The Sun.
London, England, 1832-08-28 00:00:00

The CASE of ALEXANDER SOMERVILLE.

The following are extracts from the documents pre-
sented to Parliament by Sir John Cam Hobhouse

THE PROTEST OF ALEXANDER SOMERVILLE.

To the Hon. Sir Thomas 13radford and the Members of

the Military Court of Inquiry, assembled at Weedon, on
Wednesday, the I Sth day of July.
The Protest of Alexander Somerville, Private of the 2d
or Royal North British Dragoons.

I have been informed and understand that the said
Court of Inquiry was ordered on the question, whether
I was punished for disobeying the orders of Lieutenant
Gillies, of the said regiment, or for writing a letter to the
Dispatch newspaper on political subjects.
I attended at the said Court of Inquiry, expecting to be
called as a witness on the aforesaid question, as I have
been informed and believe, under the sanction of the Right
Hon. the Secretary at War, Sir John Cam Hobhouse,
and although disclaiming the expensive and onerous situa-
tion of public accuser, I am ready and willing to give tes-
timony to the treatment I have received, and witnesses are
in attendance to prove the fact. _

In the full and fearless challenge which I am prepared
to give my oppressors, the Court of Inquiry has declined
to examine me and the witnesses in attendance, and I have
no means of obtaining justice under the order of the Corn-
mander-in-Chief, except in protesting against any adjourn-
ment of the Court until the ends of justice are fully an-
swered. A. SOMERVILLE.
Weedon, July 19.
ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE COURT.

Horse Guards, July 20, 1832.
Sir—Having had the honour to submit to the General
Commanding in Chief your letter of yesterday's date, I
have it in command to express Lord Hill's approval of
your having adjourned the Court of Inquiry of which you
are President to Monday next, the 23d instant, for the
reasons which you so fully stated this morning in person,
and which are recorded by the Court.
His Lordship desires that the investigation of the case
before the Court may be resumed on the day above men-
tioned ; that private Aleiander Somerville may be re-
quired by the Court to adduce the witnesses in support
of his allegations ; that the question of his being accuser
or prosecutor upon this occasion may be entirely waived
by the Court ; that he himself and his witnesses may be
examined by the Court under the advice of the Judge
Advocate General ; and that the same course may be
adopted with regard to Major Wyndham and his witnesses.
Lord Hill desires me to repeat, that the legal advisers
in such cases are not to be permitted to address the Court
themselves, but that they are to be allowed the very ut-
most latitude that they may desire in suggesting to their
respective clients (when not under examination as witness-
es) whatever they shall think advantageous to their cases,
both as to cross questioning witnesses, and as to written
or even verbal addresses to the Court.

I have the honour to be, Sir, your very obedient bum-
ble servant, JOHN MACDONALD, A. G.
Lieutenant-General Sir Thomas Bradford, K.C.8., &c.
Lln consequence of these additional instructions follow-
ing the protest, the inquiry was resumed.]
Private Alexander Somerville, examined as follows, by the
JUDGE ADVOCATE (July 23, 1832.)

Previous to his examination he was addressed by the
Judge Advocate, who said, " It is my duty to inform you,
that though this Court has not the power of taking evi-
dence on oath, yet besides the obligation of conscience
that is on every witness who is called here to speak the
truth, he is hereafter liable to be sworn to what he now
deposes."
When were you enlisted?—l cannot state the precise
day ; it was about the first or second week of December,
1831.

Did you join the regiment immediately, or when ?—As
nearly as I recollect, about seven weeks after I enlisted I
joined the regiment.
Where was the regiment when you joined it ?—At
Brighton.
Were you afterwards at Birmingham ?—Yes.
With a part of the regiment?—Yes._

Do you recollect attending in the riding-school on or
about the 28th of May last, to take lessons in riding ?
Yes, I was in the school on the 28th of May.
Ca❑ you state what passed there ?—I had received
orders the night before to take a horse, which was not the
one I usually took, to the school. On the following
morning, after taking the horse into the school, I was
ordered by Lieutenant Gillies to mount the horse. I did
not think when I went in there with the horse that I was
to ride it. I had twice before taken the same horse there,
and it was ridden by a civilian. When I went into the
school, Lieutenant Gillies asked me where was my switch,
and I said I had not brought one, not thinking I was to
ride the horse. I was desired to go and get it, which I
did, and then I mounted according to Lieutenant Gillies'
orders.

What happened next?—We were in line in the school,
and then got the word " March," to go round the school.
In line or in file ?—I believe it was in file, singly. I
found the horse was very rough, and I was riding without
stirrups. I found myself sitting very unsteady ; some-
times, whenever we came to the turn in the school, I be-
came almost unseated, from not being able to sit steady ;
this made me give more weight to the reins than I would
have done, had I been able to sit perfectly steady ; and
the horse gave way whenever I moved the reins—gave
way out of the ranks. Lieutenant Gillies noticed
immediately that I was not sitting as steady as I could do,
and made some observations, but I cannot now recollect
what they were.
Of what kind were they ?—They were in such a way as
merely stating to me how to sit or how to manage the
horse, something that way; in a very cool manner they
were given. I think there were either seven or eight
files riding. Sergeant Glen was in the front of me, he
was the first or the second file, the horse making a stop in
the way so often. lam sure it was at least four or five
times that the horse stepped with me. Sergeant Glen
rode out, and came round in the rear of the ride, which
consequently left me in the front, and that disordered the
ride altogether ; then Lieutenant Gillies made some obser-
vation about the way that I was riding the horse ; that he
thought I was not doing it as well as I could do; and he
said, that any child in the barracks could be made to ride
it. I made no reply to that, but upon getting the word to
march again,—we had previously got the word to halt,—
on getting the word to march, I went away the same as
before.

You moved on as before?—Yes ; upon the same circum-
stances occurring again with the horse and myself, Lieut.
Gillies stopped us again, and came forward to me, and
made some observations about the horse being very light
in the mouth, and could not bear to be touched by the
reins, and having no feeling in the side for the leg ; when
Lieutenant Gillies was just going to give the word to
march, I said I did not think I could ride the horse.
Lieutenant Gillies said, it was because the horse was not
easily managed that he had set me on it. We again got
the word to march, and in a few minutes afterwards, the
horse being still as uneasy to manage as before, on turning
out, I dismounted.

You mean to say that the horse again turned out of the
ranks, from the causes you have before described ?—Yes.
By the COURT—You turned into the middle of the
school from the ride, and dismounted?—Yes.
What took place next?--Lieutenant Galles came for-
ward to me, and demanded why I had dismounted, and I
said that I could not manage the horse ; that I could not
manage the horse, were the words I said at first; and
Lieut. Gillies said, that it was his duty to teach me ;
and then he ordered me to remount; then I said, no, that
I would not mount; Lieut. Gillies said, that I would
either do that or go to confinement, and gave me again the
order to mount, and I remained silent ; I did not say any
thing,

Did you mount ?—I did not say any thing, but I did
not mount either; the orderly being in the school, Lieut.
Gabes bade the orderly go for a file of the guard, and the
guard came into the school, which was Corporal ArLure
and two privates ; Lieut. Gillies said to me again, that he
would give
me another chance either to mount or to go to
confinement ; he bade me either mount or go to confine-
went, and I said that I would rather go to confinement. I
was then taken away to the guard-house.
How long did you remain in the guard-house ?—I think
that was about 9 in the morning, on the morning of the
28th ; I cannot positively say that that was the hour, and
there was no one came to me, either speaking, or to call
me to undergo an examination, or any thing of the kiwi,
until about 10 in the forenoon of the same day; I cannot
positively say that that was the hour, but it was about that
time in the forenoon. After I had been about an hour in