The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1842-08-10
Naval General Court Martial on board OF
the U. 3. ship North Carolina.

Naval General Court Martial on board or
the U. 8. ship North Carolina.
TUESDAY,, Aug. 9, 1872.
Ths morning before the time appointed for the meeting
OF the Court the vessel crowded with those
ed to attend the Courts Martial on various officers to
held on beard the North Carolina and various Others
listen to the finding and of the Court Martial,
which was to be communicated to Passed Midshpman
May some of these being attracted by curiosity and 9TH
by sympathy for the accused whom they judged from
the reports evidence which had been presented to
them in the columns of the HERALD BIO quite innocent
ofany disrespec to Lieut. Wilkes besides having formed
the opinion that Lieut. Wilkes ty rannca and over
bearing officer, and very insulting in his depsrtmento
his subordinate officers
About half past nine O'Clock by the ships time, Com
modore Perry at present commanding the steam frsate
Missouri lying in the harbor close alongside the
North Carolina came on board and was received with all
shortly afterwards Passed N1idshpman Nav was
called for, and paraded OH the deck Of the North
Carolina in the centre of a wondering circle Of
Middies, Lieutenants, Captains and Commodores,
besides a goody number Of civilians, when Com.
modore Perry read letter which he had received from
the Secretary of the Navy, directing him read letter
which enclosed to Passed Midshpman May He then
Mr.. May has kindly furnished to reporter and which
to the surprise OF every not belonging the
found him guilty of the charge preferred by Lieutenant
Wilkes and unsupported by any other testimony than his
and in contradiction to the characters which
spectively given the accused and to Lieut. Wilkes, by
ing invariably respectful, while Lieut. Wilkes of
overbearing and very exctable temper.
The following is the letter, and speaks for itself =:
Navy DEPARTMENT, !
9th August, 1912.
The Court Martial before which YOU were recently
tried New York upon charges preferred by the secrea
ry Of the Navy, the information Of Lieut. wilkes,
found you guilty of dsrespect to your superior, in
the execution his official duty and sentence you
publicly reprmanded at such time and place might
This sentence h nc been anproved
The offence OF which you have been found guilty, all
though involves moral turptude at the foun
Of the duty of obedience and obedience the first law Of
military service is impossible therefore. that the De-
partment fail to look with dspeasure the conduct
Of officer who far loses his selfcontro suffer
himself to be betray ed into disreect to his superior
l am, sir, respectfully,
U. 2. UPSHUR.
To Passed Mdshipman MAY,
u. 8. Navy, New York.
The letter was then handed to Mr.. May and the
crowd dispersed
TRIAL OF LIRUr. r. +. PINKNEY CONTINUED
At 10 O'Clock the Court met pursuant to adjournment,
and the Judge Advocate read the minutes of yesterday
Lieut. PrRRY, whose examination was commenced yes
erday afternoon was then recalled andproceeded to give
his testimony q: follows:
weather was exceedingly bad the schooner frequently
being under her foresa with her bonnet off, Every
msn that any surveying could be done were employ
on the Island We entered the harbor of Faleali and
msds survey Of it, though at the time raining:
then went further westward the island. During a
greater part Of the time the weather thick the
peaks island did not show and we of course could
make no use Of them in the survey and obliged
trust to the patent log. Two three times left the
schooner in boat andttempted sketchthrhore line
even for awhaleboat to be in In obelence It. Pink
neys order, copied my notes in the form of deck
tempt to examine the harbor of Sanapo but don't know
wnether iouhd the proper entrance ! reported unfa-
.nd ds to Pnsy taken
to the mile, and the other mile to an inch.
Twas deck board similar to the shown you
Kept on board the schoonerl
At was all except that line and am not sure
about that though it may have been there.
Al plotted it as would any other work from the
notes. -, That the part which surveyed.
0-Were those notes ever forwarded to 1t. LVilkes7
Al can't say; ! am not certain.
Q-By whom were those test lines drawn
Honf o 5e%s%SeT drawing that line pointing
ie. ys oy some other person Those lines not the
gs taken the third would be the test Sesrn n snS
two bearing. taken Nearly all Of those lines on the rt
Q1By Lieut. WLxE.-During the time you were I'M
der the orders Of Lieut. Pnkney did he exhibit becom-
Ale did he was exceedingly anxious to do every
thing right and proper
o1Did you plot the work from such a.ck board, ana
was there oopyk ppm board'
A-To the first Pari of the question answ er no. The
notes were Kept alter the of Coast Survey and
copied from them into deck board of thu form
made by me. "r
2-n0w was the west end of the frs, chart plotted1
A-When plotted the chart furnished with
survey Of the northeast northwest sides one made
by the Peacock and the other by Lieut.. Case.
GLLhat portion Of from where you taken sick
Ali remember rightly, We had an azimuth on that
point and this line was skeched abe ad the time was
0.-How did you know the aznu' h was taken and by
of Falealt, and line thrown off by sextsnt "f'A'
9.Do you consider this suficient to plot chart
ALI you have'got nothing eer II ia one half ,bsrs
should be an azmuth there. one back again to that
QAre to understand that notes were only to mi.
A.-No.
Q,-What other notes had you1
Al had otes furp ished me bv Lieut. p;nkncv
and sketch by tne then acting master Sinclair They
were not in forri Of q deck board.
Q'-Did you make both surveys1
Pinkney in the former.
9.IBy the CouRr-stats the circumstances under
which both surveys made and what caused the dis
crepancius between them.
A,-The first survey was made in schooner
We were obliged to trust Wholly to the pa
tent log, and owing to the thickness Of the weather
We able to use the boats owing to the swell.
and the great danger Of staving in launching it, and
getting on to the schooners deck, and owing to the
weather the schooner could not safely 60 the reefs
II ! remember rightly limited i'm our time. The
oner survey was carried in boats inside Of the reef
numbers OF azimuhs TAKEN and tho dsanc es ere
connected either by sound tranguaton measured
oasef. was also longer time making the survey, and
work nv - ~
Q-Wss this the only instance Of the case of su rysy
being remade, and II not. state another.
Al understood that Kings Island resurveyed by
the Popoise and that differed from surveys Of the
Peacock and schooner.
q. by LierIt. WrLKEs.-How'was the weather on your
last survey,
A-Ray,y but not blowing, except for three or four
days Icing inside the reef did not feel il.
Q.-W hat the weather mentioned in your report
to Liert Hudson and relating 20 the difficulty in sur
vey1git7
A.-That il difficult owing to the rain, hut don't
remember the language Of the report which recolect
making
Q.-Had you chronometer'
A.-No.