The Sun.
London, England, 1841-04-16 00:00:00

FIVE NATIVES PUT TO DEATH BY A BRITISH OFFICER.

WITHOUT TRIAL.

Head-Quarters, Bombay, March 24, 1840.

At a Gencral Court Martial, assembled in canton-
ment near Poona, on Monday, the 30th day of Decem.l.)er,
1839, and of which Major G. Browne, of her Mai?sty's
41st Regiment, is present ; Lieut. William Gibbord, of
the 16th Regiment Native Infantry, was tried on the
following, charge, .viz.
For highly irregular conduct, most disgraceful to the
character and reputation of an officer, in hi.v:ng, be-
twixt the 22d and 31st of December, 1838, at or near
the village of Kowtannee, within the State of Slwant
Warce, when in command of a detachment of troops on
duty there,• atrociously caused five persons, who bad
been taken prisoners by a party of ir7egular troops
under his command, to be summarily put to death, by
being shot, without due authority and warrant for so

doing.
Adjutant General's Office, Bombay, 27th Sept., 1839.
By order of the Commander of the Forces.
(Signed) STRATFORD POWELL,
Lieut.-Col. Adjt. Gen. of the Army.
Upon which charge the Court came to the following
de2ision
Finding.—The Court having maturely weighed and
considered what has been adduced in support of the
prosecution, together with what the prisoner Lieutenant
William Gibbard, of the 16th Regiment Native In-
fantry, has brought forward on his defence, is of opinion
that he is guilty of the charge preferred against him,
with the exception of the word " atrociously," and that
" four" instead of " five" prisoners, as therein specified,
were put to death.
Sentence.—The Court having found the prisoner
guilty, as above specified, doth adjudge him, Lieutenant
William Gibbard, to be dismissed the Honourable
Company's service.
(Signed) W. OGILVIE, Major, Judge Advocate
General.
(Signed) G. BROWNE, Major and President.
Approved and Confirmed,
(Signed) THOMAS M'MAHON,
Lieutenant-General and Commander-in-Chic f.
RECOMMENDATION OF THE COURT.
Having thus performed its painful duty, the Court
is anxious to bring to the notice of the Commander of
the Forces, some circumstance 3 of an extenuating na-
ture, which authorise its recommending the prisoner to
his favourable consideration, viz., the extraordinary or-
ders he received from the Political Superintendent of
the Sawant Warree State, the evident conviction that
he was acting in strict conformity with those orders ;
the approbation which he sought and received from the
Political Superintendent (under whose orders he acted),
from his own immediate Commanding Officer, and those
with whom he associated, his youth, the activity and
zeal he has frequently displayed, both prior to, and sub-
sequent to, the 24th of December, 1838, and, finally,
the high character ha has received for humanity and
gentleness towards the natives generally.
The above reasons lead the Court to believe that the
lamentable error he has fallen into was one of judgment
only, and therefore to recommend to the favourable
consideration of the Commander of the Forces, feeling
assured that the experience he has so dearly earned
is sufficient security against a recurrence of such a
misfortune.
(Signed) G. BROWNE, Major and President.
REMARKS BY THE COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF.
The trial in the above case was closed previously to
my assuming command of the army of this Presidency,
but circumstances have thrown on me the painful duty
of confirming the finding and sentence, and it is with
deep regret I observe, that the proceedings develop
matter which make it impossible for me to accede to
the recommendation of the Court, or in any way avoid
giving full effect to the award.
I am further concerned to remark, that evidence
recorded in the case imperatively demands that pro-
ceedings shall be adopted towards another officer, that
he may have an opportunity of clearing his conduct, or
that the ends of justice, and the interest of the public
service, may be vindicated.
(Signed) THOMAS M'MAHON,
Lieutenant-General and Commander-in-Chief.
The name of Lieutenant William Gibbard is to be
struck off the strength of the army from this date.

MORTALITY in the METROPOLIS

The following are the results of " A Table of Mortality
in the Metropolis, showing the Number of Deaths from
all Causes Registered, in the week ending Saturday, the
10th April, 1841." The Table is issued from the Office
of the Registrar-General:---
Weekly
CAUSES OF DEATH. Total. Average

i 1838-9-40.
Epidemic, Endemic, and Contagious Diseases 150 204
Diseases of the Brain, Nerves, and Senses .124 151
Diseases of the Lungs, and other Organs of
Respiration
Diseases of the flea-t and Bloodvessels
Diseases of the Stomach, Liver, and other
Organs of Digestion... 45 60
Diseases of the Kidndys &c.
Childbed, Diseases of the Uterus, &c. _
10 9
Diseases of the Joints, Bones, and Muscles
Diseases of the Skin, &c 3 1
Diseases of Uncertain Seat
Old Age, or Natural Decay 45 71
Deaths by Violence, Privation, or Intemperance 24 25
Causes not specified
Deaths from all causes 7BO -
Average Weekly Deaths .. 926
Deaths in the Average Weekly
Week. Deaths,lB3B-9-4-0.
Western Districts
North Districts
Central-Districts 159 ..... 190
East Districts lB3 ...... 211
' • ' - South Districts 201 223

Total 7BO :926
It is stated that under the term Metropolis are com-
prised the 32 districts herein mentioned, which include the
City of London within and without the walls, the City and
Liberties of Westminster, the out parishes within the
bills of mortality—and the parishes of St. Marylebone ;
St. Pancras ; Kensington; Fulham ; Hammersmith
(Chapelry) ; St. Luke, Chelsea; Paddington; St. Mary,
Stoke Newington ; St. Leonard, Bromley ; St. Mary-le-
bow ; Camberwell ; Greenwich ; St. Nicholas and St.
Paul, Deptford; and Woolwich. The population as enu-
merated in 1831 was 1,594,890. The weekly average for
1838, 1839, 1840, was obtained by dividing the deaths in
the three years by 156,
TEMPERATURE IN THE WEEKS ENDING
April 3. April 10.
60' 56°
38 38
49 48

Highest

Lowest'

Daily Mean
General Register-office, Apr

:11 15, 1841;

TH 11.1 WEATHER.

ROYAL GALLERY OF SCIENCE, ADELAIDE-
STREET.

NOON. APRIL 16
29 76 In.

Barometer

Thermometer

Highest . 55
Lowest 32•5
. _

Wind W.—Freezing Point 32 Deg.

- -
NAVAL INTE LLIGENCE.

(From the Brighton Gazette.)
PORTSMOUTH, APRIL 14.-At present there is no ship
or vessel equipping in this harbour. The. tenders Rapid,
Lieut. Tryon, and Emerald, Mr. Stuart, have arrived
from Jersey with a few volunteers for general service ;
but there is great difficulty in obtaining good hands for
the navy.
The rumour is revived that tee Queen, 110, is to pro-
ceed to the Mediterranean ; but there are no actual orders
here to that eff:et.
The squadron at Spithead remain in state quo. The
Indus, 84, still requires a good many bands to complete;
the Veraon,.so, ia ready, together with the brigs Pelican,
18, and Nautilus, 10.
The Cornwallis, 72, has been commissioned at Ply-
mouth for the. East India station, by Captain Peter Ri-
chards, 1828. She is intended fur the flag of Rear-Ad-
miral Sir William Parker, K. C. B.
The Polyphemus steam vessel, Lieut. JohnEvans,fitting
out at Chatham, is destined for service in the Weit:lndies,
it is reported to relieve the Kite steamer.
The schooner f,iir Rosamond, destined to return to the
Coast of Africa, will be put into commission here this week
by Lieut. Bulman. V
The new steamer Driver has passed by this port for Mil-
ford, to take charge of the steain-ship Geyser, and convey
her to Limehouse, to be fitted with eugines, &e., by Messrs.
Seward and Co.
The R.hadamanthus, steam ship, is said to be ordered to
the Mediterranean. The Salamander steamer, Commander
Henry, remains at Sheerness far orders.
At Spithead—lndus, S 4; Vernon, 50; Pelican, 18; and
Nautilus, 10.
In Harbour—Queen, Victory, Excellent, Royal George
yacht, Rapid, Echo, and flag tenders.

SINGULAR DELUSION.—On Tuesday night,
betacen ten and eleven o'clock, the inhabitant:, of Black-
friatv-road were thrown into a state of alarm by hearing
loud screams of " Murder 1" proceeding from' the 6w:l-
in-house of Mr. Davis, pianoforte-manufacturer, and im-
mediately afterwards a female, almost in a state of nudity,
was observed to precipitate herself from the back attic win-
dow upon the lens sof the workshop below, a depth of
upwards of thirty feet. She immediately started up on
her feet and made for the edge of the leads, apparently
with an intention of leaping into a deep ditch more than
twenty feet beneath, which runs by the side of Mr. Da-
vis's house. By this time, however, the assistance of the
police being obtained, a ladder was brought, and she was
rescued from her perilous sitJation. Mr. Franks, a sur-
geon, residing nest door, promptly attended and conveyed
her in a coach t 3 St. Thomas's Hospital. It appears that
her name is Jane Hobbs, 23 years of tig.!, And that sh.) was
living in Mr. Davis': family as hobsemaid. For sumo time
past she has been labouring under the delusion that some
persons intended to murder her, and o s that night she
imagined they were breaking into her room for that pur-
pose, and under the influence of that delusion, and to
escape, she leaped from the window. It is a miracle she
was not dashed to pieces.
THE DEANERY OF 'VOL:K.—One hundred
and twenty-five years, it is sail, have pvsed since a case
like that which occupied the fete visitation has engaged
the attention of any of our Euelebiastiedt Courts.