The Sun.
London, England, 1856-10-13 00:00:00

I rooms in which he lives and sleeps at the Pavilion Barracks.
On Sunday, the 21st September last, he dined as usual at
the mess, where, as he has complained to his friends, he
received some insulting language from Lord Ernest Vane.
On that occasion, we believe, Lord Vane sat at table,
with Birt on his left hand and Ames on Lis right,
while Winstanley was seated opposite, but not immediately.
During dinner, it is said, Lord Ernest Vane kept up a
constant fire of taunts against Ames in an under tone, ac-
companied with many offensive expressions, which wo
forbear repeating at the present stage of the inquiry.
After dinner Ames took two or three glasses of wine,
and then, abort half-past nine o'clock, rose to depart. He
was followed, however, into the passage by Vane and
Birt, both of whom seized hold of him and dragged him
into Lord Vane's room, Lieut. Winstanley and Cornet Fyfe
following. There he was forcibly held down on a sofa by
Birt and Vane, while Winstanloy went into Vane's bed-
room and brought a pair of scissors, which he gave to Vane,
and with which Vane completely denuded him of his whis-
kers on the left side of his face, Winstanley and Fyfe look-
ing on. This escapade over he (Ames) was dragged along
the passage to the antechamber adjoining the mess-room,
in which coffeo is served after dinner, and in this condition
pushed violently in, whore some of the rest of the officers
were, by Birt and Vane. He appears to have made what
resistance he dared to this treatment, bat was overpowered
by superior foroe. Here, however, one is inclined to ask
what use he made of his legs and arms while subjected
to all this violence? He is a young man, well nigh
six feet high, and surely he might have employed
all his great natural means of defence with far more
effect to ward off this indignity. To do him jus-
tice, we believe he states that he so far controlled his
feelings as to forbear to strike men who were his superior
officers, even under that amount of provocation, knowing
that to do so was a high military offence under the articles
of war. One cannot but smile at the notion of a man ever
being charged with such an offence under the circumstances.
He finally left the Preston Barracks about half-past 10
o'clock, and returned to his quarters at the Pavilion. He
kad reached the top of the stairs leading to his apartments,
and was about to apply the key to the door of his sitting-
room, which he had looked on leaving in the earlier part of
the day, when he heard voices at the foot of the stairs
which he recognised, but whose the voices were it would
*ot be desirable to state here, for obvious reasons. Not
wishing to encounter the parties, knowing who they were,
he retired by another way to a pant of the court-yard, from
which he heard them burst open the door and afterwards
saw a light in his room and the shadows of people inside on
the window-blinds. On their retiring from the barracks,
which they did in no long time, he proceeded to his room,
where he found that the furniture had been turned topsy-
turvy, his drawers pulled out of their places, and his linen
thrown about the floor, two of his hats smashed, and his
bed completely saturated with water. He slept on the floor
of his room that night. Other damage was done, but it is
unnecessary to give the details. Next morning he related
the whole circumstances to the adjutant of the regiment,
Lieutenant Jennings, with a request that he would re-
port them officially to Lieut.-Col. Low, in command of the
depot, which he did. Lieut.-Col. Low in his turn reported
them to the Horse Guards, which led to the special in-
quiry by Gen. Lawrenson, and to Lord Ernest Vane, Cor-
net Birt, and Lieut. Winstanley being called on to deliver
up their swords, and being placed under close arrest, in
which they have remained since Monday week, when the
visit of Gen. Lawrenson was made. It is stated, as a teat-
•: of course, that either a court-martial or what is called
a " court of inquiry" will be held to investigate the trans-
actions in question, as the Judge-Advocate or his Deputy
hall decide, it remaining, we believe, with him, according
to custom, to decide by which of those tribunals the of-
fella) is cognisable.