Star.
London, England, 1814-11-01 00:00:00

neglect on that occasion. Colonel Quentin, sin
his- defence, has stated, that I wished to remain
iu England on account of Parliamentary business of
importance to my family, and abet accordingly I left
the regiment, after" having
acebinpanied it to Lisbon,,
under the command of Major Robaits, and that the
middle of the year he went out himself to join the
regiment, notwithstanding the precarious state of his
health at that time. Now,-through I impute no such
intention to Colonel Quentin, it is impossible for any
person to read this statement, without drawing a
comparison between ColonelQuentin't conduct and,
mine; and remarking that family affairs had suffi-
cient weight with me to induce me to return to Eng--
land, while the most imminent danger to his own
health could not induce Colonel Quentin to reirain
from joining his regimen:. Now the case was; that
I did not leave the command of the regiment until I
was informed by letter from England that Colonel
Quentin was about to sail, nor should I have left the
regiment but that it was not under marching orders,
and that Colonel Quentin was daily expected. The
affairs which required my presence in England deeply
involved the interests of my family, but when the re-
giment was ordered for the Peninsula, I immediately
gave up all thoughts of that which I might other-
wise have reconciled with my professional duties: and
if I had anticipated that Colonel Quentin, who left
England on the 25th April, would riot have reached
the army till August, atter the battle of,Vittorie and
the affair of Morales, I should not have toregsone the.
honour and rewards attached to the command of the
regiment on important occasions. However, my spy
in England was not long, for I reached Lord We
lington's headquarters four days after Colonel Quen-'
tin had joined the regiment. I shall now say a few
wads on the questions put to Lord Combermem, re-
specting the state of Colonel Quentin's health. His
Lordship stated, that from bad health, or some other
cause, Colonel Quentin appeared to Hut unfit to come
ma ad a regiment of cavalry on active service. Now,
this answer of his Lordship's seems only to have been
the best excuse which his Lord.hip could lied, feel
the manifest want of energy on the part of Colonel'
Quentin. His Lordship said tkat he had heard Co.
lonel Quentin was in bad health ; and he believed,
which belief his Lordship might reasonably have en-
tertained, because Colonel Quentin, in rainy or cold
weather, was constantly cloaked. But to the offi-
cers who bad constant opportunities of observing him,
be never appeared in better health, nor was this ge-
neral state of health, with the exception of a tempo-
rary
indisposition, which all were subject to, at all
worse than that of the other officers. With respect to
the letter of the 9th of August, Colonel Quentin has
'stated that he did not hear any thing of it until the
15th of August, and that he did not know i( s contents,
'until it was read to him in the presence of his Royal
Highness. Now, atter the termination of the cam-
paign, I applied for the command of the detachment'
of dismounted men which were seta to Bourdeaux,
to be embarked for this country, and I consequently
did not join the regiment until subsequently to the,
measure on which the present prosecution was found-1
ed. When I arrived in England, the officers presented
me with the letter in question, reauesting that in
their behalf I would present it to the Regent. Th,
officer who bore it, stated on the behalt ot the others
Iwho had signed it, that they could no longer sit
quietly under the grievance which they hadalius far,
borne, cut of delicacy to his Royal Highness, and
because they had wished it might have been commit-,
nicated to him through other channels ; that they
thoUght, therefore, the best course was to put the let-
ter into my hands, and that they hoped the result
would be somes private inqiiiry, by which arrange.
ments might be made consistent with delicacy to his
Royal Highness.
I did not hesitate to offer them all the assistance in
my power, and I accordingly found Colonel Quentin
as in his defence be has stated, and endeavoured to
explain to him, that from the circumstances stated in
the letter he must have been convinced that it was
not merely party spirit which could have given rise
to the charges against him. Colonel Quentin re.
fused to hear the letter, or to enter into any conver-
sation on the subject, and desired me to deliver the
letter to his Royal Highness the Prince Regent.
sought an interview with his Royal Highness, and
obtained it; but being soon after left in command of
the regiment, by the absence of Colonel Quentin on
leave, I thought proper to withdraw the letter which
I had given in, and took on myself to make a repre-
sentation of the complaints of the Officers, as Com-
mander of the Regiment. His Royal Highness te-
plied to this second letter, that if the Officers had
any complaints to make against their Commanding
Officer, they should put them into specific charges,
and lay them before the Commander in Chief. In
the meats time, Colonel Quentin returned, and de-
manded the letter from me which had first been
written. I replied, that the Officers wished to
withhold the letter, as what had subsequently hap-
pened prevented the necessity of an appeal to hit
'Royal Highness. Colonel Quentin still desired the
delivery of the letter, and said that it was the cons:
,mapd of the Prince Regent that it should be gimp
up. / afterwards learnt from his Royal Hight**
that Colonel Quentin was not authorized to make
such a demand. Considering 'that this letter cone
coined imputations of misconduct against an Officer
of whom his Royal Highness thought most highly,
it was evident there was• no worse channel in tvhicie
'those charges could be conveyed to his Royal High.
ness's ear, than the person against whom they were
pointed. The Officers were sensible, when they first
complained of the conduct of Colonel Quentin, thaw
it was not for them. to choose the mode of incsiryg
and if it was necessary, they were always prepared to
support them by legal evidence. I shall now prq.l
ceed to the several charges. In support of the final
charge, it hits been stated that the regiment was, on'
the lOth of January, under orders to forage in the'
valley of Macoy ; that in the orders it was pointed'
out that the Commanding °Dicer should previously
apply tot/antral Murillo fur a covering party ; that
it was twelveVelock at noon' before Captain Lloyd
was dispatched to GeneneltutlUti ; that meanwhile
. troops were permitted,tatcenge ; that shortly af-
ter, some ot them were at skid ; that Colonel queo-
un, who was within a ehoet distance at the coat.
itnencement of the tiring,' filed the regiment up the
leaving the party atticked without orders, and
tessupported,- sod dim-sole, men and horses were
tacit. Colonel Quentin's defence against this evi-
d9c With th4t the order was reatirett too htteinib‘