New Spalding Club > House of Gordon > Gordons under arms

458 HOUSE OF GORDON.
least of it, as much of passion as of justice in this sentence, especially as regards Bonnaire, who
was absolutely innocent of Gordon's death.
The case is fully dealt with by Count Maurice Mejan in Histoire du Proces
dti Marechal de camp Bonnaire et du Lieut. Mieton ; Paris, July, 1716 ; 8vo,
pp. 172.
M. Houssaye says that Gordon was a Dutchman (son of 1732 ?)■ He
had entered the service of France at the time of the division of Holland, and
remained in it until the day of his desertion (June 16, 1815). In 181 5 he had
two brothers, officers in the Dutch army — the one in the artillery, the other
in the navy. It was on their denunciation, seconded by Prince Frederick of
the Netherlands, that Bonnaire and Mieton were pursued and delivered up to
the Council of War.
1809- Robert Alexander. 1794, May 19, honourably discharged from
the 5th Coy., Reg. van Nyvenheim, Scots Brigade in Holland (Ferguson's
Scots Brigade, 11. 552). Prof Kramer states that he served seventy-two
months as Cadet, and sixty-eight months as Ensign.
Son of Alexander, 1668, and Maria Pieternella Ghyben, bap. 1768, Jan.
4, at Tournay, b}' Rev. J. P. Propstinge, minister there (Ferguson's Scots Bri-
gade, 1111.9s).
1810- Robert Jacob. 1753, entered Scots Brigade in Holland. 1765,
Dec. 30, Lt., 4th Coy., 2nd Batn., Gordon's Reg. (Ferguson's Scots Brigade,
1. 430). 1776, Feb., Lt., 2nd Batn., Haikett's Reg. (S.M., vol. 28, p. 112,
which seems doubtful as Haikett's Reg. was then known as Dundas's). 1777,
Jun. I, arrived at the Cape in the service of the Dutch East Indies Coy., as
Capt., second in command of the garrison (Theal's History of South Africa,
1897, II. 150) ; Aug. 17, in company with William Paterson and Jacobus van
Reenan christened the Orange River (Paterson's Narrative of Four jfouniics
into tJie Country of the Hottentots), 1780, F"eb. i, appointed to command the
garrison [History of South Africa, 11. 167). 1795, because Commander-in-
Chief (a battery at Hout Bay being named alter him), and had to fight the
British ; Jun. 14, he wrote Admiral Eiphinstone — " I abhor French principles,
and if our unhappy Republic where I am (sic) born and served these forty-two
years, surrender, then I am a Great britainer " ; Sep. 24, Gen. Craig took
Cape Town ; Sir J. W. Kaye says : —
Gordon's supineness during the period that hostilities were actually carrying on, when he
certainly neglected his official duties, and his having recommended the acceptance of the first
offers of Sir George [Eiphinstone] and General Craig [his correspondence on the point with
Gov. Sluysken and Col. de Lille fiils 200 pp. of Theal's Records of the Cape Colony'] rendered
him suspended and occasioned his being very grossly insulted by the men of his own reg. the
day they laid down their arms. On the morning of the 25th of October [the G.M., vol. 66, pt.