The Sun.
London, England, 1809-07-11 00:00:00

,PHI4.4PELPHIII, JUNE 7.

DESERTION TO CANADA.—We find in several of
the paper 4 some animadversions oil an unhappy af-
fair which took 'place in the early part of the last
month within the Canada line.

The, public papers to the eastward and westward
have, during the establishment
,of. the public force
.on the frontier towards Canada, represented, the de-
sertions from the United,States' troops on the fron-
tier, into Canada, as immense :; indeed it is too true
that the desertions had become a mitten of the ut;•
most seriousness ; and the detached stations and
re-
latively small numbers at each.station, had rendered
an exaa and • uniform discipline Utterly- itnpra6.itica
ble,. where the battalion officers .were themselves all
inexperienced; of various habits, and newly brought,
together,-; The hostile disposition'of the Canadian
Governtneht, and the couespondinglemper of its •
adherents, stimulated, no doubt, by the embargo -.
upon 'commercial dealings, and the prospect of a-
war, had induced the Canadians to hold forth every
temptation to our troops tofdesert; great numbers
did desert, and were received with open arms and .
marked attention in Canada. These things we note
merely. to account for the temper of irritation.which
induced the unfortunate transaction to which we,
have 'immediate reference : a transaction, however,-
which is not to be justified or countenanced, any
more .than the similar infra ion of .our territory in
Vermont by a British military party, tO,or 12 years •
ago; by another British Military party at Detroit,
four or five years ago ; the outrage and, murder. of ..
Pearce in the waters of New York; the outrage of,
the Chesapeake by Admiral Berkley; the burning
of a French ship in our waters- about the same pe-
riod ; or the. outrage done by the-British ship'ille,
/ampas. We note all these facts, and might note
others of older, and some of recent date, and SiMi••.
tar charaaer, not to justify the condtid of the United,
States' Officer who violated the territory of Canada,
but to reprobate the false ideas of citity., and the erro-
neous conduct of the Officer, and to strew how dill;
ferently' such 'person's' guilty, of -such cpndd6l are
treated by 4116 -United States; from the-treatment
which those have received who' violated ow- terri-
tory and rights. • If our Government were to follow
the' pretedent set them by Gieat Britain, Captain
Bennett-would, like Captain Whitby who murdered
Pearce, or, Admiral Berkeley, who murdered and
hanged sci- many AmeriCans, be promoted to a
higher station and com Mandy he would be appoint-
ed to a Major 9r a Colonel, and he -would have
beon -distinguished for future promotion. It we do
not' 'manage matters better, we act at least with a,
decorum more, crsistent with the., laws of nations
and•the rights of jurisdiction.
The following is an authentic account of the affair;
contained in a letter from Oswegatchie, Of the date
the-4th May :
" An unhappy affair took place in this neigh-
' bourhood alew days ago, -which'has Traduced much
warmth in Canada. Captain Bennett, of the 6th
United States Regiment, left this . pace on Sunday
last, to•proceed for :his station up the river, and had
gone about 20, miles, when the wind beading, alp
vessel came to an anchor. On Monday, the wind
still proving adverse, Captain Holmes; who corn--
manded the vessel, went on shore to get previsions ;
a Set eant of .the 6th Regiment, and one or two
vates went on shore also for- the same purpoSe.—
Captain Bennett, who was on board, thinking the
Skirjeant and men delayed too long on shore, sent his
own boat for them anti brought, them of; while the
men had been on shore, they were told that a de
serter from their regiment was in that neighbour-
•hOod, and the Serjeant had gone and_ ascertained
the tact, he had seen and recognized the man as a
deserter, without making himself known.
" The Serjeant, upon returning on board, report
eels the citcumstance to his. Commanding Officer,
thus accounting for his delay On Acre, and stated
that the place at which the deserter ,was did not
exceed three quarters of a mile distance. . Captain
'Bennett, a young inexperienced Officer, perhaps nop
'very conversant with the law of 'nations, and aaing
under a- zeal which under a more judicious diredion
might lead to a Condud honourable- and glorious,
unhappily conceived it 'to be Os duty and 'his right
to seize the deserter any where, he determined to
detach the Serjeant-with two men with, orderl to
bring thedeserter'on board; 'and not to molest any
one nor to use. any sort of violence, unless attacked
with Violence, 2nd then to repel force by force;
and' in ease the deserter attempted to escape; -to
make use of his artna._%The Serjeant went ashore
in Captain Bennet's boat, leaying one man in charge
of the boat ; -the Serjeant and two men proceeded
through the woods, ,seized the deserter, and were
condnding him to the boat, when a number of
aimed people appeared issuing from the village run-
ning towards them; the deserter .teeing this suC•
Cour, made an effort and succeeded in extricating
himself, and ran with great ;peed towards the crowd,
and from the military party"; the Serjeant cried out,
that if he did not stop he would order the men
,t 6
fire ; but, he proceeding, the Serjeant ordered his
fell,
Serjeantbe 1 bang
g-Id-ilters
rodsmen dtiostfianr%
,awndhetnhe
hdeseteerltle;r_
the
party were pursued, but made their retreat good to
the boat, and got sate on board the vessel, bore-,
away, and arrived at this placei.", .
This statement is trim a respeffible citizen, who
was on board the vessel, and hid a fair view of .the
transactions.

1

The papers that were strenuous advocates for Mr.
WARDLE _before the late trial, are now as .fOrcible •
in their Condetination of his conduct. There are,
indeed two or three exceptions, but even the writers :
in the papers alluded to are ashamed of s'ying any,
tiling.in palliation of his conduet, and therefore en-
deavour to shift public attention to the "subject of
the Inquiry, to, which he was indebted for all his
spiiriotist and transient popularity. Never was there
a more sudden revolution in crtdit than 'has taken
place respecting this great lieforiner, and fallen as he -
is, he has not the consolation of believing that any
body can pity his fate but those who are despisetrby •
all. wise and honest men, and I,l'llo would be deemed,
still tnore des'picable it they were to announce their
,cornpassion to-the world.
Saturday morning- a duel was fought in a meadow
adjoining Plymouth Dud, between Captain Fowrit
and Lieutenant COOKE, both. of the First We4t,
-Yok Militia, the latter of wuom was shot through
the thigh, but the wound is not considered dap-