by John Marshall

“ Cruel! cruel! most cruel sword I which at once plunged him into eternity – to appear unprepared before his God – and me into the deepest gloom of misery and remorse. I trust I do not exhaust the indulgence of this honourable court with a repetition of my regrets – what bosom can deny the sigh, or what eye the tear, when charged with the death of a fellow-creature, under any circumstances i The full heart feels relief on the heaving forth of its sorrows ”

“ Weighing the circumstances, I, with a lenity natural to me, and which I trust I shall prove to have ever been my character, from high evidence, ordered him a slight punishment, too trifling in its nature, and not unbecoming his situation as a soldier, merely to walk the quarter-deck with a musket in his hand, and to which I was induced, by a prepossession in his favor, and a wish to preserve him from condign punishment, which must have been the consequence, if the regular steps had been taken. ”

“ When I turn my thoughts towards the melancholy catastrophe, the retrospect is agonizing in the extreme; but I look forward to whatever may be the result of this court-martial, with becoming deference and resignation, which can only proceed from a conscience void of the offence of a wilful guilt, and assisted by the Divine Power, I feel supported by the confidence of ever having acted on humane and honourable principles. ”

“ When the signal for punishment is made, two boats, kept quite ready, manned and armed, are to proceed from every ship to the Griffon, the officers commanding them being directed to obey such orders as they may receive from her captain. All works are immediately to cease; the crew of every ship is to be turned up to observe the execution ”

“ The commander-in-chief hopes this afflicting lesson may not be offered in vain; but that, seriously contemplating the awful example before them, every officer, and every man, will learn from it, never to suffer himself to be driven, by ill-governed passion, to treat with cruelty or violence, those over whom he is to command; nor by disobedience or disrespect, to rouse the passion of those whom it is his duty to respect and to obey.
(Signed) ⁠“W. Young.” Captain Trollope continued to command the Griffon until promoted to post rank, June 7, 1814. ”

“ Soon after the execution shall have taken place, and while the body is still hanging, the 28th article of war, and so much of the latter part of the 19th article as relates to the behaving with contempt to a superior officer, shall be read to each ship’s company, and immediately after them, the following admonition, with such additional observations as the captain may think proper, to impress strongly on the mind of the officers and all the crew, the necessity of a strict attention to discipline, and a perfect obedience to the laws. ”

“ This officer married, in 1813, Barbara, daughter of J. Goble, of Kinsale, Ireland, Esq. by whom he has a large family. His brother. Captain Trollope, of the 40th regiment, was killed, serving under the Duke of York, in Holland, Sept. 19, 1799; his half-brother, Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas Trollope, commanded the marines on board Admiral Duncan’s flag-ship, at the battle of Camperdown, and retired from that corps in 1800. ”