The Sun.
London, England, 1840-04-29 00:00:00

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EVENING EDITION.

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GRAND MILITARY FUNERAL.

In consequence of the announcement that the
funeral of the late Major-General Alexander
Dickson, of the Royal Engineers, was to take
place at Woolwich yesterday, and probably also in
consequence of the fineness of the day, by an early
hour in the morning, thousands of the inhabitants
of London were hastening towards London Bridge
for the purpose of being conveyed to Woolwich.
The boats usually plying upon that station were
unable to accommodate the vast numbers of passen-
gers who offered, and many of the Greenwich
boats were put in requisition. On nearing Wool-
wich we found all Government and other vessels
with their ensigns flying half-mast high, and on
entering the town, we were pleased to see that al-
most, without exception, the shopkeepers paid their
tribute of respect to the deceased by closing their
shops, and keeping them shut till after the funeral
procession had left the town. _ _

The whole of the troops in the garrison, with the
exception of those necessary for the various guards,
formed in the Barrack Square at 11 o'clock, the
officers wearing crape upon their left arms and over
their sword-hilts and ornaments ; the colours were in
crape, as were also the musical instruments of the
various bands. At 12 o'clock, the minute gun
having given the signal that the hearse containing
the body (which was brought from London) was
in sight, the troops formed into line—the Horse
Artillery on the right, next them the Foot Artillery,
the Royal Sappers and Miners, the 29th Foot, and
the Royal Marines, each corps attended by their
band. As soon as the hearse reached the Barracks'
Common, the coffin containing the body was
placed on a gun carriage, which was covered
with an ensign. Over the coffin was thrown
a pall, and upon it were placed the
hat, sword, decorations, &c., belonging to the de-
ceased. The car was drawn by eight horses, each
led by a dismounted horse artilleryman. The car
was followed by the horse of the deceased, led by
' regimemal groom ; then followed three mourn-
ing coaches, each drawn by four horses, and eight
private carriages. On the arrival of the car in the
centre of the column of troops, it halted, the
bands struck up solemn music, and the arms were
reversed. The procession was then formed, the
Marines being at the head of the column, following
a party of Horse Artillery, who cleared the way.
The procession was, as before stated, only reversed
in order, with the addition of the Gentlemen Ca-
t dets, and a great number of officers of various
ranks, both army and navy, who walked
next to the car. The car was followed by
a numerous band of the civil servants of the
Ordnance Department, and many of the tradesmen
of the, twin. It was preceded by the two
Garrison Chaplains and the Rev. Rector of Wool-
wich, and was followed by Sir H. Vivian, G.C.8.,
the Master-General of the Ordnance, Captain D.
Dundas, Clerk to the Ordnance, Lord Bloomfield,
Colonel Commandant, and a large bevy of officers,
on horse and foot.

The procession proceeded to Pluinstead Church,

the various bands playing psalm and hymn tunes
daring its progress. Having arrived there, the
various corps stationed themselves in the lanes
around ; the body was carried into the church,
where the service was read in a most impressive
manner, by the officiating clergyman, to a most re-
spectable and attentive audience,which crowded every
corner of the sacred edifice. That portion of the
service having been concluded, the coffin was
brought into the yard and carried to the vault, and
upon a signal, when the clergyman came to that
part of the service " Dust to dust," the troops
fired a salute of three rounds of small arms, and
eleven of six-pounder guns belonging to the Horse
Artillery, being the compliment paid to the rank of
the deceased. From all we heard, both from the
men who served under the deceased and the town
people, the words used by the Master-General in
his General Order are strictly true—" That in Sir
Alexander Dickson the officers of the Royal Artil-
lery had lost a brother, the men a father and a
friend, the corps one of its brightest ornaments,
and her Majesty one of her ablest and bravest
soldiers."

The ceremony altogether occupied about four
hours and a half. The troops, as usual upon such
occasions, retired marching to lively tunes.
The ground throughout the line was admirably
kept by a strong body of the K division of police,
and although the crowd was very great, every one
seemed impressed with the solemnity of the occa-
sion ; so that, in fact, there was little need for the
extreme care of Superintendent Mallalieu.

HORRIBLE ATTEMPT AT

MURDER.

FALMOUTH, SATURDAY.— The Sprightly,
schooner, Captain James Newton, was on Tuesday
evening last necessitated to put into Falmouth from
the following horrible details, relative to which the
magistrates of that town had been in continued deli-
beration until Friday. From all that has transpired
in the Court from evidence, and from other informa-
tion, it is learnt that, on March 25th, two men,
Robert Reed and Bill Johns, alias Samuel Bailey,
were delivered up to the authorities at St. Michael's,
by Captain Thomas Steer, of the schooner Ellen
Gilman, of Dartmouth, on a charge of desertion
from the royal navy, on their own confession, stated
to have been made by them on the voyage out from
London, they having been shipped at Gravesend.
The Consul, Thomas Carew Hunt, Esq., com-
manded Captain James Newton, of the schooner
Sprightly, to receive them on board on the 29th, be
being then about to sail for England, and, by
written instructions to deliver them up to the first
British naval commander the Sprightly, on her
voyage, might meet with, or to the first magistrate,
on his arrival in England, on the charge of " deser-
tion from some of her Majesty's ships, from infor-
mation he had received."

The information was laid by Captaie Steer, be
cause of their violent conduct on one occasion to
wards himself during the voyage. The deserters,
Bailey and Johns, were sent on board out of irons,
and the Captain had none on board, so that he was
necessitated to give them perfect liberty, and, in
fact, to share in common with the crew, the provi-
sion as well as the duties of the vessel. Reed was
in the mate's watch, and Bailey in the Captain's.
The schooner on Monday night made Scilly lights,
and Captain Newton, the cook (who was helms-
man in the Captain's watch), a youngster, a native
of Heligoland, were on deck, the latter being sta-
tioned on the bowsprit foot, looking out for land, as
was the Captain on the starboard quarter ; the man
Bailey was also on deck. At eight o'clock, Bai-
ley asked the cook what he had done with the
hatchet, with which he had been chopping up wood
in the morning ; he told him " under the wind-
lass." Bailey went for it, and placed it in the gal-
ley, forward. He then came aft, to where the Cap-
tain was, and entered into a long conversation with
him, first about the lights on the coast, and after-
wards he detailed the ships he had sailed in, which
occupied till 10 o'clock, when the Captain went below
in the cabin for about three minutes, and Bailey went
down the forecastle, and continued there for ten
minutes ; in an instnnt he struck the captain with
the axe on his head, and the next instant the helms-
man met the same fate ; he also tried to cut the
man's throat with a knife he had just abstracted
from the chest of one of the crew who was below
sleeping. The mate came up from the cabin on
hearing the repeated cries of murder from the cap.
taro and from the cook, when he shared the same
fate, being violently struck with the axe on the
head, and afterwards stabbed twice under the chin,
the knife entering his mouth. The mate grappled
with the villain, when he was nearly canted
over the schooner's side, hut ultimately succeeded
in throwing down his assailant, and he was then
helped by the captain and cook to Lind his hands
and feet ; in which position he remained until dal -
light. The mate, who though seriously, was not so
shockingly mangled as the others, examined the
forecastle, and found that a nail had been driven in
the hasp to keep two men of the crew and his fel-
low deserter down ; not knowing how far one or the
other of them was concerned in the tra,eical affair he
let them remain until the morning. ✓
About eight o'clock a Penzance pilot went along-
side, when the captain, to obtain medical assistance
as early as possible, went on shore to Penzance ;
and our pilot remained on board to bring the vessel
to Falmouth. Three investigations have taken
place, Bailey being seized on arriving here, and yes-
terday he was committed to the Central Criminal
Court to take his trial at the ensuing Assizes on
the charge'of wilfully cutting and maiming James
Bowles, mate, and William Ceombes, cook, of the
Sprightly, with intent to murder. He will be de-
tained at Falmouth until the fate of Captain New-

ton is ascertained. 'By the last account, then r.
little hopes of his recovery. The only re2.,L
assigned as probable, which induced the
commit such a complication of crime, is, that ;it.
intended to murder the captain, mate, cook, and
boy, with the axe, and then to scuttle the vessel,
thus causing the whole crew to perish, to allow of
his escaping by means of the boat, to avoid getting
the punishment of his desertion from the navy.