The Sun.
London, England, 1863-10-29 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON THURSDAY EVENING, OCTOBER 29, 1863.

Your minds direct you to the performance of your duties,
and your own common-sense tells you that for the due per-
formance of those duties you must submit to the necessary
privations. Your own good sense must prepare you to come
out whenever your officers call you; you own good sense
must prepare you for strict obedience to your officers, with-
out which it is useless to pretend to be a military corps.
These are the difficulties that the volunteer army of Eng-
land have to overcome to keep up its discipline—namely, to
substitute their own sound common sense for that which in
the army and navy is merely strict obedience to]the officers,
who, whether men of common sense or not, care little
about it so long as they bring their men to perform their
military duties. (Cheers.) Now, 1 commend you warmly,
and from my heart, as a body of loyal men, possessing that
sound sense which teaches you to know that the first
principle of military discipline is strict obedience. (Loud
applause.) And how much more difficult are the duties of
the cavalry than those of the infantry, in having not only
to make themselves efficient and strict in discipline, bat to
train their horses also ? Now compare, for instance, the Life
Guards with a regiment of mounted volunteers. What is
the condition of the horses in the Life Guards ? They never
move out of their stables without perhaps seeing the
neighbouring horse alongside of them. These horse know
each other perfectly. But how is it with you? When your
horses come out of their stables they seldom see their neigh-
bour horses, and they are not accustomed to the regular
falling in, as the horses of the army are, two or three times
a day. These are the disadvantages under which you labour.
(Hear, hear.) Then how much more necessary is it that
there should be strict discipline among the volunteers, to
stimulate yourselves, and to drill your horses for the effi-
cient performance of their duties ? Now, what does this
bring me to ? Why, that the only mode of discipline
of any value to the volunteer army of England is constant
practice. (Cheers.) Constant practice must be carried out
at the sacrifice of domestic comforts and the. well-being of
the fireside, and long distances must be travelled to keep up
that discipline which, in the day of teed, is of such inesti-
mable value. (Applause.) What you require is a resolution
and determination on your part that you will gain that dis-
cipline by active exertion, that you will disci?line your own
minds to strict obedience to your officers, and that you will
not allow your corps to fall off because five or six men de-
cline occasionally to come to drill. (Cheers.) If you mean
to maintain your corps, if you mean to be what you are con-
sidered to be—the first cavalry corps in the United King-
dom, made so by the diligence and attention of the Duke of
Manchester—(loud cheering)—it must be by drilling your
own minds to strict obedience to your officers, and being
determined to be ready. when the call is made upon you. I
conclude by thanking you again for the honour you have
done me. (Continuous cheering.)
After a short pause,

Lord HARDWICKE again rose and proposed "The health
of the Duke of Manchester"—a nobleman who had distin-
guished himself by active exertion in the cause of his coun-
try's welfare in reference to the volnuteer movement.
The whole assembly at once rose and drank the Duke's
health with the greatest enthusiasm.
On the Duke of MANCHESTER rising to respond he was
vagerayinmluocuhdlhyonchoueerreeddb.y
the way in which you have received He said,—Comrades, I am indeed
the toast which the Lord-Lieutenant has asked you to drink.
I only hope I deserve half what he has said of me, though
it is quite evident that you think I deserve all that he has
said. (Applause.) Whatever I may have dcne, I could
not have earned to better reception than you have just
given to me. 1 must say it is gratifying to me to find that,
in endeavouring to do my duty; I have obtained the good
will and esteem of those who act with me. There are
times, as you know, when occasionally I express my con-
victions as to slight mistakes on parade, as it is my duty,
but I feel certain, from your reception of me to.
day that you have not the slightest ill-feeling towards me,
for whatever I may say while on duty. (Loud applause.)
Your own good sense and feeling must tell you that what-
ever I may say on parade arises from my anxiety to render
you an efficient and valuable body of men. Now, Ido not
think it is conceited in me to say that, considering the dis-
advantages under which you labour, you could not do bet-
ter. (Applause.) I would not, of course, compare an irre-
gular corps of volunteers with regularly drilled troops;
that would be absurd. But, under the circumstances, you
have to-day all done remarkably well, It has certainly
given me great satisfaction to find that you second my
eflorts, and to hear from the Lord Lieutenant of this
county that between us we have attained a certain amount
of success. I hope you will all remember and give strict
attention to what has been so well said to-day by the Lord
Lieutenant. (Cheers.) I never heard a better address
to Volunteers than he has given to us. (Applause.) We
have now A, B, and C troops in the Ist Light Horse, and
I am delighted to say that we have got on well together.
(Loud cheers.) I found you to be good comrades and good
friends, only desirous to know my wishes and intentions in
order to carry them out to the best of your endeavours.
(Applause.) But to-day we have had another body of men
for the first time (the 2d Cambridgeshire Mounted Rifles).
and I hope I shall get on with them as well as I have with
my own. (Cheers.) I wish you now to give theui a hearty
welcome, and propose to you " Success and Prosperity to
the late 2d Cambridgeshire Mounted Rifles," who are now
the Cambridgeshire division of our corps.
Lieut. TowoooD acknowledged the toast.
The Duke of MANCHESTER then proposed the health of
Capt. Newton, who had so liberally entertained them.
Captain NEWTON returned thanks.
The health of Captain Heathcote, of the Ist Herts Rifle
Volunteers, having been proposed by the Duke of MAN.,
CHESTER, and that of the ladies by the Earl of HARD-
WICKE, the company left the tent to witness the competi-
tion for the prizes. The adjudication of the prizes was in-
trusted to the Hon. Col. Buncombe, whose decisions gave
entire satisfaction. Sergeant Mellor was declared to be
the winner of Captain Newton's sword.

CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT.—Oct. 28.

(Before Mr. Commissioner Kerr.)
Alfred Edward Pountney, a young man of gentlemanly
appearance, was indicted for having; committed perjury and
obtaining an affidavit for a marriage license by &la pre-
tences.

The court was crowded during the trial, the utmost inte-
rest being evinced in the proceedings.
Mr. Giffard and Mr. Markly appeared to support the pro-
secution; the defendant was defended by Mr. Sleigh and
Mr. Poland.
In opening the case Mr. Giffard said a great deal had been
said out of doors about the harshness of these proceedings,
but he could only say that his client, Mr. Cropley, the
father of the young woman, had his own reasons for prose-
cuting, and these reasons were best known to himself; and
he would say:that if a father had not a right to prosecute in
such a case, what was the use of the act under which these
proceedings were instituted ? It was true the defendant and
the young lady had known each other for some considerable
time. The learned gentleman then proceeded to lay the
facts of the case before the jury, but having been so re-
cently before the public it will be unnecessary to recapitulate
them in detail here. No doubt, he said, efforts would be
made to raise a spurious sympathy in the minds of those
present, but he would only say that the law must be obeyed,
whatever might be the feelings of the public on the matter.
In conclusion, he thought that it was only justice on the
part of the father in bringing the case before the Court ; for
if paternal authority were put on one side, what would be-
come of young people in general?
Mr. H. Watts then proved the prisoner coming to him on
the 19th August about the marriage licence, which set forth
that both parties were of full age—that the applicant had
resided 15 days in the parish of St. Bride's—and that he
knew of no lawful impediment to the marriage. This affi-
davit was read over to him, and he swore to its truth, and
signed his name at the bottom.
Mr. Hatch Cropley, the father of the young lady, said his
daughter was named Mee Cropley, and was 18 years of age
last July. In that month, in consequence of what he had
heard, he went to his mother-in-law, with whom his daugh-
ter had resided since she was 3 years of age, and there saw
the defendant. He spoke to him on the matter, and told
him that he must give up his engagement with his daugh-
ter. Pountney said he never would, as he loved her to dis-
traction. Pountney was a sorter at the post-office in Ely,
where all the parties resided. The reason he objected to the
marriage was, because his child was so young, On hearing
the defendant's declaration, he (witness) said he should take
the young lady home with him, and take care that theydid
not meet. His daughter was entitled to a third share of
1400, which was to become hers at 21 years of age.
Cross-examined by Mr. Sleigh-4 know the prisoner was
acquainted with my daughter more than two years ago,end
at that time I took her home to prevent their becoming
better acquainted. My daughter never told me that she
loved the prisoner to distraction, and that nothing but death
would part them. I told her I would take her away from
her grandmother, and keep her for two years ; but I did not
tell her that I would lock her up. I told the prisoner not
to come on to my premises. I am not aware that the grand-
mother wanted them to get married, or that she made the
arrangements for their getting married. I have heard
that she gave them the money, but I do not know.
Mr. Charles Clements, a gentleman in the post-office at
Ely, gave evidence to prove that Pountney could not pos-
sibly have resided in the parish of St. Bride's for the space
of 15 days.
Mr. Sleigh said ho did not see how the whole three counts
could be maintained. The first count, with regard to the age
of Miss Cropley (now Mrs. Pountney), ought, therefore, to
be struck out of the indictment.
The learned Comm Me Commissioner agreed With r. Sleigh, inas-
much as it could not be supported that th prisoner had
committed corrupt perjury in stating that Miss Cropley was
21, as it could not be proved he knew her age to be only 18.
No doubt he did know it, but he ruled that that count could
not be maintained.
Mr. Sleigh then replied on behalf of his client, appealing
strongly to the feelings of the jury, urging that the offence
was not made out. No doubt the defendant had signed the
affidavit, but they must remeraber in what tribulation he
must have been st the time, having only just run away with
the object of his affections, and being, of course, in instant
fear of pursuit. Besides, was it usual on such occasions to
have the affidavits read slowly and distinctly over, or wns it
not rather the practice to hurry them over as a meae matter
lof form. And with regard to Mr. Cropley, it was perfectly
manifest that ho was well aware this engagement had been