The Sun.
London, England, 1854-09-28 00:00:00

THE MILITIA AND YEOMANRY.

The North Somerset Yeomanry Cavalry, Colonel
M.P., commandant, aro now out training at Wells. The
regiment has attained a high state of discipline.
The Cambridgeshire Militia, Colonel Duncombe, out for
duty at Ely, received their colours on Tuesday at the hands
of the Countess of Ilardwicik in Ely Cathedral. The regi-
ment proceeds to Ireland in a few days.
The Middlesex Edmonton Ri ,le Militia, Colonel Viscount
Enfield, musters at Barnet on Monday for 28 days' training.
The Yorkshire Hussar Yeomanry Cavalry completed
their seven days' training yesterday at York. There was
a grand review.

THE ALLEGED ILL-TREATMENT OF A
FEMALE ON BOARD THE DAUNTLESS.

It is with feelings of the most painful kind that we
have to direet attention to the report of a trial which
appeared in our impression of yesterday, as it materially
affects the character of the English navy. We are just
fresh from the infamous proceedings in the sister ser-
vice, which have done more to discredit the position of
officers in our army than any event which has occurred
in the memory of living man. Lord Hardinge may
feel well assured that a deep stain rests upon the
British army in consequence of those proceedings,
which can never be washed out until the hands of
all parties concerned in them are so effectually tied
up that they shall never again have the opportu-
nity of wresting the authority with which they had
been intrusted for very different purposes to so base
a use. We are sick of the subject—sick of all the false-
hood and oppression with which it was accompanied,
and would gladly have dismissed it from consideration
until the meeting of Parliament give the opportunity
for calling all persons concerned in the transaction to a
solemn a d public account. To-day it is the turn of the
navy—but here let us at once premise that we have not
a right to bring accusations of the like kind against the
senior officers in that service. We are simply speaking,
as yet, of the debauchery and profligacy of a few subal-
terns, with which theseniors are not further concerned than
that scenes such as those upon which we are now forced
to comment should have occurred iu the Queen's service
at all. Some one, we presume, is answerable for the dis-
cipline of the service. The transaction of which we are
about to speak occurred on board of a hulk in Ports-
mouth harbour. Who is responsible for the good order '
of the ships in Portsmouth harbour ? Is it the Firet-
Lieutenant of each in the absence of the captain ? Is it
the Port Admiral ? Somebody is, surely, bound to see
that prostitutes are not brought on board the Queen's
ships, and there treated iu such a manner that death is
the consequence.
The officers and crew of the Dauntless are now berthed
on board of a hulk lying in Portsmouth Harbour. There
lately lived in Gosport a young woman —by name
Matilda Jane Lodge—given up to vicious courses. On
the evening of Sunday the 17th of September— ten days ago
—this young woman left the house of her mother about 7
o'clock, in company with a young woman of her sic.
quaintance, and about four o'clock on the Monday
morning was received in the police station at Gosport in
a dying condition. A coroner's inquest has just been
held at Gosport to inquire into the causes of her death.
The finding of the jury was "That, according to the
evidence of the medical men, we are bound to re-
turn a verdict that Matilda Jane Lodge died a na-
tural death from rupture of the bladder ; but we also
find, from the evidence given before us, that death was
mainly accelerated by ill-treatment she had received on
the night of Sunday, the 17th September, 1854, in the
wardroom on board the hulk of the Dauntless, lying
in Portsmouth Harbour." The facts of the case
appear to be these :—On Sunday evening Matilda Lodge
went out in company with Emma White, and, after
p rambulating the town of Portsmouth for some time,
at 9 o'clock they went down to the floating bridge to
return to Gosport. Wlaile waiting for it they were met
by two gentlemen— one of whom was a Lieutenant
Knight, of the Marires ; the other was not mixed up
with the progress of the transaction, so it is useless to
bring him on the scene. Knight arid the two young
women had some drink togdther, and he then invited
them on board the hulk. They went with him ; a water-
man took them off, who deposed that the two young wo-
men were sober at the time. Toi, was about 10 o'clock.
When they had come on board Knight took them down to
his cabin, which is near the gunroom door ; he shut the
door, and subsequently, from the gunroom, brought them j
in sonic port wine, and afterward.' some brandy. It is re-
markable that Kni,glitcautioned thegiri Emma White, as
he handed her a glass of port wine, in these words :
" Don't drink much ; perhaps it may make you ill."
She tasted it, and threw the rest out of the cabin win-
dow. After Matilda Lodge had swallowed some of the
brandy she went out into the gunroom. A little while
after Emma White followed her into the gunroom, and
found her sitting among some gentlemen and singing.
White endeavoured to persuade Lodge to come home,
but she refused, and presently fainted. The officers
said it would be better if she lay down for a while,
and about one o'clock Emma White quitted the
ship. When she left, the unfortunate girl Lodge
was lying in Knight's cabin. According to her tes-
timony, nothing had as yet occurred which should
have caused marks of violence to appear en Lodge's per-
son. Thus far we rely upon White's evidence. Job
Jackson, a private of Marines, was on duty at the gun-
room door from midnight until 4 a.m. on Monday morn-
ing. When he went on duty there were present in the
wardroom, according to his statement, • Lieutenant Jer-
vis, second of the Dauntless, Lieutenant Seymour, and
Knight, both of the Marines, and the two women.
About half-past one White was shown over the ship's
side, and then Lodge was screeching on the floor. The
other girl in her evidence says nothing of this. Pre-
sently the steward carried her into a cabin,
which, we presume, although the circumstance is
not important, to have been Lieutenant Knight's.
The young woman lay here " screeching" violently
until about four o'clock. The assistant-surgeon
of the Dauntless—by name Roche—went into her seve-
ral times, accompanied by Lieutenants Jervis and
Knight. This witness heard no sound of scuffle, or
fighting, or quarrel among the officers in the gunroom
during the period of his watch. We call particular at-
tention to this circumstance, for this witness was a
favourable to one them. It remains to be seen how the
girl came by the marks of violence which were found on
her person. Wm. Poole, another marine, relieved Job
Jackson, and it was during his watch that the unfortu-
nate girl was got rid of out of the ship. When he went in
to assist she was lying in Knight's cabin, with her clothes
rumpled all round her—her Lair loose, and her arms
naked ; but he observed no marks of violence upon her
arms. She screamed at first, but after she was re-
moved never spoke a word. She was put into the boat
of a watermau, named Joseph Sherwin, and by him
carefully conveyed to the Common(' Hard at Portsea.
This witness said, that when she was put into his boat
he thought she had only her night-dress on, and in-
quired for her gown. He particularly noticed, on hand-
ing her in, that she had no stays. "Her hair was hang-
ing all about. Her dress was torn at the shoulder, and
it was all in a terribly ruffled 'Age." The police-
man who received her at the Hard and helped the
waterman to convey her in a barrow to the station,
and the police inspector who received her at the station,
deposed that in their hands she received no injury. The
inspector said that the dress was much disordered, and
she had nothing but her shift sleeve on her arm. It is
also right to add that the policeman had heard groans
from the hulk during his watch. The nurse Sophia
Stevens, who had charge of her at the station, deposed
that she complained of pain in the lower part of the side,
and that she said, she should die in consequence of the
injuries she had received on board the hulk. She threw
up about a glassful of port wine—no more—in which
there appeared something like a white powder, which
did not mix with it. Strange to say, this was not pre-
served. On Monday morning, about 11 o'clock, she was
carried home to her mother's house, where she died about
12 or 1 o'clock on Wednesday, the 20th.
The short conversations which occurred between the
wretched girl and her mother in the brief interval during
which she was yet alive do not throw much light on the
transaction. " Mother, I am dying !" " I have re-
ceived toy death-blow !" and so forth. " You have been
cruelly ill-treated," said the poor woman to her daughter,
who replied, " Yes, I have." Wh'en she wished to
speak of the outrage her mother bade her to be quiet,
and when she was better they would talk about it. At
one time she said to Emma White, who had come in
to see her, that she thought after she (White) had gone
away the gentlemen fought, but that she fell unconscious.
The suggestion that the officers fought is disproved by the
evidence of the marine on guard. Her mother said " I
j thigh you must have been drugged." Her answer was,
she did not remember anything about it. The medical
evidence as to the post mortent examination appears most
unsatisfactory. There were great marks of external in-
jury—bruises, ?Ts
blowb r is
overs, bt lois eyes, Vic.,
as alga
also was in a state of "the appearance
ilium,
which
. ecchymosis ; chest healthy, stomach and intestines much
inflamed ; no. appearance of inflammation in the lower
1 part of the abdomen ; bladder collapsed and ruptured.
This rupture was the cause of death. The distension of
the bladder by drink, together with a fall,
might
have
occasioned death. Certainly the rupture not arise
tl did •
The 46th Regiment of Foot, at present stationed at
Windsor, have received orders to hold themselves in readi-
from the blow on the os The medical portion
of the evidence will no doubt occupy the attention of
ness to proceed to Woolwich to embark there fur the seat 1
of war in the East.
persons far more capable of pronouncing on its value
The casemate barracks at Dover Castle are being got than we are ourselves. We need scarcely say that the
ready for occupation. It is understood a militia regiment theory set up by the officers is that the wretched
will be quarted there. girl had drunk herself blind drunk, and that they
A. large ptantitY of heavy shot, shell, and pieces of treated her with every consideration until compelled to
ordnance have been hut round to Zetland by the Ord. get rid of her. As we observe that further proceedings

APPOINTMENTS AND PROMOTIONS.
Lieutenants.—William Horton (1842), from the Sheer-
water paddle-wheel steam-vessel on the Mediterranean sta-
tion, to the command of the Ardent paddle-wheel steam-
vessel at Malta ; Hon. John W. Ward (1850), from the
Excellent gunnery-ship at Portsmouth, to the Nankin,
50, at Chatham ; James T. Pringle (1854), recently pro-
moted from mate of the Boscawen, 70, to the Royal
George, 120, screw steam-ship in the Baltic ;E. A. Twee-
dale (1851), to the Excellent, vice Hon. J. W. Ward.
Clerk in charge—George A. Welch (1848), from the
Sheerwater to the Ardent.
Naval Instructor— P. A. Fothergill to the Nankin, 50,
at Chatham.
Assistant-Surgeon.—G. B. Moore (1350), from the Sheer-
water to the Ardent.
Second Master—T. C. Tilley (1851), from the Sheerwater
to the Ardent.
Mates—Charles H. Smith (1852), Richard Horner (1851),
and W. G. England (1852), to be lieutenants.
Clerk—Edward J. Giles (1850), to be paymaster.

THE GUN-BOATS.
The Pincher, light draught screw steam-gun-boat, got her
steam up on Monday afternoon on going down the river
from Deptford to Mr. Pitcher's dockyard at Northfleet.
The engines worked remarkably well, making about 300
revolutions per minute.
The workmen employed on the Palter, light draught
screw :,team-gunboat, were at work all night oil board of
her in the basin at Woolwich, to have her ready for sea as
soon as possible.