The Statesman.
London, England, 1814-09-13 00:00:00

•

[To be continued.]

COURT-MARTIAL.

1.
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wet .49. -.0"

ins increased from is. 6d. to ts., 6d ?—Yes, in the
North.

Cam yde tell what the increase of *He peon' rotes
Ilas been in the North 2—The poors'-rates in the
North are very moderate now. a
What has been the increase within the lasttwesiti
years ?--Out of the manufacturing districts, per-
haps not `Zs. in the pound increase.
Two shillings upon what ?—Perhaps 2s. 6d. or
35. • r •
In that district in the North, in which the price
of 'labour is increased within the last 20 years from
s. 6d. to 2s. 6d. per day, the poors' rates have in-
creased from 3s. to ss. in the pound'—Yes, that is
the fact.

A Court-Martial was held at Portsmouth, on
Friday, on board his Majesty's ship Gladiator, for
the trial of Captain R. 11. Barclay and his remaining
Officers a nd men, for the loss of the squadron of British
pen-boats on Lake Erie, on the 10th September,lBl3,
in an action with the American flotilla, of vastly
superior force. It appeared, from the public letters
read to the Court, that Captain Barclay's situation
was as singular, u his gallantry and good conduct
were conspicuous. Ile was appointed to command
the t quadron on Lake Erie, immediately on the
enthral of Commodore Sir James Yen, on Lake
Ontario. It had been offered to, and refused by,
Captain Mulcaster, on account of the exceedingly
bad equipment of the vessels. Captain Barclay join-
ed his command, with a Lieutenant, a surgeon, and
19 injected seamen of the Lake Ontario squadron,
in Jane, 1813; and immediately dispatched to Sir
James Yee an account of the deplorable state of the
'vessels, and that they were then all blockaded is
Amherstburg by the American flotilla, where General
Proctor's army was stationed. Subsequently, about
b 6 seamen of the Dover troop-ship joined him ; but
then he had not more than 150 British seamen dis-
tributed in his squadron, the remainder being Cana-
dians and soldiers. The American force was double.
the amount of his in the number of ships and gone, ,
and there was no comparison in respect to the qualityl
of the seamen. However, on the 9th of Septets•
her he was compelled to sail from Amherstburg, to
endeavour to open a communication with Long
Point, for the purpose of obtaining a supply of pro-
visions and necessaries, both for his squadron and
Gen. Proctor's army ; the winter was rapidly ap-
proaching--the Navy had been for some time on
short allowance—and the supplies by land were by
no means equal to the consumption, particularly at
there were 14,000 Indians with the army, who
would not brook any abridgement of their rations or
iodulgencies ; indeed, the very inhabitants of the
neighbouring settlements were feeding from the Go:1
vernment stores. Under these pressing exigenciesi
with the advice of Gen. Proctor, Capt. Barclay
sailed; he hoped either to pass the American sque.l
(lion, or so disable them as to effect his passage t 4
Long Point. On the following morning he fell In
with the seem'', and having the weather-gauge bore
down to commence the action ; butomfortunately, at
the instant the Wind veered directly round, amtbroog,ht
our squadron to leeward. The commencement, how-
ever, was propitious ; the American Commodore
was obliged to leave his ship, which soon afterwards I
surrendered, and hoist his flag on board another of
his squadron, which had not been engaged, and was
'lnking away; when, unfortunately, the Queen;
Charlotte and Detroit, our two best ships, having
'had all (heir Officers killed and woundet!, fell on ,
board of each other, and were unable to clear ; nt
the same time the greater number of their guns were
dismounted, and the Lady Prevost had fallen to ,
leeward, having lost her rudder. The Americans,
seeing this situation of our ships, renewed the sc.
tion, with the assistance of his gun-boats, by which
the whole of our squadron was obliged to surrender.
General Proctor, not being able to obtain Ake sup-
plies, was under the necessity of making a retro-
grade
movement, a circumstance which strongly
evidenced the necessity there was for the etteltlit that
was made. Commodore Sir James Yeo, in hit !steer
to Admiral Sir J. B. Warren, relating the event,
Votes; that, in his opinion, Captain Barclay was
'wrong to sail from Amherstburg; and it was in con-
sequence thereof the Court-Martial took place.--
The Court pronounced the following sentence:—
" That the capture of his Majesty's late squadron
was caused by the very defective means Capt. Barclay
possessed to equip them on Lake Erie ; the want of
a sufficient number of able seamen whom he had re-
peatedly and earnestly requested of Sir James Yeo to
be sent to Min ;.the very great superiority of the
force of the enemy to the British squadron ; and the
unfortunate early fall of the superior officers in the
action :—That It appeared that the greatest exertions
-had been made by Captain Barclay in equipping and
getting into order the vessels under his command;
that he was fully justified, under the existing circum-
stances, in bringing the enemy to action ; that the
it anti gallantry of Captain Barclay, in taking
his squadrpts into action, and during that contest,
were highly conspicuous, and entitled him to the
highest praise; and that the whole of the other officers
and men of his Majesty's late squadron conducted them-
selves in the most gallant manner; and did adjudge
the said Capt. Robert Ileriot Barclay, his surviving
officers and men, to be most fully and honourably
acquitted.—Rear-Admiral Foote, President."
ft was not !e to see this brave officer with-
out feelings of regret at, : with one arm
amputated, the other so (I.ltigernu‘ly ~rounded as to
be.sespended in haneages a mast pp rticular posi-
ion ; a part of his thief, cut away by a mown shot;
with five other wounds, lie presested, while the
rentence was passing, an honourable instance of suf.
feline heroism ; for he was affected at the testimony
.14,,rtie by the Court to his conduct, almost to the
.shedding of tears.

provincial Paper, speaking on the subject of the
se Trade, pathetically asks, " And are the poor
:Africans to be the only unhappy people in Europe
A child, about three years of age, was slain by
'his brother, aged four, at Langton, . last week.
They were at play near the house of their father,
who in a labourer, when the elder cut the ether on the
it•orl With a garden hoe, of-which he dial is two
dap.

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