COLONEL GILPINsaid, he wished to ask the Under Secretary of State for War, Whether, considering the peculiar circumstances attending the trial of Colonel Crawley and the failure of the evidence against him, it is the intention of the War Department to recommend that hisexpenses should be paid?
THE MARQUESS OF HARTINGTONsaid, in reply, that at the conclusion of all courts martial, it became necessary to consider whether the expenses of the prisoner should be paid by the public or not. In this instance such consideration took place, and the Government, accepting and adopting the verdict of the court martial, decided that all such expenses incurred by Colonel Crawley as were ever paid should in this instance be defrayed by the country. Col. Crawley's passage from India and back had been paid, he had been in receipt of Indian pay and allowances during the whole time that he was in this country, and quarters had been provided for him at Aldershot. The expenses of all witnesses whom he desired to bring over from India had been paid; and in fact no greater expense had fallen upon him than he would have been subject to if his regiment had been in this country instead of India. Everything which in such cases had ever been paid for anybody had been paid for Colonel Crawley. The only expenses which had not been repaid to him were those connected with legal advice. NO application had been made by Colonel Crawley for the payment of these expenses, nor could the Government accede to such an application if it was made. The position and status of legal gentlemen were not recognized at courts martial, and the Government would have no means of checking their charges,