The Sun.
London, England, 1848-05-20 00:00:00

COURT-MARTIAL.

CHATHAM, MAY 18.—This morning Colonel Thomas
Weare, K.H., President, with fourteen other officers,
forming a general court-martial, assembled at this garri-
son for the trial of Private Henry Brycent, No. 565, of
the 12th Royal Regiment of Lancers, on two charges.
Ist. For having at Hampton Court, on the 2d May,
1848, struck and made use of insubordinate language
towards Troop Sergeant Major Robert Knight, 12th
Royal Lancers, his superior officer, then and there being
in the execution of his duty. 2d. For having, at the
settle time and place, seized a pistol and threatened to
kill or injure the said Troop Sergeant Major Robert
Knight, his superior officer; to which charges the pri-
soner pleaded not guilty. Captain J. S. Wood, the
major of brigade of this garrison, officiated as deputy
j udge- advocate.
Six witnesses were examined at some length ; their
evidence went to show that about half-past nine, P.M., of
the 2d of May, Sergeant-Major Knight entered the bar-
rack-room at Hampton-court barracks, in which was the
prisoner, and finding a female there, the sergeant-
major ordered her out, when the prisoner, with an inso-
lent tone, directed Sergeant-major Knight to leave the
room and take the candle away. The sergeant-major
refusing to do so, the prisOner came up to him and struck
him a blow in the mouth, and knocked the candle out of
his hand; with that the sergeant-major went out of the
room and shut the barrack-room door, and placed the
orderly sergeant there to prevent the prisoner coming
out; and the sergeant-major went for the sergeant of
the guard to take the prisoner to the guard-room. Dur-
ing the absence of the sergeant-major the prisoner seized
a pistol from the pistol rack, and declared ho would
shoot the sergeant-major, for he might as well do it now
as at any other time, as he knew his doom would be
transportation to Van Diemen's Land. The pistol was
taken from him by the sergeant of the guard, which upon
examination was found not to be loaded.

The prisoner, in his defence, denied hitting the ser-
geant-major, or insulting him; that he simply took the
pistol from the rack in order to take the ramrod out to
open the door.
Cornet and Acting-Adjutant A. Wellesley Williams,
of the 12th Lancers, produced extracts from the Regi-
mental Court. martial Book, signed by Colonel E. Pole,
which showed that the prisoner was tried on the 15th
April by court-martial at Glasgow, and sentenced to
forty days' hard labour, and on the 2d of August the
prisoner was again tried by a district court-martial at
Leeds, for being drank when on duty, convicted and
sentenced to 56 days' hard labour. The prisoner has
been in the regiment nine years and nine months. His
general character formerly was bad. Within the last
three years and a half it has been good. His age is 30
years and 7 months.
The Court found the prisoner guilty, but the sentence
must be confirmed by the Commander-in-Chief before it
Can be publicly known. The prisoner was removed to
the garrison guard-house to await the issue of his trial.

CHATHAM, MAT 19.—Wm. Weller, a labourer
in this dockyard, hung himself yesterday afternoon in a
timber shed in the yard. The deceased had been missing
the greater part of the afternoon, and a search was made
for him without success. A few hours afterwards two
of his workmates had occasion to enter a shed, when
they discovered him hanging to a beam. They instantly
cut him down, but life had been extinct for some hours.
He had been observed to be ♦ery melancholy for some
days past. The deceased has left a wife and one child ;
he resided at Rochester. An inquest has been held on
the body by J. Hinde, Esq., when a verdict was returned
that the deceased destroyed himself whilst labouring
under temporary insanity.

- -
REPEAL OP THE NAVIGATION LAWS. —MOTE-
MENT AT LINEEPOOL.--LIVERPOOL, FRIDAY AFTER-
NOON.—Late yesterday a memorial to the Government,
in reference to the proposed repeal of the Navigation-
laws, placed upon the tables of the Exchange. Up
toth was placed
the signatures amount to nearly 400,
including many of the leading merchants of the town.
The adverse feeling to the Government measure amongst
the merchants here appears to be all but unanimous ;
but as the adjustment of the Navigation•laws seems to
be a national and not a local question, care ought to be
observed in receiving the opinions of the Liverpool com-
mercial community. The Mayor is disposed to agree
with the requisitionsits, and it is understood that he will
calla public meeting on the aubjEct to be held on Mon-
day or Tuesday next.