The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1808-06-03

ne knows or believes to exist m his ship
This the said Charles Gordon appears To
have done, and in this respect has done his
duty. While tae court decide therefore,
that this twentieth specification is fully pro-
we'd, they impute no neglect of duty to tho
said iiariizs GSoT,,ouur, Tins arcounJ.T x
81. 1t appears to the court as they have
before stated, that the said Charles Gordon
did report to the said James Barron Tin eff
feet although not in so many words) that the
said iiigate Chesapeake was ready for sea !;
that he afterwards reported when the stat-
On bills were completed, and that the guns
had never been exercised. This, although
not a true and faithful report OF the state
and condition of the said frigate, was a
true report of her state and condition
SO far as that report extended, and was
calculated to give the said James Bar
ron al the information which the said
Charles Gordon himself possessed, or which
his duty required him to obtain, relative to
the state and condition Of the ship. While,
therefore, the court are Of opinion that this
twenty-first specification is fully proved
they imputc no neglect of duty to the said
Charles Gordon on this account
In deciding upon the several specifications
annexed to this charge, the court have all
ready pronounced their opinion, either that
the same werenot proved, or approved, that
they did not establish the charge of neglect
of duty preferred against the accused, ex-
cept i'll two instances; tie one for not calling
upon the gunner of the said 'frigate Chesa-
peake, for a regular written report of the
state and Condition Of tie guns and all other
matters in his Department.; the other for
not calling upon the officer commanding the
marines on beard the said frig&te, for SINH
lar report OF the state ard condition of the
marines, and OF their arms and supplies OF
ammunition. For. falling to perform these
duties tue court do agree that the said
Charles Gordon IS guilty under the charee
here preferred against him, " for negligent
" performing the duty assigned him." & do
further agree that tie said Charles Gordon,
being 50 guilty OF this charge, falls under,
part OF the twentieth article of the ruL es and
regulations for the government of tho ma
Wy OF the United States, adopted BY an act of
the congress Of the United States, passed on
the twenty third day of April, 1900, entitled.
" An Act for the better government of the
navy of the United States" The punish
ment directed by this law to BE Inflicted u,-
on one guilty o. the offence here described.
is left discretionary with the court. And
this court taking into consideration the ma
cure of the omissions, of which it has hee..
proved the said Charles Gordon was guilty.
the great probability that BY the accidenta!
circumstance of the death OF the first lieute-
nant, nc m2y have bee, deprived of the sole
means OF proving his innocence of a great
Fart OF one of these omissions; the state OF.
things existing at tine time Of the Chesa-
peake's sailing; the general orders under
which the accused was then acting and a.
bove all, the circumstance ttiar no evil re-
suited IRON any ofthe negects of duty chavg-
ed against him, do adjudge y SENTENCE
the SAID Charles Gordon to be PRIVATELY
REPRlMANDED by the honorable the Sc
cretary OF the navy. or by such person rs
he may think proper 70 appoint for that
purpose, and at such time and place, and
II such manner as the said secretary shall
choose or direct. III pronouncing this OPT
mon the court viii add. that believing the
accused to be certainly guilty of some Of
tence taltlough a Very slight one) they have
rot considered themselves as possessed of
any authority to pardon, and.have there fore
been compelled TO 2djutge him some punish
ment. They have selected this as the least
which they could select, among those which
are customary, 6nt If a lesser Hdd eDey beer,
T'eso1ted to IN airy instance 7D7sa:soerc5, that
'zteal2 haze been 54referj'ed
JOEN ROGERS,
WM. CAMBRIDGE,
HUGH G.. CAMPBELb,
STEPHEN DECATUR, Jun.
JOHN SHAW,
JOHN SMITri,
u. PORTER,
EOS. TARBELL,
J. JONES,
JAS LAWRENCE,
CHARLES LUDLOW.
LtTTN. w. TAzEw ELL, Ju91.s .4dyocn.e.
The follow mo article, we ,,o,,t,o