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

vate Somerville had been convicted ;—Pone, I did not
think it necessary ; I think I said the person who had been
punished.
You say that you observed Somerville was not very well
made for a dragoon, or something to that effect ?—I re-
member when be joined I said he was not the figure. He
was short in the neck and not an elastic man. I was
anxious to see how he was getting on, and I always heard
from the riding-master he was acing eery well.
Had you seen him ride before the 28th?—Several times.
Whet "hd you think of his riding ?—I think he rides
very well for a man of his figure, for the short time he had
been learning,—three or four months.

Do you know the horse. 830 well ; I
bought him by hinasf^!f.
flaYa.yo:l ern Somervil'e ride the horse on any occa-
sion do not think I ever did to my recollection.
Have you ridden the horse yourself ?—No, I bought him
in London, and sent him down to the regiment.
Have you seen him ridden ?—Constantly; he used tc be
in the bind at Brighton.
From what yo t saw ct him, should you say he was a
steady and smooth-going bore, or otherwise ?—lle is a
goad looking horse, and shows more breed than many other
horses I always thought him a steady horse, and never
heard any thing said against him. I often made inquiries
about the horse ; he had a long tail which reached to the
:round, and was rather a remarkable horse. At that time
were going to mount our band on long-tailed horses. I
had hml cut at Birmingham.
From what you saw at that time of Somerville's riding
and the horse's goin:, is it your judgment that he was
competent to manage that horse in ad situations and with-
out stirrups ?—lf he had been put on him ; I think any
man might have ridden him. I saw a trumpeter ride him
at Brighton.

Did you say, in your conversation with Somerville, You
are getting sulky on our hands, or words to that effect ?
C,rtainly not. .

Do you recollect what was the last thing you said to
him before he was taken out of the room ?—I directed him
to be taken back to the guard room.
Did you say to him, Now you are where you will re-
pent of it, or any thing to that effect?—Certainly not.
Are you sure you used no words to that effect ?—Cer-
tainly not; I am sure of it.
Did you communicate to any of the members of the
court-martial what Somerville had said about his being
the author of the letter in the Dispatch ?—No, I did nut.
Did you direct any person to make such communication
to them, or to any body?----No, certainly not.
Do you know, in point of fact, whether any such com-
munication was made ?—I cannot say; I do not know
that it was; I am not aware of it.
Did you state to Somerville, or intimate to him, that
he was to he tried by a court martial for the offence he had
committed in the riding school ?—Not beyond what I said
in the room, that it was an act of insubordination that
could not be overlooked.

When you talked of an act of insubordination, did you
intend tc imply that it would be a matter of inquiry before
the court -martial ?—Yes.

Hare you peen a musician ride the horse B 30, in pa-
rade, or in the line of march ?—A trumpeter at Brighton.

When was that?—Somewhere about October or No-
vember.

Do you recollect what instrument he played ?—No, I do
not ; different musicians rode the horse ; sometimes one,
sometimes another.

Do you recollect whether the musicia❑ had both hands
employed with his instrument, or used one hand in manag-
ing the horse ?—I think it must have been a man who had
one hand at liberty; the kettle-drummer would be on a
different horse.

Would not a bassoon player require both his hands to
Lis invrument?—We have not a bassoon out with the
brass band.

Do you remember the horse having been ridden since
Somerville rode him at a review ?—Yes, he was out at our
last review.

When was that ?—I think the day that General Camp-
bell inspected us. Since this disturbance a boy rode him.
What age was the boy ?—About 15 ; one of the band.
Cross-examined by private Somerville—. What induced
you to connect i❑ any way the writing of the letter in the
Dispatch with the offence I had committed in the riding-
school ?-1 did not connect it.

Haw came you to mention the letter in the Dispatch
when I was brought before you on a charge of disobedience
of orders ?—I found the paper was on my table, and I
thought it a very good opportunity to ask the man whether
he was the writer of the letter; I wished to get the matter
explained.

Did you conceive the writing of the letter to be a mili-
tary offence ?—I did not consider it a military offence, but
I considered it a libel on the regiment.
If you did not consider it a military offence, what
reason, as a military officer, could you have for taking
notice of it at all ?—To satisfy the officers and soldiers.
Had either officers or soldiers complained to you about
the contents of the letter?—Not complained, but there
had been seine conversation about the letter.

Was it by the officers, or did you hear any complaint
from the soldiers ?—With the soldiers I had no commu-
nication ; what I conceived the officers knew, the sol-
diers knew ; it came to my knowledge from having seen
the paper in which it was written.
Did the officers with whom you conversed on the sub-
ject approve or disapprove of the letter ?—Disapprove
very much.

Were those officers who so much disapproved of the
letter the officers who formed the court-martial that tried
Somerville, or any of them ?—I am not aware ; they might
have Bern.

Were there any other officers at the quarters than
tho,e who formed the court-martial and its assistants?--
Yes, there were.

What other officers were there at the quarters ?—One
Or two.

Will you name them ?—Cornet Stewart.

Were there not some of the staff ?—Yes ; Paymaster
Crawford, Surgeon Ernsley, Quarter-master Perry, Lieut.-
Surgeon Watts, and Adjutant Ricketts.
Had you conversation with all or any of the persons you
have named on the subject of the letter in the Dispatch ?
—lt was the subject of general conversation in the mess-
room ; I did not converse with any of them individually.
By the JUDGE-A DvocaTE—Do you mean to say that
there was a general conversation on the subject in the
mess-room, hut that you did not converse with the officers
individually ?—Yes, it was a general conversation through
the regiment.

By private Somerville—Do you mean to say that the
subject of the letter was matter of general conversation
with the officers previous to the offence which I commit-
ted in the riding-school ?—Certainly.
When did y.ai first suspect Somerville to he the author
of the letter ?—On Sunday afternoon, when the paper
was put into my hands.

When did you first communicate to any other person
that suspicion ?—I am not aware that I communicated it
to any body ; I sent off a letter that night with the scrap
of poetry I mentioned.
In the general conversation which took place about the
contents of the letter amongst the officers, was not my name
mentioned as the probable author ?—No, I do not think it
was; he was not the man suspected at the time.
Did you not mention it yourself ?—No, not that I am
aware of.

By the JUDGE-ADVOCATE—Was the other person sus-
pected a member of the regiment?—He was.
D,3 you recollect the name of the other person suspected ?
—I do.

By private Somerville—Had you never heard me men-
tioned as the author, or said I was the author, before you
questioned me about it on the 29th of May last ?—I am
not aware of it ; I think so.

What induced you to ask me if I was the author of the
letter on the 29th of May for the first time ?—Because I
thought it was a fit opportunity, his being in my room.
Did you yourself approve or disapprove of the contents
of the letter alluded to ?—Disapprove very much.
Do you believe that a soldier has no right to hold or to
express any political opinions?--He may hold any, but I
think he ought not to express them, certainly not in the
way as he did in the newspaper.
Is it your opinion, then, that a soldier has no right to
express a political opinion ?—Not publicly in the news-
papers.
If a soldier has, in your opinion, a right to bold or to
express a political opinion, does it not follow that he has a
right to express it in any way or manner lie pleases ?—I
think so, except in the way I saw it in the newspaper ; I
do not think how I could well prevent a soldier doing that.
Then, though you disapprove of the opinions I expressed
in the letter alluded to, and of the medium through which
they were conveyed ; can you point out any authority by
which you could legitimately censure them ?—I censured
.shat I saw, because it seemed to me a libel, unbecoming a
soldier to relate such a history.
Are you aware that persons publishing libels are re-
sponsible to the civil tribunals of the country ?—I should
suppose they were.
Then what induced you, when I was in custody on a
charge of military disobedience, to advert in such strong
terms to an offence which could only be legally noticed by
a civil tribunal ?—To satisfy the regiment who was the
writer of the letter.

By the JUDGE AnrocATE---That was your real ,n for
asking him if he was the author of the letter, but you were
asked what induced you to take the opportunity of ex-