The Express.
London, England, 1855-05-30 00:00:00

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Irow W. LLL =4ls load J. 0. Shoplionl Illsomokies
irmitami I.."7"rialslarif ripen-. P."6°o. Clarreablinulkluer.looknwa:
Bib.mtb. Lea are n...__ g. 01Imas and J. beelt, lit. Imp% poseso—li Crane sod C. R. Craw. Weleedimpoon. Imitosidero—d. G. Poday
sad T. Waren*. Iselbseldtbo. gent roore.isasio - D. Ilseiteehnie and
0............ J. W. J. OnorZ West Beim, surgeons-0. &haw, 0.
C. Diem lawoublve, cotton spurner—W.
Atleeintaild antes Liverpool. williwriglits—J. Parker sad W.
Grillroom* roi—J G. Roma sad U. Niter, Barnstaplo,
newspaper proptletors—G. CitY. raorchaata. Draper and C. Pietroni, Landaa.wall.

BODTCH SEQUESTRATIONS.
JOHN Fonassraa and Boasas Illnwam, Gsgow,
et Brown aod Maalndoe's R 0091.4 Glasgola. plaaterera. Jana 9,
Asses 11•CDON11,11 liappoch. Jane 8, at the Omega
Hotel, Fort William.
REDDILL. Glasgow. tarter, June 11, at Brown aid Mao.
indoe'a 'looms Glasgow.
DATIL) DOUGLAS cud June Baran, Edinburgh, and Bradford, grocers,
June 8, at Dowel: and Lyona'a Rooms Edinburgh.

THE LATE MILITARY "JOKING."-LIEUT.
WEBSTER'S DEFENCE.

(From the Sonde-Eastern Gastric)
Another chapter in the "thsgracetul proceedings'
that have rendered the Canterbury depot of the Ist Royals
and the lanokilling Dragoons notorious! Lieut. Webster
has ".rushed into punt." In the absence of more ending
occupation, the ex•adjutent takes up the cudgels in self-
defence. Why should he be maligned? did he not coasted
the duel? did be not urge Baumgarten to "cal, Evans
out 1" did he not with his own hand* write the cialleage ?
did he not enact the character of second to the. insulted
cornet in the farce ? did he not order the poor sergeant
(Brodie) under arrest? did he not press the charge attempt
him with the utmost pertinacity ? And uid not Lieus. We—
bster do this with the best intentions? But Ist the modest,
unassuming gentleman tell his own tale. After three weeks'
consideration, the gallant lieutenant bas d an excul-
patory letter, in reply to the strictures to which he has•
been subjected, more tope, tally those contained in a lead- •
ing article in the Daily .l'etos of April 30th. This Leiter
appeared in that piper on Wedueeday iast, and, after de-
raying all knowledge of the " practical joker," er that he
made "any sot' at Baumgarten, on his joining the and expressing has opinion that "in assisting that.
officer to obtain that eatisiaction which the annoyances he
received justified, he did nothing deserving the title of ' un-
gentlemanly conduct,' " Lieut. Webster proceeds :
" I now come to a pact of your article which is parti-
cularly painful to me to contradict, as I cannot well du so
witnout appearing to cast a slur upon a man who has gained
some notoriety for nis conduct on the morning in question
(of the duel). I will, however, in justice to mrse.h give
a brief outline of what occurred. On my first meeting
Sergeant Brodie I asked him quietly what he we. doing
there, and received such ion lent and insubordinate replies
that I felt it my duty to order him into
refused to submit to, accompar yimg the refusal witu more
insolent remarks, and started off across the fields at a run.
I procured a file of the guard and folios ed. A person then
name to me and advised me to be cautious, as Sergeant
Brodie had armed himself with a large bill-hook, and de-
clared he would cut down the first man that approached
him. I then cautioned the guard of this, and cn approach-
ing Sergeant Brodie I told them, should he resist, to use
the butt-end of their carbines. Sergeant Brodie did not
give himself up a prisoner, but stood with one hand behind
him, which I imagined to contain the hook. I then told the
guard to take him, and again ordered them, should he
resist, to knock him down with the butt-end of their car-
bines. I then saw that he had previouely dropped the hook,
and he was marched to the guard-room. I ;bees refrained
from giving the language he made use of then, as I attri-
buted it to intoxication. Previously to marching off tie
tented to Lieut. Hartopp, in my hearing, that be was in-
to:tested this previous night."
The refutation of the ant's. statement is easily effected,
and would have been given on oath before the Mayor of
Canterbury on Saturday last, only that the legal adviser of
his worship (Mr. Aria) gated teat he was prohibited gem
teeing such declarations, under the sth and 6th Wm IV.,
cap. 02.
We mvy, however, briefly state the substance of what
!leveret of the puttee were ready to depose to.
Joseph Quantril, farm bailiff to Messrs. Collard, at Old
Park Farm, deposed—On the morning the duel was to take
place I was near the gravel pit, lookini at my brother,
James Quantril, and John Lines, at work in the pit. Ser-
geant Brodie came up to the bank, and said, " Men come
here." I laughed at him at first. He repeated it, and
added, " Men, come here, you don't know the conse-
quences." I said to the men, lie wants one of you—he
doesn't want me." Brodie then said, " Here are two men
going to kill one another; they are going to commit mur-
der; it you don't ati.p it we shad all be pulled up and
transported." I then went to the sergeant ; he was as
sober as a judge. 1 looked carefully at him. No man could
bu any soberer. Brown, a woodman, was present, and
when Sergeant Brodie asked us to take the officer (Baum-
garten) he took the bill out of the woodman's hand, saying,
You bad better let me nave that bill or you iney injure
yourselves with it if there is a scuffle." Lieut. Weaeter
was not then present; he had gone to the barracks for a file
of men. After desor.bing the seizure of Baumgarten, and
his Conveyance to the bailiff's house, he continued—Brodie
wsa tbeu bear my berm. a considerable distance frnm the
gravel pit. He said, " Now there is a files of men coming
(we could just ere them in the nistence); I will go and give
myself 1111 if you will promise me that you will secure nim
!Baumgarten). 1 said I would du so. Berjeidit Brodie then
gave me the bill, and immediately walked in the direction
of the file of men. He was at that moment at least 100
yards trim them. When Sergeant Brodie reached the
guard and the two (fitter* he said, "Good morning, gen-
tlemen," and something about preventing the duel, hut I
could net hear exactly what. The adjutant (Webster) told
the men, if he attempted to resist one step, to knock him
down with the butt-end of their carbines. Bruilie said—
" Dou't hurt me, adjutant; I know my duty." They then
left the field t gather, Lieutenants Webster and Hartopp
being last.

Blown, the woodman, states that Sergeant Brc.:ie asked
ham for the i.ill, in order that they should not do any mis-
chief if there was a scuffle. The strge.ut was perfectly sober
at the time—quite sober.
' James Quaotril and John Lines also speak to Sergeant
Brodie's being perfectly sober, and denied that he threatened
to harm any one with the bill, or that he had it for any
nth purpose.

Coruri
B■umgarten represented to General Foster, ac-
cording to his own admission swat, that Brodie was quite
siber.

The corporal of the guard, when before the colonel
:M.Queen) the rains toorniag, distinctly stated that Brodie
au perfectly sonar when arrested.
. _ _

In addition to the above irrefragable proof of the sergeant's
ribriety at the time of •he sham cud, it may be stated that
a pledged teetotaller, and has been so since the begin-
ning of the month of January last.
There is one important statement of Lieut. Webster that
requires explanation. It is when he says " a person came
to him and advised Lim to be cautious, as Sergeant Brodie
had armed himself with a large bill-hook." Way was he
not named? It must have been either Lieut. Hattopp or
the surgeon, Mr. T. S. Cooper ; but we cannot believe that
the latter ftelltlfolllll would have thus misrepresented nat-
ters. For Lieut. Hamm) we will not vouch, because in
order to prevent an acctunt of the disreputable proceedings
appearing in our column% he did not 'blank from telling
our reporter that "If there was a man under Heaven that
deserved to he hang, that man was Sergeant Brodie," and,
turning to Welteter, asked if it was not true, and tha
other answered in the affirmative.
. . .

The above facts require no comment; they viatheate the
truth, and supp.,rt the clams of juries.. More is not needed.
T.) effect that has been our object, anti however feebly ac•
complished, it it has that end, our labours will not Lave
been in vain.