The Sun.
London, England, 1863-12-22 00:00:00

THE SUN. LONDON, TUESDAY EVEN/NG, DECEMBER 22, 1863.

Royal Military Academy, Woolwich.

AWARD OF COMMISSIONS AND PRIZES. AND
REVIEW OF TROOPS BY THE DUKE OF CAS!.
BRIDGE.

itshae i
de -d Field-
Marshalo
J. F. ca aide-do-
camp, Hisp,
Colonel: n theg
C.
i aT-
y Dukerhwhi, t ot
attended Cambridge,
General
Sir
rh
Bur-
goyne, G.C.8., Inspector-General of Royal Engineers, with
his aide-de-camp, Capt. the Hon. G. Wrottesiey ; General
Sir G. Pollock, K.C.B. ; Major. General Hamilton, Vice-
President, and Major-General Sir F. Abbott, C. 8., of the
Council of Military Education; Major-General Bloomfield,
1 Inspector-General of Ordnance; General Piers, Colonel
Baker, and other officers, arrived at Woolwich yesterday
morning about 11 o'clock, to conduct the half yearly inspec-
tion of the Royal Military Academy, and award commis-
sions and prizes to the gentlemen cadets, in accordance with
previous examination by the Council of Military Education.

Arrangements had also been made for a review of the whole

of the troops in garrison.
A royal salute of 21 guns, fired by a detachment of the
Coast Brigade Artillery, from the Green Hill Battery, an-

nounced the arrival of his royal highness and staff, who im-
mediately proceeded to the Royal Military Academy, and

were received by Major• General Sir R. J. Dacres, K.C.8.7
Commandant; Major-General Sandham, Brigade-Major

Milward, Capt. Nangle, Deputy-Assistaut•Qaartermaster-

General, Major Field, &c.
The several classes of gentlemen cadets had assembled on
the lawn fronting the building in review order, and, after
inspection went through a course of manual and platoon
exercise in an excellent manner, under the direction of the
officers of the military branch 3f the establishment. His
royal highness and staff having visited the library, class-
rooms. and other departments of the establishment, and
inspected various drawings, plans of fortification, and other
works of art executed by the pupils during the past half-

year, proceeded to the school of arms, forming part of the
spacious gymnasium recently erected, where the whole of
the cadets had assembled, and arrangements had been made
to receive the several reports, and award commissions and
prizes to the successful condido.tes. The duke and staff
having taken up a position at the head of the table on which
the valuable prizes were placed, Major-General Hamilton,
Vice-President of the Council of Military Education, read
the following report of the council :
" 13, Great George-street, Dec. 19.
",The Council of Military Education have the honour to
submit to his Royal Highness the Field Marshal Command-
ing-in-Chief their report of the half-yearly examination of
the gentleman cadets of the Royal Military Academy. Of
68 gentlemen cadets who were examined for commissions
on this occasion, 65 have passed, a result which the council
cannot but regard as eminently satisfactory. One-third of
the commissions having been announced for the Royal
Engineers, the 22 cadets first in order of merit who elected
for that service are recommended for it accordingly;
the remainder are recommended for commissions in

the Royal Artillery. The examiner in fortification con-
siders the examination in that subject very satisfactory.
giving evidence of very careful nrui thorough instruction,
and generally of diligence and ability on the part of the

cadets, The examiner in surveying reports that a fair pro•

portion of the class have done their work with the required
degree of accuracy, The council are happy to observe that

there are no failures iu this subject. The examiner in
chemistry considers that the result of the first division is
very fair, but reports the majority of the papers of the second
division as of very inferior quality. In natural sciences the
examiner reports an ev;dent deficiency of reading as well as

of practical study, especially is the branch of practical geo-
logy. The above subjects were included in the examinations
for commissions. In those that follow the gentlemen cadets
of the second or third class were finally examined, and the
marks gained in them will bo Carried forward to their final.
examination. In mathematics the. examiner considers the
result as eminently satisfactory. Some of those who have
obtained the highest marks exhibit the two conditions of
industry and mathematical power; and should they pursue
further their mathematical studies, the examiner is of
opinion. that they are capable of attaining considerable
scientific distinction. The examiner in practical geometry
reports the answering of the cadets to have been better than
on any former occasion is which he had examined. In
French the examiner states that, although iu this examina-
tion there were fewer instances of very superior attainment
than on any limner occasion, the average attainment has

been very decidedly raised. The examiner in German re
ports that the result was satisfactory, and that the cadets
gave evidence of more careful study than on any former
examinations. The examiner in landscape drawing reports
that the work done by the cadets proves they have applied
themselves with groat diligence to that branch of study.
(Signed) " Major-General F. W. Ideemeroel,
Vice- President,
" Colonel G. ELWYN,
" Colonel J. E. ADDISON."
Colonel Yorke, R.E. then read the following report from
Major-General Sandham, heutenant-governor of the insti-
tution :
"I have the honour to report to your Royal llighness
that the whole of the gentlemen cadets, of the first-class,
who have been under examination, are qualified for com-
missions in regard to conduct, proficiency in military exer-
cises, and discipline. The monthly returns of the junior
classes throughout the half-year have shown that a satis-
factory emulation and exertion has existed generally
throughout the academy, and the results of the examina-
tion of the classes show that those reports were well founded.
The responsible and snb-divisional officers and corporalshave
carried out their duties satisfactorily, with few exceptions,
and% a manner to uphold discipline, and to encourage and
keep up a proper feeling and bearing amongst the cadets,
and, on the whole, I feel justified in making a favourable re-
port of the company, although I had occasion to bring to
your Royal Highness's notice some irregularities which oc-
curred about two months ago, and which I feel assured were
confined to a very inconsiderable number of the cadets, and
that the general feeling of the company is entirely opposed
to these irregularities ; since that period the conduct of the
company has been irreproachable. The officers throughout
the establishment have conducted their several duties with
firmness and judgment. The professors and masters' have
shown a zeal and judgment iu the performance of their re-
sponsible duties that has led to the favourable report I am
able to make to your royal highness. The drills and especial
military exercises, riding, gymnasium, and repository drills,
have been carried out as fully as the time that could be de-
voted to those exercises would admit.
The successful candidates for cornmi.ssions were then called
to the front, and the number of marks gained by each in
the several branches of study read over, when his Royal
Highness announced that commissions would be awarded
as follows, viz, :—For the Royal Engineere--Messrs. Mes-
cal!, Bucknill, Wood, Elsdale, Savage, Kirkwood, Clayton,
Corbett, Ottley, Lambert, Harrison, North, Ommanney.
M'Arthur, Macpherson, Denny, Dillon, Jones, Calrow,
Dorward, Simpson, and Westaway. For the Royal Artil -
lery—Messrs. Doraville, Vaughan, East, Cooper, Bowen,
Mowbray, J. Murray, NVace, Law, Davies, Denison, Sal
mond, Watkin, Oliivant, Fox, Stone, Wallace, Ewing,
Kelsall, Hunter, Taylor, Gerard, Williams, Cripps, Tork-
ington, Walker, Bailey, Ridge, Downes, Dugdale, Mun-
day, Fitzgerald, S. 'Murray, Wynne, Milman, Nutlin, Cur-
tin, Kennedy, Baddeley, Penny, Plunkett, Hamilton, and
Browell.
The Duke of Cambridge then proceeded to distribute the
prizee as follows :—For exemplrry conduct, to Mr. Mas-
call, the gold Pollock medal, bearing an inscription
"Founded by the British inhabitants of Calcutta, to com-
memorate the eminent senicea of Major-General Sir George
Pollock, G.C.8., and awarded to the most deserving cadets
of the season. For exemplary conduct, to Mr J. Hunter—
a regulation sword. The remaining prizes, consisting of
telescopes, sextants, mathematical instruments, books, &c.
To Mr. Mascall, three prizes for first artillery, second artil-
lery, and first fortifications; to Mr Mowbray, three prizes
for second artillery, second topography and geology ; to Mr
Bucknill, three prizes for chemistry, natural philosophy,
and practical mechanics ; to Mr Nicolson, three prizes for
second mathematics, third fortifications, and first practical
geometry ; to Mr Ottley, two prizes for first topography and
second fortifications ; to Mr Goschen, two prizes for Hin-
dostani and first mathematics; to Mr Pafford, two prizes
for first mathematics and practical geometry ; to Mr Smith,
for first French; to Mr Cooke, for second French ; to Mr
Studdart, for third topography; to Mr Howard, for first
landscape drawing; and Mr O'Grady, for second landscape
drawing.
His ROYAL HIGHNESS then addressed the cadets in the
following terms. He observed that it afforded him much
pleasure to receive such favourable reports from the Council
of Military Education and the lieuteuant-governor of that
institution. Ho wished to impress upon the minds of those
cadets who were about to receive commissions in her Ma-
jesty's service that they must not consider their education
to be completed. When they left those walls they would
enter upon a career which demanded of them to continue
their education and endeavour to keep pace with the spirit
of the age. The corps of Royal Engineers and Royal Ar-
tillery were essentially scientific, and this was in every re-
spect an inventive and scientific ago ; therefore it was incum •
bent upon
apon them, if they desired to be really efficient officers,
to make themselves acquainted with those improvements
and diecoveries which were constantly arising. He knew
!early offieers who had made themeelves truly scientific after
obtaining their corarniesions, and he hoped that the cadets
present would on a future oceesiou emulate their example,
But there was another important thing, requisite to con-
stitute
good and efficient offieer, and Chet was disciplue,
Without strict discipFne the efficiency of the British army
couwas
not be maintained, and ho believed that an officer who
dise4,linarian would not only be more respected,
but
Was Pa -ove 0 most valuable the corps. Whilst, however, he
strict advocate of discipline, he would remind them
that there
manner,be
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or rai,end
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at
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e
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re-
spected
and
f oa
r hho :lei go Wuhernlefeclasrsbayanadlltshttaff then witnessed a series of
gymnasticl
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exerieses, carried out by a number or flee cadets,
render the chle Oiroc*i'm Cf S'n'gc`lnt (3"riMths ; teed s.nbee-

quently proceeded, at half-past 1 o'clock, to the common,
where the troops were drawn up in review order as follows :
The batteries of Royal Horse Artillery on the right ; the
field batteries on the left, in close • column of batteries at
quarter intervals; and the infantry—comprising the 14th
Brigade Royal Artillery, the Royal Engineers, and the
Woolwich division of Royal Mar;nes Light Infantry—in the
centre, in contiguous quarter-distaace column. The force
having been inspected, marched past at slow and quick time,
and retired to barracks. The duke and staff then proceeded
to the Royal Artillery Riding-house and witnessed the 65
cadets to whom commissions had been awarded go through
a-course of equestrian exercise, and after partaking of re-
freshments at the officers' mess-room, his rcyal highness
and tho officers who accompanied him left Woolwich at 3
o'clock, amidst a second salute of 21 guns from the Green
Hill Battery.

scribed one symptom which he had observed yesterday—
viz., a sense of sinking perpendicularly downwards, which
was, more than any other, indicative of serious mischief.
Other medical evidence was given to corroborate this
opinion,
The medical witnesses were cross-examined with the view
of showing that plaintiff had not been properly treated,
and other medical testimony was adduced to show that the
probable consequences of the accident were far from being
so serious as had been described.

The plaintiff, who had been brought forward in the course
of the case, exhibited so pitiable a spectacle that he was re-
moved without any attempt being made to examine him ;
one of the witresses, however, afterwards stated that he
attributed his present sad appearance to an attack of
hysteria, consequent on his general debility, but not re-
sulting from any organic change in the brain. On behalf
of the company it was said that they only desired a fair
estimation of the damages, and it was urged that plaintiff
was only in humble circumstances, he living in a house at
4s. weekly rent.
His Lordship having summed up, the jury returned a
verdict for the plaintiff—damages, £1,500.

NORFOLK CIRCUIT—NORFOLK, Dec. 21,
Mr. Baron Martin proceeded to dispose of the remainder
of the charges in the calendar, and commenced business
this morning at 10 o'clock by trying the only two cases that

appear in the city calendar, one of which is a charge of
highway robbery, the other a charge of forgery, in which

there are five indictments for separate and distinct acts of

forgery and uttering bills of exchange, preferred against
the same individual, the sum CO obtained amounting to up-

wards of £l6O.

James Murgatroyde Hubbard was charged with forging
and uttering the acceptance of a bill of exchange for the

sum of £45.

Mr. Metcalfe and Mr. Sims Reeve appeared for the prose-

cution ; the prisoner was defended by Mr. Carlos Cooper.
The facts of the case, as stated by Mr. Metcalfe, were

simple enough. The prisoner was engaged with his father

in a small brewery business in Norwich, and the prosecutor,
Mr. Ed ward Mills, who is also a resident in this city, being

indbted to the brewery to the amount of 18s., gava a
bill at six months for £5, which included 2s. charged for

credit, stipulating at the same time that the bill was not to
be negotiated. As, however, the prisoner wished to have a
bill that could be negotiated, the fit st one was taken back and

another to the same amount and for the same period was

given in exchange which was negotiable. On giving this
the prosecutor required and obtained a receipt for a bill for
£5 at six months for account delivered for beer, signed by
" '

the prisoner, and then the prisoner took the bill which had
been thus given, and placed it to his account at Messrs
Gurney's bank (changed, however, from £5 to £l5), re-
ceiving credit for and drawing upon that amount from time
to time.

Mr. Mills (who was called to prove the principal part of
the facts above narrated, swore that the second bill was
drawn for £5, awl that alterations had been made in it by
which the word " forty" was prefixed to the word "five"
in the body of the bill, and the figure "4" to the figure "
in the corner of it ; in addition to which the handwriting
upon the bill was sworn to by two persons who knew him
well as that of the prisoner, and evidence given of it being
placed to his credit at Messrs. Gurney's bank, having pre-
viously been taken by the prisoner's servant from Mr Mills'
house to his counting h,usa, and left upon the prisoner's
desk. _ _

Mr. C. Cooper urged that it was very doubtful from Mr.
'Mills' evidence (upon whoso testimony the whole case as
far as the forg,ry was concerned rested) whether he took

such accurate observation of it as would enable him to say
that the bill might not really havo been in the shape in
which it appeared ; and, as to the utterirg, that them was
no evidence the prisoner dealt with this bill or had it in his

possession.
His Lordship, in his summing up, went most carefully
through the evidence, remarking upon the bill itself that
this case ought to be a warning to mercantile men not to
accept bills at all unless they are written in the ordinary
way, so as to prevent any such thing as this happening.
This bill was so drawn that the acceptance, instead of being
as usual, written over and upon the body, was inserted in a
space left blank in the body, and dividing it as it were in
half.

The jury found a verdict of guilty of forgery, and the
prisoner was sentenced to 20 years' penal servitude.
' •

On the other indictments no evidence was offered. As his
lordship observed, it was a wholesale forgery of bills.
The business for the city being over about half-past 12,
his lordship returned to the Castle, and proceeded to dispose
of the remainder of the cases in the county calendar. Ho
cammonced with passing sentence upon the following pri-
s mers who had pleaded guilty when arraigned on Saturday.
Thos. Smith and Thos. Bugg were indicted for two separate
act of burglary in dwelling-houses at C Ingham on Oct. 12.
The learned Judge, in passing sentence, said—These are
cases of burglary of a very different nature from those that
ordinarily appear. I find that you went about in masks and
created such terror from your appearance and gestures that
the wife of ono of the persons whose houses you attacked
rushed out of it in the utmost terror; and then you carried
off £27 which you round on the premises. Not content with
that you broke into another house, and there, strange to say
(for the owner of this, like the former person, was only a
labouring man), you found and carried off £55. Such acts
as these—aggravated not only by the fact that the persons
who are robbed are poor men, unable to protect their houses
as strongly as those who are well off can do, but in this par-
ticu:ar instance by the fact that you knew these poor people,
the state of their cottages, and what property they had,
from having worked with them—must be punished in the
most severs manner. The sentence of the Court is that
each of you be kept to penal servitude for 20 years. His
lordship, in the course of his address to the prisoners, said,
—The judges have avoided hitherto saying anything to
poor persons about depositing their money in savings-banks,
because though they have been often well conducted there
hale been many instances where frauds have been com-
mitted, and those who have trusted them have lost their
savings ; but now, when every one can deposit his money
with the security of the State, the case is differtnt, and
though the interest given may be small, yet the ample and
absolute security so fully makes up for that that there is no
reason why the judges should not advise every poor person
to take advantage of the security for his savings thus offered
by the State.
Joseph Wilmot and Richard Hill having pleaded guilty
to the charge of setting fire to a stack of wheat and a stack
of barley belonging to Mr. Rayner, at Litcham oa the 26th
of August.
His Lordship, in passing sentence, remarked on the num-
ber of charges of arson which had conic before him during
his progress through parts of this circuit, this being the
ninth case, and of a worse compl,xion that any he had seen
—" for here," said the learned Judge, " you destroy the
entire produce of the land belonging to the poor man who
has suffered from your wantonness. You knew nothing of
him, nor he of you ; but, b cause you were hungry and
could not get work, as you said, you commit this atrocious
act. Now, I have no doubt that at the time you did this
deed, full harvest time, when work was abundant and labour
in request, you could have got work enough to keep you,
but you preferred hanging about in idleness. This, there-
fore, is so atrocious a case that I mean to break through the
scale of punishment I have given and inflict a heavier one. I
therefore sentence you each to five years' penal servitude."
George Warner, who also pleaded guilty on Saturday to
a charge of wounding, with intent to do grievous bodily
harm, was sentenced to 18 months' hard labour. "A more
scandalous act," said his Lordship, " I have never met
with. You meet with a man at a public house, and, after
drinking there, begin to boast of your skill and prowess as
a boxer, saying that you have sparred with Jim Mace
then on being challenged to fight with the man who has
been injured, you fight and are knocked into the hedge,
and upon that you follow him with a knife as ho is going
away and stab him with it."
The only case of any importance that is left for trial is a
charge against a man named John Lemmon for shooting at
Charles Long, gamekeeper to Mr. Fellowes, at Shotteshans,
on the 29th of November. The case was going on at the
time our parcel was despatched ; but from Mr. Bulwer's
statement, who appeared for the prosecution, the shot that
was fired did not do any harm in eonsequence of the protec-
tion afforded by the thick gaiters worn by the gamekeeper.
Mr. Metcalfe defended the prisoner, the defence being an
alibi. With this and the other charges that are left the busi-
noes of the winter assizes for the Norfolk Circuit will end.

AIIDLAND CIRCUIT—Yogi, Dec. 18. .
(Before Mr. Justice Mellor.)

James Isaac Markcrow was charged, under the provisions
of the Bankruptcy Act, 1861, that he, having been adjudi-
cated a bankrupt, afterwards, with intent to defraud and
defeat the rights of his creditors and to conceal the state of
his affairs, parted with and destroyed certain papere,writings,
and documents.

Mr. T. P. E. Thompson and Mr. C, Newton were for the
prosecution, which was instituted by order of Mr. Commis-
sioner Ayrton.
It appeared that the papers in question had been taken by
the officer of the Court to the office of the official assignee,
and abstracted by the prisoner, and the whole or some of
them left at the tap of the George Inn, in Hull, with the
waiter there, and these subsequently reached the hands of
the solicitor through one of the creditors, to whom they
had been entrusted by the prisoner; but these papers were
found to be of no 1133 in explaining the prisoner's dealings
and rffairs, and, therefore, not within the mischief pro-
vided against them by the act. Some other papers it was
said (part of those abstracted) were given by the prisoner
to ono Farreh for safe custody, and these the
prisoner afterwards received back, and subsequently de-
stroyed, representing to the witnessess that they were of
importance in his affairs, The question resolved itself into
this, whether these witnesses could be relied upo
assiz
n, or were
they telling a trumped up tale in order to get to the
The prisoner was acquitted.
e This closed the business of this memorable adssize
one who
whether
as regards the death of a greatly esteemtiendi g
ejuwhen Scarlet,
went the Northern Circuit a
Brougham, Pollock, Parke, Cresstwaell, Alderson, W illiams,
and Patteson were among its members—or as relates to the
order in Council which be severed York from the Northern
Circuit and its associations.