The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1807-04-28
TRIAL OF SIR HOME POPHAM.

On Friday morning. the trial ofthis officer common
ced ON board the Gladiator a, Por.fmouth.
iheieverai otficers, as they came upon ohe quarter
deck, were received according to their rank, by an
otheer's guard of marine. Sir Home was drefTed In
MS uniform as a PoR Capt without his fword, wearing
ne mnsnia OF the order OF ST. Ferdinand and of Me
rf, and appeared IN perfect fpirits.
The council representing the admiralty, took his
ieat to the right, behind the PreGdent, together with
the Solicitor, and other perions engaged on the part
81 the proiecution- The other naval and military OF.
hcers, Lord Melville, Mr.. S. Bourne, and the orb.r
gentlemen no, immediately competing the court, but
who attended as winelTes, &c. food behind the Pre-.
ident.
Sir Home Popham took his place a. the lower end
OF the court, on the left of the Judge Advocate, with
the Provof Marhal on his left, & his Council, Arsn,
and friends in the rear. The fdes Of the cabin were
allotted for the public. The court being declared o.
Pen' and the order from the admiralty for holding i,
being read by the Judge advocate, the feveral nem.
bers OF the Court took the sfual oath.
The PreGden, then epquired 1 any gentleman a,,en.
ded to take down minutes Of the proceedings. for pub.
ieation IN the newspapers! and being anfsered in
the Affirmative, he diretaed that they hould be ae-
eommodated together on the right fde of the court
This being done, the Prefdent informed them tha,
a'ueh inconvenience had occurred upon the late Court
MARTIAL on SIR Robert Calder, in confeguence of parti-
al accounts OF the proceedings being publihed in tbe
newspapers, previous to the coneluGon of the trial.
not~ hlttanding the poftive injunaions of the court
to the contrary. This was ~eonidered as Il high breach
OF honor, and a contempt of the court. II was there
lore to be undertook, by the gentlemen who attended
ic' this particular Purpols, that they were not upon a
ny account to Pubiiih any part Of the proceedings un-
I'll tne hnai deeiiien OF the court, and upon no other
condition would they be allowed to take down anv mi.
mute: of the proceedings, and to this they mutt uneoui-
v"ealiy pledge themfelves: this point was, of courfe
coniented To, and the Preiident directed thar tbe re.
porters ihonld deliver up their note Books a, the ri
hDg Of the Court.
The proceedings were opened exaaIy at nine
o elots' aud were conducted with much folemnity.--
i ne court was competed OF the following officers -
Vice Admirals Sir Z. Cover, Holloway, Staphopr
and Rawiey; Rear Admirals, Vafbou, Sir 7. Coffin
and Sir X. strachsn; Captains Graves, Scott, Bowie.
Linzee, and Irwin; Admiral Cray,i Commllioner
Admiral Sir w. Young, &c.
Mr.. Cretham having read the order for the arreA
oil Dir Home, called over the names of the wi,n.Ges.
amongh whom were Lord Melville, Lord Whitwor,h,
VII D bourhe' and L. Maclean, Efq. all of whom
were Preient except Lord Whitworth. The Iudo.
Advocate then read the charges, which were in fub.
lance" hat Sir Home, having been dispatched
10 capture the Cape, in conjunction with Sir d. Baird.
did alter the iettlement had furrendered, in January
1890, proceed to attack the Spanih fottlement Of
Buenos Ayres, for which he had no direction or an.
thorNy Whatever and did IN confequeDce withdraw
O"PS tc WnOte u me naval iOrCc which
bad been placed under his Command, for the lole
PurPoie oil protecting it thereby leaving a place.
which 1t was his duty to guard, net only expoied 70
attack and inlult, but even without the means Of az
forcing protection to the trade of his N1aieRv,s fub-
jees, or Of taking poHefiOn of enemy's h:ps which
might have put into the adjacent harbors." The
Judge produced a variety of letters and other deeu-
ments, to iubRantiate the charges and they were ten
dered and proved in evidence they were afterwards
tevcrally read, when the profeeution was GATED 20 be
clof-d.
Sir Home Popman being then called on bv the
Court to nate when no would be ready to proceed on
his deienee, he made an animated addrefs in which
he obierved, that the fra charges fent him by the adj
mitalty, about half an hour after hi, arrival ar PortC-
mouth, referred to eighteen documents of which he
rad not been lurnilhed with copies. He therefore
thought It e~xpedient TO have a little time in prepar
Ing bis defence againR the charges in their preien,
novel form, and requened the indulgence Of the
Court, which was granted, and te Court adjourned
I'LL yeiterday, when it was to meet, to deliver the az.
teiisd copies OF the new charges.
Tie following is a copy Of the ~fep,enee Of the
court martial on Sir Home Popham I" The eour, !,
OF opinion tina, the charges have heen proved sgaina
TIE laid captain Sir Hohe Popmsn That the with.
drawing, without orders 70 to do, the whole of any
naval force from the place whor. il is direaed to be-
employed, and the employing i. in diaaRt operations