The Sun.
London, England, 1863-12-24 00:00:00

THE CRAWLEY COURT-MARTIAL.

The finding of the court-martial, held under the
Presidency of General Sir G. Wetherall, K.C.8.,
for the trial of the charges against Lieut,-Colonel
Crawley, was yesterday submitted to the Queen,
and received the Royal approval. The decision is
in the following terms :
" The Court, having duly considered the evidence
ip behalf of the prosecution, the evidence the pri-
soner has adduced, and what he has stated in his
defence, and the prosecutor's reply, is of opinion,
with regard to the first charge, that he, the prisoner,
Lieut.-Colonel Thomas R. Crawley, of the 6th Dra •
goons, is Not Guilty.
" With regard to the second charge the Court is
of opinion that he, the prisoner, Lieut.-Colonel
Thomas R. Crawley, is Not Guilty.
" The Court does, therefore, fully and honourably
acquit him, Lieut.-Colonel Thomas R. Crawley, of
both the charges preferred against him."
To the finding of the Court were appended some
unfavourable comments upon the manner in which
particular witnesses for the prosecution had given
their evidence at Aldershot. These expressions ot
censure, however, are not given to the public at
present, as they will doubtless be embodied in the
remarks of his Royal Highness the Commander•in-
Chief upon the case generally. It is not considered
likely that any further courts-martial will grow
out of that which has just terminated; but it will
probably be left to a Medical Board to determine
under what circumstances the erasures and mis-
placed entries found their way into hospital books
of the 6th Dragoons. Obviously there must be a
sweeping alteration in the list of officers of that re-
giment. Such of the senior officers as are retained
in the service will, doubtless, be moved into other
regiments, and their places filled by exchange. Ex-
tensive importations will be made into the junior
ranks. For such a course abundance of precedents
may be found ; for instance, the case of the 10th
Hussars and of the 85th Foot, which when recon-
structed took for its motto—"Aucto s.plendore
resurgo."

The Emperor's Speech in reply to the
Address of the Senate.

(From the French Correspondent of the Times.)
The Emperor's speech in reply to the Address of
the Senate, which appeared in the Moniteur, does
not seem to be appreciated as much as it deserves.
This is an incredulous and a suspicious generation.
Here is the absolute Sovereign of a great country,
with power to act as he pleases, and responsible
only to his own conscience, assuring the Senators,
and through them the nation, that the general
good is the only motive of his conduct; that
his anxious desire is that the great questions of
the day shall be solved by peaceful intervention,
adopting the idea of his uncle, that a conflict be-
tween European States is the worst of all wars—
a civil war ; that he considers it an honour to pro-
mulgate a principle which will put an end to the
prejudices of other times—that is to say, his great
scheme of a Congress would end in peace and pros-
perity to the world. Will it believed that these
declarations fail in evoking a feeling of confidence
and security P Nothing certainly can be nobler
than the opinions put forth by his Majesty, end
nothing more obvious than the truths he has enun-
ciated. If you seek to know why these noble moral
sentiments produce no corresponding emotion in
the public who read them, whatever they may have
done in the 20 gentlemen who heard them, you are
abruptly reminded of the Bordeaux declaration,
that the "Empire was peace," and that no such
blessing, at least for any considerrble period, fol-
lowed it. If you observe that this is somewhat
captious and unjust, and that because wars followed
after no long interval that celebrated declaration,
you are met with an argument which I admit has
some force. Granting that the real and the sole
object of the Emperor in convoking a Congress is to
dissipate the fears of other nations, to put an end to
general uneasiness, to remove the great causes of
discontent between Sovereigns and their sub
jects by lightening the burdens which press
so heavily upon them, the Emperor Napoleon,
you are told, can to-morrow effect that
great object without the encumbrance of
a Congress, or without consulting anybody, but
simply by a decree of five lines the Moniteur or-
dering the reduction of his armaments. And he
can do this in perfect safety, because few know
better than himself that no human being dreams
of attacking France. If to-morrow it were an-
nounced that 200,000 men were to be released
from military service, not a Power in Europe
but would follow his example; and these five lines
in the Moniteur would be far more effective than
any sentiments he could utter, however paternal,
patriarchal, and worthy of St. Vincent do Paul
himself. Withovt in the least throwing a doubt on
the sincerity of the Emperor, I cannot bat admit
that there is something in that view of the matter.
"Let us think of obstacles only to overcome them,
and of incredulity only to confound it." If there
are obstacles which it may not be easy to overcome,
such a plan would spare him the labour of contend-
ing with them; and as for the incredulity which
unhappily prevails, at least in Paris, the cutting
down of overgrown armaments would convert the
most hardened unbeliever.

COL. CRAWLEY'S EXPENSES from the pending
court martial:!have been variously estimated at
L 3,000 and £5,000. Mr. Vernon Harcourt's retainer was
£5OO, and £.30 is to be paid for every day he may be em-
ployed. There is a rumour at the clubs that a subscription
has already been commenced for the purpose of protecting
him from loss. Lord Cardigan, it is said, has headed the
list with £5OO. However that may be, there is no doubt
that the news of Col. Crawley's acquittal would be the
sienal for the immediate opening of a subscription, the con-
tributors being of every class, sex, and rank, but chiefly
military men.—British, Army Review.
THE SIR HUGH MYDDELTON LIFEBOAT.—A
few weeks ago two concerts were given at Deacon's Music•
hall, Clorkenwell, for the purpose of raising the cost of a
lifeboat to be called the Sir Hugh Mycldelten. The pro-
ceeds, in conjunction with some contributions collected in
the locality, have realised £lOO, which amount, as an in-
stalment, was handed yesterday by the committee to the
National Lifeboat Institution. Mr. Deacon, Mr. 11. W.
Underhill, Mr. Hele, and other friends, are very sanguine
of realising during the present winter the full cost of a
lifeboat and its transporting carriage, which amounts to
£4OO.

The Salut Public of Lyons states that the first
day of winter, the 218 t, has just shown itself in that neigh-
bourhood by a eligkt fall of snow, which meted Rs it
reached the ground.