Baron Bramwell delivered on Tuesday a charge to the Grand
Jury which investigated the deaths caused by the collision between the ' Mistletoe' and the Royal yacht 'Alberta' in the Solent last August,—the Jury not having been able to come to a decision, and being, therefore, brought by the Coroner before Baron Bram- well, to get the benefit of his remarks. Baron Bramwell's remarks had a double side, as Judges' remarks are apt to have. He denied entirely that the speed at which the Royal yacht was going furnished any excuse for a collision, since it was clearly the duty of the commander to slacken speed, or lose time by altering the course, rather than risk a collision. If there was any culpable negligence on Captain Welch's part, and especially if the evidence went to show that he had not set a proper look-out, the verdict of manslaughter should be returned. But if the accident was owing to a mere error of judgment as to the course which the Mistletoe' was steering, no desire to show independence by being severe on a person trusted in high places should cause them to bring in a verdict of manslaughter. Captain Welch had commanded the Royal yacht for twenty-seven years, and this was the first time any accident had occurred. Some reports of his charge made Baron Bramwell remark that a conviction of man- slaughter would, of course, give pain to the Queen,—an observa- tion which, if it was really made, was more than irrelevant, be- -cause it would tend to make the jury reluctant to do their duty, even if Captain Welch did seem to them to have been guilty of -culpable negligence. The jury could not agree even after hearing Baron Bramwell's observations, and were ultimately discharged. But if the report we have alluded to be not incorrect, the charge bad something too much in it of the note of complaisance towards the Throne.
Previous page
