The Express.
London, England, 1850-12-07 00:00:00

COURT MARTIAL ON AN OFFICER OF

THE POURTki REGIMENT.

A General Court Martial assembled on Tuesday at
the Cavalry Barrack,, Exeter, to try Lieu•. Arthur Vaughan
D,nnithorne Harris, 4 n Sines Own Itlyinent, so the fol-
lowing ciboria of unolticarake and icsabordloate conduct,
to ths prejudice of good order and discipline, in the following

On Thursday evening, the Earl of Cullae attended
at the Mechanics' Institute and Literary Society at Leedr,
and delivered a lecture to an immense audience, on the
IVorks of Alexander Pope. As it is not every day that a
cabinet minister delivers a lecture at • Mechanics' Welts-
ties, or that an earl descends from his high estate to de
honour to a poet, the world may like to know some of the
particulars. We are esabled ;o give a corrected version el
some of the mast interesting portions of his lecture. The
noble lord commenced by detailing his reasons for selecting the
poetry of Pope as his subject of the lecture;
"It has seemed to me for a very long time, I should say
from abut the period of my own early youth, that the cha-
racter and reputation of Pope, as a poet, had souk, in
general cotemporsty estimation, considerably below their
previous and their Iroper level. I felt ruffled at this, as en
injustice to an author whom my chilohood had been aught
to admire, and whom the verdict of my maturer reason
approved. I lamented this, be WOO I thought that
the extent of then depreciation on the one side, and of the
preferences which it neersuatily produced on the other, must
have a tendency to mislead the public taste, and to misdirect
the powers of our rising minstrel,. I allow myself the satis-
faction of thinking that there are already musitest symptoms
of that reacion, which, whenever real merit or ementiel
truth are concerned, will always ensue upon unmerited
depression. 1 remember, too, that it gave me quite a re-
freshing sensation to find, during my travels in the United
States of America, that among some of the most literary sad
cultivated portions of that great community the reverence
for Pope still partook largely of the sounder origiast faith of
the parent land. I fear, bowover, that there is mid enough
of heresy extant smug us, to justify one, who considers him-
self a true worshipper, who almost bows to the claim of this
dorm of Popish Intel ibility--(lauehter)—in making such
efforts as may be within his power to win back any doubtful
or oesitating votary to the abandoned shrine. Tile attitude,
then, in which 1 appear beton you on the present occasion),
is this. I Loh on myself as • counsel, self constituted it is
true, but for whose sincerity tLe stemma of any tee may be
considered as a sufficient guarantee ; and here, then, in the
short veto which can be allowed by tete court for the
boa
nem of the defence, I consider myself .beued to put before
you such pleas as 1 may tbiok beat calculated to get a ver-
dict hose you on my side of the case."
He then proceeded to state his estimate of Pope :
" I do not pretend to place him on the very highest
pedestal of poetry, among the trw foremost of the tueetul
monarchs and lawgivers of mukine. Confining ourselves
to our own country, I do not, of curse, ask you to put
him on a level with the universal, undisputed, miasma
able supremacy of Shakspeare—nor with Milton. I fancy
that some might wish to make a further reserve for the
Retitle fancy of Somme, though the obsolete character of
much of Ma phraseology, and the tediousness inseparable
item all forms sf untamed allegory, must, I emote bend,
in these days, very considerably contract the uumbe r ot has
readers. Nay, I can quite allow for the preference being
given to Pope's mere immediate predecessor, Dryden,
whose compositions, though euuredly leas finish, d and
complete, undoubtedly exhibit • more nervous vein of
argumentative power, rind a greater variety of musi-
cal rhythm. When 1 hove mentioned these august
names, 1 have mentioned all, writing in the English]
tongue, who, in my humble apprehension, can possibly be
classed before l'ope. I may observe that in this estimate I
appear to be confirmed by the present Commetioners of the
Pete Arts, who, in selecting the poets from whine wort
suejeots ler six vacant spaces in the new Palace of Westmin-
ster ben to be executed by living artists, named Chaucer
(woo by his antiquity es well as his merits was preperly ap-
pointed to 1 ad the line of English bards), flask...pare,
Sponsor, Milton, Dryden, and Pope."
After citing at some length the vsrious opinions of Pope's
writings which have been hit to es by Johnson, Wait., by
Campbell, and by Byron, his lordship proceeded to refer to
the popularity of the author.
" There is another and more general testimony to the re-
potation at least, if not to the ac'ual merits of Pope, which
is, the extent to which hie lints ere quoted u facet:lay
maxims and illustrations of the daily incidents of life, lied
the common meanings of men—quoted often probably by
persons who have little knowledge or recollection where the
words are to be found. lam inclined to believe that, in this
respect, and it is one not to be considered slightingly, he
would be found to occupy the second piece, next, of course,
to the universal Shakspeare himself."
Lord Carlisle next passed in review the various writings
of Alexander Pope. Of his earlier productions, he observe d
that they appeared lessreenarkable on account of th. it in-
trinsic merit than on amulet of the age at which tl-ey were
indited. Window Forest, he said, was f` a cold production :•'
and the odes he thought "of dect loot, inferior Clete."
"The ode, perhaps, of every species of poetical composi-
tion was the most alien to the genius of Pope; its character
is soft, vehement, abrupt; his is composed, polished, metho-
dical; his haunt would not be the mountain top, or the
foaming cataract, but the smooth parure, and the gilded
saloon. You may prefer one bent of mind, as you would
ens form of scenery ; the question with which I cow invite
you to deal is, not in what wyle Pope wrooo but in the style
which he chose, and for which hat nature best fitted
hoe far he excelled."
The noble cal next considered Pope's maturer consposl

thalami* .
First lostfuthe—F,,r having on or about the 19. h of Nov.,
1850, he being at that time ova duty es regimental detach-
ment order:y officer, 4th King's Own Regiment. stationed in
the citadel of Piy mouth, ezhibited, or caused to be exhibited,
at the window of his barrack room, and in the same, *atilt
the above-mentioned fortress, a placard of a highly resulting
tendency towards his superior officer, Captain John Josiah
Hort, of the 4.A King'. Own Regiment, to wit :—" I hereby
proclaim Captain Hat, of the 4th Ktns'a Own Regiment, to
be • her and a toward,—Signed, Christopher Arthur
Harris ;" or words to the like effect.
Second Instance-1n baring, on or about the 19th of
November, 1850, spoken to a nen-commissioned officer,
Iteg. No. 1.80.4 Corp,ral John Mcßride, 4th King's Own
gamma, in wattle to the iollowing efftat : that Capt. John
Josiah Hort, of the 4th Kiog's Own itaaiinent, wise mann-
disc and • bully, and had behaved BO to him; that he could
not and would not fight—" 1 could make • drummer-boy
beat him," or words to that effect—be, the said Cept. John
Josiah Mort, being his (Lieut. Harris'.) superior officer.
The court haring been opened with the usual formalities,
and the members duly sworn, Lieut. Harris pleaded not
guilty to the charge. ljeut.-Col. 0 11, of the 41 (King's
0 gni Regiment, appeared as prosecutor; the prisoner was
professionally twisted by Mr. J. Beer.
Ensign P. N. Beetoo saw the placard in Lieut. Harris's
room, and he described it as printed in large letters on
yellow paper. The question as to what was on the placard
was objected to by the accused, on the ground dat it ought
to be produced, and the court was cleared. (It may be
stated here, once Cr all, that objectio,n to a question was
followed invariably by clearing the court, and was of very
frequent recurrence.) On re-opening, the President over-
ruled the objecuon, and the witness said from recollection he
thought the words were—" I hereby proclaim Captain Hort
to be • har__, arid • toward, signed Christopher Arthur
Hurls." Witness said he thought it was carrying things
too tar. The placard wee stuck against the wall, at the
upper end of Lieut. Harris's room, • sad was conspicuous to
all entering it. A question by the accused, whether similar
placards had not been posted over the three towns of Ply-
mouth, D.vo:port, and Stonehouse, was objected to, and
act permitted to be put.
At four o'clock the court rose.
The trial was continued on Wednesday and Tbunday,
when witnesett were examined, to prove the toss against
the accused; but they were ordered not to answer questions
put for the Impose of bringing before the court the circam.
stances out of which the quarrel between Captain Hort and
Lieutinant Harris arose. Alter the case to the prosecntion
had been closed,
Mr. Beer war permitted to read • written defence, express.
nog L-euteaant Ilarries regret fur whet had cccurreu, but
ascribing it entirely to the treatment he bad received from
Ceptain Hort, whilst at Drake's Island. That treatment
oonsiste I of many trifling thing., and many of a more
SOMALI nature, but he retrained from going into them, as
all the other ufficen who had been Implicated in it
apologised to him. He expressed his regret also that he had
sot left the quarrel in the baud, of his father, Untitled of
rushing into it himself.
Several odious gave Lieut. Harris • good character ; and
the defence being concluded, the court rose. The sentence
wdl not bet known till confirmed at headquarters. A cor.
respoulent says:
"The history of the circumstances leading to this unplea-
sant breech was not permitted to transpire through the de-
fendar.t's witnesses, but rumour ascribes it to Lieut. Hurls
bastion been made the butt of the mess, with the sanction of
Capt. 'tort, and cted to the most disagreeable system of
practical joking wine lash"r poured over his shirt and rum
and water down his hack, and himselt thrown into the
water whilst the regiment was at Drake's Inland. lies
father, to whom he complained, tent • challenge to Capt.
Hort; hut that officer wrote denying any cognisance of the
treatment complained of, and mused a meeting, where.
upon Christojr.er Arthur Herrin, the father, posted him as
a liar and coward, in the manner disclosed, which has
brought the son into • position which may cost him his
ti

bons
" Very soon after, at if to show that if he bad willed it,
he could base szercited as full a mastery over the region of
I.ght fancy and sportive imagery, as of v.b r re ilection and
' practical wisdom, he wrote w►at is termed a heroic comic
poem, the Rape of the Lock Dr. Johnson calls this the
most requisite example of ludicrous poetry, though I do not
think the word ludicrous a happy epithet of the doctor's ;
Dr. Warton calls tt the best satire eztant, and we are told that
Pope himself considered the intermixture of the machinery
of the sylphs with the action of the story, as the most successful
exertion *ibis art. I mut not suffer myself to Hauer on the
details of this delicious work. It is so finished and nicely
timed together that it would scarcely answer to separate any
iudated pa•,eges from the context ; besides, exquisite so the
entire poem a, yet the gulled being professedly trivial, any
single extract might appear Widest in importance and
di forty, The whole is as sparkling as the jewelled cross
upon the bosom of the heroine,"
" On ber white breast a eparkling mom she bore,
Which Jews might kite and imidels adore."
stimulating at the pinch of snuff be so complacently

It is as
describe!,

'THE EARL OF CARLISLE ON THE WORKS Chandcw, whom at smother time he is supposed to hive
intended to ridicule under rho character of Tassoc—
OF POPE. Thus gracious Chandra fa beloved at sight.
Then of Lord Comber,—
' Would ye be blest 1 despise low low gains,
Disdain whatever Corcbury dlsar.
Of General Oglethorpe, the foundereat Georgia—
One drien by strong benevolence of soul
Shall By, like Oglethorpe, from pots to
These have reference to manly virtues ; sometimes there is
the same oblique reference to female claim:
Hence beauty, making all her tint, supplies
Au angel's sweetness, or Bridgewater's eyes
othi r times the eulogium Is more direct. Take that
fine application to Lord Cohistm of the effects of man's
ruling passion dear loping itself in death, which he has been
pursuing through a camber cf inst•nere, the man of plea-
sure, tt e miser, the glutton, the courier, tts climate, all,
for the most pert, under circumstances derapstary to the
pride of Lumen nature, when he thus rams them up—
And you, brave Cebharn, to the latest breath
Shalt feel your ruling passim wrong in death;
Such in the se moments, as in all the pas:,
Oh. save my country, lleeven" shall les your huh
Ills 1 rdship en the conclusion of the lemurs was loudly
cheered.
A correspondent informs us that Lis lore.ship was to lec-
ture list night (Friday) on his " Trov.la in America," mad
so this lecture would contain the first pubic • zpression of his
lordship's views and impressions during his raft to the
United States, it is, it is acid, looked forward to with more
than ordinary interest.

His lordship lectured lest night (Friday) no " American
She fleet public expressionPoli of his lwdship's lieWl and impres-
sions during bin vitit to the United State.. it was looked
forward to with more than ordinary into rest. We bars
at a late hour received • rip rt of tt it lecture,
bat are compelled
till r
Of itB length, to
postpone ice publication till Monday. At mat expected,
the Music-hall (the Lrgtet puhlic builhinz in the town)
wee not sufficiently capacious to contain all who desired to be
present, although the admission was strictly cortioed to
member. of the inst't•itioc. An hour and • half b, fore the
time Sled the doors were I tsiercd by persons anxit,us to
pain admittance. The noble tart was lowly cheer, don en-
tering, and at intervals during the delivtry of his lecture.