The Sun.
London, England, 1859-12-29 00:00:00

THE CASE OF THE PRINCESS ROYAL.

Tho official correspondence on this subject has
been published.
In a despatch dated Victory, Portsmouth Harbour,
Dec. 13, Admiral Bowles- thus narrates the circum-
stances preceding the riot :
" Soon after her Majesty had quitted the yard Captain
Baillie came to me and reported that his ship's company
were very eager and anxious to be allowed leave to go on
shore, and much dissatisfied at its being withheld. (I should
remark that this was the first application to me on the
subject.) I asked hint if he felt sufficient confidence in his
men to answer for their returning to their work steadily on
Monday morning ; and on his:replying in the affirmative I
fold him I would take on myself the responsibility of per,
raffling one watch to go on shore ; but he returned in a
alert tine to report that the whole crew were in a very et-
cited state, and highly dissatisfied at any of them being
kept on board. I immediately saw that it was time to be
firm and decisive, and directed him to inform them that, as
they were so unreasonable in their demands, and so unwill-
ing to accept the limited indulgence which the custom of
the service authorises, I should revoke the permission pre-
viously given and grant no leave at all, and such of the men
as had already been improperly allowed to quit the ship
were directed to return."

Heihen describes the riot, and says :
" Tho whole of the prisoners may, however, be considered
as taken in the fact,' and I recommend that the severest
measures shall be taken to crush this rising spirit of insub-
ordination in the British navy."
The letter from Captain Baillie thus describes the orders
given before the riot :

" Having been authorised by you to allow one watch to
go on shore till Monday morning I gave instructions to that
effect ; and on their being mustered to go on shore the petty
officers came aft, and said the ship's company wanted all to
go, and showed dissatisfaction at the arrangement. On my
representing this to you, you gave instructions that their
leave should be stopped altogether; and, accordingly, the
liberty men, who had already reached the dockyard gates,
were ordered back."

A letter from Captain Farquhar describes the state of the
ship during the riot; but the facts of the riot have been
frequently described before.
In a letter dated Nov. 20 Admiral Bowles expresses his
opinion as to the order at present in force tending to restrict
the granting of leave of absence. Re says
" In my opinion' nothing could be more injudicious or un-
just than to treat the officers and men returning from
lengthened foreign service as culprits in whom no confidence
could be placed, and who were to be imprisoned on board
their ships lying alongside the dockyard while every possible
indulgence was extended to all around them. Ido not con-
sider such a reception either just or prudent ; and, although
I am entirely of opinion that the captain and all the officers
should continue to reside on board, and that order end dis-
cipline should be strictly enforced, see no cause why res..
sellable leave of absence should not be granted, on condition
that the men returned steadily to their work in the morn-
ing, and that no time was lost in dismantling the ship and
returning the stores. If this indulgence were abused, it
must, of course, be withheld ; but, iu my opinion, this
would not often occur, and as a general rule the ship will
be found ready before the books come down. In the pre-
sent case of the Princess Royal, although one watch has
beercpermitted to go on shore every evening during the
past week, the ship was completely dismantled last night
(November 19), while the books will not be received here
until the 26th, and the ship cannot be paid off before the
29th inst. lam convinced that if Captain Baillie had asked
my permission to give leave sooner the disturbance which
took place would never have occurred."
On November 28th the following new regulation as to
lea.vo was issued by tho Admiralty :
" Admiralty, Nov. 28.
" Sir,—l am commanded by the Lords Commissioners of
the Admiralty to acquaint you that the following directions
are to be observed for the future in all cases of ships paying
off at Portsmouth : _

" The captain and officers aro to continue to reside on
board ships until they are paid off, and such orders and
regulations as have been acted on during the commission
are to be kept in force, and no leave is to be granted to either
officers or men, unless a Sunday should intervene, in which
case you will exercise your discretion in granting such leave
as you may consider advisable.
" Should anything occur to prevent a ship being paid off
when ready, or to prolong the period of her commission, the
cause of such delay is to be reported at once to their Lord-
ships, so that orders may be given on that subject.
"Arrangements have been made at the Accountant-Gene-
ral's-office, by which the books of a line-of-battle ship will
be made up for payment in one week after their receipt; so
that when a ship is ordered to be paid off the crow may be
enabled to go to their homes as soon as possible.
"I am, &c., "C. PAGET.
"Admiral Bowles, C. 8., Portsmouth."

In a letter dated Decemb'r 3 the Admiralty calls for ex-
planation as to the discrepancy bete eon the account of the
circumstances preceding the riot, given by Captain Baillie
in his evidence on the court-martial, and that given in his
first letter to Admiral Bowles.

In reply to this letter Admiral Bowles writes :--
"I beg you will acquaint their Lordships that, in my
opinion, the statement of Captain Baillie in his letter of the
13th ult., reporting the circumstances of the disturbance of
the previous day, is more clear and correct than that in his
viva race evidence before the court-martial. When Captain
Baillie came to me to report that the whole crew were in a
very excited state, and highly dissatisfied at any of them
being kept on board, I fully understood him to mean that
these expressions applied to the whole ship's company, and
therefore considered it my duty to decide immediately, as
reported in the third paragraph of my letter, that no leave
should be given. It appears, however, by the minutes of
evidence, that the part of the crew to whom leave had
already been given were not in any way mixed up with this
unreasonable demand ; and if I had known this at the time
I should have directed the liberty men to proceed according,
to ray original intention ; and it will be seen by Com-
mander Josling's evidence that when the petty officers, re-
presenting the men remaining on board, asked for leave for
the remainder, he at once refused to entertain or forward
such an application. I can only regret that Captain Baillie
did not adept the same course ; if he had, I am persuaded
no serious disturbance would have occurred. It has sub-
sequently appeared that, during tha time the dockyard
gates were open to the public, in consequence of the launch
of the Victoria, a large quantity of spirits found its way
into the yard, and doubtless on board the Princess Royal ;
this accounts for the excited state of the ship's company