Зображення сторінки
PDF
ePub

obedience, on the part of his subordinate officers, of superior orders conveyed through himself, not only neglected to report to the Major-general commanding the continued disregard shewn to his authority by them; but omitted even all notice of it to the individuals concerned, and never charged them with insubordinate conduct, or expressed to them at any time between the 9th August, 1823, and the beginning of November following, any disapprobation of the course they were pursuing or had pursued; pleading as a reason for such extraordinary indifference, that he had no orders from the Major-general commanding to do so. Nay, he suffered them in succession to decline the duty, ordered it to be executed by a serjeant; and even submitted to be questioned by one of those inferior officers whether the discipline of the detachment under his command (for which that inferior officer discovered he was responsible, after he had set to it an example of disobedience and insubordination,) would not be prejudiced by directions he had given to the serjeant.

The consequence of such neglect of his duty and sacrifice of his authority on the part of Major Addams has been, that these two officers, who had been guilty of so gross a breach of military discipline, were not relieved until ten days afterwards,* viz. on the 20th August; nor struck off duties until the arrival of the late Lieutenant-general Sir Thomas Maitland, by a general order dated 5th November following; and that the measure of placing them in arrest, which ought to have been at once resorted to, was not adopted until the 14th of November, upon the receipt of an order, to that effect, from the Master General of the Ordnance.

It is His Majesty's pleasure that these, His Majesty's observations, be communicated without reserve to the garrison of Malta, in the General Order which shall signify his approval and confirmation of the finding and sentence of the Court.

I am, my Lord,

Yours,

(Signed)

FREDERICK,

Commander in Chief.

Instead of the observations in His Majesty's name which were published at Malta, the following were promulgated to the Army, and to the Public in England.

In approving and confirming the finding and sentence of the Court, in both these cases His Majesty was pleased to observe, that an occur

*My station was not changed in any respect, as mentioned in this place. On the arrival of Sir T. Maitland he suspended me from duties until the result of the refer ence of the question to England was ascertained.-T. A.

rence of a nature so extraordinary as that of the direct disobedience of orders committed by Captain Atchison and Lieutenant Dawson of the Royal Artillery, should not be promulgated to the army without the expression of His Majesty's decided reprobation of the mistaken principles that have led these officers to sacrifice the feelings of subordination, which, as soldiers, they ought to have cherished, and upon which the discipline of the army depends. And His Majesty was further pleased to observe, that if religious principles were allowed to be urged by individual officers as a plea for disobedience of orders, the discipline of the army would sustain an injury which might be dangerous to the welfare of the state; and that it is the duty of all those placed in authority to oppose a decided check to any departure from that principle of obedience which forms the first duty of a soldier.

In making this latter observation, His Majesty was pleased to revert to that part of the Sentence of the Court, which comments upon the conduct of the prosecutors, Lieutenant-colonel Raitt, the Deputy Adjutant General, and Major Addams, commanding the Royal Artillery at Malta, as being wanting in that energetic and firm decision, which, if properly exercised in the first instance, might have obviated the present proccedings. And His Majesty expressed his regret, that officers so situated should fail in giving a prompt check to any violation of obedience and discipline.

The Commander in Chief directs that the foregoing charges preferred against Captain T. Atchison and Lieutenant G. F. Dawson, of the Royal Artillery, together with the finding and sentence of the Courts Martial, and His Majesty's pleasure thereon, shall be entered in the General Order Book, and read at the head of every regiment in His Majesty's service.

By command of His Royal Highness,

the Commander in Chief.

(A true copy,)

H. W. Gordon,

(Signed)

HENRY TORRENS,
Adjutant General.

Capt. R. A. Adjutant General.

APPENDIX.

ORDERS,

Shewing various classes of ECCLESIASTICS who applied for the assistance of British troops at their particular church functions, similar to the one to which I objected.

SIR,

Chief Secretary's Office,

Valetta, 27th May, 1823.

The Chapter of the con-cathedral church of St. John the Baptist, in Valetta, having applied to Government for the attendance of THE TROOPS, and for salutes on the festival of Corpus Domini, I am directed by His Honor, the Lieut.-Governor, to request that the same be complied with as last year.

Capt. Bayley, Military Secretary,

I have the honour to be, Sir,
Your most obedient humble servant,
RICHARD PLASKET,
C. S. to Government.

Chief Secretary's Office,

Valetta, 14th July, 1823.

&c. &c. &c.

SIR,

Application having been made to Government for salutes on Wednesday next, the 16th inst., being the festival of the Madonna del Carmine, at three quarters past eleven o'clock, A. M., DURING MASS, and in the evening, during the procession, I am directed by His Honor, the Lieutenant-Governor to request that the necessary orders may be given for carrying the same into effect, as usual.

[blocks in formation]

Application having been made to Government for salutes, on Sunday next, the 31st instant, being the festival of the Vergine della Consola

* I believe this application was from the Carmelite Monks.—T. A.

zione, I am directed by His Honor the Lieut. Governor, to request that the same may be complied with, as customary, viz. one in the morning at half past eleven o'clock, and another in the afternoon, during the procession.

[blocks in formation]

Application having been made to Government by the Arci-confraternita of the SANTISSIMO Crocifisso, for salutes to be fired on the following days, viz. Friday the 2d May, at six o'clock P. M., and Saturday the 3d, at half past eleven A. M., and at half past six o'clock in the evening of the same day, during the procession, I am directed by His Honor, the Lieut.-Governor, to request that the same may be complied with, as customary

[blocks in formation]

Application having been made to Government by the Procurator of the Confraternità dell' immacolata Concezione of Valetta, for salutes, on Sunday next, the 14th instant, at half past eleven o'clock A. M., and in the evening during the procession, I am directed by His Honor, the Lieutenant Governor, to request that the same may be complied with, as customary.

Capt. Bayley, M. Sec.

&c. &c. &c.

I have the honour to be, Sir,

Your most obedient humble servant,
RICHARD PLASKET,
C. S. to Government.

I have a memorandum which I took from an order which is now at Malta, for the usual salutes applied for "by the Friars of the order of St. Francis, to celebrate the finding of the body of their tutelar saint, Feb. 3."

« НазадПродовжити »