This trial is exactly one of those cases in which
the deci- sion of the ultimate judge must, amid the confusion of opinions, be taken as final ; but we must observe that the Duke of Cam-
bridge appears to us harsh both to Captain Jervis and Sir W• Mansfield. After this complete adoption of the recommendation to mercy Captain Jervis ought to be restored, and Sir W. Mans- field ought to have been recalled before this decision saw the light. He cannot possibly remain in command, and to fling a public rebuke like this at his head while still commanding a quarter of a million of soldiers seems to us a wanton aggravation of penish- ment. We doubt if such a reprimand was ever before addressed to an officer in such a position, and Sir W. Mansfield is just the man to feel it most acutely. His fault is his pride, and it is scored in this decision as with a lash. The decision may be right--we do not dispute it—but a General who has helped materially to recover an empire might have been punished with more considera- tion for his natural self-respect. God help the Duke of Cambridge if Sir William, who can speak as very few men can, and knows the Army from the bureaus to the sentry-boxes, returns to enter a Householder Parliament ?
