The Sun.
London, England, 1819-08-05 00:00:00

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THURSD AY, AU GUST 5, 1819.

ROMAN CATHOLICS.

As the following Letter must be interesting to
the RoniAn Catholics of this Country, as well as
of Ireland, we ex'ract it front The Dublin Been-
iv Pill, of the 31st ult. The Editor of that
in his inti.othiction to it, observes, in refe-
rence to the tluestion ilomEsTtc NOMINATION,

that,
" Notwithstanding ekertions and intrigues, we
may now regard the Election of Irish Bishops by
DLAn and Chaptee, as placed on a basis front
which it is impossible to be removed. The mind
of the Laiety and Clergy is made up—and the
practice, which heretofore prevailed, Of Bishops
nominating their own Successors, for ever re-
pealed.''
But we do not see how this is decisive "of the
question, as the - Pure may not approve of the
conduct of the Irish Bishop, and as, at all events,
the choice must wait for the confirmation of the
See of Rome.

" Killarney, July 20, 1819.

" SlR,—Troly grateful for your laudable exer-
tion' in promoting the cause of Domestic Nomi-
nation, I hasten to inform the Public, through
the mcdiom of your valuable Print, of :ts complete
a triumph (it that can he called a triumph, where
there was no opposition) of those principles,
which you have advocated with so much ability
and perseverance, during so many years of trial
and difficulty, as was recorded this century past in
the annals of our National Chinch. It is usual
in the Diocess of Kerry, and I believe in most of
the Diocesses of Ireland, with the Roman Catho-
lic, Bishop to convene annually a general Meet-
ing.of his Clergy, in order to reform abuses, coact
laws, and enforce the observance of discipline.
Such a Synod was held on the 14th instant, in the
Parish Chapel of Killarney. -The- number of
Clergyman present was from about fifty-to sixty.
After the ordinary business of the day was dis-
patched, his Lordship said, he bad to call their
attention to a subject of mighty importance to
them individually, and to the Diocess at barge—
e subject, of which, ou his honour, he never be-
tore gave the least intimation to any person living,
lest undue influence, or secret interference, should
thwart the virtuous intentions of those more
deeply interested in the advancement of religion:
He then begged of them, in the name of Goo, to
proceed immediately to nominate a Successor, as,
from hisiown habitual infirmities, he felt himself
incompetent to discharge conscientiously the func-
tions of his station.—At this unexpected and li-
beral proposal, every eye was suffused with tears,
and every heart melted with tenderness. The
regret of parting, at any time, with so amiable.
a Prelate, revered through life for his patriar-
ch#al virtues, could be lost only in the urgent ne-
cessity of selecting one, who would be the ex-
act image of his virtues, as well as his soeces-
stir in rank and dignity. On his Lordship being '
asked by one of the Clergymen present, it 1
the tight of nomination could be exercised in fa•
your of a foreigner, he meekly replied, that w.here•
ever they found talents combined with piety, they
were at liberty to choose; and -to make the no•
mination more complete, liberal, and satisfactory,
he was pleased to ektetA, eveu to Coadjkitors, the
privilege of voting. When it was once ascertain-
d that the Ch,rgy, itt their choice, were not con-
Stied to their own Diocese, the name of NFltien-
ny, formerly of Clotigows, was instantly men-
tiotted—of whom his Lordship declared, that be
knew not in the.whole kingdom a more compe-
tent man, whether considered as a profound Scho-
lar, or as a pions Christian. Some of the Clergy,
not so thoroughly acquainted with his character,
ilegged time to deliberate, at least till the follow-
ing day, to which his Lordship most readily coo-
sewed. On the following day, alter the celebra-
tion of Divine Servicel lovotation of the Holy
Ghost, this respectabWi' ,ody,proCeeded to•ballot,

with the most dignified order and decorum. Tellers
were named and a Secretary appointed to make
the returns, after which the tickets" were drawn,
when, as if the Spirit of God presided, Mr. Kenny
was elected almost unanimously, the entire Body

having given him their first votes, with the ex-
ception of sixteen, and eight of. them their second
votes. The Bishop approved of the nomination,
and intimated his wish of, writing instantly to the
See of Reme to get it confirmed.. Thus,. Sir, a
stranger, known only by fame, has been called on,
as if it were the dictate of the Divine Spirit, to
preside over, the religious concern?, of an cxteu-
give Diocese, to direct the energy of 'its Priest-
hood, and relieve the spiritual wants of thousands.
Let the same principles oprrute in every other
Diocese, an►t Ireland %vi,ll be happy, nay, more tha
that, she will he united and free.

SACERDOS."

(tT, .le6

[PRICE SEVENPENCE:

COU It F MARTIAL.

A Court Martial sat on Tuesday, at• Whitehall,
on a.Cliat,ge preferred against Staff-Surgeon Owrrc
LINDSAY. The Court was composed of the tot•
lowit)g Officers :
Preasident—Nlajor-General the Hpriourabla Sir EDWARD
S'l't ‘ll'o It D. K.C.li._ _

Colonel Thornton, 85th Rex.
Lieut.-Cul. Sir H. Hardine,
Grenatliei- Guards, K.C.B.
Lieut.-Col. Napier, :id Guards'
Do. Buckner, Royal Artillery
Do. Bowater, 31 Guards • •
DO. Mann, Royal Engineers
Do. Adye, Royal Artillery

Lt.-Coi. Phi!hitt, Royal Artil.
Du. Allrt, Grenadier Guards
Major Grits, 19111 Lancers •
Capt. llaitlanti, Royai Artil.
Do. Delaelancitlan, Eng.
Do. Moultrie, IStb Laticers
Do, Fairfield, 3d Guards.

C. I I ARGE. .
" For scandalous conduct; in addressing a letter to Jame,
Dease, one of the Surgeons of big Majesty's Forces, stationed
at Chatham,- dated from Doke-street, St. James's, February
18, 1819, and signed Owen Lindsay, containing the following
paragraph :

' I was much disappointed at the two men of the 64th Ra•
giment nut having been sent to the last Clielsert Board, as I
had arranged matters in inch a manner, that they were to
have gone to the Boar!, and the attentiod of the Commis-
sioners was to have been directed towards the state of the eyes,
and all this was done quietly, without any person connected
with Sir W. A. knowing any thing. concerning the business.
I would recommend you not to mention their names in any
correspondence you may have here, at all events, till they ace
snugly lodged in the York Hospital. I hope you have not
meddled with their eyes, and that you will nut prevent their
getting drunk, &c. so that they may have proper Vascula
Cornea.'

" He, the said Staff-Surgeon Lindsay, thereby intending
and -endeavouring to persuade the said James Dease to be
guilty of a neglect of dutyloWards Corporal John Phillips and
Private Joiin Pyhe, soldiers in the G4th Regiment, who had
had a complaint in their• ryes, and were then at Chatham on,
their way to Chelsea to be examined hr the Board, such con-
ductbcing highly prejudicial to the service, and disgraceful to
the character of Mr. Lindsay as Statf•Surgeon to his Majesty's
Forces.

The Court haviiig assembled with the usual
forms, and being sworn, the Charge was read 10.
the defendant, who pleaded Not,Quifty.
Mr: ‘VooeasTou, the D'efitity'Judge-Advocate,
spoke as follows :—'' As no pergola appears in the
character 'of Veisectuor in this case, it becomes
my duly, as Representative of the Judge Advocate-
General, to state to the Court the cause of their
beioga assembled' on this occasion. The Com-
mandersinsChief baying received from the Secre-
tary at %Vat- a communication respecting a letter
stated to have been written by Mr. Owen Lindsay
to Mr. Dease, one of the surgeons stationed at
Chatham, his Royal Highness conceived the
conduct of Mr. Lindsay, r 6 represented to hits, and
the tenor and expressions of that letter, to be so
highly improper and detrimental to itie Service,
as to furnish a fit sOhject for investigation bett-oe
a Court Martial, :paid his Royal Highoess having
sole3equently transmitted the documents upon
which his opinion was founded to the Jodge Ad-
vocate-General.
the charge is .framed into which
this Court is assembled to inquire.. In the n' •
nary course of the process, the Secretary at ,
with whom the compkint originated, was calhal
upon to retUrn a list of the witnesses by whose
evidence this charge might be substantiated:' A list
was returned accordingly, and it has become also
my du-ty, in the absence of a prosecutor, to call
these witnesses, and to put such questions to them
as may be most likely to bring the facts in the easiest
and comnletest manner before the Court. In ma
der, however, to enable the Court to understand
the application of the evidence, it may be os well
to state, that the letter in question was written
in reference to two private soldiers of the 6-lth
regiment, who had been afflicted with the opthal-
mia, and placed under' the care of Sir William
Adams. In the first instance, these men were
reported to have been cured, and they were sent
to the Depot at the Isle of Wight, with a view to
their being passed to the regiment abroad. A
. doubt afterwards occurred whether the cure was
complete; and a reduction of the army having
in the mean time taken place, the two men were
thought proper.ribjects-for a discharge, and were
sent from the Isle of Wight to Chatham, to re-
main there till they could be pasSed to Chelsea to
be examined for admission. While these men were
at Chatham, under tine care of Mr. Deese, and in
reference to their situation, the letter upon which
the charge is founded was written. Whether the
original letter will be produced, I am -unable at
present to state, but a summons has been sent to
Mr. Dease, with a requisition 'to him to bring the
letter to him. If be- should fail to do so, or if
the letter should, appear to-have been destroyed,
I understand that an authentic copy of it, take?)
at'the War-Office, will be produced, an 1 I we-
some that' the witnesses summoned twin he eole
satisfactorily to show that the original was in the
hand-writing, or at least signed, by Mr. Lindsay."
Mr, James Dease, Staff-Surgeon to the Forces at Put;ltatn,
was the first witness. He proved that he had received a letter
from tint itefetidaut in February last, which contained a para-
graph similar to that set forth in the charge. though lie could
trot swear that it was in precisely the same terms, He had
not got the letter. It had been destroyed, with other useless
papers, before Lord Palmerston alluded to it in the House of
'Co:anions, and probably within two or three days after it bad
been received. The 'letter had come to him under a War-
Office cover.
Mr. George Suringate Powell, of the War Office, deposed,
that- a letter, containing tine paragraph set forth in tine
charge, had come into his hands, with other letters, inn the
month of February. Its contents appeared to hiro of such a
nature, that he had thought it right to subunit it to Nit. Mar-
sh:nil, at the bead of the department to which witness be-
longed, and by that Gentleman it was forwarded to tine tit.-
. eretarj' at War. The letter had been sent open to the War
Office, its was customary. lie bad net seen the letter since
it was sent to the Secretary at War, though he might have
afterwards forwarded tine cover in which it was ,uclosenl.
I Mr. Edward Marshall deposed, that the letter had been
brought outer Ink notice hr Mi. Puwell. Mr. Powell (the
franlsing Citnl,) was sitting in his room, when witness heard
him exclaim, on reading, tine litter, ''''his is insist abomina-
ble !" or something to that efect. On looking at it hiu.seif

:-!

tie WTI4 notch struck at "the "uialert-tlent leatiency of it, and
olig;;estedito 'alr. Powell that lie ought to brim; it before
bim of?icia:iy, for the purpose of being forwarded to the
Deputy Secretary at War. He arcordiogly sent it, with a
wentorandom at the foot of it, "by •Ir. Powell, and the
words " soitruitted to'the Deputy Secretary at War's con-
sideration," gulijoinrd by himself. The memorandum of
Pownt!i•set forth, that be, in the execution of his ditty,
as Prartliior Clerk, had received this letter from the Army
isiediea! Department, the contents of which appeared to him
of so .irittriotts a nature, that ha had thou lit it right to
bring it tinder his (witness's) ohservittion. It was the Frank-
ili.Cletit's duty not to forward priv Ire or sealed lotter,.—
ne.rother thought the letter in question bad Leen scut to the
War-Otlicelindemover with an -olliciat document, or souse-
thi:ur of that sort:

Mr. rowell beiaz re-examined, sn'id, private letters were
itsaally forwarild \vithout being fraLked, and were, conse-
Tiently, 14atrie tn pdst.ige.
l'he defendant if ;t were comm-tt to forward let-
ters fr.nn the War-Oqier• r..Hcli were considered to be of an
ininrot4.r tendency ?—Certandy

. -
Q. Do you why this was eiad, an exception to the
That of coarse rests with Lord Palmerston.
M.r. Elliott, as Private Secretary to Lord Palmerston, had
letter cont ainingl he paragraph set forth itt t he charge.
lie shool4 know the ropy that he had made. He was asked
if one then handed to them was that cope. lie replied, that
it wa• 1.0 hat it appeared to the tallie effect.
Anoi her i attempted to retnind witness of Fnme-
-11,11,4 witne was tinder att examination, and was couse-
mt!ence ,o.deted mot of Cottrt-,
Mr Elliott, said, if the e:otirt would allow hint, he would
-go to Lord Palmerston, and imptirm for the identical ropy.
'clic Court as,euted to this, gild ruljoiittied till
t‘i o o'clock .

At two o'clock, the Court having again atsetn-
bled, Mr. Elliott produced the ropy of the letter
that had been culled For, Which was read to the
Court. When the letter was sliewn to Lord
Palmerston, he went into no discussion on the
subject of it with witness. lie did not recollect
ti bingle instance of a letter considered to be im-
proper bring forwarded to its destination with
the sanction of' the War-Office; but, had this
taken place, he could only have known of it acci-
dentally:
The DEPUTY JUDGE ADVOCATE here closed the
.ease for the proseention.
The defendant begged to be allowed till 10
o'clock in the morning to prepare his defence.--
Ile also expressed a hope that no pat t of the pro-
.ceediogs wo,dd he published till the whole were
concluded, as his character had already suffered
touch from the ex parte statements that lod gone
forth in some of the public prints.—Adjourned.