of Mr Hosack; the Bill was read for the first time on 28 November as a measure ‘for the formation of the Maroons of this island into septs or clans, and for their embodiment as a permanent military corps’. It was read for the second time on 5 December and referred to a committee. The reference to ‘septs or clans’, both terms connected with the Highlanders, showed that Fyfe’s idea had persisted, but in fact nothing more seems to have come of this measure.
The House of Assembly was abolished and there is no indication that Sir John Peter Grant, the first governor under Crown Colony government showed any interest in maintaining the Maroons as a permanent force. Fyfe, and the Maroons, had failed to restore their old status; the Maroons were to be ordinary Jamaicans, like it or not
