The Sun.
London, England, 1849-08-27 00:00:00

COURT-MARTIAL.

PLYMOUTH, AUG. 21 —A court-martial assembled
on Monday morning, the 20th instant, on board her
Majesty's ship Impregnable, in Hamoeze, for the pur-
pose of trying Commander Granville Hamilton Wood,
of her Majesty's sloop Hound, on two separate charges
of getting that ship ashore.
The Court consisted of Admiral Superintendent
irJohn Louis, Captain W. H. Johnstone, her Ma-
esty's ship Agincourt ; Captain M'Dougall, her Ma-
esty's ship La Hogue; Captain Sir Thomas Maitland,
Impregnable; and Captain. George Greville Welles-
ley, of the Dmdalus.
Mr. George Eastlake officiated as Judge-Advocate.
Captain Wood defended himself.
The first charge was—For that Commander Granville
Hamilton Wood, when commander of her Majesty's
sloop Hound, did on the 30th day of August, 1848,
while running along the south side of the island of
Grand Cayman, through negligence and for want of
care, run the said sloop upon the rocks, and did thereby
hazard the said sloop."
By the evidence of First Lieutenant Hallett,
Second Lieutenant W. T. Stanbridge, M. Lowe (the
master), and F. W. Borrie, A. 8., it appeared that the
said sloop left Port Royal, Jamaica, on the 28th of
August, 1848, bound to Havannah ; and that on the
30th of August, at a quarter to five o'clock in the
afternoon, wind easterly, ship steering west by south,
at the rate of about five knots, under all plain sail
except royals and mainsail, she grounded on a reef a
quarter of a mile from the shore of the Grand Cayman.
Commander Wood, who was in charge, had had the
helm put hard a starboard five minutes previously,
and the starboard braces being manned when she
struck, the vessel was soon hauled off into seven
fathoms water.
Lieutenant Hallet was not on deck at the time.
Mr. Noddy, a midshipman, was the officer. He had
not passed his examination. There was no second-
master's mate or master's-assistant on beard. The
senior midshipman was removed to keep the watch of
the master, who was sick. When witness left the
deck, at ten minutes to four o'clock, Point Pedro
was abaft the cathead. He believes that the reason
the vessel ran ashore was because Commander Wood
wished to enter a bay on the other side of Point Pedro
to catch turtle for the crew, who were weak and
sickly. The course she was steering when he went
below would have taken her quite clear of danger
unless a current existed.

Lieutenant Stanbridge stated, that the ship struck
three times before ho could reach the deck. The
course, west by south, must have been altered after
he gave up charge, or she would not have run
ashore. The master advised her being hauled out
hslf a print south.
Mr. Lowe, the master, deposed that when he came
an deck after the ship struck he thought that if his
advice had been observed the accident would not have
occurred. The currents near the Grand Cayman arc
very uncertain.
All the witnesses were questioned at some length
as to whether the anchors were ready to let go or
not ; the testimony on this point was very conflicting.
The second charge was—" For that Commander
Graevi-.10 Hamilton Wood, when commander of her
Maieetv's ship Hound, did, on the 3d of September,
1848, while running into the Havannah, through
negligence and for want of care, run the said sloop
upon the roeks, and did thereby hazard the said
sloop."
Lieutenant Hallett proved that after leaving the
Grand Cayman, the sloop, having no pilot, was
taken into Havannah on the 3.1 of S:ptetnber,
1848, at a quarter after three o'clock, when she
grazed the ground. She was in the personal charge
of Commander Wood ; two leads going in the fore
chains, and hands ready to shorten sail. Witness did
not think the chip was too close. When she touched,
the soundings were 4i port side, and 3 or 3i star-
board; the brig's draught is 11 feet. On a subsequent
occasion, when off Havannah, saw several vessels get
ashore at the entrance. Witness was the only officer
of the ship who had been in the port before, and that
was when a boy.
Mr. Lowe said, that the wind was E.N.E. The
entrance is about two cables' length wide; the ship
went on the weather shore. Never saw a pilot, and if
hailed it would be dangerous to heave to in the nar-
rows. When waiting for a slant of wind has seen two
vessels ashore at a time, one on either side.
The Court adjourned at four o'clock on Monday,
and re-assembled at nine on Tuesday to hear the
defence, in which Commander Wood. pleaded the
length of time since the occurrence as one cause of
difficulty in clearing himself. From the fact of the
vessel they relieved (the Pantaloon) having lost sixteen
hands by fever, and the crew of his own ship having
been on the coast of Africa the previous eighteen
months on salt provisions, and as his Bailing
orders did not enjoin a special haste, and the
Grand Cayman lay in a direct line, he felt
justified in touching at that island to procure
fresh provisions. With regard to his having no
leadsman, it would be seen by reference to the sailing
directions that there were no soundings close to the
shore, and that it would be no use to heave the lead
till Point Pedro was observed, and he had learnt from
an intelligent American pilotthat there was no danger
off that point. lie could assure the Court that the
striking was a mere trifl-e. The course was never al-
tered, but there was a very strong current over the reef.
The plan of the Grand Cayman supplied to him bore
date 1796, and was incorrect, for immediately the
ship struck he requested the master to fix her position.
With regard to her touching at Havannah, the sailing
directions stated vessels might pass close under the
Morro; they did so, and just grazed on the clay and
shell bottom, which he had subsequently learnt from
the Consul-General was a most frequent occurrence.
Three parts of the time the ship had been in commis-
sion he had, from the ill-health of his officers, been
obliged to do their duty as well as his own.
The COURT declared that they considered the first
charge proved, and the second was proved in part,
and that they adjudged Commander Wood to lose one
year's rank as commander, to be admonished to be
more careful in future, and to be reprimanded.

FRANCE.
Among the on dits of the day it is said that the
Prince Paul of Wurtemburg is negotiating a mar-
riage between the President of the Republic and a
Russian Princess. •
" Letters from Algeria," says the Toulonnais,
"state that for the last two months the heat has been
insupportable in that country.. Persons who have
been living there since the first onoment of the occu-
pation do not remember to have :suffered as they have
done this year. This fact accoutr..ts to a certain extent
for the discouragement which ha► seized on the colo-
nists who have lately arrived. A great number of
children have died in the agriculitural colonies."

AUSTRIA AND HUNGARY.
The Emperor of Austria, accompanied by the
Cznarewitch Alexander, returned from Ishl to
Vienna on the 19th; and it was expected that more
detailed accounts of the particulars of Georgey's sur-
render would transpire. Two interesting proclama-
tions were looked forward to at; Vienna-I\l. Kos-
suth's resignation in favour of Georgey, and his
address to the Hungarians, in which he entreats them
to lay down their arms, as it was useless to fight fur a
lost cause. It was asserted at Ilrienna that Madam
Kossuth had fallen into the hands of the Austrians
when in the act of crossing the Styrian frontier.
The communication between :Hungary, Moravia,
and Gallicia is now open at Godi az, Hrosinkau, and
Jablunka.

The Silesian papers have some details of General
Georgey's surrender, which we give without vouch-
ing for their correctness. These -papers state that on
the 9th instant the llungarian (3 eneral Poltenberg
came to the headquarters of Prince Paskewitch,
he being instructed by George y to treat about
the surrender. Paskewitch, hove ver, refused to re-
ceive General Poltenberg, and sent him word to go
to General flaynau. Nevertheless, Georgey preferred
yielding to the Russians. The A'lgemeine Zeitung
states that a large part of Genera:t Georgey's corps
has at once enlisted in the Aus•.trian army. It is
thought that no less than 60,000 well-appointed and
effithent troops will be added to the Austrian army by
the late events.
We find it again stated that M. :Kossuth, with De-
sorry, Messares, and Dembinski, lla:ve passed Orshova,
and that they are safe in Turkey.

ITALY.
The Milan Gazette of the 19th. inst. publishes
correspondence between M. Mt.nin, Dictator of
Venice, and M. de Bruck, who had previously
opened with him a negotiation, w-hich,ended without
a-ay result. M. Manin's letter is Hated the 11th
inst. He announces to M. de Bruck that, being
invested with full powers by a decree of the
6th inst. to resume the negotiations, he was ready to
come to an understanding with him relative to the
conditions calculated to guarantee to Venice its
honour and security. On the 14th M. de Bruck
replied to M. Manin that the Assembly having re-
jected the conditions previously offered, with a view
to avert the disasters and unavoidable consequences
of war, an absolute submission could alone be ac-
cepted ; that, nevertheless, Field-Marshal Radetzsky,
yielding to sentiments of humanity, was willing to
confirm the concessions already made on the 4th of
May, 1849 ; and that if the Venetians acquiesced in
those conditions they might apply to the General of
Cavalry, Gorzkowski, Commander of the besieging
army, who would regulate the anode of execution
according to the orders that had been forwarthd to
him.