The Express.
London, England, 1863-06-29 00:00:00

Zito Orpreoo.

IT 'sYMAILKIT.
TEI WIXOM AF U NLUCKY MORTAL Mins Ramis.
FINZSAIL. Maoism A ntilinn. bon. Bankston*. Garden.
and Farm: Mrs. A. %lam Men Wilkins. Miss L Amid—
ROY SRATLNO.—And TAN STAR OV ANDALUSIA.

fILINCISNa.
TM, artatsicor au TOM.—And ROMEO AND MLITT.
Ream Walter Moo a6onov7, George . Bebnon, and
N. Manton , !Me. t AYR OM.. and Yea H.

LPC[
rem EVIIMNI. A 191TDDBN ATTACK. Mews. Shore and
lairAlleornb Mao I laamde sad Wm Let.—An I THIC DMA'S
Morro. Mom. raoht.r, Shore. Eh Brougham, and
Bmemoad ; Moss C. Lockgoq, L Tarry, mad worthy.

BRITANNIA.
THIS RPROM. 111 WISHING OLIN : or. Spirits of the
Departed I him' ilielog THI GHOST, with Professor Pepper *
adeptatioa of fr. litreks's tral Illusion. —Phe Brothers
Coorade.— kid PAWED WITH wre
GOLD.

H KM RAMA Kr IoNDOI4 BM:DM
Tolla OPOT . AM.'S'S& On. sns.
Twolohlor P—Moirodooi Oa. SAO .. .Allooseca. 10. Oa.

LOJDON, MONDAY, JUNE 29.

Await the lapse of more than a week the jury,
in a few minutes, delivered a verdict against
Colonel Thorson and in favour of Lord WILTON
and Lord OOMBERMEHM, two out of the three " con-
upiestors”--the charge against General PEEL having
been withdrawn during the trial. Considering the
slight difficulty felt by the judge and the
jury in coming to a conclusion, the time
occupied by the trial must be admitted to cut
a slur upon the administration of justice. The
truth is that it seems doubtful whether Colonel
DicKson should ever have been permitted to call
any witnesses. His case, even as stated by one
of the ablest and most eloquent counsel at the
bar, amounted almost to nothing. The
charge was that the Earl of Wrizon as Colonel of
the 2nd Tower Hamlets Militia, Lord Comma/seas
as the Lord Lieutenant of the Tower Hamlets, and
General Pea, the Secretary for War, had con-
spired together falsely and maliciously to misre-
present Colonel Dicireow's conduct to the Quinn,
and thus to induce her MAJESTY to remove him
from his command. To prove such a charge as

this is no easy matter. Even although the judg-
ment formed by the three alleged conspirators had
been entirely erroneous, and although that judg-
ment had been arrived at by the most questionable

mesas, there would have been no ground for a
verdict in favour of the plaintiff. In order to
secure that, it was necessary to prove distinctly
that these three gentlemen had deliberately
formed the design to oust Colonel DICKSON
by means of wilfully false and malicious
statements touching his character. It is no doubt
true that Colonel DICKSON has already recovered
damages against the Earl of WILTON for slander,
and also against Colonel WeLKEIe, who succeeded
him in the command of the regiment. False
charges were undoubtedly made against Colonel
DICKSON, but there was not the shadow of proof
that the three persons who were sued in the pre-
sent action had combined together for any
such purpose as the Colonel alleged. Indeed, the
charge against General Pm was so extravagant
and incredible, that, after giving his evidence, he
was dismissed from the court. And it is proba-
ble that even if Colonel Dicesow ever had the
slightest chance of success, the attempt to charge
a Minister of State with corruption must have
put an end to it.
The facts of the case are very simple. In the
month of March, 1855, the 2nd Tower Hamlets
Militia was embodied. The Earl of WILTON was
Colonel, his duties being merely honorary. Colo-
nel Noisy& was Lieutenant-Colonel, and the pre-
sent Colonel DICKSON, the plaintiff in the action,
was the.2dajor. In August, 1855, Colonel Noels
retired and was succeeded by the present Colonel
Dicesort. In June, 1856, the regiment was dis-
embodied. As soon as this occurred the trades-
men to whom money was due applied for
payment, and after some time Colonel the
Earl of WILTON was sued. It then appeared that
the regimental accounts were in considerable
confusion, and in the month of May, 1857, three
officers were appointed by Lord WILTON to inquire
into these pecuniary disputes, and two months
after, in July, these officers reported that 1,670/.
had been received, and 1,4231. had beendisbursed,
leaving a balance of 2471. to meet the debta,
which amounted to 757/. According to this report
it was alleged that Colonel DICK/30N had given
large orders for goods without the consent of the
officers ; that no investigation of the mess accounts
had taken place ; and that since October, 1855, the
Colonel had retained in his hands certain sums,
although tradesmen were pressing for payment.
This report was submitted to Colonel DICKSON.
In the beginning of the year 1858 the Earl of
WILTON forwarded to Lod CODISZKIIKEZ cei lain
charges made against Colonel Dicesom. In March
Colonel DICKSON was called upon for an explanation.
In May a letter was forwarded by the Earl of
WILTON to Lord COMBRRNERS, and that nobleman
in June embodied these charges in a letter to
General Peel. On the 30th of June, General
PESL, being then Secretary for War, replied to the
letter of Lord CONBERMIRE by directing him to
call upon Colonel DICKSON to resign. Colonel
DICKSON refused. Upon this Mr. T. Dviecomas
requested General Put to appoint a Court of
Inquiry. His request was granted. On the 13th
of September, 1858, this court made its report.
Upon the 22nd General Peel. directed Lord COM-
SERVERS to request Colonel DICKSON to resign.
The Colonel again refused. After another offer on
the part of General PEEL to accept the resignation
of Colonel DICKSON, that officer, in the following
December, was deprived of his commission.
Under such a state of circumstances it is obvious
that the character of Colonel DICKSON as a mili-
tary officer was the principal matter in iasue.
And if the decision of General PEAL was correct,
it is impossible to doubt that his character
was irretrievably gone. It is very certain
that the state of the regimental accounts disclosed
a state of things which was simply intolerable.
Assuming, what no doubt is the fact, that the
lientenant.colonel is bound to look after these
accounts, the fact that debts were still due to
tradesmen two years after the disembodiment of