The Sun.
London, England, 1840-09-26 00:00:00

Upon this letter it is proper that I should trouble you
tsith d few comments, as it is necesssary to explain the
cotifSe f tetokl end to which it is necessary that I should
entreat your most serious attention. With Captain
Reynolds I was not on terms of communication except-
ing upon matters of duty, and I, therefore, had no diffi-
culty in coming to the conclusion, that the purpose of his
letter was not to enable him to contradict the report,
but to enable him substantially to confirm it. I saw
that he must have one of two objects, either to consider
my answer the groundwork of an ultimate proceeding
before sortie higher authority, or to make it the ground
for requiring that setiefeetion at my hands, which, how-
ever usual in general society, toss aliviously inadmissible
and highly improper in the relative positions of Cap-
tain Reynolds and myself, That it was the first, was
most unlikely from the unofficial form in which the letter
was addressed to me ; and then its tone was to be con-
sidered, and also the obvious unfairness by eliciting an
admission from the party himself,
to make it the ground-
work and proof of the charge to be brought against him.
I had then only to entertain the belief that my answer
would be made a further pretext for a personal or hos-
tile collision, which, under the circumstances, it was my
imperative duty to avoid. Impressed with this convic-
tion—one that the subsequent violence of Captain Rey-
nolds fully confirmed—l believed that the only answer
I could return (if I returned him one) would not allay
his irritation ; and being fully alive to the impro.
priety of being driven into a personal collision with an
officer under my command, and of which could not
foresee the result, I therefore determined, after full
consideration, to forbear from answering Captain Rey- ,
nolds, and so acted to the best of my judgment at the
time ; and in so doing I have since, after again con-
sidering it, conic to the conclusion that I exercised a
sound discretion to all parties. Accordingly, I took
the first following opportunity of apprising him both of
the course I had resolved on, and my disapprobation of
that which he had pursued. That was on the Friday
morning, when the regiment was paraded for exercise
on the Downs. I then called Captain Reynolds for-
ward, in presence of the Adjutant of the regiment, and
of Captain Jones, the next senior in command, and he,
being then the duty-officer at the infantry barracks of
the Pavilion squadron. 1 then addressed Capt. Rey-
nolds, to the best of my recollection, in these words,
" I yesterday received a communication from you, to
which I beg to inform you that I do not mean to reply,
as I conceive that your letter was of an improper nature
to address to me, and therefore request for the future
all communications from you to me may be strictly.
official, with my military rank affixed, and
your own to your own signature." In the after-
noon of the same day, I received the letter set out
at length in the charge. Immediately on reading that
letter I sent an order to the Adjutant to place Captain
Reynolds under arrest, and reported the whole of the
transaction, by the first practicable post, to the General
Commanding in Chief, who, through the Adjutant-
General, acquainted me, in reply, that there was no
alternative but bringing Capt. Reynolds before a general
court-martial. And I have since received from his
Lordship the command, notwithstanding my positive re-
quest, it I cou,d, consistently with the interests of the
service, be relieved from this task, that I might be
allowed to decline conducting this prosecution. 1 have,
however, been commanded to do so, and in obedience
to which orders I am now addressing you. I believe
I have now stated all that is necessary, and without
trespassing too much on your time. the whole of the
facts of this most painful and very serious case. And
having done this, nearly all that now remains for me is
to read over the letter itself
Brighton, August 28, 1840.
" My Lord,—Having in my letter to your Lordship
of yesterday, stated to your Lordship that a report had
reached the that your Lordship had spoken of me in
such manner as I deem prejudicial to me, considering
the position in which I am placed ; and having in the
most respectful manner requested your Lordship to
allow me to contradict such report, and your Lordship
having this morning positively refused to give me any
answer, I beg to tell your Lordship that you are in no
wise justified in speaking of ine at all at a public party
given by your Lordship, and more particularly in such
manner as to make it appear that my conduct has been
such as to exclude me from your Lordship's house.
Such assertion is calculated to injure me. Your Lord-
ship's reputation as a professed duellist, founded on the
having sent Major Jenkins to offer satisfaction to Mr.
Brent, the miller of Canterbury, and your also having
sent Captain Forrest to London to call out an attor-
ney's clerk, does not admit of your privately offering in-
sult to me, and screeningthetee yourself under the cloak
of commandiag officer;• and l must be allowed to tell
your Lordship that it would far better become you to
select a man whose hands are untied for the object of
your Lordship's vindictive-feproaches, or to act as many
a more gallant fellow than yourself has done, and waive
that rank which your wealth and Earldom alone entitle
you to hold.-1 am, my Lord, your Lordship's obedient

servant,
- RICHARD ANTHONY REYNOLDS.
" The Right Hon. the Earl of Cardigan,
" 45, Brunswick-square, Brighton."
[During the reading of this letter his Lordship became
greatly excited, and was at the conclusion obliged to
pause in his address for a few moments. After wiping
his eyes several times he then proceeded.] With regard,
said the Earl of Cardigan in continuation, to this letter,
any comment on my part is superfluous—almost unbe-
coming. It is in direct disobedience to my orders, on
the very day it was written. There is an omission of
both our respective military ranks ; but that is not an
omission on which I particularly insist, however cul-
pable under the circumstances ; but it is its substitii:ce..:
and contents, and its obvious insubordinate, unoffiCer
like, and ungentlemanly tendency, that must make it be
considered morally deserving of censure. Ha subordi-
nate officer can indulge in a tone so insulting to his
commanding officer—if he may sneer at him as a pro-
fessed duellist, whose reputation rests upon his sending
a hostile massage to a miller at Canterbury, and an at-
torney's (dirk in London ; if he can impute to him a
readiness to offer insult privately, and screen himself
under the cloak of commanding officer ; if he may dare
wealth
a buty b c
by andoi n t
, notse senior
him to select one whose hands were untied for the object
%r notill im
t
of rank
theiCornet
of his vindictive reproaches, and bid him, as many a
more gallant fellow than himself had done, waive that
r Earldom
with thealo
Captain, n eI
junior entitlev cn
him
to hold--if'
Regiment,
o whichd—
i may
say with impunity, but without being visited by the se-
verest displeasure of a military tribunal, then it will be
impossible tor a commanding officer to maintain that
subordination essential to his efficiency
ciency ; and then a sys-
tem will be encouraged fatal to the best interests of the
service, and detrimental to the discipline of the army.
The speech was then signed by the Earl of Cardigan,
and handed into the Court. It was marked A.
The Esrl of Cardigan was then sworn, and he de-
posed as follows :—I recollect this letter (that of the
27th of August),signed " Rd. Anthony Reynolds,' dated
Brighton, Aug. 27, 1840, either on the evening of that
day, or early the following morning. I received it on the
evening of that day—evening or afternoon.
The letter was then put in and read by the Judge-
Advocate, the superscription being, " To the Right Ho-
nourable the Earl of Cardigan, 45, Brunswick-square,
Brighton," and there being no address on the interior.
This document bring admitted by Captain Reynolds,
was received, and marked B.
The Earl of Cardigan—To which I gave no reply,
But on the following morning (the "Bth of August),
when the regiment was formed for field exercise on the
Downs, I „exiled Captain Reynolds out at a consider-
able distance from the regment, that is to say, quite out
of the hearing of everybody except the Adjutant and
Captain Jones, whom I ordered to be present, Captain
Jones being the next senior officer to myself, and Cap-
tain Reynolds, both the Majors being at that time ab-
sent on leave ; Captain Jones being also at the time a
duty officer, being and having been placed in regimen_
tal orders, as capi ain of the week in the Infantry
racks of the Pavilion squadron. 1 then addressed
Captain Reynold as follows, or in words to that effect :
—" Captain Reynolds. 1 yesterday received a comma_
nicatiou from you to which I,beg to inform you 1 have
no reply whatever to give, nasmuch as I consider it
was a letter of an improper aature for you to address
to me ; and I have to request that for the future all
communications from you ;o me will be or may be
strictly official, with my mili:ary rank affixed to the ad-
dress and your own to the signature.' Nothing more
then passed, but I ordered the officers back to their
posts. In the course of the same day, namely, Friday,
Aug. 28, I received this letter.
The letter was admitted by Captain Reynolds, and
then read by the Judge-Advocate. It is that which
forms the ground of the charge, and was marked C, as
a document of the Court.
The Earl of Cardigan—lmmediately on the receiot
of this letter I wrote to Lieutenant and Adjutant
Knowles to place Captain Reynolds in arrest ; and I
reported that circumstance and forwarded the letter to
the Adjutant-General on the Sunday following. I
shortly afterwards received a letter from the Adjutant-
General stating that the Commander in-Chief had no
alternative but to bring Captain Reynolds before a ge-
neral court-martial.
The President decided that the statement should be
read for the Court.
The Earl of Cardigan then repeated_ the statement
the 2ath of August,
as follows : "On Tuesday, 1840,
I had a party at my house at Brunswick-square, to
which several of the officers of the regiment were in•
vited, and at which the regimental band being present,
some of the ladies who dined there invited their friends
to come in the evening, for the purpose of dancing.
It was after the dancing had commenced, and after
more of the officers had come in, that a young lady
said to me, Ido not see the Captains Reynolds pre_
sent—why is that ?' My answer was,' Because I have
not invited them.' Then the question followed, Why
did you not invite them ? My answer was, Be-
cause I do not happen to be on good terms with them.'
And then I added,' I am afraid, if you are very anxious
to see the Captains Reynolds, you are not likely to
Another question was then
meet them in lily house:
put to me, Why are you not on good terms with
them ?' To which I replied. Oh, that is a very long