The Sun.
London, England, 1854-08-01 00:00:00

PERSECUTION OF LIEUTENANT PERRY.

(From The Times.)

We supposed that after having recorded our opinion
on the two Courts-martial held at Windsor we had en-
tirely done with the :subject, unless, indeed, it might be
necessary to recur to it when the 'finding and sentence
should be made known. We were, however, it seems,
entirely mistaken. It has been thought fit a second time
to subject Mr. Perry to trial, the charge on this occa-
sion arising from certain statements made by Lieutenant
Perry on his former trial and on that of Mr. Greer, on
which he was examined nominally as a witness, but in
which he was almost as much a defendant as in the case
which bears his own name. When we consider the nature
of the first charge against Lieutenant Perry, and re-
member that, from that time to the present, he has
with the exception of a few visits to his legal
adviser, been kept a close prisoner, we must consider
the proceedings against this young ofEcer as deeply
stained with harshness and injustice. The opinion
of the public has already anticipated the tardy justice of
the Court-martial, and has pronounced in the first case
a verdict of triumphant acquittal. No blame attaches
to the authorities for directing such an inquiry. The
great injury sustained by one officer at the hands of an-
other naturally demanded investigation, and that inves-
tigation necessarily took the form of a charge against
Lieutenant Perry. His vindication was, however, so
complete, that we feel quite sure no judge or jury in
this country could have come to any other conclusion
than that his assault upon Mr. Greer, violent as it was,
was more than justified by the provocation, and the au- '
thorities ought therefore to have felt that the necessary
inquiry bad inflicted on Mr. Perry much undeserved
suffering, and thrown upon an innocent man the burden
of proving that guilt for which his accusers ought in the
first instance to have been called upon to answer.
Under these circumstances, the clear duty of the mi-

sary authorities was to terminate the unjust persecu-
..ion of Lieutenant Perry as soon as possible, to restore
him to his liberty, and to take immediate and effectual
measures for eradicating the spirit of tyranny among
subordinates, and laxity among chiefs, for which the
46th Regiment has become so unhappily remarkable.
Had Mr. Greer and Mr. Perry been civilians, a preli•
rninary investigation before magistrates would have
done justice to the merits of the case, and relieved Mr.
Perry from the necessity of going any further into the
circumstances of an assault which the bare recital of
the facts so completely justifies.
Necessity excused the first trial, but where shall we
find the palliation for the second ? In which of the
darkest periods of history shall we search in order to
find the parallel for accusing a man of an offence of which
he proves himself entirely innocent, and then treating
the statements lie puts forth in his exctlpation as libels
on which to ground a series of fresh accusations I
This is a refinement of oppression to which even
Scroggs or Jefferies never aspired. Popham, on the
trial of Sir Walter Raleigh, bade him "be valiant
for his life ;" and the worst of our judges, however
ready to catch at air unguarded admission of the
prisoner, never thought of making his statements
the grounds of fresh procsedine against him. Th.
charges against Lieutenant Perry did tict, it istrue, point
specifically to matters alleged by him on WS own trial ;
but the subterfuge is merely technical. Lis 'tenant
Perry had been tried for assaulting Lieutenant Greer ;
Lieutenant Greer was then tried for assaulting and abus-
ing Lieutenant Perry. The finding and sentence on
Lieutenant Perry were still unknown, and be was, as we
have remarked, still virtually, though not technically, on
his defence. Being contradicted on Mr. Greer's trial
by witnesses whom he had not the opportunity of cross-
examining, and from whom the prosecutor was not dis-
posed to protect him, Mr. Perry took the course, neither
unusual nor improper, of addressing a letter to the Presi-
dent of the Court-martial, explaining away and refuting
the statements of the witnesses. This was nothing more
than making a supplemental defence to a supplemental
accusation. If ever a communication was privileged,
surely such a letter, the effort of a man under accusa-
tion to clear himself from additional charges by the
only means in his power, ought to have been
considered so ; but the justice which is extended to the
meanest criminal is denied to officers and gentlemen, and
we are shocked with the spectacle of a young man first
made the victim of a most cruel and unmanly outrage,
then upon his trial fora mere act of self-defence, and then
re-accused because those Whim his dsfance criminated BY MAGNETIc TELEGRAPH.
will not subscribe to the truth of ills censures 1 How NEW ORLEANEL—Tho effect of Os last steamer's news
could it be known that the statements contained in Mr, on cotton has been cheering. 13,800 bales were, sold
Perry's letter and evidence were infamous, scandalous, last week at a shade higher ; middling, 81. Flour dull
ssis. t V.vpry nrobabilitv is in favour of their truth. at "

THE AMERICAN MARKETS.
me 8e
Strangeh tto tellw,
curi-
ties, u lenders touch
abundantstocks onparticularly pri
The specie exported last week
money
I not i s
roads. For other collaterals of high character the
rates ,are moderate.
amounted to ss2o,ooo—since January Ist, $17,534,000.
arnuToliere is an increase of banking capital going on in
New y k The Mercantile Bank has increased its
capital stock to $1,000,000. The Corn Exchange Bank,
to $913,000, and will further increase it, by the Ist of
January, to $1,000,000. The Bank of New York has
resolved to increase theirs to $2,000,000.
It is hardly worth while to quote stocks, so many are
merely nominal—Reading, 66 to 67 ; Canton, 22 ;
Morris, 10 ; Erie, 53 ; but actual sales are often lower
than the above. Sterling Exchange rules at 109,1 to
1091, not active. A large amount of specie will leave
to-day. Two stock-broking failures occurred on Friday
and Saturday, and it is now said that several will follow.
Wall-street looks gloomy, as, besides the misfortunes
recorded, so many of its leading spirits are out of town
for the summer, and those who remain are many of
them, financially, out at elbows.
ThtTe is one cheering sign of the times, namely, the
crops of the Union, of ali kinds, never promised a greater
abundance, Flour is in rather better demand, and firm.
The sales of cotton are moderate, but very steady, at--
NEW YORK CLASSIFICATION.

Uplands. Florida. mobile. N. 0.84 Tea.
Ordinary.. 7l 7,i 71 71
Middling .. 9l 91 91 91
Middling Fair, 101 11 111 111
Fair
Ashes are without change, at $5 50c. for pearls, and
$5 81c. fur pots. Mess pork has improved, both in de-
mand and value, being now $ll 75c. to $l2. In freights
for Liverpool, cotton has been shipped at 7-32t1. to id.
per lb. ; 7,000 brls. flour at 2s 11d. to 2s. 3d. ;. and
1,000 brls. resin at ls. 6,1. per brl. For London, there
were engaged 200 tee. lard at 225. 6d per ton. For
Havre, the shipments were light, at Ic. for cotton per
lb. ; $6 to $8 for ashes, and $8 for bark and rice per
cask. California freights were unaltered.

ig)
4Ell_ OhnlAra Rnreadrncr.