MILITARY COMMISSION. 127 



had not three Spanish gentlemen voluntarily come 

 forward, greatly to their honour, in the very face 

 of the popular clamour, and in a manner well de- 

 serving our acknowledgments. Two of them were 

 naval officers, the other a respectable merchant : 

 all three had been prisoners of war on board Lord 

 Cochrane'^s ship at the time specified by the wit- 

 nesses ; and they swore positively, that neither of 

 the prisoners had then been on board the flag- 

 ship, nor in any other of the Patriot squadron. 



Had not the latter witnesses fortunately come 

 forward, there is no saying what might have been 

 the result of the inquiry. The military commis- 

 sion, however, appointed to consider the evidence, 

 after a violent discussion, in the course of which 

 it was seriously proposed to hang the officers as 

 spies, agreed, by a small majority, to liberate 

 them. 



The military commission took this occasion to 

 recommend to Government, not to allow any 

 stranger to land from the foreign ships in the 

 Roads, during these turbulent times. As this 

 part of the despatch is curious, from showing the 

 state of feeling at the moment, I subjoin a trans- 



