EYRE, EDWARD JOHN (1815-1901)

This article appears in Volume V10, Page 102 of the Encyclopedia Britannica.

Encyclopedia Britannica - Main :: EUD-FAT

EYRE, EDWARD JOHN (1815-1901) , British colonial

governor

GOVERNOR (from the Fr. gouverneur, from gouverner, O. Fr. governer, Lat. gubernare, to steer a ship, to direct, guide)

, the son of a Yorkshire clergyman, was born on the 5th of August 1815. He was intended for the army, but delays having arisen in producing a commission, he went out to New

South

SOUTH
SOUTH, ROBERT (1634–1716)

Wales, where he engaged in the difficult but very necessary undertaking of transporting stock westward to the new colony of

South

SOUTH
SOUTH, ROBERT (1634–1716)

Australia, then in

great

GREAT

distress, and where he became

magistrate

MAGISTRATE (Lat. magistratus, from magister, master, properly a public office, hence the person holding such an office)

and protector of the aborigines, whose interests he warmly advocated. Already experienced as an Australian traveller, he undertook the most extensive and difficult journeys in the desert country north and west of Adelaide, and after encountering the greatest hardships, proved the possibility of land communication between South and West Australia. In 1845 he returned to England and published the narrative of his travels. In 1846 he was appointed lieutenant-

governor

GOVERNOR (from the Fr. gouverneur, from gouverner, O. Fr. governer, Lat. gubernare, to steer a ship, to direct, guide)

of New Zealand, where he served under Sir George Grey. After successively governing St Vincent and

Antigua

ANTIGUA

, he was in x862 appointed acting-governor of Jamaica and in 1864 governor. In October x865 a negro insurrection broke out and was repressed with laudable vigour, but the unquestionable severity and alleged illegality of Eyre's subsequent proceedings raised a

storm

at borne which induced the government to suspend him and to despatch a

special

SPECIAL

commission of investigation, the effect of whose inquiries, declared by his successor, Sir John Peter Grant, to have been " admirably conducted," was that he should not be reinstated in his office. The government, nevertheless, saw nothing in Eyre's conduct to justify legal proceedings; indictments preferred by

amateur

AMATEUR (Lat. amator, lover)

prosecutors at

home

against him and military officers who had acted under his direction, resulted in failure, and he retired upon the pension of a colonial governor. As an
explorer Eyre must be classed in the highest rank, but

opinion

OPINION (Lat. opinio, from opinari, to think)

's are always likely to differ as to his action in the Jamaica rebellion. He died on the 3oth of November 19ot.

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