The Sun.
London, England, 1801-08-04 00:00:00

-4.11111

bC.IBLZ,V, juLy

WICKLOW ASSIZES:

o.l\ir capitdennvidion took place at this Assie:
which ended On. Saturday last : it was of a man who
appeared to.have mask it his praniee .to carry great
quantities of forged Bank notes to put of at Conn:.
try Fairs: ln the instance- fOr which he WaS
he had passed3Bguineas in counterfeits-in a ”avr:' ett
of forty: •
The whole of -Friday. Was occupied in the trial of
Mr. Ed-w. Sankey, Lieutenant:Colbuel-, and MeSsrs:
Reed, bittbr, and Disney, Lietitentints of the City
Of Dublin Militia, for a riot.tind assault ti -o -C;
p n apt.
John Giffard, of the same regithent:
llt appeared that Capt. Giffitrd, the ProseeUtor,_
had, on account of his remonstrating against beift,
passed over in the promotion to the Majority;
cyrred, the diSpleaSure of the flunily of Sankey,
whoni Messrs. Henry, Edward, and John; the fa..
they, son, and brother, are 'the three Field Officers ;
that he, was in Consequence brought to a Cohn Mar-
tm
bY Major. John, and by the Court acquitted,'it censure on his 'Prosecutor ; that not With:
Standing acquittal several:Officers of the icgi-
ment thinking to gratify their superiors, entered
into such a state of hosOityagainst Captain Gif-
fard,'-rhat he thought it right: to obtain leave of ab-.
.sence for twelve' Months, in which space of time
the greater part. of the regiment was drafted for
foreign service, and the majority of the Officers
changed ; that:Capt. Giffard then went to quarters
-at. Arklow with: his family, and resided in-the town,
not being allowed' rooms in the barracks : this *as
in the beginning -Of Decv=l)er, i Sop. _ It appeared,
howev,er,_ that . mistaken in supposing the
hostility against him to. -be abated by time, as the
new Officers to whom he .was personally unknown
amused. theMselves by offering every .kind of insult
which, under the shelter of darkness, they could
perpetrate with impunity ; :that . these insti44 at
length broke .out' into violence, and .nolurnal As-
saults were made upon his lodgings ; and that upon
his applying for protedion, it was refused with
suit; -Things continued in this state until the
night-ofthe r 7th of December, when Capt. GifThrd
Was disturbed by heating under his WindoWs those
expressions of personal- insult by Which theßebeis
and seditious Newspapers of Dublin. had, -on;ae-
count or his exertions as High Sheriff: (it.t._x asid
114), endeavoured' to render, hiM ii4icplaus
the same time he heard a.noise Abe dpor of
neighbour; Mr. Sherwood; with wTherri he had din-0d
that evening;
,he armed himself and went out, and
founci;.Mr; SherwoOd in altercation with Lienternm:-
Darby, one- of the traversers:-. • Capt. Giffard
erred his influence UpOu. Sherwood. to induce hint to
retire into • his :house, ivhen Mr.' Edward Sankey,
another•of the tray.ersers, appeared;'ACcompanied
Messrs. Read-and Disney, and another (whOls-tiot
yet come in to take-his trial); uFon this reinforce-
ment the altercation was .renewed; but Capt. Girl
fard succeeded in gettinz.his friend into the house;
and had shut himself and Mr. Sherwood up in the
house, When it Was_ forced open by Reid and;; e
other .traverserS, who seized Capt. Giffard,
,drag:-
ged him out into the street, knocked -hiin do\vn,
and broke his fowling-piece over his head as-he ta.l,' -
senseless. tiptin .the ground, wllere-ne was found and
taken- up by his servant. The Officer of the Guard
hearing this uproar, .had brought up a party of 'his
guard to preserve -the peace, but' was' driven off
with violence by' Lieut.-Co:. Sankey, -and-obliged
to return to his guard-room.
Lieutenant-Colonel Sankey . availing himself of
his command, then placed Capt. Giffard_in 'arrest,
and brought him to a second Court Martial
the capital charge Of ",striking his Commanding
Officer;''' "of WhiCh the .Court' Martial thought
themselves in military stritness bound to find him
guilty, as the Lieutenant... Colonel swore he was
struck- in 'the dragging Capt. Giffard out of th:e
house; .but in consideration of the " 'vier top:.
duel- of Lieut.-Col. Sankey and his .Officers,"
slight punishment was affixed to their. sentence.
The case of the Prosecution was ably Stated by.
Mr. Lysagbr, and supported by the evidence of
Capt: Giffar.:, Counsellor Isaac Coates, John Brown
rig, Esq. Lieut. Noble (the Officer of the Guard),
and Capt.. Giffard's servant, who were eye-witnesses
of the.transadion,

Mr. Campbell made a most excellent Speech to
evidence ; and' the Learned Judge (Lord Norbury)
commented upon the whole' of the case with extra_
ordinary

The Jury in about ion minutes found the
ers guilty
On Saturday his Lordship passed sentence
Lieutenant-Coknel Sankey 'to be imprisoned One Month;
and pay a Fine of Ten FoundS •
Ensign Read to be imprisoned Trio Months, ,and pay a Fine
of One Mark ;
Ensign Darby to be' imprisoned One W6l, and pay a Fine
of One Mark ; and - -
Ensign Disney. to be imprisoned One Week,- and pay a Fine
of One Mark--and to find Bail for their good

Captain Giffard begged to inform the Court, that
having carried on 'this Prosecution merely from re_
gard to his own chataher and reputation, and
having no • resentmencto gratify, he did not mean
to pursue a Civil Adion. He observed, that Mr.
Disney was a very young Gentlenian ; that Mr.
Darby was a stranger—an Englishman ; that he
believed they were both misled by-their Lieute-
nant-Colonel ; that. Mr. Darby in particular; stated,
that he was under. some difficulty : he therefore
begged the Judge veritild remit their Sentence, and,
not put them under the necessity of Bail. With
this his Lordship seemed pleased, and afted ac-
cordingly.

On S.mday last, about three o'clock, a violent'
whiilwind took place in Dr..LErrsom's garden at
Grove-hill. Its violence was so powerful, as to
raise up the covers of the melon.frames nearly thirty
feet. high ; the frames and glasses were shivered to•
pieces ; two large• bell glasses shared the same fate,
The gardeners near .the spot escaped the_.shower of
broken glass, &c. by making the quickvst retreat.
Colonel IKONSID E, Colonel ELL lOT, and other Ti.
sitors at Grove-hill, were spectators of this curious
phenomenon. The hot and green-houses in the
cinity of the whirlwind suffered no injury.
The. Bruce and Ann, Balmaine, from Derry to
Dublin with Flout, is-ashore at Portaferry, and tnu:t
clisehatse her cargo 4