The Express.
London, England, 1849-09-05 00:00:00

COUItT•MARTIAL ON COMMANDER

PITMAN, R.N.

DIONDAY.

The gent was opened @hotly after nine o'clock.
Mr. IMO. Fisher examined by Mr. Graham The wit-
ness dmiral M address the court, he said : I think it das to
myself to shin the guilds. I was is whilst in the Childers,
sad that ham As 611101 Slit k received I was not on good
term with Commandar Pitman.
The Ilessidsat mislead that las was out to tell the
truth, sad MOM was pat which be tkoaght im-
proper, ha seeM to it whoa pat.
Dm whams, in reply to condom maid, I served in her
Majesty's skip Oldilms be. the Wes of her ~Was WU kir
num to mil, I was the oak gets-nom eissr who
was In dao Me= at the time is maid tom lingland who
votarsad to Mr. I ma's Nab with matninty dm number of
the root who ilmortad from the usial—than were a large
am eba% The assn Haigh, a antlai, was poulabstl
for theft. Ho was morbid by Liesismant Boys as
having boss sus main hoot the litionirsom with •
large quantity of Maas, and on rafsehti his MSS, two
*ass epoch, =prod to have bun sedum Irma Captain
Harass% as* wares was puniasd, sad wu
afterwards pissed abaft. He remained alma several days,
sad he was this pat in the sick list, and on our arrival at
Hobart Tows Mau invalided house as isms. I tomushor
a mss mad Ihspisa Mayon in the Childers. Ho entered
bey, has was ohs:wards rated • ssomcd-slar ordisary
anama. He was repeatedly punished with the eau
use dm hands sad shoulders at different periods.
He was kept ea broad sad water. Hs marl to
mar a sonar mods oft heavy wood, whisk was locked
mound his meek. do was discharged into a merchant venni
to assist la navigating her to dagband. I remezabor that
Mayan bad his Mad shaud ma one ossaska, hat for what
(dew -I 'mast say. It was monad shaved by
the order of the measandent. I slippage it sould
not have bun ass without It was but half of his
bead that was shaved. At UM time Kayla was so pas-
kW, then was mask dolmen's hoard. I smassabar a boy
called Law's ; he was al Te Mah by
have also ems him sundial; is rminally desk aria au= ?Mad
out his head ; ha so stood as tits dock he Mans boars. Lames
died ; he bad long hum siek.
By Capt. Johnstone—Ara yea aware what became of the
sound defaulters' book when the Childers was paid off?
A. I suppose it was In the possession of Commander Pitman.
The clerk will probably be the only perm who can answer
that question. Heytor wee punished over the bards sad
'boulders with • cane In sty presence ripeated4. These
punishments were inflietad by the sergeant and eorporal.
&mend eats were given over the hands and shoulders oa
thew occasioas.

By taia Madloagall.—Do you know if Haytor was
punished with the cane after be was rated an ordinary sea-
man ? A. To the beet of ay belief he was.—Q. Do you
consider him a bad, very bad, or an indifferent character ?
A. His effaces were generally for being idle and inattentive
to his duty ; not having been charged with theft, or any other
thing of that description.
By Captain Johnston..—! am aware that the boy Clever-
don was repeatedly punished with the cue. I have seen
hie facie disfigured with blows. I did not me it don., but
It was generally undentood to hanbeendoae by Commander
Pitman. I heard him repeatedly scream whilst he was in
the commander's cabin. I have so heard hint from the
gun-room, and also from my own cabin. There are three
cabins in the passage leading from the captain's cabin. The
muter occupied the after-othin. My cabin was the fourth.
A bulk head inter/weed between the gon.rcom and the com-
mander's cabin. I recollect Matthews, a subordi late officer's
steward. I remember his being flogged for drunkenness.
He jumped overboard and was drowned. This was, I think,
in July 1847. I don't remember how long before that it
was be was flogged. The body was found three days after
he jumped overboard. I have heard one or two shots were
taken from him. I recollect the boy Sanger, and I have
heard that he was scrubbed, bat I cannot say from personal
observation. Sanger, I think, deserted at Hobart Town.
By Capt. Johnstone--I heard that the boy Linger waf
held before the galley fire to reanimate him.—l do not o
my own knowledge that it was in consequence of being
scrubbed—l only kaow It by report.
By Capt. Wellesley—The boy Lawn belonged to the
jolly bast, and I think to the maintop, and he was consi-
dered rather a foolish boy—l cannot say he was often
complained of.
By the President: What man-of-war beside the Childers?
A. The Victory, Sapphire, Amphion, Wasp, and Hoyal
Sovereign.
By the Prisoner : I mold not say how many petty or non
commissioned officers who went out in the Childers deserted
without reference to the book. Having referred to the
bock I find there is only one petty officer holding
the rating at the time of deetrtion, and that was
George Hogan, quartermaster. There were eleven petty
officals who went out in the Childers who returned in
her; soots were left sick at the Cape. I do not think most
of the seamen who went out in the ship returned in her.
I dined at the table of Commander Pitman throughout;
but I did It ea • point of service. There was an inquest
held upon the body of Matthews by the consul of Ningtho,
and I aadirmetood tke result to be a verdict of temporary in-
sanity. The commander wee not on board when Matthews
wee mimed. Ido net recollect that he bad been reported for
some efface cm a day or two previously. I believe he was
reported to Lieut. Graham far drunkenness.
By Capt. Macdougall—Mr. Elliott during the time he was
master of the Childers, was generally of a quiet retiring dia-
pupation; but when excited, quarrelsome. I consider him
• trustworthy master and a herniae officer.—Q. Do you con-
sider him one in whom the salamander could place implicit
confidence when the commander was on bard or oat of the
ship?—Was he • sobs, dam or otherwise?—A. Yee, he was
occasinally excited, but have known him for several months
to take nothing but water.
By Sir T. Msithnd—Did you ever observe any act oaths
part of the commander to Mr. Elliott which you consider
cruel or oppressive ? A. I have beard him complain of
having to keep watch when navigating the Chinese Seas,
particularly when standing into the land; that after keeping
the first watch he has sot been able to go to bed from the near
approach of the ship to the land. There is one particular
occasion when Com. Pitman went on the Cambrian and
stated publicly in the gunroom that Mr. Elliott was no use
in the ship except to keep watch. Kr. wu acquainted
with the circumstance from the officers of the Cambrian,
and laid the particulars before the commodore. I believe
Mr. Elliott's statement as to not being able to go to bed
to be true.—Q. D 3 you believe that the Childers got on
shore or into difficulties at any time through the neglect or
misconduct of Mr. Elliott ? A. lam not aware of any such
circumstance.

By the resident—Do you consider that while you were in
the Childersthat C. Pitman's conduct was at any time
cruel or oppressive T—A. I consider that Com. Pitman has
on several occasions acted in an onju.t, violent, and insulting
meaner towards myself. His conduct was very severe.
By the prisoner—Mr. Elliott was taken off the quarter•
dock drunk on the day or the day after the ship went on
shorn at Platt& Shoal.
This eoniladed the evidence of Mr. Fisher.

The emit woe then cleared, and on its resuemblisg Mr.
Graham stated he had no other witness to call on the first
charge, that of cruelty, except a marine called Bright, who
had not yet arrived.
Mr. Elliott was then called, and in reply to questions of
Mr. Graham, deposed—l was on the sick list at the time the
Childers struck on the Prates shoal. When I CAMS on deck
at that time, Commander Pitman aid "Elliott, where are
we ? I consider we are in one of the small hays of the eastern
Forma's." I replied, "We are on the Prates shoals."
Commander Pitman maid," Nonsense, I have made her more
than ninety milesoff, and Mr. Smith, the master's assistant,
hu made her awe." I said, "I do not know, sir, what on
made her off but I do know you are on the Pietas shoal;
and you are doing nothing, and the ship will be entirely
lost Mrealy unless something is done." I then asked for a
lantern, and having ascertained how the helm war, directed
how it should be placed, and Assistant Surgeon Brake held
the 'astern to the binnacle, and I saw her head was about
N N.B and having by this time thought we had struck on
the South Prate. shoal, I recommended the fore-topsail
to be immediately set to force her over the shoal inside where
I knew from Honburgh we should find smooth and tale
water for her to lay. I then went half-way up the port side
and looked at the breakers, and told the Commander Pit-
man there was not a moment to be lost, that he had better
eat away the malaseasi, and have the gals overboard, as
the versa was then grounding so heavily that one could
hardly keep en their lads he replied " Whatever you pro-
pose to be dens, shall; or words to that effect. The min-
ims was at away, and the guns and the main boom were
hove overboard, sod the ship passed over the shoal into still
sad smooth water, as I knew she would. I then recom-
mended that the anchor should be dropped, as I knew
the would lay there in safety. Had I not known this, I
ahead have recommended her to be ran on shore on the
islands width the men and Lieut. Graham saw atter loosing
the (*reception trout the yards, which I told them to
look at for. My advice in this matter wee not taken,
and the remelt proved that it would have been better that It
had been. It was no doubt partly owing to the force of the
wind; but I submit to this honourable court mainly owing
to teammates not knowing how to manage or navigate the
ship that she west en the shoal. On looking at the log
beak the same morning, after the vessel had struck, I saw
that the day's work a two days previously had been entered
in black lead pencil, and that they had placed the ship in a
position whisk,with the wind north, as it was then, and had
been blowing, would have rendered it impossible for her to
have ens en the Prate shoals, or within sixty miles of them.
I afterwards saw that those entries had been rubbed out, the
Lace day's work especially, and the present entry terittes
to make it appear that the skip by her reckoning was nearer
the position which I had shown Commander Pitman she
mat have been in that day at noon. Commander Pitman
wished me to make a track chart of the ship's course from
the time we left Hongkong until the ship struck on the
Prates. I had made a chart of the toga of China, and I
then put in the Ina, which Commander Pitman supplied
me with as it appears on the chart.
By Capt. Hops Jolinstone—The last observation by the
sun previous to the striking of the vessel en the Prates was
I believe, two days previously, when off Namoa. There
might have been sights for the lellelladele, but no meridian
observation. The ate, in they. in Mk did not agree with
the entry whisk was these beim ha pentiL I am positive
on this pea, bateau I ”bail the pencil entry, bat having
left it he my deb en lewd the Otlldese I cannot produce it.
I haul as Was glees kr dessins the log, but I ma per-
fectly woo tie se IMP would dare to bare al It witUst
the innessodarle mare. The leg book west
paerally kept
in thee annmader'l odds, but ash ile I was el& was written
by OM nimelor's .rune t, Yr. Smith,
pp Owe. Ileatiougall—l conceive that the entry in pencil
is the kg wee only Weeded to remain until the true ami-
ties ed the ship had been diecoveeaL I ammo to that eon-
dully boom wheal baked at the kg book sad taw that