The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-01-24 00:00:00

A LIVERPOOL CORRESPONDENT

LANDING TRANSPORT CORPS,
Balaklava, Dec. 5, 1855

Military discipline is " waking up ;"—the mantle
of the " Iron Duke " has fallen at last on the
shoulders of one who wears it imperiously, and
courts martial are the order .of the day. Only
fancy that I, who was generally considered a de
cent sort of' fellow at home, handy at
able to wield a sledge hammer, or a lady's pen
without flinching, and, to give a stave of " Ruh
Britannia," or " The Englishman," like a man
boldly and fervently, " a la Braham "—that I, your
present correspondent, have actually been twice
tried by (what sounds most awful to many) a court
martial; and you may desire to know how such a
disgrace could fall upon me. Listen, then, to my
" plain and unvarnished" tale. In my last I told
you I was appointed to official railway duties, and
was commissioned to deliver corn and provender
to the stables for the use of the mules spoken of
in my last letter. Well, one day I landed grain at
Balaklava, which, by some magician's wand, was
found to be partly oats, when it should have been

anything

all barley, and I was further charged with "neglect
of duty "in not taking a receipt for it. On a fair
and impartial investigation of the " Barley Case,"
I was found "not guilty ;" on the " Receipt
Affair" guilty, but no punishment was awarded on
account of previous good conduct. So you see
after all there is nothing like keeping a good cha-
racter to help out any unfortunate wight, whom
malice, or offended dignity, might consign to the
halberds. I am considered by my comrades to
have been a fortunate fellow in coming' off " Scot-
free," as my Captain is a most severe man, and
very much disliked in the regiment, and had he
not left the 30th "in double quick time " it was
not improbable he might have " lain like a warrior
taking his (final) rest," with a bullet wound about
him; but, " discretion being the better part of
valour," he saved his bacon, by "amputating his
mahogany !"

The termination of the above cases not being
,uite to my Captain's taste, in the course of a week

after, that valiant son of Mars sent me again before
a court-martial " because I did not hear a noise in
our hut when I was asleep," and also charging me
with insolence to the Sergeant-major and himself,
in claiming " the right to be brought up in the morn-
ing," instead of being kept a close prisoner in the
hut, as before, for three days. I was again heard
most patiently, and with the characteristic fair play
that ever distinguished a British court of justice, I
was nominally fined, and my pay reduced sixpence
a day. It must be understood that discipline
exacts a sentence, often unjust in itself, but still

necessary to uphold the authority of our superior
officers—and I shall ever remember, with lively
gratitude, the considerate kindness shewn to me
on these occasions. The name of my prosecutor
may not interest you, but it is a pity not to men-
tion the initials, in case any stray friends may
recognise the portrait of Captain P in any
remarks on the 39th. He is facetiously known out
here as " The Corkscrew," from his stopping the
men's grog or bottles whenever he could. I must
draw my narrative to a close till the next mail, when
I may entertain you with some sketches of daily
incidents in camp life. G. A. N.

A FORTUNATE SON OF MARS.—A private soldier named
Benjamin Shaw, belonging to the 2nd (Queen's Own)
Regiment, at present stationed in Mallow barracks, re-
ceived a letter on Friday, announcing that he had been
left five hundred pounds a-year by an uncle, who died in
England last September. Shaw is represented to be a very
steady, correct fellow, and is quite a young man. Ho
declares that his good fortune will not induce him to
relinquish the " trade of arms," as he would immediately
get his name on the list at the Horse-guards to purchase
a commission.

DISSOLUTIONS OF PARTNERSHIP.—T. Crawshaw, M. Ro-
binson, and T. Holgate, Old Accrington, Lancashire,
blacksmiths, so far as regards T. Holgate ; T. Clifford and
J. Gorton. Tong-with-Hanlgh, Lancashire, soda water
manufacturers ; J. Jones, B. Sproule, T. Green, W. Tay-
lor. T. Bold, and J. Phillips, Liverpool, ship bread bakers ;
J. Jones, B. Sproule, T. Green, W. Taylor, and T. Bold,
Liverpool, provision merchants; G. Okell and J. Kendal,
Afanchester, stuff merchants; W. Brown and E. Walker,
Birstal, Yorkshire, painters; J. Curtis and J. Richardson,
Leeds, upholsterers ; W. Horton, and S. C. Silyerwood,
Sheffield, manufacturers of skates ; T. C. Hounsell, W.
Hounsell, and W. Schenk, St. John's, Newfoundland,
merchants ; T. Routlidge and T. B. Routlidge, Pontefract,
Yorkshire, drapers; C. Ullathorne ani G. T. Stewart,
Liverpool, drapers.
THE MURDER OF ROBERT STIRLING, ESQ.—On Tuesday
morning, information was received at the chief police-
office, London, which may facilitate the apprehension of
the persons concerned in this atrocious murder. It will
be remembered that amongst the articles taken from the
person of the deceased was a silver engine-turned watch.
It being suspected that the watch is in the possession of
an unlicensed pawnbroker (dolly-shop keeper), her
Majesty's Secretary of State has engaged to remit the
penalty, and advise the grant of her Majesty's pardon to
any unlicensed pawnbroker or other person, who may have
taken the watch in pledge or purchased it, not being the
actual perpetrator of the murder, provided he or she pro-
duce it promptly, and give evidence as to the person from
whom it was received, and a reward of .£5O will be paid
on its production. This is independent of any claim the
person may have to the whole or a portion of the large
reward of £5OO already offered, and to be paid to any
person or persons who may he instrumental in obtaining
the conviction of the murderer or murderers.
FATAL CARRIAGE ACCIDENT.—OR Tuesday, as Miss
Parnell, the daughter of Mr. Hugh Parnell, solicitor, of
-Upper Clapton, and New Broad-street, City,, was proceed-
ing in her father's carriage along Baker-street, at the back
of the Royal Free Hospital, Gray's Inn-road, the whole of
the coachman's seat, together with the footboard, suddenly
gave way, and fell forward on the haunches of the horses.
George Jacobs, the coachman, and a footman, were on the
box, and falling therewith, were unable to extricate them-
selves. The horses becoming frightened, started forward at
a wild gallop into the Bagnigge-wells-road, until they
arrived close to the House of Correction, when, turning off
on to the pavement, the animals dashed headlong into a
shoemaker's shop. Fortunately, the occupant of the shop
had time to escape by a back door at the instant, or his
death must have been inevitable. The horses and carriage
were instantly overturned, Miss Parnell thrown forward
with great violence, her head going through the front
window of the carriage, the glass cutting her face in a fear-
ful manner. The coachman and footman were entangled
beneath the vehicle and horses. The latter becoming doubly
furious at the impediment they had met with, plunged in a
frightful manner, and the unfortunate men for several
minutes lay directly bent.,th the animals' hoofs. Assistance
having arrived, the sufferers were quickly extricated, and the
horses set at liberty. Miss Parnell, who was bleeding pro.
fusely from several severe wounds about her head and face,
was removed to her father's residence, at Upper Clapton.
The coachman was most dreadfully injured ; he was
removed to the Royal Free Hospital, where he expired soon
afterwards. The footman was not so severely injured. The
shoemaker's shop is a low small domicile, built in an old-
fashioned style, several feet below tke pavement,

DISCIPLINE IN THE CRIMEA.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE NORTHERN TIMES.
Sir,—Please to insert the accompanying second
letter from Balaklava—the first having given much
satisfaction to several of your readers. The present
will bear out the conclusion, that, however, inert
and relaxed the camp discipline was, on our first
landing in the Crimea, the present rigid court-
martials will satisfy "John Bull " that the Land
Transport Corps earn their pay before they get it.
Genuine letters from the seat of war convey a more

correct panorama of passing events than any for-
mal official communication.—l am, sir, yours, &c..

Your letters and newspapers are received very
regularly, and they tell us more about the war than
we know, who are here in the midst of it, and the
honours accorded as paid to our Generals, are more
imaginative than true. We pass heroes here with
as little ceremony as a commoner in London ; and,
if we are7not thought to be " a band of heroes,"
equal to any of the Spartans of old, all I can say is,
let some of the " Cobden school" come out here for
one campaign only, and see a little real life in the
Crimea.