艾尔之争与19世纪中期英国殖民地总督的权限探析

On the Governor Eyre Controversy and the British Colonial Governor’s Jurisdiction in the Mid-19th Century

19世纪60年代,英国社会对英属牙买加总督爱德华·约翰·艾尔镇压殖民地起义的争议成为英国如何看待与限制总督权限的经典案例。在争议的过程中,殖民地总督是否滥用职权、英国法律是否对殖民地总督具有约束性成为英国社会各界讨论的焦点。以牙买加委员会为代表的压力团体最终将该问题上诉议会,并迫使议会对总督权限问题表态。此次英国议会对总督权限的表态与对总督滥用职权的处置不仅成为限制总督权限的依据,也在一定程度上缓和了英帝国同殖民地之间的紧张关系。

In the 1860s,the British society’s controversy over the suppression of colonial uprisings by the Governor of British Jamaica,Edward John Eyre,became a classic example on how the British views and limits the governor’s authority.In the course of the dispute,whether the colonial governor abuses his power and whether the British law is binding on the colonial governor becomes the focus of discussions in all walks of life in the British society.The pressure groups,represented by The Jamaica Committee,eventually takes the issue to parliament and forced it to take a stand on the governor’s jurisdiction.The British Parliament’s statement on the governor’s jurisdiction and its handling of the governor’s abuse of power not only becomes the basis for restricting the governor’s jurisdiction,but also eases the tension between the British Empire and the colonies to a certain extent.