The Sun.
London, England, 1829-09-04 00:00:00

COURT-MARTIAL UPON CAPT. DICICEN-

SON, R.N.-(RECEIVED THIS DAY.)

PORTSMOUTH THURSDAY—EIGHTH DAY.
This morning the Court assembled at the usual hour,
°ad was greatly crowded, owing to the expectation of the
cue for the prosecution being closed. There would have
been no doubt of its closing this evening had it not been
that Sir E. Codrington's explanations occupied so much
time. I understand that all the witnesses for the prosecu-
tion have been examined, and that the Court will meet to-
morrow for the cross-examination of Capt. Spencer by
C4Pt- Dickenson.

CONCLUSION OF THE EIGHTH CHARGE.
t, Cal3l- &turn—Could the Genoa fire her stern guns at
"1 Egyptian ships at any time of the battle, at the extre-
mity of the line, without danger to the Asia or any of the
Anted ships. Sir E. CODRINGTON—CertainIy not.
INGLEFIRLD--Had the firing throughout the
all!ed line ceased at the time you hailed the Genoa to cease
firing? Sir E. CODRINGTON—Yes; my opinion was, that
the action was generally over; there being guns going off it
Was difficult to state.
Capt. INGLEFIELD—Can you particularize any ship in
the allied forces that were firing at that time? Sir E.
CODRINGTON—About that time the Albion was firing ; I
ern sure Phe fired after the explosion.
Capt. INCLEFIELD-.--DO you recollect any other ships of
the allied line which were firing at that time. Sir E.
CODRINGTON—I do not positively recollect. Only two
French schooners were firing apparently at a Turkish
frigate, and I was under great anxiety least the Hind
should be injured by their fire. I endeavoured to stop their
firing. Ido not recollect any other.
Capt. ELLIOTT—At what period of the action was this ?
Sir E. CODRINGTON—GeneraIIy throughout the action.
Captain ELLIOTT—CouId the Genoa's stern guns have
hit the Asia at that time from her stern port? Sir E.
conatscrox—They could not have hit the Asia. I
never saw her in that position that they could strike her ;
they were always directed against her opponent, a Turkish
ship-of-the-line, and she appeared to me to engage her
With her stern and quarter guns only.
Captain ELLtorr—Could you distinguish from what
deck her quarter guns were fired..? Sir E. CODRINGTON
...-The lower deck.

Captain Goanon—When you considered the Genoa's
battle to be over, do you mean that her appointed oppo-
nent had been silenced? Sir E. CODRINCTON—Yes, and
also all the vessels in the inner lines.
This was the evidence of the eighth charge. Sir En-
" 111) CODRINGTON was now called to depose to the ninth
""'" That Captain Dickenson presented him with a letter
Which he considered as a round robin, and the presenta-
tion of such was an act of insubordination."
' Sir Ensvaan ConatNorrow— Captain Dickenson, after
Presenting me some-official papers in the Asia's cabin, at
Navarin, said—." Sir Edward, here is a letter which the
"Ws company of the Genoa desired that I would pre-
terit to you, which I at first refused to do; but upon their
saying if I would not take it, they would themselves send
tI thought it more respectful to you to present it myself.'
then gave me the paper in question. Considering it
as one of those complimentary effusions of which, sooner or
later, I had a vast number, and having plenty of import-
ant matters to attract my attention, I did not then read it.
s
ilbsequently I think when lying ill in my cot I read this
With other papers which I bad been reading of minor iin-
Partanee, and when well enough I considered the subject,
and I sketched out a letter to Captain Dickenson, and that
Irter was expressive of my opinion of this act of insubor-
dination, end considering it as not merely coining from
the thip's company of the Genoa, I therein directed that
be would return the document, and explain to them the
unpropriety of their conduct. The matter stood over till
out arrival at Malta. I had shown the letter to several
erams ; Captains Ommaney, Spencer, Curzon, and
Baynes, I think they all saw it; I was told by Captains
o
unnaney and Spencer, that Captain Dickenson had ex-
Pressed contrition for the error he had committed; he de-
clared, and they believed it, that it was done inadvertently.
I desired to see Capt. Dickenson, and when waited upon
he
-o expressed his contrition, as stated by them, and
" declared that it was done inadvertently. I asked
hint
how long he had been in the Genoa; he
told tne, in answer, about fire months. I asked him
kt, he could expect me to believe, that after he had
t.,..'"11 only five months in the Genoa, and not being the
'aPtain of her, they could be so attached to him as to have
sent MO such a letter, and under a conviction that the do-
cument in question did not in reality emanate from the
craw of the Genoa, and thinking that, under all the cir-
Teumatiinees, it would be best for his Majesty's service that
t!'houTit take no further notice of it. I gave back into
fitla own hand the document in question, and the sketch of
the letter before mentioned, which I had written in con-
atclutnie.- I desired to weigh well the contents of
the document, and my answer, before he destroyed them,
and I informed him that I retained no copy of either.—
..The substance of this 'ffocn....,-ent was, that the petty officers
and ship's company of the Genoa are much delighted at
the noble manner in which your Honour led the fleet into
battle with the Turks. We congratulate you on the great
And glorious victory you have obtained, and they were
particularly pleased at the manner in which their late gal-
lant Captain brought the ship into action and conducted it
until he was mortally wounded. Since we have lost him,
We beg to inform you there is ne officer in the fleet we
should like to serve under so much as Capt. Dickenson.
therefore, hope your Honour will appoint Captain
'Dickenson to the command of the Genoa in preference
to any other officer ; er words to that effect. I am not
quite sure as to the precise words, but I am very confident
of the substance.
The PRESIDENT—Was the paper signed ? Sir E. Co-
banaoTon—No, it was not signed.
PRESIDENT—Had you any reason to suppose whether
that letter was the production of the Genoa's ship com-
Pany? Sir E. CODRINGTON—I have stated in the former
Part of my evidence that I did not consider this docu-
ment to have emanated from the crew of the Genoa, and
I am now more strongly of that persuasion than I was
then. My reason is from the erroneous return of the
killed and wounded, and from a personal conversation I
had with Captain Smith at the Admiralty, induced me to
'believe that both these documents in question were a con-
trivance to forward the promotion of Captain Dickenson
and Captain Smith.
Sir LI. pLacKwoon—lltrhat did the conversation be-
tween Ynu and Captain Smith allude to? Sir E. Co-
namacTost—Captain Stith told me that he was about to
Wait on Lord Melville to seek another step—meaning to
he bade a Post Captain, and asked me to assist him. I
answered " No ; Captain Smith, you have obtained one
aukfor the battle of Navarin—l am not in favour to
any thing from the Admiralty just now, and, if I
Were, there are others who have stronger claims on me
tuan you have." He replied, " Yes; but my situation is
Peculiar one, the Captain having been killed in the
battle.",, I rejoined instantly and said, " Captain Smith,
"us Care what you say, Captain Dickenson has made a
treat error in making that report, and you should take
are not to do the Barrie ?" " I beg your pardon, Sir, mor-
tally woun • ~,,
tenwas his reply.
,__Paastniesm—Were you acquainted with Captain Smith
r_ueliwe you saw him an board the Genoa? Sir EDWARD
"IakINGTON--I knew Captain Smith's face when I first
4w him, when the. Genoa joined us. He reminded me
. serving under me before.
Sir HENRY Btacitwoon—At what period did this
eanversation take place with Captain Smith at the Admi-
• ratty f was it at the period that the correspondence corn-
twneed which brought on this Court-martial ? Sir
waan—lt was in the early part of it I was at the Ad-
nursity about it.
Sir HENRY BLACKWOOD—Having looked over the cir-
cumstance respecting the round robin as related to Cap-
i!!ln Dickenson, with a copy of your intended letter, what
a4enntstances induced you to bring it forward again ?
Sir E. CODRINGTON—A question arose respecting con-
, Dickenson
honorary distinctions upon the then Commander
of the Genoa, Commanders Baynes of the
and Campbell of the Albion. Capt. Dickenson had by
f nle mistake been allotted two Russian distinctions, one
17'n Prince Lieven in England, and the other through Count
, ;idol in the Mediterranean. I say mistake, because it
tins "leanly not the intention to bestow two honorary dia.
n
of the same nation ; one was conferred in one
tare, and the other in another. In fact, there was great
tfarueicia with respect to the distribution of these distinc-
n
t -4. • Some of the Officers coining home, and others re-
. tinting to the navy. I xplained to the Admiralty that it
Meet .have been a Mistake ; and I expressed my regret that
Onain Dickenson, of whose conduct in the battle I, as
* I,l°4l4Pder-in-Chief, did disapprove, not only that he
*Vitt] have had any honorary distinc•ion, when those
r,_ inh I had given by the directions of the Admiralty to
Baynes and Campbell should be taken away fiom
tern* I delivered the fourth older of St. Latimer to Capt.
43:45 in the Mediterranean, and he delivered his back
da'n, by the directions of the Admiralty, and Captain
~MP,helrs was withheld from him. He never got it, be-
'n England when I received them for distribution at
to (~,4a- I mean to state that the Russian distinction given
feo,-a,Ptain Baynes b proper authority, was taken away
tioW "im at about time same period, when it was a ques-
I/4 Whether or not Captain Dickenson was to have two
ttiesa'an distinctions. I was then asked by the Admiralty
grounds of my disapprobation, and thinking their

Lordships had taken the same view which I did of
what was equal justice in the distribution of those
distinctions, and were desirous of having before them
such a statement from use, as Commander-in-Chief,
as would either lead to their giving Captain Baynes
the honour possessed by Captain Dickenson, or
take from Captain Dickenson that which was con-
ferred on him, or at least to place them on the same level,
I made a statement to the Board of such part of the dis-
approbation as I had of Captain Dickenson's conduct, as I
thought would answer the purpose, on receipt of that
statement, without further communication with me. I
was informed by the Board that they had ordered a Court-
martial, that the Deputy Advocate was directed to apply
to me for evidence, and the means of carrying on the pro-
secution. I presented myself to the First Lord of the Ad-
miralty, and told him the object for which I had written
the letter, and after having passed by all I had disap-
proved of in the conduct of Captain Dickenson, that it
was quite contrary to my feelings that he should be ever
brought to a Court-martial. I was well aware that there
was a power given me by my
,naval instructions, but it
was a power I should never willingly exercise, haying a
strong opinion of its injustice. Lord Melville told me.
that the order having been promulgated, it could not be
withdrawn, after what I had stated ; but if, in consi-
deration to Captain Dickenion, and with a view to enable
him to clear up the disapprobation I had expressed was the
object of the Board ; it would be in a certain degree a
Court-martial on myself, and therefore I should be obliged
to state all I knew of Captain Dickenson's conduct.
Lord Melville then observed, that under the circumstances
although it was not his business to apprise me, he thought
it due to myself, and the public service, that I should state
all the points of Captain Dickenson's conduct which I had
disapproved of. Still unwilling to see the matter brought
to this extremity in answering the Admiralty letter, 1 so
worded it as to afford an opportunity of withdrawing the
order, giving my opinion that it would not have the effect
of clearing Captain Dickenson, but would be more injuri-
ous to him. I was, nevertheless, directed by the Board to
state all the points of disapprobation of the Captain's con-
duct, and I was informed that the Board would withdraw
the first order, and would issue a second, founded on my
subsequent letters.
Sir H. BLAcicwoon— Would the Admiralty have
known the existence of this charge, had you not informed
their Lordships? Sir EDWARD-They never would have
known it from me had they not called for a statement.
Sir H. InacKwoon—Then why did you bring for-
ward charges that you had already looked over, and had
torn the documents ? Sir EDWARD-Because their Lord-
ships in a letter of the 10th July, signed by Mr. Barrow,
infOrnaed me that under all the circumstances, it was due
as well to the character of Captain Dickenson, as to the
public service, that the matter should be fully investi-
gated, and that their Lordships had declared that I should
be informed that it would be the most convenient course,
that I should state to the Secretary all the points of Cap-
tain Dickenson's conduct, with which I was dissatisfied,
and their Lordships would therefore issue a new order for
the investigation of such statements before a Court-mar-
tial, grounded upon my former letter.
Sir H. BLACKWOOD-Did you ever state to the Ad-
miralty, that you were ready to look over that charge of
the round robin, and expressed the feelings you have now
expressed ?—Sir EDWARD: Certainly. I considered it
entirely looked over. In a letter to the Admiralty, of the
29th July, I wrote thus I beg leave to explain, that
the only motive by which I have been actuated has been to
obtain equal justice. Allow me to repeat that I have no
desire to recur to the exposure of Captain Dickenson's
conduct before a Court-martial, after having once, erro-
neously or not, consented to overlook it ; I nevertheless
thought it right, in deference to the opinion of the Board
of Admiralty, to place before them all the information
which I possessed on the subject. I cannot, however,
think it encumbent on me to enter into the details referred
to in your letter, nor to interest myself for them in the
final result, than in very respectfully wishing that their
Lordships may succeed in a measure, which they think
indispensable, and which is essentially due to the charac-
ter of Captain Dickenson, and best conducive to the public
service."

Sir H. BLACKWOOD-Was the honorary distinction
solicited by Captain Dickenson ?—Certainly not, I believe.
Sir H. BLACKWOOD—IS it, or is it not, your opinion,
if at any period of your communication with the Admi-
ralty, either in the origin or the sequel, that you did not
think from the lapse of time which had occurred, it was
undeserving of a Court-martial, and as not producing any
probable good result to his Majesty's service, that their
Lordships would have ordered a Court-martial.

Sir EDWARD CODRINGTON—I consider that in the
course of my .correspondence with the Admiralty, I ex-
pressed the strongest possible objection to the Court-mar,.
tial, but their Lordships persevered.
Admiral OTWAY—Did you send a list of the names of
the officers for the distinctions to Count Heiden ? Sir
EDWARD—Count Heiden asked me for a list of officers
serving in the English squadron of the rank of Commodore
and upwards, as he knew that the Emperor of Russia was
anxious of spewing some marks of his approbation of the
conduct of the British squadron. I gave him a list.
Adthiral OTWAY—Was Captain Dickenson included in
that list ? Certainly.
The Court then adjourned till to-morrow (this day).

FASHIONABLE INTELLIGENCE.