The Sun.
London, England, 1864-08-22 00:00:00

Military Scandal at York.

During the past few weeks the Commander-in-
Chief of the British army has been engaged in
investigating certain charges brought by the Lord
Mayor of York (Mr R, W. Hellen) against Colonel
Dickson and the officers and men of the 16th
Queen's Lancers. In a letter, dated the 23d June
last, and addressed to the Adjutant General to the
forces, the Lord Mayor complains that, soon after
his election in November last, Col. Dickson and the
officers invited him to a ball " without any cards
even accompanying the invitation." In ordinary
life (said the writer) this is an incivility that could
not be overlooked. He then complains that two of
the officers committed irregularities in the streets
on a Sunday evening by attempting to put out
the gaslights, and for which they were fined £2
each and costs. On the occasion of a ball at the
York Asoembly Rooms, and as the company were
leaving, it was alleged that Col. Dickson assaulted
the policeman who had given information about the
officers just mentioned. A summons was conse-
quently issued against Col. Dickson, but the matter
was made up by the gallant colonel paying £5 to
the police fund. The Lord Mayor also spoke of the
conduct of the private soldiers, who ill-treated the
police and publicly hissed them while they (the
soldiers) were paraded to allow the police to iden-
tify some of them. Finally, he alleged that a
"bad feeling " existed between the regiment and
the volunteers of the city,
"supposed to be in con-
srquenee of the Lord Mayor being captain com-
mandant of the Artillery Volunteers." The most
intense surprise and indignation was felt by the in.
habitants of the city when they heard that these
complaints bad been made to the Under Sec.
retary of State for War, and they eense.
quently sent a memorial, signed by the recorder,
city sheriff, nine aldermen, 29 councillors, eight
magistrates, and many other influeutial gentlemen
and tradesmen of the city, to the Duke of Cam-
bridge.
ness " that the conduct of the regiment was not
The memorial certified to his royal high.
such as to justify such complaint; but, on the con-
trary, Colonel Dickson and those under his com-
mand, both officers and men, were held in very high
esteem and respect by the citizens, who greatly rea
gretted their departure from the city." The officers
of the West York Rifle Volunteers also wrote to the
se
txaitsltoende
iduringn t h s theci
city, between
whole t stayw
ocn o
themft he Lancers h
t when
the
local
Dake of Cambridge, stating that " the best feeling
volunteer corps to which we belong, as evidenced
by the interchange of agreeable hospitality among
the officers of each service, and by the fact that the
volunteer band asked for and obtained permission
from their Commanding officer to accompany the
Lancers in their final march through our city, thus
giving evidence of the friendly feeling of both volun-
teer officers and men towards the 16th Lancers up
to the hour of their departure from among us." Mr.
Council:ler Cooper, whose residence sojoins the bar-
rack', certified that ho regarded the regiment " as
oo.e of the best ever quartered in York." 1u addi-
tion to the above overwhelming testimony as to the
good character of the officers and men of the 16th
Lancers, the watch committee of the city forwarded
to the Horse Guards a minute expressing their
satisfaction at the conduct of the regiment. The
reply of
Colonel Dickson is straightforward and
manly. He characterises the statements made by
the Lord Mayor as in the main " untrue," and
" the remainder grossly exaggerated." He showed
that the invitation to the ball sent to the Lord

Mayor was intended as a mark of respect, and
not of insult, and the affair of the gas lamp was
grossly exaggerated. Regarding himself, be denied
the assault, and he was prepared to clear him-
self, but paid the £5 rather than come before the
public, or trust his reputation in the hands of
the Lord Mayor, who would have tried the case,
The allegation with regard to the hissing of the
police he stigmatised as entirely false; and with
regard to the other complaints he relied upon the
memorial sent to the Commander-in-Chief. We
learn from a letter dated Colchester, Aug. 15, and
addressed to the Recorder of York, that the com-
plaints have been decided in favour of the regi-
ment, and the gallant colonel, in its name, thanked
the citizens of York for the kind manner in which
they, one and all, "aided us in protecting our re-
putation from the aspersions of one who appears to
have been actuated by a spirit of animosity towards
the regiment difficult to be accounted for." He
could not "refrain from expressing the deep feeling
of indignation and disgust experienced by the whole
regiment at the bold assertion of the Lord Mayor
that we were on unfriendly terms with the citizens
of York and with the Rifle Volunteers, when we
were all fully aware that such an idea could only
have originated in the fertile imagination of the
chief magistrates." The greatest satisfaction is felt
in York at the decision of the Commander-in-Chief.
—Manchester Courier.