The Sun.
London, England, 1849-08-25 00:00:00

THE S U Ns

Cavalry, Gorzkowski, Commander of the besieging
army, who would regulate the mode of execution
according to the orders that bad been forwarded to
him.

LONDON:

COURT-MARTIAL.
PLYMOUTU, AUG. 21 —A court-martial arsembled
on Monday morning, the 20th instant, on board her
Majesty's ship Impregnable, in Hamoaze, 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
Sir John Louis, Captain W. 11. Johnstone, her Ma-
jesty's ship Agincourt; Captain M‘Dougall, her Ma-
jesty's ship La Hogue; Captain Sir Thomas Maitland,
Impregnable; and Captain George Greville Welles-
ley, of the Daedalus.
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
liszard the said sloop."
By the evidence of First Lieutenant Hallett,
Second Lieutenant W. T. Stanbridge, Al. Lowe (the
master), and F. V. Borrie, A. 8., it appeared that the
said sloop left Port Royal, Jamaica, on the 28 h 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 HaHet 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 board. 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 he 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
half a point south.
Mr. Lowe, the master, deposed that when he came
on 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 are
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
Granville Hamilton Wood, when commander of her
Majesty'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 rocks, 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 3d of September,
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 ship was too close. When she touched,
the soundings were 4i port side, and 3 or 3f 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 sailing
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 pilot that there was no danger
off that point. He could assure the Court that the
striking was a mere trill. 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 pat t,
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.