Colonial and

foreign troops

in Her Majesty's pay to be subject to provisions of this Act.

Provision as

to the militia or yeomanry or volunteer corps or reserve forces.

Power to constitute courtsmartial.

provisions for the trial and punishment of officers and soldiers who shall be charged with mutiny and desertion, or any other of the offences which are by this Act declared to be punishable by the sentence of a court-martial, and also as to the provisions which relate to the punishment of persons who shall conceal deserters, or shall knowingly buy, exchange, or otherwise receive any arms, medals for good conduct or for distinguished or other service, clothes, military furniture, or regimental necessaries from any soldier or deserter, or who shall cause the colour of any such clothes to be changed, or who shall aid in the escape of a prisoner from a military prison, or who shall introduce forbidden articles into such prison, or shall carry out any such articles, or who shall assault any officer of such prison, and also as to the provisions for exempting soldiers from being taken out of Her Majesty's service for not supporting or for leaving chargeable to any parish any wife or child or children, or on account of any breach of contract to serve or work for any employer, or on account of any debts under thirty pounds in the said islands.

4. All officers and soldiers of any troops mustered and in pay which shall be raised and serving in any of Her Majesty's dominions abroad, or in places in possession of or occupied by Her Majesty's subjects under the command of any officer having any commission immediately from Her Majesty, shall be subject to the provisions of this Act and of Her Majesty's Articles of War in like manner as Her Majesty's other forces are; and if such officers and soldiers, having been made prisoners, be sent into Great Britain or Ireland, although not allowed to serve therein, all the provisions of this Act in regard to billeting soldiers shall apply to such officers and soldiers.

5. Nothing in this Act contained shall be construed to extend to any militia forces or yeomanry or volunteer corps in Great Britain or Ireland, or to the reserve force provided for by "The Reserve Force Act, 1867," or to the reserve force provided for by "The Militia Reserve Act, 1867," excepting as stated in the second section of this Act, and as herein-after enacted, or where by any Act for regulating any of the said forces or corps the provisions contained in any Act for punishing mutiny and desertion are or shall be specifically made applicable to such forces or corps.

6. For the purpose of bringing offenders against this Act and against the Articles of War to justice, Her Majesty may from time to time, in like manner as has been heretofore used, grant commissions under the Royal Sign Manual for the holding of courts-martial within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and may grant commissions or warrants under the said Royal Sign Manual to the chief governor or governors of Ireland, the commander of the forces,

or the person or persons commanding in chief, or commanding for the time being, any body of troops belonging to Her Majesty's army, as well within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the British Isles as in any of Her Majesty's garrisons and dominions or elsewhere beyond seas, for convening courts-martial, and for authorising any officer under their respective commands to convene courts-martial, as occasion may require, for the trial of offences committed by any of the forces under the command of any such last-mentioned officer, whether the same shall have been committed before or after such officer shall have taken upon him such command: Provided that the officer so authorised be not below the degree of a field officer, except in detached situations beyond seas where a field officer is not in command, in which case a captain may be authorised to convene district or garrison courts-martial: Every officer so authorised to convene courtsmartial may confirm the sentence of any court-martial convened by him according to the terms of his warrant.

be tried.

7. Any person subject to this Act who shall, in any part Place where of Her Majesty's dominions or elsewhere, commit any of the offenders may offences for which he may be liable to be tried by courtmartial by virtue of this Act or of the Articles of War, may be tried and punished for the same in any part of Her Majesty's dominions or in any other place whereto he may have come or where he may be after the commission of the offence, as if the offence had been committed where such trial shall take place.

martial.

8. Every general court-martial convened within the United Powers of Kingdom or the British Isles shall consist of not less than nine general courtscommissioned officers, each of whom shall have held a commission for three years before the date of the assembly of the court. Every general court-martial shall have power to sentence any officer or soldier to suffer death, penal servitude, imprisonment, forfeiture of pay or pension, or any other punishment which shall accord with the usage of the service: No sentence of death by a court-martial shall pass unless two thirds at least of the officers present shall concur therein ; no sentence of penal servitude shall be for a period of less than five years; and no sentence of imprisonment shall be for a period longer than two years.

son courtsmartial.

9. Every district or garrison court-martial convened within Powers of disthe United Kingdom or the British Isles shall consist of not trict or garriless than seven commissioned officers, and shall have the same power as a general court-martial to sentence any soldier to such punishments as shall accord with the provisions of this Act: Provided always, that no such district or garrison courtmartial shall have power to try a commissioned officer, or to pass any sentence of death or penal servitude.

Powers of

detachment courts-martial.

10. A regimental or detachment court-martial shall consist regimental or of not less than five commissioned officers, unless it is found to be impracticable to assemble that number, in which case three shall be sufficient, and shall have power to sentence any soldier to corporal punishment, or to imprisonment, and to forfeiture of pay, in such manner as shall accord with the provisions of this Act.

Courts-martial

on line of march or in

11. In cases of mutiny, and insubordination accompanied with personal violence, or other offences committed on the troop ships, &c. line of march, or on board any transport ship, convict ship, merchant vessel, or troop ship, not in commission, the offender may be tried by a regimental or detachment court-martial, and the sentence may be confirmed and carried into execution on the spot by the officer in the immediate command of the troops, provided that the sentence shall not exceed that which a regimental court-martial is competent to award.

Powers of detachment general courtsmartial.

of witnesses.

12. It shall be lawful for any officer commanding any detachment or portion of troops serving in any place beyond seas where it may be found impracticable to assemble a general court-martial, upon complaint made to him of any offence committed against the property or person of any inhabitant of or resident in any country in which such troops are so serving by any person serving with or belonging to Her Majesty's armies, being under the immediate command of any such officer, to convene a detachment general courtmartial, which shall consist of not less than three commissioned officers, for the purpose of trying any such person; and every such court-martial shall have the same powers in regard to sentence upon offenders as are granted by this Act to general courts-martial: Provided always, that no sentence of any such court-martial shall be executed until the general commanding the army of which such detachment or portion forms part shall have approved and confirmed the same.

As to swearing 13. All general and other courts-martial shall administer and summoning an oath to every witness or other person who shall be examined before such court in any matter relating to any proceeding before the same; and every person, as well civil as military, who may be required to give or produce evidence before a court-martial, shall, in the case of general courts-martial, be summoned by the judge advocate general, or his deputy, or the person officiating as judge advocate, and in the case of all other courts-martial by the president of the court; and all persons so summoned and attending as witnesses before any court-martial shall, during their necessary attendance in or on such courts, and in going to and returning from the same, be privileged from arrest, and shall, if unduly arrested, be discharged by the court out of which the writ or process issued by which such witness was arrested, or if such court be not

sitting, then by any judge of the superior courts of Westminster or Dublin, or of the Court of Session in Scotland, or of the courts of law in the East or West Indies, or elsewhere, according as the case shall require, upon its being made to appear to such court or judge, by any affidavit in a summary way, that such witness was arrested in going to or attending upon or returning from such court-martial; and all witnesses so duly summoned as aforesaid who shall not attend on such courts, or attending shall refuse to be sworn, or being sworn shall refuse to give evidence, or not produce the documents under their power or control required to be produced by them, or to answer all such questions as the court may legally demand of them, shall be liable to be attached in the Court of Queen's Bench in London or Dublin, or in the Court of Session or sheriff or stewart courts in Scotland, or in courts of law in the East or West Indies, or in any of Her Majesty's colonies, garrisons, or dominions in Europe or elsewhere respectively, upon complaint made, in like manner as if such witness, after having been duly summoned or subpoenaed, had neglected to attend upon a trial in any proceeding in the court in which such complaint shall be made: It shall be lawful for the pre- Oath to be sident of any court-martial to administer an oath to a short- administered to hand writer to take down, according to the best of his power, writer. the evidence to be given before the court.

shorthand

offence, but

14. No officer or soldier who shall be acquitted or convicted No second trial of any offence shall be liable to be tried a second time by the for the same same or any other court-martial for the same offence; and revision may no finding, opinion, or sentence given by any court-martial, be allowed. and signed by the president thereof, shall be revised more than once, nor shall any additional evidence in respect of any charge on which the prisoner then stands arraigned be received by the court on any revision.

with death.

15. If any person subject to this Act shall at any time Crimes during the continuance of this Act begin, excite, cause, or punishable join in any mutiny or sedition in any forces belonging to Her Majesty's army, or Her Majesty's royal marines, or shall not use his utmost endeavours to suppress the same, or shall conspire with any other person to cause a mutiny, or coming to the knowledge of any mutiny or intended mutiny shall not, without delay, give information thereof to his commanding officer; or shall hold correspondence with or give advice or intelligence to any rebel or enemy of Her Majesty, either by letters, messages, signs, or tokens, in any manner or way whatsoever; or shall treat or enter into any terms with such rebel or enemy without Her Majesty's license, or license of the general or chief commander; or shall misbehave himself before the enemy; or shall shamefully abandon or deliver up any garrison, fortress, post, or guard committed to his charge, or which he shall have been commanded to defend; or shall [No. 2. Price 2d.]

B

Judgment of death may be commuted for penal servitude or other punishments.

compel the governor or commanding officer of any garrison, fortress, or post to deliver up to the enemy or to abandon the same; or shall speak words or use any other means to induce such governor or commanding officer, or others, to misbehave before the enemy, or shamefully to abandon or deliver up any garrison, fortress, post, or guard committed to their respective charge, or which he or they shall be commanded to defend ; or shall desert Her Majesty's service; or shall leave his post before being regularly relieved; or shall sleep on his post; or shall strike or shall use or offer any violence against his superior officer, being in the execution of his office, or shall disobey any lawful command of his superior officer; or who being confined in a military prison shall offer any violence against a visitor or other his superior military officer, being in the execution of his office; all and every person and persons so offending in any of the matters before mentioned, whether such offence be committed within this realm or in any other of Her Majesty's dominions, or in foreign parts, upon land or upon the sea, shall suffer death, or penal servitude, or such other punishment as by a court-martial shall be awarded: Provided always, that any non-commissioned officer or soldier attested for or in pay in any regiment or corps who shall, without having first obtained a regular discharge therefrom, enlist himself in Her Majesty's army, may be deemed to have deserted Her Majesty's service, and shall be liable to be punished accordingly.

16. In all cases where the punishment of death shall have been awarded by a general court-martial or detachment general court-martial it shall be lawful for Her Majesty, or, if in any place out of the United Kingdom or British Isles, for the commanding officer having authority to confirm the sentence, instead of causing such sentence to be carried into execution, to order the offender to be kept in penal servitude for any term not less than five years, or to suffer such term of imprisonment, with or without hard labour, and with or without solitary confinement, as shall seem meet to Her Majesty, or to the officer commanding as aforesaid,

Embezzlement, 17. Any officer or soldier of Her Majesty's army, or any &c. of stores person employed in the War Department, or in any way punishable by penal servitude, concerned in the care or distribution of any money, provisions, or by fine, im- forage, arms, clothing, ammunition, or other stores belonging prisonment, &c. to Her Majesty's army or for Her Majesty's use, who shall

embezzle, fraudulently misapply, wilfully damage, steal, or receive the same, knowing them to have been stolen, or shall be concerned therein or connive thereat, may be tried for the same by a general court-martial, and sentenced to be kept in penal servitude for any term not less than five years, or to suffer such punishment of fine, imprisonment with or without hard labour, dismissal from Her Majesty's service, reduction