The Sun.
London, England, 1854-09-06 00:00:00

Ler;a, Austria more kindly instigates the peasants
to murder them. Who could think of restoring
self-government to the subjects of so benign a rule?
The thought may occur to their minds that Austria
herself might be glad of Poland as a shield against
Russian revenge. But the real difficultyis, Russian
strength is still needed by despotic weakness. A
free Poland would plainly be the safeguard of
Europe—political justice loudly demands it, and
never will there occur another opportunity like the
present. But it would be the deathblow of absolu-
tism. Russia, even though defeated, must there-
fore be left strong enough to uphold despots against
their peoples. She will do this instinctively
through her hatred of liberty, and the only solici-
tude of those who dread nationalities far more
than Russia is, that the CZAR should be strong
enough to aid, but not strong enough to hurt, his
brother tyrants. Well, events may possibly lead
the " ignorers" of Poland to support her righteous
claims. They have been driven to advocate the
war, and the right means of conducting it, driven
to demand decent conditions of peace ; they may
yet be driven to demand the only condition of
lasting and secure peace.

The sentence of the Court-martial (No. 3.) on
Lieutenant PERRY was even more atrocious than
we had supposed possible, when commenting on
the case for yesterday's impression. It was not
" dismissal from her MAJESTY'S service," a suffi-
ciently serious punishment to a young man just
entering into life ; but which carried with it no
peculiar infamy or future disqualification. A
person might retrieve his character and position,
even after such a finding. But the judgment
pronounced against him was of a far more strin-
gent description. It was that "he be cashiered,"
by which he would be ignominiously expelled the
service, his sword broken, and he himself declared
to be for ever incapable of serving her MAJESTY
in any capacity,. " civil or military." It is almost
needless to say that so stringent a penalty is sel-
dom, if ever, inflicted, save for the most out-
rageous conduct, and against incorrigible offenders,
and that it operates as an indelible brand against
their reputations, which no future behaviour, how-
ever meritorious, can obliterate. And this was
the punishment to which the " merciful Judges,"
" the model tribunal !! " condemned a young
man, whom, in their hearts and souls, they must
(if gifted with common understanding) have known
to be innocent ; and this was what the Com-
mander-in-Chief of her MAJESTY'S Forces,
with an equal knowledge, that the prisoner,
was more than justified in every statement lie had
made, advised his Royal Mistress to approve and
confirm. It is, indeed, deplorable to have to
direct public attention to such matters, calculated
to create and strengthen the opinion that the
title of officer is no longer not merely synonymous
with that of " gentleman," but that it is, in many
respects, inconsistent therewith. That there are
many high-minded and honourable men holding
commissions in the army we freely and willingly
admit—men who would scorn to truckle to any
authority, however exalted, and who would not
return a verdict which, in their souls and con-
science, they did not believe to be just and equit-
able, and in accordance with the substantial merits.
But, from the specimens we have lately seen of
prosecutors, jurymen, and witnesses, we are re-
luctantly compelled to state that such cases must
henceforward be considered as exceptions to the
general rule. Nor can we look to the very
highest ranks of the land service in any more
favourable point of view.
Would it be possible, in any of our ordinary
Courts of Law, to find so numerous a body of
witnesses—we believe no less than eighteen—who
had been so manifestly tutored as to the evidence
they were about to give, and who had so clearly
combined and confederated tcgether for the pur-
pose of prejudicing the party on trial, more par-
ticularly if he had been closely connected with
themselves, and placed in an unpleasant position'
through their folly, or something worse ? Where
could we find so much disgraceful prevarication
and equivocation, such pretended obliviousness,
and, in one instance, such direct false swearing ?
Had Lieutenant W. T. WaLnir distinctly sworn
before one of the Judges of the Superior Courts
that he had not made such a statement in writing
as that which-was produced under his own hand,
and bearing date but a few weeks previously, lie
would have been committed to the dock to abide
his trial on an indictment for " wilful and cor-
rupt perjury." As it was, however, he was
suffered to escape with a reprimand, and cautioned
" fOr the rest of his life strictly to adhere to the
truth." This is a pleasing suggestion to "an
officer and a gentleman." (GOD save the mark.)
He is cautioned to abstain from lying and slan-
dering, and informed that he is " a weak, gos-:
siping young man, insensible of the duty of a
rigid adherence to the truth in describing the
conduct of others—and incapable of estimating
the mischievious consequences of exaggerating• a
contradictioß at the mess-table into the lie direct,
by which departure from- the truth the character
of his brother officers might have been seriously
affected." This seasonable compliment will scar-
cely be relished by the Gallant Lieutenant of the
46th Foot.
But humiliating and scandalous as was the
conduct of the military witnesses, that of the
Military Judges was byno means more meritorious.
They showed just as little regard for the solemn
obligation of an oath, and totally indifferent to the
imperative duty of rendering impartial justice to
the unfortunate and ill-treated young man, whose
character and prospects in life were probably de-
pending on their decision. We unhesitatingly
say that no British Jury could have been found
to return such a verdict as any one of the three
returned by the Windsor Courts-martial, nor
would any one of our venerable and high-minded
Judges have approved or sanctioned such find-
ings. It was, in every respect, too painfully
perceptible that the junior was to be ruthlessly
sacrificed, in order to shelter and protect those of
higher rank who were clearly culpable. If
Lieutenant PERRY had been acquitted there
should have been a clear sweep of the opposing
witnesses. This they were not prepared to en-
force ; and, under the specious pretext of " the
importance of preserving discipline and good
older," gross injustice was committed and
sanctioned.
General Lord HARDINGE has spoken at con-
siderable length against some of the disgraceful
proceedings clearly established against the gallant
officers of the 46th. Some, however, be has
slurred over with gentle hand, while of others he
has omitted all notice. " Practice is, however,
better than precept ;" and it would have been far
better, and aflorded a more beneficial example,
had he sustained one innocent and deeply-
injured subaltern than if he filled a score of
columns with his comments, while deliberately
suffering , the man who had acted in accordance
with his instructions to be victimised, and his
prospects, so far as it rests with the Military
Department, to be irretrievably blighted.
One word more. Lieutenant PERRY is to be
allowed to sell out ; Lieutenant GREER is ordered
to do so. What parent or guardian will permit
his son or ward to buy the commissions thus
vacated ? Who will aspire to a place in such com-
pany. We trust that the public may come for-
ward so liberally as to allow the victim of military
law and military tribunals to reject the paltry
compromise, to leave the price of the commission
of which he has beet. so unfairly deprived, as a
perpetual monument of the gross injustice to
which he has been subjected, and of the partiality
and favouritism of the Horse Guards. It depends
ot
this i st the
high public
ground ; and we earnestly hope that
whether lie may be enabled to take
contributions to the " PERRY Fund " may flow in
liberally and steadily. It is no longer sufficient
to meet the expenses to which he has been sub-
jected : he must receive sufficient to render him
independent of military pay or military rank for
the remainder of his existence.

„n,
RARE OPENINGS FOR ECCLESIASTICS.--The following
valuable benefices are simultaneously vacant in the dio-
cese of Chichester :—The chancellorship of Chichester
Cathedral, by the death of Sir John Ashburhani, Bart.
the Probendal Stall of ” Gates," in. Chichester Cathedral ;
the rectory of Guestling, Sussex, value 400/., and the
vicarage of Pevensy, value 9181. Patron, the Bishop of
Chichester.