The Express.
London, England, 1865-01-26 00:00:00

THURSDAY Z'

THE AIL
a 'MURDER OF TWO BRaViSH
OFFICERS IN JAPAN•

We have gingiva& oar &driers in anticipation of
the Overland Mail, the dates being Calcutta, Dee.
; Madras, Dec. 97 ; and Hong-Kong, Dec. 15.
The following aooount of the murder of two
British offioers in Japan is taken from the Japan
Herald of November 26 :

Tbe ;argosies of these last barbarous murders, so far as
lie oirmatstaatial evideses which has es yet bees produced
mad Mewed up ma ealighten os, may that be owedeuesd
oat et the evident given at the mouse, liqueet.
Oa the mesieg of the 21st fast. (ILosiday), Major George
Walter Bah'win and Llentenivat Robert Nicholas Bird, both
of the Zed bettalloe of her Britain& Majesty's 20th Roe-
meat (two who &moppet all the respected and beloved of
the aloes of that regiment had, be their patio ineffeesive
natures and stellar worth, milted the feremost make la the
stooliosate regards of all who hate them), left Yaw-
ing's es horseback for as onausiou to Kamakurs and
Da'boots. About half-past 10 they arrived at Eaosima,
which plias (after side:aging ooaetdes with other aerial.-
desist' they met there) they left about 12 o'clock, with the
Menthes of pre:maim to Dalboolc The same night informa-
tics from the district authorities woe seat is to the 'oversee
of Yokohama. that two foreigners had hose assaulted at
or seta Bansakara, that ono was deed, but the other
was yet alive. This isformatiou having bees communicated
forthwith (about 2 o'clock la the morning of the
21ed, Tuesday) to the foreign somas, Dr. LIOdIa. the
Swiss Omni, Mr. Yon Bread; the Preedan Oases). and
In various partite other foreign residents, started at or
about 4 o'clock towards the piece indicted, Llsatesaat
Woods, with a party of moaned ea sad Mr.
Laddesd Fletcher. interpreter to the British Lee-
dom, being ordered to mooed hither in all haste.
A little deer daylight they arrived at " the
threefold road leading from the Great Temple, Beecham,
where it divides into three smaller roads, ass leather to
Whoree to the right, the seemed straight as to the see, and
the third into the emetry to the left." Near this spot sad
betweee a miserable tea house wed a hut for horses, it two
small deeds of mate propped up by bamboo, and disposed
es mats laid on the ground, were fated, most horribly
mutilated, the bodies of the two usfortumato gee-
Womb, the pistol of am of them—one barrel
d which appeared to have beta meetly dis-
charged—by his side, that of the other yet ma-
chete' from his belt. All the inquiries roads by Mr.
Fletcher (sad we all ksow how perseveringly end discreetly
he would push them to the utmost) failed to elicit
say leformatioe. No ove knew anything bat that
there the bodies were—sad that coo of the de-
ceased—the younger one. who said his tam was Bird, had
lived for several home. _ .

The bodies were brought is by water, sad the inquest
was held. . .

It would sot be wise here (while% the murderers yet remain
undiscovered) to point out certain extraordisery antitheses
between the medical ultimo, sad that above referred so
Horrible as the deed is knows to be—eurpseeleg is cowardice
cad bloody murdering "pint all that eves those who, like
ourselves, have been is doused constant iatercosres with •
nation celled cannibal and savage—have ever witnessed or
lewd of—there is -we shedder whilst we say it—great
room to fear that it may have been eves yet move brutal,
MOM cowardly, move bloodthirsty than yet is knows,
The demand were buried with full military holmium as
?bandy; the =sandal oortige forming, without doubt,
the most imposing spectacle ever witomood is Yoko-
. bum We noticed there the British, heed, American,
and Dutch ministers, and all the oust& in fell undone ;
the rumor of lissagawa and guile ; the odious of all the
mesaficrar of all nationalities is the harbour, the officers
of all the lead faros. of all nationalities, sod we believe we
may say that every male readmit of Yokohama was there.
The profound solemn silence that prevailed, the s.d, though
stems, eouotuanoss of all this omicosues so formed—
wee a tribute to the memory of the slaughtered British
odious which will reach higher thee the highest saueoluni
ever steeled ; we trait it may reach, with some consoling
btu, the hearts of their 111114001, their brother officers.
their fellow *oldie's, sad all who knew these two estimable
men front whom they have bees for ever in this life
armed in so 'oddest and so heartuediog a Nasser.
Subjoined is the verdict at the inquest held on
the bodies of the unfortunate officers :
That Major George Walter Baldwin and Liege. Robed
Nicholas Bird were cruelly murdered our the town of Ka-
makura ea the 21st of November instant, abut 4 is the
afterocion.
That from the evidence brought before them, the jury
have oo doubt that this atrocious crime wee the act of Jo-
puss* swordsmen unknown.
The jury further find that this attack must, in all likeli-
hood, have been made on both sides simultaneously, and by
• party of five or six ruffians at the very least, but possibly
of even greater lumbers.
The jury are further of opinion that the Japanese wi-
dest* road in court is utterly worthless, and that there
must be ample testimony in the poseessios of the Japes's,
authorities, or attainable by them, descriptive of the whole
citoamataeces of the tragedy. _

(Signed) G. itocneorr. Cap.. 20th Rift.
(Signed) COMM' Fenn, Capt. 20th Refit.
(Signed) J. ALDIUDOZ, Capt. 20th Rent.
Approved,
(Signed) Canute A. WINCHISTZI, Conant and
Coroner.

Speaking of the funeral the Japan Herald says :
We could scarcely be expected to note a descriptive m-
onist of this beartreoding ceremony, but have piece ob.
Mined the toiletries particulars :
Iffte ernes, which were on artillery carriages, draws by
the IMO of that corps, were Bret followed by Lieut.-001.
Broom as chief mourner ; the pall of that motoring the
remains of Major Baldwin being borne by Colossi Penrose,
R.M.L.T.; Major Miller, 67th; Major Ord, 20th; Make
Wray, LE.; and those of Lindeman Bird by Teeter.
aata Fraser, Webster, Wahal, and Barlow, all of the 30ik.
The firing party elegised of 240 rank aid tile of the 20th,
ceder command of Captain Rochfort. We must not, how-
ever, omit to add, for the informatics of the frieada of the
dimmed, who will doubtless desire to acksowledp for
themselves the °Desiderata onsiolenoe, that not only were
there peanut, as we have odd above, the ministers, coevals,
sad naval and military alien of all foreign power, but that
• detach met of 150 men of H. I. M. B. Semiramis, ander'eom-
, mead of Liam. Mist, formed a pert of the mournful oar-
' Use. And now, baying " buried our dead," we rejoice to
• be able to add bore intelligence which will we doubt not be
I received with universal gratification, We Item, from the
best authority, that Sir Rutherford Alooek is resolutely
dateradmil, by every menu at his command, to urge and,
if rosemary, compel the Japanese authorities to do their
Meese to discover and deliver up the murderess ; let sone
therefore imagine that in that, quarter there con be say
Irresolution, torpidity, or disinclination sincerely to follow
Shim matter to its end ; we believe Sir R. Also& would
mine this discovery—this rstribetioo, more than he ever
valued say bosoms or praise which have been showered
upon him ;we believe his heart is la it. We rejoice, too,
to be able to my that we have the beet authority for be-
lieving that the charge which we have so often beard pew
rally made, even in official is well as in hr less hesestial
• quarters, that " the Japans authorities make it their
policy to &brood and onosal offeaden against foregone'.
Is now, this time at least, babe most satiefaeterily die-
. peeved. The Japanese authorities are, we know, pefesehre
Wde their very utmost to trim the armadas to Pees ;
we lave good ground for the belief that they ore doom
is their refeesises.
The Overland China Mail, of December 15, has
the following remarks :
The sesstiou that ruins Is, slimly, whether or not Sir
Rutherked Alcock, who has always been imelciently
popeaelous, If not more eo, will avail himself of the
very powerful armament now at hie eemmand In Chines
WM= fir on shore at Shanghai, Wog Kong. sad Jew
to "*lke a blow" at the Jepson, authorities, which will
Pallas to remind them that the lives of Eoglislanou
respected by their government The question of
the anaminatioa of foregone le Japan has now, we
think, eves to a head. It is many years ago dam
we polluted out to (the them) Mr. Alcoa what he Whew
well enough, viz., that a foregoer, or a native ether,
meld sot blow his mos in Jape without the
fast being ellieleily tabulated. It is deeply idle
Sir I. Aback, at this time of day, begiwalag
to toady wads with Japasese authorities, sad to offset a

JANUARY

held thaltillip tre sillier, I they ems, te produes the
..it..... of Sire low yer:+aseM:ass.. He hove better
ihme that. If there Is ale thenogiely serasieled
vela Apia Ikea cotter*ass mass lereigasni—dlio
Eetherford Aback ow 'seas. is 'seas.Whoa we had no BM.
a speak of is this pert of the East, Ales* was all fat war ;
sad sow that we have aa unpreadentedly large fares, be
shows aa iodination to temporise. Of ware it is hopersibie
to depend urea mere rumour with regard to paths men ;
bet whim • geetheresa of Sir Entherfortre diplomatic shad-
ing a the Eat is suddenly fees/led, which is virtually an
*Tirana of his policy being disapproved of by his
superiors in dire, people are justified la imagio-
leg that his mode of pandas has set gives sittle-
tactics. Were II sot that the poem. adairMor in
Japan were loosed from his duties sad reepooribilities,
we me weak that he would speedily avail Ma-
ni
.ei the sang form at present at his cow-
soli Is Chas, and give the James's a lessee they would
an am forget. Is the assail.. we simply drew our
seeders' atleatioe to the slate of Weirs as they at present
smear ; sad it may simply he shied that it would he mole
beast for us to withdraw altogether from Japan than to
quietly submit to such Indignities as those at premed per-
petaled nixie us. It is to be hoped that the home go-
mutant will give their serious atliatioa to the question.
(From the Straits rime (Bingapere), Dee. 17.)
No one an anise the anment we pa yeeterday of the
murder of Haire Baldwin end Lieuteaant Bird without
.:estimating • degree of resealmeet spinet the Ja-
paw. generally—agelest the natty or perfidy of
soma of whom they have fella ,Idles—emosedieg
ern that which was proved by the simadastion
of Mr. Richardson. Nor is this ressainesed likely
to be lessened by the oironmetsime of the almost kopelan-
noes of over being able to ham the perpeleatore of this
double mime, or the motives which infiseacted it. Unable
to der the guilt apace any individual or Individuals. the
burst of Europese adignation will fall procniessonsly, up=
the liumwasat sad people of Japan alike. Altogether
this crime cease at • most unfortunate ocejasedere, sad
will go far to interrupt that good and...l:din whisk we
bad hoped wee beginning to display itself harms the
foreign residents sad the goverment sad people of Japan.
Cfareveaged, as we fear this outrage must remain, the are
of wrong will rankle in the minds of Europa., sad not
fall to display Itself perhaps indiscriminately sad servilely.
When we state that this last crime is likely to pass an.
revenged, we 'sprees no unnamable fear—a fear that
Naives no coatradiction from the promplases and deter,
minatiou with which the penalty for Mr. Rishardeee's
murder was exacted. We place no weight whatever on the
plea of proemst . which will be sure to be raised by some of
the peave seetico at bores. I. feet, we her our evidence will
never reach so far, besides, the thwack. of both the mar-
dandollioers—und the pmestial emend on whisk they eared,
are strongly against the pahahUity of say prommatioe what-
ever. The diflioalty is twe-fold ; theft Is lint, as we baked
at elating. aa almost hopelereams of preariag say evi-
dence as to the perpetrators of the crime, though the
mangled bodies spoke, alas I too plainly of the massy I.
which It was exsented ; and is the second pairs, even
if we meld seamed in detesting the heads that dealt the
blow, we would almost esetaialy fall to her beak their
motive to any responsible authority.
In the cam of Mr. Rieleardson's murder there we. ed.
demos, and this sot satire but Europese, not oely of the
particular hand that struck the blow, but also of the fact
that the blow was streak is the name sod in behalf of •
powerful prime who had almast arbitrary power over the
distrkine seder his rule. The mottos of a severe peaky
could be then no iejusties. The motive of the an
was dear, sad It was at the nit of • power.
fel prises whose sategeniene to foreigners was •
matter of notoriety. In the ease of Major Baldwin
sod Lieut. Bird it will be very dill:mit to frame any 00111.
plata to the James foremast, farther thaa to drawl
that the utmost exertions be made to detect the criminals
sad brag them to Justice. But if we were Se held the go-
mumest of Jape.' respoosible for the seta of a malicious
individual or of a malicious mob—not is any way sous-
tamed by authority—we would be establishing a law for
the Jammu' at variance with that now sulastiog between
any other two foreign states.

INDIA.

-.

The Bhootanese are reported to have many holds
of greater or lee strength, and to be determined

to resist to the uttermost. The Madras Athewaeue►
anticipates further heavy losses—" heavy, that is,
with reference to the insignificant nature of the foe,
and the smallness of the advantage to be gained
by victory over him. Such is the fruit of the im-
politic mission sent into a savage country without
a sufficient military following to ensure it respect"
From Affghanistan the accounts received grow
more and more unfavourable. The paper above
quoted says : . . .

The siftlere hostile is the armor are making head spinet
bins, sod the Ranieri troops, which have 'early reached
Bokhass, with the comma of the king, are likely to bear
their part in the struggle oa which the nos of Hind Khan
is about to eater, with the king's assietemos, is remise of
the mese. treaeisery towards ►ie father. The smear seems
to have acted impradeatly is withdrawing his army from
Toorkisten, where its present* and his owe' is so much
seeded, and leaving domestic dissffection as well m helms
enmity is hi rear. He is sow going to mime la a new
rampage against his revolted lieutenant at Candahar,
and his numerous foes will doubtless am the oppor-
tunity afforded to them by ►is abeam is that direction. It
is hard to say what the issue of t►e approaching intestine
strife may be, but the prospects of Share &ash are far from
promising, and although the British government have no
reason to feel saxions oa his personal behalf, they cannot
look on as uninterested spectates, when Afghanistan sad
antral Asia are oonvolsed, especially as Russia and Persia
are for their own papoose likely to mix themselves up in
the smear's quarrels. There is no prenest demand for Bri•
that intervention, and nose, we trust, will arise, but nobody
can tall what matiagescim may happen to cal war troops
into the field for the proteedou of the British frontier.