The Sun.
London, England, 1862-10-06 00:00:00

7HE 4CCIDEN7 TO THE PAN7ALOON.

COURT MARTIAL ON HER OFFICERS.
The late officers and crew of the PantAoon, 11,
screw-sloop, having recently arrived at Plymouth
in the Exmouth, from the Mediterrane n, overland
from Bombay, a court-martial was a<sembled on

board the Royal Adelaide, guard-ship in Hamoaze,
on Saturday last, to inquire into the circumstances
under which the Pantaloon was grounded on a coral
reef to the southward of Manhaire or Devil's Point
of Pomba Bay, Mozambique, East Coast of Africa,
at about 8,15 p.m., on the sth of February last,
Com. W. R. Hobson, Lieut. G. C. Sinclair, and C.
J. Wise, and G. H. Dominy, Esq., Master, the four
chief executive officers of the sloop, being put on
their trial for their conduct on that occasion. The
following officers composed the court :—Capt. A. C.
Key, C.B. (Indus), President ; Capts. J. A. Payn-
ter (Exmouth), L. G. Heath, C.B. (Cambridge),
T. D. A. Fortescue (Phoebe), C. Vesey (Royal
Adelaide), and William Eastlake, Esq., Deputy-

Judge-Advocate.
The letters of Commander Hobson to his senior
officers, and to the Lords Commissioners of the

Admiralty, informing them of the accident, and their
lordships' directions for the holding of the inquiry
having been read, the following officers and crew
of the Pantaloon were examined by the Court,
seriatim ;—Mr. A. A. Lyne (clerk), Mr. G. H.
Dominy (master), Commander W. R. Hobson, Mr.
G. F. Channon (engineer in charge), Lieutenant
G. C. Sinclair, Lieutenant C. J. Wise, James Mark-

ham (quartermaster), and William Lloyd (quar-
termaster). Mr. Chas. Gahan, master of the Royal
Adelaide, also certified to his having examined and

checked the Pantaloon's log up to four o'clock
on the day she struck, the calculations of which he
found perfectly correct. There were no course, he

said, given beyond that time.
From the evidence submitted it appeared that the
Pantaloon on the occasion formed part of the Cape
of Good Hope squadron, and was despatched into
the Mozambique by the Admiral, Sir Baldwin Wal-
ker, for the suppression of the slave trade. She had
visited Johanna, and was proceeding to Pomba Bay,
where Commander Hobson expected to obtain some
valuable information, upon which he intended to act
by equipping some of his boats, despatching them to
search inside some reefs, and then subsequently pick-

ing them up further along the coast. The Panta•

loon had on board two Government chronometers,
and a private one belonging to Commander Hobson,
which were considered to be in very serviceable con-
dition, and were rated at Johanna on the previous
28th of January. She had not swung ship since
leaving England to test her compasses at Simon's
Bay and Johanna, where she had called, having
been prevented by a variety of circumstances. Their
variations had, however, been regularly corrected by
amplitudes and azimuths, and an amplitude was
taken on the day previous to that on which the ship
struck:

On the sth of February, about noon, the land was
sighted from the mast-head, and about the same time
her position was ascertained by a meridian altitude
and by chronometer, when a current was found of
about 15 miles N.W. from the previous 24 hours.
She stood in towards the land till about 4 o'clock,
on a course. After that she was steered by the
land. Lieutenant Sinclair had charge of the two
dog-watches, and from five o'clock the master was
on deck. From six p.m. a hand was kept in the
port chains trying for a sounding, and at 7 o'clock
a quartermaster was put on in addition in the star-
board-quarter boat for the same purpose. At 8
o'clock Lieutenant Wise relieved the watch when he
found Commander Hobson and the master on the
bridge coursing the ship. It was a moonlight night,
with hazy weather and very light wind. The ship's
way had been reduced, and she was going between
three and four knots, with her fore and aft sails set.
The leadsmen were reporting 15 fathoms up, and no
bottom. There were look-out on the catheads and
on the life-buoy, but they made no special report,
and the watch were in the netting passing the line
far a cast of the deep-sea lead.
Commander Hobson having just given notice to
the engine room to stand by to stop the engines for
that purpose, when the vessel suddenly grounded
on the reef. -Every exertion was immediately made
to get the vessel off, but unfortunately without suc-
cess. It was at the height of the tide when the
vessel struck, but a neap tide. After continuous
strenuous efforts the ship was at length got off on the
12th of February, with the assistance of some na-
tive dhows that had been procured, and the Portu-
guese war steamer Marianne, which was promptly
despatched by Don Joaz Tavares D'Alemeida, the
Governor of Mozambique, to assist.
During the time the Pantaloon was on the reef
they were obliged to throw her guns out on the reef
and to dismantle her, and a large quantity of her
stores were destroyed and lost. Two of her crew
were also lost on the upsetting of her boats, when
getting the crew and stores ashore on her being dis-
mantled.
The Pantaloon was then taken to Mozambique
and temporarily repaired and refitted, from whence
she proceeded to Bombay to complete.
Commander Hobson read a long and eloquent ad-
dress in defence, in which he urged that his sailing
orders, directing him to be at a certain place by a
certain time, and that time growing short, together
with the uncertainty of his whereabouts if he had
laid off during the night, as he might have been
taken considerably out of his way by the currents,
and the additional expenditure of coal incurred, had
induced h:m to try to reach Pomba that night. He
pointed out, also, the favourable state of the weather
and the various cautions ho had taken to prevent
such an accident occurring ; and concluded by sub-
mitting to the favourable consideration of the Court
his subsequent exertions in the recovery of the
vessel. He also warmly lauded the conduct of his
officers and crew on the occasion.
Mr. Dominey read a short defence to a similar
effect.

The Court decided that, after the examination of
the witnesses, having very materially and delibe-
rately weighed and considered the evidence, as well
as what had been offered in defence, they were of
opinion that no blame was attached to Lieuts. Sin-
clair and Wise, and that the Pantaloon was grounded
in consequence of an incorrect estimate that was
made of the distance from the land,and from neglect
in not stopping the ship's way to endeavour to ob-
tain soundings. They therefore considered great
blame
owmaisny attributable to Commander Hobson and
Tr. D
for their condact an the occasion ; and
3
further, that Commander Hobson exhibited a great
want of caution in attempting to enter Pomba Bay
after dark, considering the uncertain guides that
existed for that part of the coast, the service on
which the Pantaloon was employed being also not
so urgent as to authorise him to, incur such a risk ;
and in consequence, adjudged Commander Hobson
c
and Mr. Dominy to be severely reprimanded.
On the rising of the
Court the President took
offi
oc-
casion
officers
and
er toe w sayo f to
the
Pantaloon,Commander
tHobsonhat
notwithstandingalidt
the decision the Court had come to, they could not
separatemeritorious without
nd
cconduct
expressinguc th
s theirovNn
highbya
all
lpbperloobnagtiino
of the
to the ship in their exertions for her recovery, and
the Court's expressing their hope to see them again,
ere long, in active service.

A murder was committed two nights since be-
tween Ramillies and Ewars (Nord) on the person of a
farmer of the latter place, named Deneubourg. It appears
that the deceased was returning From Cambrai, where he
had bought a piece of land at an atction sale, having outbid
one of his neighbours named Potiez, who had long wished
to possess the piece of land in question. After the sale the
two men started to return home in3ompany, but by the way
they entered a putlichouse at Ramillies, and there quarrel-
led about the land, but after darkresumed their homeward
journey, apparently on good term:. Less than an hour had
elapsed, however, when Potiez returned to Ramillies, ap-
parently labouring under great excitement, and said that
he and Deneubourg had been assaied by four men, and that
he feared his neighbour was kind, The police at once
went to the spot, and found Dencthourg lying dead, with
his head dreadfully mangled, am near him lay a heavy
joist or rafter with which the woluds had evidently been
inflicted. A silver watch and 2451 were found on the body
of the victim, so that robbery could not have been the mo•
tive of the crime. AQ, on examling the ground in the
morning, no traces were visible >f any such struggle as
Potiez described, suspicion fell on Jim and he was arrested,
and on searching his house the clohes he had worn on the
previous night were found to he stoned with blood. Potiez
has been lodged in prison at Cakbrai, and the police are
makingeveryctrort to clear up the rrystury which envelopes
this crime.