The Sun.
London, England, 1850-02-06 00:00:00

11Xtrtnin ~54111.,

LONDON, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 1850.

With extreme satisfaction we observe that inquiries
have been instituted even thus early by Lord
73aouosaer in the /Upper House of Parliament re-
specting the treatment of Messrs. GRAHAM and
Er.moTT; 'recently officers• in her MAJESTY'S Royal
Navy. Last evening the Noble Lord drew the at-
tention of the
_Beers to the undeservedly severe
punishment inflicted on those unfortunate gentlemen,
at the same time deminding some explanation on
that head from the members of her MAJESTY'S Go-
vernment. Although the Marquis of LANSDOWNE
evaded the question for the moment, by expressing
his intention of referring the interrogation to his
Right Honourable Colleague the First Lord of the
Admiralty, we are sanguine that the first
step thus made by Lord BROUGHAM may be
effectually followed up' by that Noble and
Learned Lord, insomuch, that before the close
of the present session we may witness not only
the revision of the whole plan of naval courts-
martial but the complete re-organization, moreover, of
the entire system of military jurisprudence. To such
legal reformers as Lord BROUGHAM we look in truth
with implicit confidence for the rectification of evils
so glaring, so melancholy, so notorious, so utterly
destructive to both our great national services. The
inestimable improvements introduced into the laws of
England through the aid of the untiring assiduity and
the brilliant genius of Lord BROUGHAM must remain
deplorably incomplete so leng as the army and the
navy of Great Britain are subjected to
the recurrence of such calamitous decisions as
have lately disgraced the flag of this country.
Never, it should also be observed, has any legal re-
former obtained a more favourable opportunity for
advancing his hopes of securing some actual amelio-
ration than that possessed now by the Noble and
Learned Lord in reference to the subjects cf naval and
military courts-martial. The two mop. trous cases of
injustice which during the last year, l ii 49, illustrated
the miserable liability on the part of those tribunals
to arrive at tonclusipis fraught with the grossest
violations of humanity, have demonstrated, beyond
all possible cavil, the necessity for some speedy
and comprehensive • innovation. Those two in-
stances of cruelty have, as our readers must very
well remember, been repeatedly and earnestly re ferred
to by ourselves ; nor shall we cease directing public
attention to them so long as our great national pro-
fessions are open to - their repetition. That Lord
IhtouGuael w;.11 bring both one and the other for-
mally before the Imperial Parliament we are san-
guine, avr are as we are, from a long observation of
his cor:duct, that that Noble and Learned Lord is
not 'usually disposed to ,allow such very favourable
(74ertimities for the enforcement of his demands as a
).egal reformer to pass by unnoticed. One of these
unjust inflictions of punishment hay, as we have al-
ready observed, been commented on by Lord
BROUGHAM in the House of Lords, namely, the case
of Lieutenant GRAIIAM, and his companion Mr.
ELLIOTT, lately driven ignominiously from the naval
service of England, through the tyranny of Mr.
PITMAN and the perblind severity cf a navy
court-
Inertial. The other occurrence to which we are most
solicitous that the some Noble Reformer of the laws
of Great Britain should direct the
special
consideration of the Legislature i,,, if
sible, one of yet greater severity, i„, in
truth and in fact, one of yet greater harshness, we
mean, of course, the case of Captain GEORGE
DOUGLAS/ late of her MAJESTY'S 16th Regiment.
How that unfortunate and honourable gentleman has
been expelled from the service of his SOVEREIGN, with
his
name branded as that of a liar, with his reputa-
tation blasted, his career blighted, his happiness, it