The Express.
London, England, 1864-02-15 00:00:00

COURT OF QUEEN'S BENCH.

Alter Term Nisi Prins sittings, M Westmiorter.—(Before
Lord aid Justice Cockburn and a Special Jtry.)

THE QUINN E. HtANE.

This was an extraordinary proceeding by indictment
charging the defendant with wilful and corrupt
perjury. The defendant pleaded not guilty. The
position of the prosecutor, the eldest son of Sir
ecilArmitage, and the horrible and disgusting nature
•.fie charges preferred winst him by three of
his fellow officers which formed the subject of a court
martial, have for some time past engaged the attention of all
connected with the Royal Navy. The court martial con-
noted him of two of the cluagrs, and the perjury coin-
phased of was evidence given during that inquiry
by the defendant, one of the parties concernedand
aid who alleged that he had been grossly
indecently smutted by the prosecutor. The prow-
mace, it was alleged, bad been the victim of a vile conspiracy,
sod he had no other means of vindicating his character and
regaining his position than by prosecuting the defendant,
a antsy
nd by undergoing a rigid examination before a com-
Mr. Serjeset &Dentine, Mr. Gifford. and Mr. F. H. Lewis
ware counsel for the prosecution, instructed by Messrs.
Lewis and Lewis ; Mr. M. Chambers, Q.C., Mr. Crawford.
and Mr. West were counsel for the 'defeedaut, instructed
by Mr. Bristowe, the solicitor to the Admiralty.
Mr. Serieurt Ballantine, in stating the case to the jury,
said they were called upon to investigate matters of the
utmost importance to the prosecutor and the defendant.
The plaintiff was and the defendant now is en officer in
the royal navy, sod op to the time the charge, were made
were gentlemen of apperent honour, integrity and cha-
racter.. The prclicutor is the son and heir oeSir George
Armitage, who at as early age, be being DOW
9.1,7•4 entered the Royal Nat y. He joined the Pem-
broke ea • naval cadet in 12...5.5, and he was present at the

bombardment of Sweaborg, when his conductress honour-
ably mentioned by his commanding officer. About August,
1856, he pseud his examinatioo, and he was appointed to
the Orient* which was stationed at the time on the
China coast. He sailed in the Cruiser for the purpose of
joining bee, but at the request of her commander he was
',lowed to remain in her. He raw a great deal of active
servios whilst on booed of her. Hs was at the storming of
two or three forts, and lanconduct met with the satisfaction
of everyone. He was, hewer, wounded, and had to
return home, his conduct having been in the meantime
honorably mentioned in the despatches. After his
return to England be weed him examination as
a lieutenant, and be war appointed to the Me-
lanie at *Scheel, sod he joined her about the 17th of
September, 1861. In May, 1862, when he was serving on
board that ship at Malta, he was informed by the captain
that charges had been made against bim of a nature almost
too horrible to dwell upon. Ile was immediately
placed under arrest, upon which he applied to
the Admiralty for a court-martial. In the fol-
lowing June the court-martial sammbled and be
was tried on eaves charges of indecent assaults on
the defendant and Mr. Deliale, two midshipmen, and Mr.
Jatkion, master's assistant, of the ship. The trial occupied
four days, and during that time he had the assistance of a
legal gentleman rending at Malta, but the learned counsel
said he need not tell the jury how unfit snob a tribunal was,
from the peculiar form of proceeding adopted, for thoroughly
iovestigating any such dreadful, filthy, and indecent
deck She -court, after hearing the evidence, decided that
four out of the seven charges were proved, vie., those re-
lating to the defendant and Mr. Belisle. The prosecutor
complained that imbed been the victim of a conspiracy
between those gentlemen, who were scarcely twenty years
of age at the time. From that time an honourable career bad
been closed against the prosecutor. and he had adopted
this inquiry in order that a full and fair ex-
amination might be made into his condud., and his character
cleared from the heavy ignominy that had been cast upon
him. An application had been made to the Admiralty to
re-hear the matter, bat they had not the power if they had
the inclination to do so, and therefore the prouscu*or had no
other dowse left open to him but to institute these
proceedings. The prosecutor was unable to account for
the amegaracy, except that be had had octagon
in his official capacity to reprove, on one or two occasions,
Mr. Hearse and Mr. Jackson, because from that time there
had been an unkindly feeling between them. What was
very extraordinary was that the Bret offence were alleged
to have taken place six or eight months before the charges
were made on board the Malacca, whilst she woe lying
at Spithead. The legal advisers had thought
it beet to indict only Mr. Means. leaving r.
Jackson and Mr. Delule free to be calk -I by the de-
feodant. The prosecutor denied that he had ever been
guilty of any act of indecency towards any human being.
The proceedings before the court martial on board the
Hibernia in Malta harbour, were put in. The court con-
sisted of Captain Chad', presidut, °totals T. A. Swett,
C. 8., Captain A. C. Gordon. and Commodore Shute Bar-
rington.
rThe trial was proceeding whoa our report left. ]

COURT OF BANKRUPTCY.
(Before Yr. Commissioner (ioalburn.)
IN SE P. B. WATT, OF THE PIES OF WATT AFID
The tubers. were 'hippie( merchants, of Broken
Wharf, Upper names-street. The baakruptey occurred is
Bay, 1862. Long has absconded.
Hie Honour mow gave judgment, out the applicatios of Watt
for his order of discharge. The sbmooding bankrupt, Long,
had committed gram frauds, by purchasing goods on credit,
obtsining'advanoee on them, sod stranding with the mosey.
The question was whether the bankrupt now Wore the court
bad any oomplkity in these frauds. That he was laically re.
'possible no °undoubted ; the question was whether he was
morally so. Watt had failed mos before ; and after
joining Long, he had surrendered the satire ma-
nagement of the business to that peso% who
had obtained credit to the extraordinary amount of upwards
of ISOM, It was almost incredible that a mere adven-
turer should be able to obtain credit to sorb au amount;
but Yr. Linklater had enured the court that it was ma
everyda occurrence in the City. The goods thus
obt were takes to one et those places owl-
mercially biome as " slaughterhouses ;" and a
named Barton, who had been examined, deposed Lertil°t:
had geode Long adranees on goods without gain where they
came from, or whether they were paid for. The goods, he
said, were of a greater value than I,oool.—probably not
less than 1,4001. ; and he charged interest at the rate of five
per cent. fee sin weeks, or above 40 per cent per
annum. Thom goods were afterwards redeemed ; but
this transaction was a good apeeinsee of the
system —" Ex uao dime omen." Had Watt taken
an active part in then frauds, the court would lave
paned a IMPOW.Oe of imprisonment ; but, as he bad been
merely passive, not iaterfering in say way with Long's pro-
ceeding, sod probably had no part of the proceeds of the
goods, the court would take a more favourable
view of the case, and give him the benefit of the
dontit. His private debts were very small; and it
appeared that he had not had free &cease to the books of
the firm. He had so doubt been guilty of great miscon-
duct, and though be had now been before the court a year
sad one mouths, the order of discharge would be suspended
for two years god a half from the filing of the petition. on
the ground that the bankrupt had contracted debts without
probable means of paymeet.

WRECK OYr DVSGKRER.-.-DOVRR, SATERDAY..-•
At one this morning the Brechin Castle, of Whitby, coal
lades, from Llanellv to Landon, became a total wreck in a
heavy gale off Beachy Head. The captain and crew were
saved, sod were brought in a hovellaig boat to Dover. and
were received at the Wore' Home in a state of utter &Mi-
totic& They were unable to save a stitch of clothing be-
yond that in which they stood up.
FATAL BOAT ACCIDENT IN THE CULT Or PARIA.
—Within au hour's sail of Port of Spain, in Trinidad, there
is a group of Wands in the Gulf of Pori*. They are re-
serted by convalescents and pleasure seekers. On the
Lith tilt. the acting goveraor of Trinidad, Major Holworthy,
the colonial eaoretary, Mr. Scott Rustle mad a party of
ladles started for these islands oa • pleasure trip in two
boats. The Govence Secretary, and two ladies named
Percy, were he one boat with four boatmen, and just as it
reached one of the islands it was upset in a sadden aqua,
and the eight pumas were loon strtugglieg in the water.
The other boat was too far distant to render any assistatios.
A gentleman named Revell, who happened to bo stoPPind
no the island, easing the accident. immediately jumped into
a boat, and was enabled to save time whole of the party
except the major aed a lady, both of whom were unfor-
tumitoly drowned. Major Holworthios body had not be..
found when the last amounts left Trinidad.