The Sun.
London, England, 1834-05-20 00:00:00

COURTMARTIAL ON CAPTAIN HUGH
PIGOTT, R.N.-(FIFTH DAY.)

The officers composing the courtmartial on Captain
Hugh Pigott reassembled yesterday, pursuant to ad-
journment, on board his Majesty's ship Hastings, at
Sheerness.

After the court had been opened, a letter from the
Secretary of Legation at Constantinople, when with
Sir Stratford Canning, was read, ordering the Alban
to be in attendance upon the Ambassador, and a report
as to the repairs at Malta in October, 1831, to show
the state of the vessel at that time : by this it appeared
that no paint had been allowed, consequently she
could not be in a very complete state at the time of
inspection.
Mr. Pettigrew's examination was then resumed : it
related, as on the former occasion, to the stowage of
coals upon the deck of the Alban, and the state of the
vessel generally.
By the Couar—Are you aware for what purpose
the Alban was sent up to the Bosphorus? Witness—
I am not aware, except that of taking the British Am-
bassadors.

By the Comr—Were there any government stores
on board ? Witness--None that lam aware of.

By the COURT—As the Alban was engaged to con-
vey the representative of Majesty, was she in a suffi-
cient state of cleanliness and order for the reception of
such a distinguished person? Witness—No; as we
were obliged to carry coals on deck, which generally
tended to keep her dirty.
By the COURT—Was there any occasion for 180
bags of coals being on deck, she only being employed
in carrying the Ambassador from his country seat
to Constantinople ? Witness—No, I know of no
particular occasion ; but in a short time we should
have started them into boxes.

By the COURT —Was the Alban commonly clean,
sweet, and wholesome in the Ambassador's cabin, such
as the representative of Majesty ought to occupy ?
Witness—l think she was commonly clean, but from
the hot air she might not be as sweet as necessary.
By the COURT—You positively swear that there
was no sort of dirt or unwholesomeness, except what
arose from the hot air ? Witness—None but that oc-
casioned by the ashes and dirt flying out.
By the COURT—Was there any circumstance to
prevent dirt and ashes being swept away when the
cabin was dirty ? Witness—Not that lam aware of.
By the COURT—After what you have related as to
cleanliness, I wish the Court to be informed what
orders you conceive the prisoner to have given that
were unnecessary or vexatious, or do you consider him
to have given such ? Witness--I do not consider that
they were unnecessary or vexatious.
By the COURT—IS it your opinion that the climate
the Alban was then in was particularly favourable to
keep ships clean and wholesome ? Witness--Previous
to the Barham's arrival the climate had been unfavour-
able, but at that time it was fine weather.

By the CotTuT-.---Was there any cause, between the
27th and 29th of March, for her being dirty ? Wit-
ness--We had removed the coals, in doing which we
had caused a little dirt.

By the COURT-Might not that dirt have been re-
moved if any attention had been paid to cleanliness
and order ? Witness--Yes ; the decks had been
scrubbed and washed the morning Captain Pigott came
on board.

By the COURT—Was there any appearance on the
paint for a person to doubt that it had been washed so
recently ? Witness—Yes ; from its being quite fresh
when the coals were taken on board, it had a dirty
appearance. _

By Sir JAMES GORDON—Bearing in mind the
peculiar service on which the Alban was employed, in
carrying the representatives of the three greatest
Powers in Europe, were the cabins, decks, and other
parts washed every time the fires were put out ?
Witness—Not immediately afterwards.

Sir JAMES—What do you mean by not immediately ?
Witness—The fires were put out in the evening, and
the decks washed on the following morning.
Sir JAMES—Did not the ambassadors send to the
steamer, that they required her attendance as soon OA
you could get your steam up ? Witness--I have a
faint recollection of the circumstance

Sir JAMES—WouId not the Alban have been more
ready to go on service, and cleaner, if she had been
washed when the fires were put out, than she would
have been if ordered on service in the morning ?
Witness—Certainly.
Sir JAMES—Was there any thing to prevent it?
Witness—Not that I am aware of.

The witness was then asked the same question, as it
applied to the cabin-floors and other parts of the vessel,
and replied, that he did not remember that they were
washed immediately.
By the COURT—How long was the Alban at anchor
off Sultan's Valley, before she was inspected by Capt.
Pigot ? Witness—l think one day.
By the COUR r—Do you consider 42 hours sufficient
time to clean a steam-vessel after the fires had been
put out ? Witness—Yes. '
By the COURT—Had the Alban been employed on
any particular service just previous to the present, to
prevent her being in complete order ? Witness—l
believe that we had her down the Bosphorus once or
twice, and had, as I stated, coals on deck.
By the COURT—Was there no possibility of keeping
the Alban in cleaner order ? Witness—Yes, by mov-
ing the coals from the deck.
By the COURT—Are you aware of any application
being made by the commander for the removal of those
coals, in order that the vessel might be kept in a
more suitable state? Witness—l am not.

By the COURT—CouId the decks have been pro-
perly washed with 180 coal-bags on them ? Witness--
Certainly not.
By the COURT— How long would the coals have
lasted that were stowed in the places appropriated for
them? Witness—Five or six days.
By the COURT—How was it necessary to have coal-
bags on deck ? Witness—Because we had no other
place to stow them.
Sir JAMES GORDON—During the inspection of the
Alban by the prisoner, did you hear him give a variety
of vexatious and unnecessary orders ? Witness—No
the only order he gave out of the way was the putting
the coal-bags in the commander's cabin.
Sir JAMES GORDON—How was that order given ?
Witness—Rather angrily, I think.
By Captain 'Pigott—Did not Lieut. Walker, a
quartermaster, yourself, and a midshipman, assert that
the Alban had been pumped out on the 28th March,
when such was not the fact ? Witness—l do not know
that the quartermaster did, the other parties all did,
and I thought it had been done myself.
Captain Pigott—Did not Mr. Fair, one of the mid-
shipmen, inform you that she had not been pumped
out ? Witness—He did.
Captain Pigott—How often was the Alban baled
out ? Witness—lnvariably once a week.
Captain Pigott requested the log to be produced,
and it appeared from that that the baling out had
taken place seven times from March 23 to July 17.
Captain Pigott—Can you deny that it was stated to
me that the water was sometimes ancle deep in the
fore cock-pit ? Witness—l do not recollect that it
was said to be so deep.
In answer to further questions, Mr. Pettigrew said
that the officers were never in full uniform when their
excellencies were on board.

Captain Pigott—Describe the dress of the com-
mander and the officers in general upon those occasions.
Witness—Undress.

Captain Pigott—Answer the question more particu-
larly. Witness—Lieutenant Walker generally had
on his surtout coat and cap, and I believe we had
generally the same. _
_.

Captain Pigott—Was the commander generally
shaved, and was the appearance of his person clean
on those occasions? Witness--I cannot answer the
nrst part of the question. He was clean in appearance.
Captain Pigott—Was not the Alban in the time of
her former commander very clean and orderly ? Wit-
ness--Yes.

Captain Pigott--Was she then far more clean than
when under the command of Lieutenant Walker ?
Witness—Yes.

Mr. Pettigrew was then re-examined by Lieutenant
Walker at great length, particularly upon some part
of his evidence relative to the baling of the vessel,
upon which there appeared a slight discrepancy. A
number of questions put by Lieutenant Walker were
objected to by the Court, upon which some discussion
took place.
Some other evidence was adduced not material, and
the Court adjourned.

We hear that it is finally determined that all
foreign papers shall be admitted into England on pay-
ment of three half-pence per paper, and that the same
postage will be exacted for all English papers forward-
ed to the Continent. It is asserted, but we cannot
believe it, that none but newsmen registered for the
purpose will be allowed to receive papers from the
Continent.—Morning Advertiser. _