< Page:History of Australia, Rusden 1897.djvu
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control of CroBsley, instigatiiif,' a Governor to summon

memberB of a Court before him for treason. On the whole it. may be pronounced that — considering the elements of the population, and the manifosfc danger of destroying the conHtituted autlioritiea, Johfihitou acted wisely and loyally when he left his bed to put dt)WH, in the person of Bligh, a form of disorder as deadly an the anarchy which, four years before, he had been inBtrumeiital in quelling in the field. While the general facts are freslily in the memory it is right to refer to evideuce reganling tlieiu in England when Johnston was tried l>y court-martial. Bligh's counsel argued that there would have been no raiitiny if Johnston had not led the soldiers to it. Jolnistou averred that, even if l)y abetting Bligh he couhl for a moment have averted it, , the soldiery, identified as they were with the people, would ^before the night was past have joined with them," or have refused to act against tiiem, and dei^orable excesses would imve supervened. Maearthur himself, Grimes, Dr. Harris, t Captain Kemp, Lieut. Miuchin, and two sergeants of the ' corps, depoi^ed that the arrest of the six oHicers would have iade soldiers and inhabitants miite and put in peril the ife of the Governor, Sergeant Sutlierland was tartly Bross-examined by a member of the Court, in order to shake ais assertion that if the officers had been confhied ** the Soldiers would have raised and taken them out." " You think they would have gone contrary to orders? — Yes, I |tliink they would. Do you understand the question per- fectly, sergeant? — Yes, I do ; I understand, sii", that we would not see our otKcers imprisoned." Sutherland ret|uired courage, for some members of the Court disphtyed antipathy to Johnston, and its terrors were so great that the turbulent Sergeant Whittle, alter so many accidents by Hood and field fainted away " under crosis-examination, **and was taken out of Court." =^^ -^ ** Report of Johnston's Tiial/' p. :^71. WbitLlo had been active ill BUgh's aiTtist. Tiia golilieis Inid VEUiily searched for liligh, who WHS secreted in a siuaU room wear a ataircEise, BligU hhnself awore — '*r then heard a halloo-kalloo and a man cry out (which waaonc Sergeant Whittle) — ' Uanni my e^^ea, I will find hiin, soldiers! Come np-sfcaiw lagaiii; I wiU have another search/ or wordti to that elfect/' {Sergeant Sutherland awore that after searching for an liour and a-lvivlt bie. ftsyl

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