The Sun.
London, England, 1860-05-01 00:00:00

THE ARMY.

Her Majesty's screw troopship Perseverance,
Commander E. W. Power, arrived at Portsmouth
yesterday from the West Indies, having sailed from
Jamaica on the sth of April and from Bermuda on
the 14th. She brought home the head-quarters
and six companies of the 41st Regiment, compris-
ing .—Col. J. E. Goodwyn, in command; Major
IL W. Meredith ; Capts. J. E. Harvey, A. N. Fow-
ler, It. E. Maude, and E. L. B. Lowney ; Lieuts.
H. G. Nowlan, It. Pack, and W. F. B. Michell;
Ensigns H. G. L. Lynch, Charles Miller, and F. P.
A. Bracken ; Paymaster James Simpson, Adjt.
Isaac King, Quartermaster Charles Ward, Assist.-
Surg. G. L. Hind, and Brevet Major F. E. Bligh ;
491 rank and Me, 41 women, and 83 children ;
Lieut. E. J. Evans, 22d Regiment ; Lieut. F. M.
Fogo, 2d West India Regiment ; Ensign S. W.
Williams, 2d West India Regiment; J. Williams,
Military Train, and four private passengers. The
Perseverance has experienced fine weather during
the passage home. Her news has been anticipated
by the arrival of the Royal Mail steamer La Plata,
at Southampton, on Saturday. On the 27th inst.,
in lat. 47 8, long. 14 57, signalled and gave longi-
tude to the English bark Irene, from Adelaide,
bound to London ; the same day signalled a Danish
bark showing a flag with No. 35 in the centre.
The regiment will disembark this morning at Ports-
mouth, and leave for Aldershott at nine o'clock.
The somewhat extraordinary circumstance of
trying a private of the Royal Marines by " drum-
head court-martial," with the subsequent infliction
of corporal punishment, occurred at Chatham yes-
terday morning to a private of the Royal Marine
Light Infantry, named Joseph Wakefield, for a
most gross act of insubordination. The prisoner,
who is a man of exceedingly bad character, was
tried a few days since by district court-martial for
deserting from head-quarters and making away
with his regimental necessaries; and, the finding
of the Court having been approved by the
Major-General commanding, the whole of the
officers and men of the division were
drawn up in the barrack-square yesterday morn-
ing to hear the sentence proniulgitcd. The
prisoner having been marched to the centre, the
sentence was read, the Court adjudging him to be
branded with the letter "1) '' and to be imprisoned
for 1(38 days. The instant the prisoner heard his
sentence he turned round to Lieut.-Col. M'Killop
and shouted out with an oath that he would not do
it, but that he (Cel. M'Killop) " might do it him-
self," and there is no doubt he would have rushed
at that officer had he not been prevented by the
escort. As this flagrant act of insubordination took
place in the presence of the entire division, the
Commandant, Col. Rea, felt it is duty to make a
prompt example of the prisoner, and at once gave

orders for what is termed a "drum-head court-mar-
tial" to immediately assemble on the parade-ground,
when the .officers who were selected to form the
court-martial sentenced the prisoner to receive 50
lashes. The entire battalion then proceeded to the
rear of the barracks, and, the prisoner having been
stripped and fastened to the triangles, the full num-
ber of lashes was infEcted, the prisoner hearing his
punishment without uttering a word of complaint.
On being released from the halberds he was re•
moved to Melville Hospital, and as soon as he is
able to leave that establishment will be sent to Port
Clarence to undergo the first portion of his sentence.
Col. Rea afterwards assembled the division, and,
addressing the men in energetic language, stated it
to be his cletermirNation to suppress the slightest
symptoms of insubordinatisn, and in all breaches of
military discipline to carry out the law. The in-
fliction of corporal punishment is exceedingly rare
in the Chatham division of Royal Marines.
Yesterday morning the sentence of the general
court-martial held at Chatham on privates Henry
Cartlidge and John Sullivan was promulgated to
the corps of Royal Marines, having been approved
by the Lords of the Admiralty. The prisoner
Cartlidge was tried for having assisted in rescuing
a prisoner from the custody of the gairison picket
in High-street, Chatham, ;and for having, when
a prisoner, struck aqa violently assaulted
Sergeant C. Knott, 73d,: Regiment, who had
given evidence against hitn. The offences for
which private John Sullivan was tried were those of
having cut off the buttons from his jacket during
the time he was a prisoner in the cells, of having
struck Serg. G. Knott, 73d Regiment, and of having
behaved with gross disrespect to Captain Nepean,
Royal Marines, on the occasion of that officer visit-
ing him in the cells. Both the prisoners are men of
exceedingly depraved character, and have been se-
veraal times tried by court-martial. In consequence
of their threats and the general violence of their
character it required 12 Marines to convey them
from the guard-house to the court-martial room and
during the time of their trial they were handcuffed
and in charge of a double escort. They also treated
the Court with great contempt. The Court sen-
tenced Cartlidge to be kept in penal servitude for 14
years, and Sullivan to be kept in penal servitude for
6 years, in addition to which they will be both dis-
missed her Majesty's service.