The Statesman.
London, England, 1815-02-07 00:00:00

Tug STATESMAN

COURT-MARTIAL.

TRIAL OF LIEUT.-GENERAL SIR J. MURRAY.

MONDAY—FIFTEENTII DAY.
Previous to the reply of Admiral Hallowell, Sir
Murray begged to draw theattention of the Court
a circumstance by no means irrelevant to the
;barges against him. The proceedings of the Court
,sad been daily published, and in some Papers with
great inaccuracy. He ought, perhaps, before to have
taken notice of a mis-statement which must necessa-
sily mislead public opinion with respect to his con.
luct. The Paper in which the misrepresentation took
lace was the Morning Chronicle, in n hid' the letter
,f Lord IVellington (the original of which he then held
n Isis hand) was described as expressing his Lordship's
pinion to be, that " he (Sir J. Murray) would be
Lolly more than a match for Suchet in the field."—
What his Lordship actually said was, that " he had
\lways found the French in the field more than equal
o previous calculation, and that with even fen er
\umbers he apprehended %whet would be more than
. match for him." It was fur the Court to state what
redress they would afford, but for himself he only
desired that a contradiction as public as the original
mis-statement should be given to it.
The DEPUTY JUDGE•ADVOCATE observed, that it
would, of course, be felt to be a bounden duty ye

three o'clock the troops marched to the beach, aed het was that Sir John Murray always acted from the.
neither Sir John Murray nor General Donkin were spur of the moment, and under the influence of theil
seen after sun-set. The Bristol was sent to Bala- last impression. One moment all doubt, he was
per, and directed to anchor as soon, and not before, another moment all vigour, now deciding to fight,
1
as it had become manifest that troops were to be sent and now determined to embark, issuing orders and
there, and to be embarked from that point. General counter orders with equal rapidity, his only con-
Doukiti could have been at no loss to. find his way sisteecy.wae in executing nothing. Bad as his lode-
on the evening of the 12th to Sir John Murray, cision was at Tarragona, jt was yet worse at Bala-
whose head-quarters were then on board the Malta.— guer : if 'he proposed to fight Decaen, why was no
One charge hair been preferred aplnst him In the preparation made ; if he knew of Sachet's approach
course of the defence, of a most serious Mere, had with a superior force, what but insanity could have
which, if substantiated, might affect not only ihis induced him to persevere in the siege to a moment
character, het his life. He bad been represented as when he felt himself compelled to fly with precipita.
a man who suffered his private resentments to inter- I tion ? When Sir John Murray afterwards had told
fere with the discharge of his public duties, and as I him of his intention to advance, he replied, that he
sacrificing the interests of his country to the gratifica- was sure that he might perfectly depend upon his
tion of his own personal animosities. He appealed !army, as every man in it must feel that he bad some-
to all who knew him, he appealed to the letters'of I thing to recover; but that if he did not then form
Sir Jelin Murray for proof, that he was incapable of 1 that determination, be must guard himself against
such grew criminality. So far from having ever another change of opinion. Sir John afterwards
entertained any feeling hostile either to Sir John ! told him that he had decided to embark again. Sir
Murray or General Donkin, he did not recollect that . John Murray, in commenting upon the evidence
he had ever exchanged an angry word with the forrear,l which he bad produced, objected to the repetitions
or had ever been involved in any personal altercatlon of Colonel Williamson ; had charged General
with the latter, previous to the unfortunate 12th of ' M'Kenaie with precipitation in giving his tes.:-
June. It was true that the signal "we are de-- mony ; and as to General Clinton, he chart,od
lighted" was made on the arrival of Lord William_ him with having given his evidence with a spirit of
Bentinck, and he believed that iu this signal he spoke animosity. He should, however, say that Sir John
not only_ the sentiment of the whole army, but tat', _
'Wray had no right to put such construction on
of

L. 40 INTELLIGENV&
; •
COURT OF KING'S 0114 PP,
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL mo►ed tbejspligreit ut
the Court, on a Gentleman who had at onp time hew
commission in a volunteer corps, for receiving 171
las a remuneration for recommending the donor to It
Adjutancy in a yeomanry corps.
After hearing the ATTORNEY-GENERAL fni the
prosecution, and Mr. GURNEY for the Defendant,
Mr. Justice La Br.sec declared the sentence cf
the Court to be, that the Defendant, for his said
offettde, be committed to the custody of the Ma 41.11
of the Marshalsea of the Court, for twelve calendr
months.

THE KING V. RARER.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL moved for the sentence
of the Court on a person named William Baker
for obstructing Lieutenant William Dean in tti,
etecution of his office, as an Impress Master, slid
rescuing from out of his custody a seamean, %ham,
as liable to that process, he had regularly impressed.
After hearing the ATTORNEY-GENERAL for the
prosecutiou, and Mr. J. PnirscE SMITAI for the lh.
fendant,
The sentence of the Court was, that theDeleadant
be ef,mmitted to the custody of the Marshal at the
Marshalsea for three mouths.
THE KING V. TROIIGITTON.

. . - • . . _.,
the part of those who had committed the mistake, to iof Sir John Murray himself. He ha toile , thelr'evidence. Instead ~ so describing their testi.' Mr. Assort moved for a rule, why a Verse's of
rectify it with as much publicity as it was made. ! John Murray at the time, that he considered the mony, he ought to have disproved it, if he was.abbt. the name of
.Troughtoe should not be called on to
Admiral Hallowell then addressed the Court to the measures, he was taking as disgraceful to the charac. He had no doubt but that if he had chosen to exa- !.show cause by what authority he exercised the office
following effect :—The examination of the witnesses ter of the army and the nation, and had entreated , mine General Clinton with respect to opinions for-1 of one of the 24 principal Burgesses or Common
for the defence having been closed, he now rose to him, if he was determined to 'raise the siege of Tar. , merly delivered, it would have been found that his. Councilmen of the Borough of Eye. By the Owe.
rffer some observations on their evidence, and some ragona, at least to do it in a soldier-like manner.— . testimony was quite consistent with the opinions tion of the Borough, when any of tfte 24 princip.l
reply to the accusations brought against him by Sir He bad then offered, although Sir J. Murray could Ihe had formerly entertained. Sir John Murrayl Burgesses, of whom with a Mayor the Coop.
Cohn Murray in the address which he had submitted , not!now, it appeared, recollect the offer, to under- had attempted to defend the different inconsistent ration cements, die, the residue clause out of the
to the Court. That address, he felt himself war. I take the task of embarking the guns. In making . orders which he had given to General Clinton in inhabitants so many reputable men as- may fill op
'anted in saying, was full of declamation, vaithout one : this offer, he had distinctly pledged himself to the ; the coarse of the 12th. As to the first order (which the vacancies. The question was, whether thi. rile
Ashmanl reason for raising the siege of Tarragona perfqrmance; he had calculated the means? and he I was so inconsistent with the plan he had formed for had been complied with on the prevent ecalicnt?—
JO the way in which it was raised by Sir John Mur. knew the grounds on which he was proceeding. He' the immediate embarkation of the army), the excuse , The person against whom the eppliolstion was matte
ray. To follow it through all its parts, long and had never yet failed, he might venture to assert, in ;be gave for it was this :—that it was to cover a I was a boarder and lodger, but no houaeholder or
,olandooes as it was, was certainly not his intention. ' any engagement or promise he had made to the army, , retrograde movement to be made by General Copons I occupier of land in the parish, oreept to a very Mai
t would be sufficient for his purpose to select those and there was no reason which he had yet heard for on that day ; but as that General had retrograded: extent; and, even as to that mint, there was Doge.
in which it was eudeavoured to attach criminality to supposing that he should not have executed that to ' during the night, the order became null and void.— neral practice.
Jim by attributieg his monduct to the impulse of prl.lwhit.h he wag now referring. When he informed Sir 'To examine this excuse by the fact, he would ask I Lord ELLENnozotran thought the Plaintiff entitled
vete animosity. It was to the publicity of his letter, John Murray o.at he had written Strongly home on ' what retrograde movement had General Copons 'to a rule to show cause.—Rule granted.
that Sir J. Murray had traced all the abuse and hard. the subject of Tarragona, the reply was, that it was i made in the night which General Clinton could have I
ship of which he complained, and that had been alone .no more than might be expected in consistency with , covered ? It appeared in evidence that Copons,
the cause of the situation in which he now stood. 1 the opinions he had previously etpressed. When he , , even late in the evening of the 12th, was at Torre
He begged leave to observe on this, that he bad re. 'paid his visit of yettpect to Lord William Bentinck, i del Barra, considerably in advance of the army.—
ceived written instructions from his Commander in he called on Sir John Murray at Alicant, eonceiv- The letter which was received from him at one
Chief (Sir Edward Pellew) not to wait on all
.occ,a- big it to be a duty which he owed to his rank and ' o'clock on that day, only stated the enemy at Vil-
ions for the purpose of sending reports of his pro. station. Sir John Murray refused to see him.— lafranca to be in motion, and asked for instructions
ceedinga to him in the first instance ; hut when on The defence complained of the delay which had ' what he was to do. He had now nearly come to a
detached services to direct his dispatches at once to taken place. If blame attached any where on conclusion of that most painful duty which had
the Admiralty. The letter in question was con- this ground, it must attach to Sir John Murray been imposed upon him as prosecutor of an officer
furmably to those instructions, and in the usual himself. His own witnesses were all assembled at employed with him on a conjunct expedition. He
manner directed to the Secretary of the Ad- Tarragona ; and, had the trial taken place there, it . conceived that he had already shown such repeated
Araby for the information of their Lordships, would probably have been much less favourable to , prodfi of the indecision of Sir John Murray, that he
and was conveyed by an officer competent to afford Sir John Murray than it was et present, as mach ' had just teasons for upprehendii that while the
whatever explanation might be required. This letter of what now stood on the proceedings of the Court ' army should remain under his'eointnand, nothing
Amy was Sent by him to Lord Wellington, and had as evidence could not have been safely produced.— ' was to be expected but fresh disinters. Having
never appealed in any public paper. It was not thn A morning's ride would then have satisfied every decidedly formed this opinion, it wee a duty that
publicity of this letter therefore, but the publicity of Member of the Court as to the nature of stbe beach he owed his King and country to state it to his
"74 John Murray's conduct that had caused the aid- of Tarragona, and the effect possible to be produced superior officer. He believed that it was sufficiently
madversion which Sir Jelus Murray stated bad proved by the fire of armed vessels in impeding oeentirely proved to the Court, that Sir J. Murray had mist
injurious to him. With respect to the secrecy stopping the march of an enemy on the high road precipitately, and without surcient reason, aben-
isick.had bee* imputed to Mtn in media; sway from Villatiatica. The beach was, tn.paint of fag&p..doned his guns and stores, when he determined on
le letter, if it meant that it wall transmitted with all always smooth in summer, and when an embarks-. raising the siege of Tarragona. Sir John Murray
possible &patch, he admitted the fact, and consider. tinu could not be effected on the one side of Selmer, had in a letter to him, dated the 19th, confest that
it to be in strict discharge of his duty and obe- it always might be accomplished on the other. If lie manner of raising the siege was unnecessary. In
i
mace to the instructions which he had received gun-boats had actually on one occasion checked th.;-this letter Sir John said, " nevertheless the heavy
.orn his Commander in Chief. On the morning of advance of the French army, the Court might easily !-responsibility attached to me prevented me at that
me 13th, when Sir J. Murray went oh board the conceive what might have been, done by the conceit. `time from following your opinion, which I now find, TO THF. EDITOR OF THE STATESMAN.
folio, he followed him, and enquired whether it trated fire of a frigate and a line-of-battle slflp. Ills I might have sifely done." lie should conclude by
SlR,—The report you made of the fire in my
as his intention to write to Lord Wel lingtou ? To object had been to produce,SirJ. M.'s to conceal facts. stating that his reasons for conceiving that Sir John ,
premises on Wednesday evening last is very erroneous,
is question he received a daubtful answer, and he Ile had been actu.ed of assuming military authority, Murray's conduct was indefensible, were—first, that and is evidently the production of some envious and
(a dis" malicious
Den observed, that if Sir. John Murray did not, and interfering in the management of the army. If i there was no enemy nearer than Villafrenca
3 would, and on the following day did write the utmost attention to their wants, if a sincere re. t fence of 30 miles) at the time that Sir John was em- ' Parson, for tbe,pur of doing me a
considerable injery. I tberefere request you will im-
xordingly, but without mentioning the fact spect for their merits and services, if a spirit of barking the troops and destroying the guns ; secondly, mediately contradict it with respect to an examine-
ito the spiking of the guns. The signal was jealous and candid co-operation evinced a disposi- that the enemy were not in sufficient force to have bona h
taken place- as no such circumstance
Ade to the fleet before the vessel sailed, and Capt. tion of this kind, then there was some colour of justified the abandoning the siege of Tarragona, in ever (lid or can be thought of, excepting that of etc-
Carroll, who conveyed his letter, likewise carried justice in the charge. This point he should leave the manner that it was abandoned ; and lastly, that
the dispatch of Sir John Murray. There was little ; without further observation to the judgment of the Gen. Copons was then in a position between our attaining the goods that are saved from the fire, and
those that are partly burnt, for the purpose of as-
tound, then, for charging him with intentional or Court. Sir J. Murray had talked of the misfortune army and the enemy. Under those circumstances, he
certaining the loss.-1 am, Sir ou ' & y rI, C.
Iremeditated secrecy. He begged now to state to iof having a naval coadjutor, and had said, Chet as did consider the embarkation, in the manner it was ,
27, R.'d Lion-street, Mandm, Feb* 6. T. HUGHES.
'he Court, that he did not know till after Christmas a Ravel- Commander, he was exempt from &I re- conducted, as most discreditable to the army, and' es., The account alluded to aas copied from the Mernfaz
ist, that he was to be placed in the situation of a , sponsibility, and wewiee personally lavish/aid -in the so disgraceful es completely to warrant those expres- I Post of that day.
IroseCUtOr ; or that he was to appear there in any event of the expedition. He was of himself of a very sions in his dispatch which he had been called upon to I
,her character than that of a witness. Sir J. Mur- different opinion. Sir John Murray had, in his substantiate.
iy had said, that he e•as not apprised of the nature public dispatch, amply acknowledged the assistance ; The public part of the proceedings of the Court-
' the letter which he (Admiral Hallowell) had dis. j he had derived from the exertions of the navy; in t Martial were closed by Adm. Hallowell's reply, and
itched to England, till 37 days afterwards, when it his private letter to Lord Wellington ha had, how- ' the Court was immediately cleared.
(1 necessarily produced all the impression which ' ever, thought proper to complain of the obstruction
As intended. With respect to this statement, he and embarrassments which they had occasioned.— . FereALE GR4ITITUDE.—A young Englishman had
wished to observe, that when last at Tarragona, he Such was the contrast between his public and his' rendered essential service to a Mogul widow of dis.
bad there met Colonel D'Aguilar, who was employed private representations. He (Admiral Hallowell) . tkicdon : in' consequence of some deeds being mis-
collecting documentary evidence for Sir J. Mur- ' denied that any blame whatever was attributable tot translated and misrepresented by the Mahomedan
los defence, and who expressed considerable sur- the transport service, to which it had been since de. 1 lawyers, she was in danger of being defrauded of her
'rise that he had never seen Sir J. Murray's original , dared the allusion was directed, and he trusted the i fortune, when he interfered and detected the knavery.
Tafel'. lie was sorry to obtrude on the Court sol Court would allow him this opportunity of rescuing , The lady requested an interview, that she might eg-
,ny remarks, chiefly personal to himself, but be, his own profession from so foul and malignant a i press her thanks to her benefactor which she had
•usfed he should stand excused after the variety or; charge. What slid Sir John Murray mean by saying never yet seen. The young Englishman aces eon-
Ilections and charges against himself which Sir J. that i)e navy shared none of the danger? Was ducted to her pavilion ; the attendants withdrew,
'urray had thought proper to embody in his de- there a day in which the boats were not employed ; the lady entered, and after some conversation offered
lice. Ile bad only to add here, that it was not till under the batteries, or working parties of sea. I him a valuable jewel. His refusal of it seemed to
slay after he had left town to attend this trial, that men on shore ? Were not the naval Officers' hurt her. lie made a transition from the briilliant
aas apprised that he must confine his evidence to j sharing in all the fatigues and Weeds of the ! gem to her entelope eyes, sptirkliner through
;he transactions of the 12th, and his utter unac- i army on the night of the 12th, whilst Sir J. Murray !the veil, and requested that he might behold '
laintance with the rules of military Courts-Martial ; was enjoying his repose on board the Malloy—The the face in which they shone. She, uns •
il increased his difficulties. Certainly, if invective i loss of the ordnance and stores had been treated in ! willing to deny the only favour he would accept,
ere argument, and imputation proof, the defence i the defence as a mere matter of pounds, shillings, and I withdrew the veil. The face was indeed as beautiful
' Sir John Murray was complete. But Sir John 1 pence, not as a question in which the character of the ;as be could have 'imagined ; and be, who had not
urray must have forgot whom he was addressing, I British arms, and the honour of the country, were escaped thecontamination of Eastern immorality, be-
must bare forgotten the respect due to that Court ,at all involved. That diameter and honour were gnu to press her farther. She assumed a dignified air, .
len he imagined that abuse of him could be any ex- now in the hands of the Courts and it was for them and in• an impressive manner, assured him, that
Ipation of his own conduct. After brooding so to say whether they had been left unsullied in the the deep sense of her obligation had alone in.'
my months over his recollections, he had at length trust of Sir John Murray. He envied neither his duced her to deviate from established custom in re-
wen vent to his feelings in a variety of charges, all feelings nor those of Capt. Milner, in reflecting on questing this interview ; but a sense of !mown honour,
pally conceived in the spirit of malignity, some of the evidence which the latter had given, and the veneration to her husband's memory, and maternal
,itich stood without a shadow of proof, and others former permitted him to give. Admitting that he example to her children, would ever regulate her
ly required to be examined to be disproved. had, what•he could not recollect, made use of the conduct. However, that he might not think her
----Us should not imitate the example of Sir expressions imputed to him, of what importance was ungrateful, she appoinOti another meeting the next
,bn Murray in addressing the Coed in high- this to the defence, or what answer was it to the evening at the same place, Fell of expectation lie
wn or bombastic language ; he shot ld lay be- charge? The defence was made mainly,to rest on went to the appointment I and when the lady who
j „ .. .. . _
listed. _
-- - -
ag • st

Pre them facts, not metaphors. here Mr,. Hallowell
itered into a vindication of himself agaitist the asser-
puns contained in the defence, that he had delayed
letter of the •4th to Sir Edward Pellew, and that
bad ordered the Bristol to anchor at a distance
the purpose of preventing the Quarter-Muter-
General repairing to head-quarters. As to the
'6teettrctivity of General Donkin, in superintend-
the etnharkation, he had merely to observe that at

dangers and difficulties that never ear 4. The
enemy never had been nearer than Villafraaca, and.
on the other road he never advanced so far u Pe.l
rillo. He had pledged himself to carry leery thing
away in safety, because he knew that his means Were:
more than sufficient for that purpose. Hohad proved
in evidence that General Clintoo's dlvision which!
was the last that embarked, comdstiugof 2500 men,'
was embarked in three quarters of an hour. Thu.,

121111

COURT of the DEAN sod CHAPTER of ST. PAUL'S,
DOCTORS' COMMONS, Fal. S.
WALKER V. WALKER.
This case came before the Court on the admissive
of the Libel and Exhibits. It was a cause of divorce
or separation promoted by Edward Walker, the
husband, against Elizabeth Walker, his wife, by
reason of Adultery. It appeared that Mr. Walker
keeps the Percy Coffee louse, in Rathbone-place,
in the County. of Middlesex, and that the libel,
consisting of several articles, went on to charge
his witi Many acts of adultery, at redoes
• places, • bath in town and country, in the year
' 1811, 12, 13, and 14, with Mr. Thomas Pale.
thorpe, of Clifford's Inn, London. It further ap..
peered that the parties in question were married in
August, 1801, and that they cohabited together as
man and wife until 1814, and bad during that period
four children by that marriage. This libel was op.
posed on the past of Mrs- Weikel sho wife.—Tbs
Court. (Dr. Unita) lifter, resoptioistirmNs-
co o toi nod is lbw libel and the exhibits produced, was
of opinieli Aid
_the same ought to be admitted to
proof after Liao Wormed; which was accprdingly
, decreed. " •

received him, threw back her rail, he discovered,
not the mistress of the house, but another young
Mogul, beautiful, witty, graceful, and—nothing
coy, whom the widow,in her gratitude, had deputed
to entertain him.
The Somersetshire Petition against a renewal of
the Property Tax, it is supposed, will contain at least
7000 sigoateres before it is presented ; at present It
measures thirty-ont yards anda half in knish! :

Tuesday, a most interesting young woman, who
had been married only three months, and lived la
Widcomb, being summoned to answer a charge of a
breach of the peace, at the instance of her mother.
in-law, threw herself into the river, at Widcosib,
and was drowned. The name of this. unfortunate
young woman is Milford ; her husband is a dealer
in poultry. Every means to discover the body have
hitherto been ineffectual, on account of the great
height of the river, through the late rains. It is
curious, however, to observe some of the methods
which fancy or superstition has suggested, in order
to find the body. Among others, a large drum car-
ried in a boat bas been beaten down► the river, under
the idea that its sound would alter when approaching
the drowned person; and a small loaf, laden with
quicksilver, has been set afloat, which, it is pre-
sumed, would be stopped in its progress by attraction,
wheh the immersed object !—(Bat*
Paper.)

• BOW-ISTREET..—Mnftday a Inn, investigation took platen. I.
ft publican of the nume of John Riley, who keeps the Cart and
Horses public-house in Bainbridge-street, lit. Giles's, harries
uttered a forged 51. Bank of England mar. It appeared that
about eight or nine 111/1111114 since, a Gentleman a the name of
Ch./dotter received the amount of a draft for 571. of Mesas.
Hodson add Co. the Bankers, and nit the evening of the same
day he Imprudently went to as Irish wake la Oval-street, SI.
aqd having a'uced Bauk notes of iOOl. a 501. a 51. add
two 'II. notes, he was ribbed of them. The 1041. was stopped
at the flank, on its being presented there for change by rile
Prisouer John fide.. Chaloner's 51. note not being found.
the patrole went to seorch the Prisoner's house for It,
at which time the Primmer told Wil-on he had
the
forged
Bank-note, which he showed him, h”tween the heaves lira
Testanieut, when he observed it tow ked with Joseph Jamestm,
of Seven Oaks, of whom the Prisoner said lie look it. A skirt
time shier. a 51. forged note was paid into the Bank front tad
house of Meat and Cy. the lorewers„ who traced it to Mr.
Barratt. who keeps the Terk's Ile td public-house, in Dyst- .
street, or.George-,treet, Sr. Wile:4. Ile said be took it of 4
woman of the name of Snlltvas, who give him a false name
when she passed the note in queoino. On the Prisoner tick
intro in o custody, the wuntas Sullivan disapgeared,bitt she Wall
apprehended on Wednesday mooning hit by Salons, in hed
thinMhweiittirlide ftgaamPirensh°bt
yntlelwer'siniirki t:wisainri,idthen7hplrthei:rdofneoarYrgedlisheorswleevudiodkehlkeiinideeltbwRs tsd-
eifit
the leaves of the Testasseot.—ltiley was fahly tommitted fur
trial.

(ON DON! Printed sod Published bArle). Lottaur., at t4e
I? 811.111 01171( 11. $7, I-street.