HUMOURS OF 113E BENCH.
[To THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR."] SIR,—In the leading article in the Spectator of August 17th, "Humours of the Bench," you give the following as the sentence pronounced by a President of a court-martial :— " Prisoner, not only have you committed murder, but you have run a bayonet through the breeches of one of her Majesty's uniforms." With all deference, I think this is an imperfect version of a sentence, said in Lord Cockburn's " Journal " to have been pronounced by a Scotch Judge, which, as nearly as I can recollect (not having the book at hand to refer to), is as follows:—" -Ye did not only kill and murder the man, and thereby take away his valuable life ; but ye did push, thrust, protrude, or impel the lethal weapon through the belly-band of his regimental trousers, which were the property of his
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