The Sun.
London, England, 1846-12-12 00:00:00

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be wore the testimonial Of honourable distinction ac-
corded to him by his grateful country, for distin-
guished services on the sanguinary fields of Meeanee
and Hyderabad. His etatire appearance and de-
meanour, and that of his crstzessed and helpless family,
appealed with a mute wad touching eloquence to the
sympathies and commiseration of the bystanders, and
some trifling alms were bestowed, which at once at-
tracted the attention of a police-constable, who took
him into custody for an alleged breach of the law.
In his justification for the heinous offence of exciting
the public commiseration by his appearance, he made
a plain and unvarnished statement, that should have
procured his immediate liberation, with such assist-
ance as the state of the court poor-box admitted of.
He said, "that he had served through the major part
of the campaign in Sinde under Sir C. NAPIER ; that
he was present at the battles of Meeanee and Hydera-
bad, in which he had received several gun-shot
wounds, which disabled him from further ser-
vice, and he was consequently discharged."
He had made application for a pension fur his
wounds, but the only recompense he had
been able to obtain was a gratuity amounting to a
year and a half's pay, and as that " had been long
since expended in the support of his wife and child,
and as he was nearly crippled, and had no other
means of subsistence, he had been obliged to resort
to the course complained of, to save himself and
family from starvation." He then handed in the cer-
tificate of his discharge, formally signed by the
commanding officer of his regiment, and other docu-
ments corroborative of the truth of his statement. Mr.
BINGHAM, although sympathising with his unfortu-
nate position, ordered him to be remanded, to enable
the officer to make inquiries as to the truth of his
story in the proper quarter.
On the following day the wife of the disabled
soldier entered the court with her infant in her arms,
and in great mental distress applied for assistance.
She stated that the scanty and precarious support on
which the family had depended had wholy failed
since her husband's incarceration, that she was now
reduced to the utmost extremity, and had not tasted
food since the day before. She had no means of pro-
curing even the most miserable shelter; and her help-
less condition was aggravated by her wretched stare
of health, three weeks only having elapsed since her
confinement of the child she carried. She obtained
some slight temporary assistance to support her until
her claim was admitted by the relieving officer of the
parish where she had last slept, to whom she was
directed to apply.
On subsequent investigation the story turned out
to be perfectly correct, save that the poor fellow had
overrated the bounty he had received, which was not
a year and a half's pay, as erroneously stated, but
sixpence a day fur a year and a half-131. 135., paid by
instalments ; and this was the recompense for a dis-
abled arm, a broken constitution, and being rendered
incapable to gain his bread, which poor COTTON re-
ceived for his services from his grateful country. Ile
was discharged with an admonition not to be again
guilty of exciting the public sympathies.
And this, Englishmen, is the condition of one who
has fought and conquered on our behalf, who has risked
his life under a tropical sun, in an unhealthy climate,
against a ferocious enemy. He is dismissed in ill health
and helplessness, with a medal for his reward, but
coupled therewith is a gaol—the association with cri-
minals of every class and character fur himself, the
tender mercies of a union workhouse for his wife and
child. Shame, shame that such things should be
suffered, that their continuance should be tolerated.
By the system adopted we take the best years of a
man's existence, and when he is totally unfitted for
any other species of employment, disabled by wounds,
or with an enfeebled and broken constitution, we dis-
charge him to linger out the residue of his wretched
existence in misery and want. There will, there
must be a speedy and effectual alteration. It is not
by such means, or for such rewards, that we can hope
to obtain a better class of recruits for our army.

Madrid papers of the 4th have arrived. At that
date the IsTuarrz Ministry was still in existence, but
the differences among its members had proceeded to
such an extent that it was not considered possible
the Cabinet could hold together.
MADRID BOLSA, DEC. 4.—The Thrce pt,r Cents.
34 3-16 ; Fires, 21k. Exchange on London, 361.