Page:History of New South Wales from the records, Volume 2.djvu/364

 30&^ GUOSE'a TREATMENT ^^^ guard, and Beckwith was instruoted to give to Grose a fuD account of the mutiny and its result. King, being anxious to get rid of the mutineers, and to ^tincen ^®'^® intelligence of the disturbance conveyed to Sydney, g^jjj^^ despatched the Francis as soon as- possible, and was, there- fore, unable to write a full account of the affair to his superior. This was an unfortunate circumstance. It was not at an probable that Grose would have received tie intelligence with equanimity even if the unwelcome nefws had been accompanied by a complete explanation, but King would certainly have done more justice to himself and the officers who acted with him, if he had sent at once the fullest possible statement, instead of leaving Gk>ose to obtain information from Lieutenant Beckwith and the fragmentary reports of which he was the bearer. a^Dti a Upon the arrival of the Francis at Sydney, Grose directed in<S^! ^6 whole of the officers of the Corps then on duty at head- quarters to form themselves into a Court of Inquiry to investigate the circumstances of the mutiny. Grose's letter calling the Court together was decidedly antagonistic to Eang. It concluded with a direction to igndeavour to dis* cover if there was not some excuse or reason for the mutinous conduct of the soldiers, and to ascertain whether King's action in disarming the detachment was justified.* The The evidence on which the Court was expected to decide evidence. ^ consisted of the meagre account contained in King's letter of 30th January, 1794jt the depositions and General Orders which accompanied it ; an extract from a private letter from King to Grose; and the viva voce testimony of the accused and their guards, nie flndinfir The finding of the Court, which was tnost adverse to of the Court. o ^ ' King, can only be explained on the assumption that the officers who were sent as guards and witnesses, particalarly Lieutenant Beckwith, withheld from the Court a great deal-
 * HiBtoricil Beooids^ yo. ii, p. 127* t Tbk, p. 103.