The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1819-08-05 00:00:00

a private Mee to a Maid, is jocular manaer, should be
'emma of such Impatience that the mole should he isle,-
cepted sad transcribed, and the writer of it arrgaed to
answer foe Its contests. I bed always bees led so suppose,
that It washout the guilt or isosceles of the grind that the
act itself took its complexime; but here a jest lakes its sta.
lion is the misdeal code, mad a smile itself is made the sub-
ject of prosecution.
If woe private transitory feelings, breathed alone in the
"War of friendship., aro thus tit be drugged to. light, film
rotonrieg lent then, and then to be brought ageing as es
damning proofs of a guilty and nispriacipled mind, I.ask
when exists the maw who through life has been so coldly
gigarded in all his thoughts, words sad actions, SO In say
that be is safe from such a charge as is now preferred against
rate ? No ; nut use is safe. There is as mid at once to all
enti6gleare between man end man, and an • ter &bulbar'.
lion to. the unrestrained intercourse of friendship. Bat I
most solemnly, on my word of honorer, do declare, that when
I used Anse wools, which have given such offewre, I had
no ktrH thought or wish upon the subject; my only feeling,
perhaps unguardedly expressed, being, that knowing these
Men did net require treatment, I was desirous that Mr.
• Weed should sot interfere with them, that wires they came
top•trefiere the Board they might be seen by the Board in
their tree light; and that when suffered to conduct skein.
• selves as soldiers will do wader areliossa7 eireunistences, it
might be evideut that they were not fit for public service, as
they bad been reported. I was meting, I conceive, bit fairly
tirwatrds all partiis, in thus drawing the attention of the
rumniirtioners of the Melees College to the state of the
eyes of those men; and it is within his Lordship's know.
h•dge that ophthalmic patients have been exhibited to him,
'• both previously and ro&wqrseetly In their undergoing sir-
viral treatment by Sir William Adams, more particularly
whoa they had before been under the rare of army surgeons.
And I do as unequivocally and as distinctly disavow, and
in termer as strong as Unplug, will allow me. repel the base,
rooteanly, earl inhuman purpose that has bee* attributed to
tae, of mildly and deliberately seeking to injure those
whew IA ethics it was my duty to have relieved, and of in.
ailing my friend, by asking him to become a participator
my guilt. If this' letter was really interpreted as replete
with mischief, and was as abominable and as malevoleat, to
irse the expressions of Messrs. Powell and Marshal, of the
War Office, why, I may he permitted to ask. was it allowed
to proceed free on its destructive errand? Why were week.
and weeks suffered to pass away, and nn notice taken of it?
It reached its point of destination, and no steps whatever
were adopted to prevent its baneful influence, which will be
proved in evidence. Lewd Palmerston, then, was convinced,
in his own mind, that there was nothing serious or criminal
in the letter, or he could nut have suffered it, 1 repeat. to
have proceeded to its destination, without giving directions
la the Commandant of Hospitals to prevent the mischief
which has been sieve said to he likely to have accrued from
it. What was its effect Nina the man whom lam charged
with intending and endeavouring to persnade to be guilty of
a neglect of duty? lie read it in the very same spirit in
•h•eb it was written—he saw that, from its style, it was
loser my intention so grossly In insult him, as seriously to
milt him in become a villain. But this you shall hear from
his own lips. You shall likewise hear what cowman-tint
o her respectable .non, long acquainted with me, would have
out moon it, had it been addressed to them. But had I ever
entertained the design that has been imputed to me, can I be
supposed to be so totally devoid of all sense, as to send a
let ter aid, such a tendency, open and nadisgui:redly, through
the War Office—to the very point of all others where detec-
tion was idab'e, and punishment certain? No man
i.sould have so acted were he not en absolute idiot, or from
eionreiousness that he Intended andriag serious or Criminal.
When I was informed, after the lapse of some week., that
a letter of mine, forwarded throng,h the War OlSee, had ex-
;led crest displeasure, I immediately wrote to the Secretary
at War, in the MOM respectful manlier, requesting to be al-
-I.,,red an opportunity of explaining the obnoxious passages;
no answer whatever wog returned to this application. I
feel I was uadeserviug such treatment; and anxious to re-
move say suspicion that might attach itself to me, I waited
un Sir H. Torreas, and solicited as investigation join my
conduct.
I was referred to the Secretary at War, front which period
nothing transpired till the 11th of May last ; when, upon a
mAion of Mr. Grant', fur the redaction of pares relating
to the Ophthalmic Hospital, the Secretary at War took or
ei,tois to inveigh in the strongest terms against my conduct,
reading to the House garbled extracts from my letter, strain-
io.g. every passage to my disadvantage, sad impressaing the
House with the idea that I had been guilty of every thing
that was base and dishonourable. If at that moment it was
Coe 'mention of the Secretary at War to put me on my trial,
'oaf it, I may ask, either fair or consistent with the first aad
c.i'onraiitiest principle of justice, thus to influence esen's
'minds, and prejudice the world sgaisat ere? And if be did
out intend thus publicly arraigning me, was it, I ask, ge-
eereina to seek to blast the reputation of a man who had not
tie. power of repelling the attack that was made upon him !
' From that Mooniest, both publicly and privately, has my
fount been held up to censure-' in the common Journals toy
character has been smallest sird My cause prejudged, and
no menus allowed me till this moment of repelling the in-
'menthols that hare been thrown not against me.
• liy the delay that has taken place, in being permitted to
eider my aspersed character, not only have some of my
inust serious engagements of life been blasted, but I have
been deprived of the means of my defence ; General Officers
said r whim I have served, and who bad expressed their
readiness to come forward and bear testimony to my chit-
'Neter as au talker and a man, have been obliged to leave
the Country ; yet still have 1 the satisfnctioa of having their
swoon, tits under their own hands, and I feel justly proud
•rn being elite to lay before yon such letters. I will take the
l•erty of reading to you a letter frose---
(Here Mr. Lindsay offered to read certain letters, which,
however, it 'was determined by the Court should be after.
%dards riven as evidence.]
Such are the feelings with which I have hitherto been re.
lencd in the world by meu of worth, integrity, and rank
(you will perceive that I here speak on the supposition that
the letters I wish to introduce have already been reed), and
1-Irss by your judgment of Ibis day, I may again be per-
.
ruined tu walk abroad in society with the MOM untarnished
',potation I have hitherto enjoyed, sad bearish" restored to
ti•rg.wtl opinion of mankind. If it should be thought that
here been ton unguarded in any expressions I might have
used in a private correspoodrace, I hope my length of err-
vire, the strung testimonies that you bare heard and will
bear to my character, what I have sneered in my mind from
swains, sod 'asperse since first this matter was brought
forward, sad more particularly the absence of all criminal
intention, will plead my encase, art expiate the error of
,sending a private letter through a public channel.
In your bands I now repose what is far dearer to me titan
l,fe or fortune—my character.
Nothing further remains to me but to thank you for the
patient and impartial manner is which yen have heard me,
nod if, at any time, I have expressed myself too warmly, at-
leithte it nut, I beseech you, to disrespect, but to the
sokooo, and agitated feelings that, in a inonsent like the
percent. press upon and sham' overwhelm me. On your
iodeuient I *mutely rest, confident as I am that it will be.
ape r..tilt of a candid inquiry, and founded us the attiring
principle of justice.
A number of letters were then put in and read.
(itar Goa) Major-Grorral Sir Thomas Bradford Colla
totted the following expression, :---
I regret very much that my being obliged to leave Eng-
land will prevent me atteatling the Coert.Madial, to express
personally what I most readily do hers, the high sense
t. rill% of your professional sod of your conduct
as a Gentleman."
A letter front Sir Lowry Cole spoke of the Defendant is
tilts* terms:— •
" During the four years yea were attached as Staff-Sur.
rem to the division I commanded ia Soain and France,
yaw active attention to your professional duties, sod rm.
thunso.hke einstioct, chtinted my warmed regard sad ie.
.peel; and I am wry to understand that yea should, from
inadierteacy, write any thing to induce ethers la mopes.
pus capable of actin coottoey to year character mad repu-
tations!"
Dee from Dr. ftemeg, Diretior-Citmetal of likapibils, in
fretted, described the modem of Mr. Wiley, *Mpg dm
*Me that jhe wee oat the Iletablielimead, in asidy lie
MARC Almeria( terms; as did sae from Sir James Warmer.