The Express.
London, England, 1867-07-08 00:00:00

Ilabal anti litilftarp.

PORTSMOUTH, Jur 7.

The Wahner Ca.,tle, hired sailing transport,
arrived at Spithead during the night of Friday from Ms.
dnui. with military invalids and dine-expired men ; and
the Delaware arrived on Saturday from Bombay with mili-
tary invalids. The troops disembarked yesterday, the
time•expired men being sent to their several depots, and
the invalids tranaterred to Netley Hospital.

THE FLEET AT SPITHEAD.
The approaching review of the fleet off Ports-
mouth is the cause of daily in • interest, and there
is not only a succession of salutes, indicating so many new
arrival, at Spithead, but every day there is also a large
influx of visitors to the sown. Southsea, with its fine
beach and esplanade, is crowded with visitors towards
evening, and nowhere in England is there at the present
time a more beautiful panorama than that which is pre-
sented by the imposing array of ships at the Spithead
anchorage, with the charming scenery of the Isle of Wight
in the back ground. At the present time, with one ex-
ception, all the wooden line-of-battle abips have arrived.
The Victoria, 102, screw three-decker, which is to be the
flag-ship of Admiral Sir T. Parley, occupies the eastern-
most position of these vessels, and stretching away to the
westward are the Revenge, 73, Captain G. Le G. Bowyer ;
the Duncan, 81, Captain G. Hancock ; the St. George, 72,
Captain M. Nolloth ; the Royal George, 72, Captain T.
Miller ; the Irresistible, 60, Captain J. 13orlase ; the
Lion, 60, Captain J. M. Hayes, C.B. ; and the Donegal,
81, screw, Captain E. W. Tumour, and they are to
be joined by the Princess Royal, on porno from
China, although it is not certain that she will
arrive in time. The iron-clads are represented by
the Black Prince, 41, Captain Charles Fellowes, pro tern.,
the Pallas, 6, Captain M. Connolly and the Viper, 2,
twin screw gunboat, and to them wiß'be added the Mino-
taur, Achilles, Warrior, Lord Clyde, Bellerophon,
Valiant, Royal Sovereign, Research, Prince Albert, and
Wyvern. The wooden frigates which have already
arrived are the Sutlej, 35, Captain T. P. Coode, and the
Dauntless, 31, Captain K. P. B. von Donop, and they will
shortly be joined by the Mersey, Liffey, Liverpool, and
Pluebe. Then there are at anchor the Terrible, 19, paddle,
Captain J. E. Commerell, V.C., C.B. the Gladiator, 6,
paddle, Captain D'A. Aplin, the Nymphe, 4, Com-
mander T. Barnardiston, the Lee, 5, Commander C. W.
Andrews, and amongst the smaller vessels to arrive are
the Scylla, Research (iron-clad), Vixen, Waterwitch,
Daphne, and a number of gunboats. There loan immense de-
mand for tickets of admi.sion to witness the review on board
government vessels, and there are already murmurs of dis-
satisfaction that the civil element in the community has not
received that consideration to which, in fairness, it is entitled.
The commander-in-chief at this port, Admiral Sir Thomas
Pasley, who will be the senior officer of the fleet, and will
take command of the port division consisting chiefly of
the wooden ships of the line and frigates, has noticed his
intention to get the division under weigh on an early day
this week for the purpose of exercise ; and, on coming to
anchor, each ship will take up the position assigned to it
at the review.
THE ALLEGED CRUELTY ON BOARD H.M.S.
14E6ARA.

At the Portsmouth Quarter Sessions on Saturday
Captain James Simpson, of her Majesty's ship Meipara,
surrendered to take his trial for having unlawfully
assaulted a boy named Charles Wallis, on the 11th of
ApriL The indictment contained four counts. The first
charged the defendant with having wilfully and mali-
ciously inflicted grievous bodily harm on Charles Wallis;
the second charged a false imprisonment ; the third was
for having caused actual bodily harm ; and the fourth
was for a common assault. Mr. Bailey, of the Home Cir-
cuit (specially retained), and Mr. Bullen, appeared on
behalf of the Society for the Protection of N 1 omen and
Children, for the prosecution; and Mr. Gunner, of the
Western Circuit, appeared for the defendant. The facts
of this ease have already appeared at length in this journal,
and it is therefore only necessary briefly to recapi-
tulate them. The gist of the evidence is therefore as
follows :—On the 10th of April the boy Wallis, who said
be was about 14 years of age, went on board the Mervin,
with a watelrman, as the ship was lying in Plymouth
Sound, and remained on board until she got under
weigh, by accident, as alleged by the prosecu-
tion ; by design, en alleged by the defence. On the ar-
rival of the ship at Portsmouth Captain Simpson insisted
upon the boy telling the truth as to the circumstances of
his being brought away from Plymouth in the ship, and
the boy said he told the truth when he told Captain Simp-
son that he rid not hear visitors warned to leave the
vessel, and did not know that she was actually under
weigh until she bad got outside Plymouth Breakwater.
However, the captain did not believe this statement, and
when the ship had been moored in Portsmouth harbour he
ordered the boy to be flogged with a rope's-end. The
ship's corporal appears to have performed that duty very
vigorously with a rope one inch in diameter ; for when the
boy was sent ashore and examined by Mr. H. Bloxam,
surgeon, of Portsmouth, the lower part of his person,
particularly the thigh, was found to indicate, by disco-
loration, the severity of the punishment which he had
received. The result was that some of the townspeople
took compassion on him, and hence this prosecution.
Mr,. Gunner, for the defendant, did not deny that an
assault had been committed, but he denied that the flogging
was as severe as had been alleged. He said he should call
two magistrates of the borough who examined the boy on
the same day that Mr. Bloxam did, and that they would
tell the jury that though they could perceive marks of dis-
coloration, those marks were scarcely visible ; and he
should also call officers of the navy who would swear that
Captain Simpson had served under them, and that lie bad
always conducted the ship with care and discretion. He
thought then that if the jury did not give Captain Simp-
son a verdict of absolute acquittal, they would at all
events not convict him on any other count than that of
common assault. Several witnesses were then examined
on behalf of the defendant, including Mr. W. G.
Chambers and Mr. P. White, justices, who deposed
that although there were discoloured marks which
allowed that the boy had been flogged, there was
no abrasion of the skin. Vice-Admiral Sir Lewis Tobias
Jones, H.C.8., deposed that he had known the defend-
ant when, as lieutenant, he was doing duty in the Black
Sea, and he was then of an extremely considerate dispo-
sition, kind to all people under him, and that had been
his character ever since. Captain Beektord said that as
senior lieutenant of the Princess Royal, of which witness
was the commander when that ship was in the Black Sea,
there was nothing like harshness in the defendant's con-
duct. Mr. Gunner then summed up the evidence for the
defence, and contended that there was no reason why
the boy should not have been landed had he
been so disposed ; that the flogging was not
unnecessarily severe, and that the defendant could
only be convicted of a common assault. Mr. Bexley
replied, and the Recorder (Mr. Poulden), in summing up,
rid that, although there was no justification for the
assault, he thought there was a total absence of malice ;
and he did not believe that grievous bodily harm bad been
sustained. Beyond the heedlessness, the thoughtlessness,
and carelessness with which Captain Simpson bad acted,
it appeared to the Recorder that nothing serious could be
imputed to him. The count in the indictment referring
to false imprisonment was withdrawn. The jury found
a verdict of guilty on the other three counts. The Re-
corder, in addressing the defendant, said he disagreed
with the verdict ; but, although he did not think it neces-
sary to inflict a degrading punishment, he was bound to
peas a severe pecuniary one. The sentence was that
the defendant pay a fine of 100&, and that he be im-
prisoned until the same be paid. An application was made
for the costs of the prosecution, but it was refused.