Page:History of New South Wales from the records, Volume 1.djvu/406

 294 MAJOR ROSS 1788 From an order signed by Lient. George Johnston, Adjir 82ii«rch. tant of Orders, dated 22nd March, 1788, it appears that, <m the previous day. Major Boss had placed Captain Tench Major Ross and f our other officers of the corps under arrest becaufie they, while acting as President and members of a Conrlr martial for the trial of a private soldier, had passed a sen- tence which, in the Major's opinion^ tended to the subver- sion of all military discipline. He had also requested &Bi a General Court-martial might be ordered for the trial of the officers, *' for refusing to make any alteration in the sentence,'' after they had been called upon to do so. As an alternative to this proceeding the Major proposed Proposal to that, in order to restore harmony and support military dis- harmony, cipline, the matter should be submitted by the Judge- Advocate to the determination of any number of officefs. The gentlemen concerned, however, declined to adopt that suggestion on the ground that, having been put under Injected by arrest, nothing less than a legal decision by a General Court-martial, " or a public reparation from their CJchb- mandant," would clear their characters. At this point a dilemma presented itself. The total number of officers being only nineteen, of whom five were under arrest and one was confined to his bed, thirteen only were left to sit as members of the Court-martial and at the same time to do duty in the Camp. The Court, therefore, could not be held without depriving the settlement of the usual guards, inasmuch as not one officer would have been No means of left f or duty while it was sitting. The conclusion aixivecl General at was, that the documents relating to the matter should martial. be delivered to the Judge- Advocate, in order that a General Court-martial might be assembled whenever the service might permit ; the officers under arrest to return to their duty. This disturbance having occurred in March, when Ae settlement was barely two months old, it would seem that Major Ross's eccentricities began to show themselves at a Digitized by Google