The Sun.
London, England, 1864-03-16 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS.

Tratzs.—We publish this morning a letter from
M. Mazzini in explanation of the circumstances
under which Mr. Stansfeld's name has been brought
into connexion with the Greco plot. That explana-
tion, eo far as it goes, is satisfactory, and answers
exactly to what would have been expected. As M.
INLzzlii denies having had any communication with
Greco on the subject of this plot, it is obvious that
he cannot be expected to offer any explanation of
the finding of a letter among Greco's papers direc-
ting him to write for money to the address of Mr.
Stansfeld. All that he can do is to explain the
circumstance of Mr. Stansfeld's address having
been known to Italian co-aspirators and used by
them at all. This he does by frankly admitting
that, in order to prevent letters to him from
being intercepted by continental authorities, he has
asked his English friends, and among them Mr.
Stansfeld, to allow letters to be addressed to him
under feigned names at their houses. That he had
given any instructions for letters to be so addressed
to him on this affair he, of course, entirely denies.
Now, what we have to say upon the matter is only
this—that we ought not to have received this first
instalment of explanation from M. Mazzini. It and
every other explanation which it was in Mr. Stans-
feld's power to give ought to have been readily, im-
mediately, and courteously offered to the Emperor
of the French, to the House of Commons, and to the
country. The tone of high moral indignation adopted
by Mr. Stansfeld, and on Monday night by Mr.
Layard, was entirely out of place. Of course, if an in-
sinuation of so terrible a character had been dropped
without their being a particle of fact to justify it—if
the Procureur-Imperial out of mere malicious suspi-
cion had charged members of the English Govern-
ment and of the English Parliament with being
connected with an atrocious conspiracy, the lan-
guage and tone adopted would have been the
only one possible. But, on the contrary, looking
on the matter as a mere question of evidence of
tact, there were prima facie grounds for the
insinuation. 'A letter is found among the papers
of a man convicted of a conspiracy to murder, in
which he is directed to apply for money to pro-
mote his infamous purpose at the address of an
English gentleman. This money, moreover, was
to be supplied to him by Mazzini, and Mazzini was
known to be on intimate terms with the gentleman
in question, and to have "been in relation" with the
convict. It is not too much to say that, supposing
the letter to be genuine—and its genuineness was
assumed by the French prosecution—these circum-
stances present a chain of evidence which justifies the
moderate language used by the Procureur-Impe-
rial. Instead of resenting it, Mr. Stansfeld ought
to have gladly taken the opportunity to disentangle
his name, and the name of the country, the House of
Commons, and the Government, from the odious
connection into which they had unfortunately been
brought. But the very reverse of this is the course
pursued by Mr. Stansteld. He refuses explanation,
he even goes out of his way to defend the man who,
not altogether without apparent reason, was accused
of having been the instigator of the conspiracy, but
he had not one word to express his regret at his ad-
dress having been made use of by such miscreants.
When we see from M. Mazzini's letter that Mr.
Stansfeld had himself placed his house in danger of
being thus abused, the tone which he has adopted
on the subject is the more unbefitting his position.
If the Emperor of the French were only a private
gentleman he would have just cause to feel indig-
nant. Bat the Emperor of the French is much more
—he is the head and the representative of a great
nation, and a wrong done to him is a wrong done
to a noble and generous people. He is, morecver,
our steadfast ally, and hag displayed to us innume-
rable instances of goodwill and friendship. Has he
not, then, a right to claim that those persons who
represent our foreign relations should express their
regret at a circumstance which has given one of his
high officers of State occasion to cemplain in open
court that the house of a member of Parliament
has been abused for the purpose of abetting a
conspiracy against his life If the agents of a Go-
vernment by any mistake or accident do, or appear
to do, anything which infringes on the rights of
another, it is the reasonable custom of diplomacy to
anticipate complaints by ample explanation, and,
if necessary, by apology. But here is an accident,
a misconception, what you will, which seems to
implicate us in an attack upon the highest per-
sonage in a neigbouring nation, and neither the
gentleman himself concerned nor the gentleman
who represents our foreign re,ations in the House of
Commons expresses any regret, makes any explains,-
tion, but both treat the whole matter in a tone of
indignant indifference. M. Mazzini put these gen-
tlemen to shame. He is not called upon by any
public considerations to make explanations in the
matter, but a simple regard for Mr. Stansfeld's posi-
tion induces him to come forward and say what he
can. Whatever his faelts may be, he shows him-
self more sensible of what is due to his friends than
Mr. Stansfeld or Mr. Layard.

PosT.—The British officers who were so rashly
accused of wanton and needless cruelty in Japanese
waters have bad their character satisfactorily vin-
dicated. The documents read by Mr. Layard in the
House of Commons, on Monday night, have com-
pletely swept away whatever suspicions might have
still lingered in prejudiced minds as to the bombard-
ment of Kagosima. Whatever the reluctance of
those whose philanthropy and benevolence may
have clouded their judgment, to listen to a defence
of Admiral Kuper and Colonel Neale, offered by
Englishmen, they cannot at least refuse to yield
their credence to the testimony of Japanese wit-
nesses. The murder of Mr. Richardson, and the
brusque rejection, by the Daimio Satsuma, under
circumstances of intentional insult, of the claims
preferred by the British, are facts that have never
been in dispute. Those who undertook to inculpate
Admiral Kuper and Colonel Neale have never
questioned these, facts; never thrown the least
doubt upon them. This being premised, let us
proceed to hear what account the Japanese them-
selves give of the subsequent train of events.
Prince Satsuma's own officers and repre-
sentatives, who came after the capture of
his ships and the bombardment of his for,
tress had brought that dignitary to reason—to
pay the indemnity and negotiate a convention, are
the witnesses whose evidence is now before us.
And what is their testimony ? They tell us in so
many word that Prince Satsuma, in contemplation
of an attack by the British fleet, had the population
of the town of Kagosima withdrawn to the neigh-
bouring villages further in the interior of the coun-
try. When the steamers were seized information
was sent off with the utmost despatch to the Daimie
for orders. The orders, returned with equal speed,
were to fire on the British ships. The Japanese
officers took advantage of a typhoon to open their
batteries on our squadron, thinking that our ships
would be rendered helpless, and their guns would
be made ineffective by the storm ; and this very cir-
cumstance was the cause of the fire being blown into
their pasteboard town. The fire, however, might
have been easily pet out had not the inhabitants--
men, women, and children—previously removed
to a place of safety. Pasteboard houses are easily
ignited and burn rapidly, but they have also the
advantage of being built up again with equal facility
and despatch ; and the Daimio Satsuma's Own
agents and representatives state that the damage
was being rapidly repaired, and what houses had
been destroyed were being rebuilt. This, they said,
the British might see with their own eyes if they
visited the town. T►ie only Japanese who were on
the spot when the broadsides of the Er.glish ships
were directed against the D limio's fortress were
some six thousand of the Daimio's troops, who were
on duty and in part engaged in serving and man-
ning his batteries. One very characteristic and
suggestive circumstance is disclosed by these native
witnesses. According to their account, such of the
six thousand soldiers as were not necessary to work
the batteries were stationed as a reserve in the rear
of the fortreee, where, until required to act, they

were to remain out of danger from the British shot
and shell. And we are told by the Daimio'a agents
with great
off'
that when the garrison was
thinned off as the bombardment proceeded, these
reserves were so terrified by the English fire,
that they evinced the utmost reactance to go into
the works and take their places at the gnus ; and
it WHS not without the greatest difficulty that they
could be prevailed upon to do so. This is the
characteristic of what is called Oriental civilisation.
Readiness to murder in cold blood the unarmed and
defenceless, or a single individual when there is a
host to attack him, is united with the extreme of
pusillanimity when real manliness and bravery are
required to face real danger. But this fact has
another significance ; it shows what a powerful
force—six thousand soldiers—the Daimio had under
arms to garrison his fortress of Kagosima. in addi-
tion to the statements of the Japanese agents of
Prince Satsuma, we also are in possession of other
facts equally conducive to a right understanding of
the matter. The town of Kagosima, instead of con-
taining one hundred and eighty thousand people,
only contained forty thousand, who, as we have
seen, had retired up the country into the villages
out of harm's way, when it scented danger afar off,
and their absence was the reason of the fire net
being extinguished as soon as it was caused, and
they on their return, after the bombardment was
over, speedily set themselves to reinstate their
fragile and inflammable dwellings. It was only a
few stray shots of these aimed at the batteries and
fortress that chanced by accident to enter the town;
and then the typhoon, which they had hoped would
cripple the English squadron end derange the pre-
cision of our fire, blew the flames from one house to
another. But the testimony of the Japanese envoys
shows on the face of it that the damage done could
neither be serious where it occurred, nor at all wide
spread. The following passage in Colonel Neale'S
statement deserves particular attention :—" I deem
it desirable to add," says he, " that the popula-
tion of Kagosima at no period exceeded forty
thousand souls, and not one hundred and eighty
thousand, as has been strangely imagined to serve
as a more striking text for comments; and, fur•
ther, that those forty thousand souls—men,
women, and children—withdrew while their
huts and paper houses incurred the risks atten-
dant upon stray shot and shell from a British
squadron, audaciously fired upon the numerous bat-
teries because it hay signalled its intention to obtain
redress for a barbarous murder and outrage corn-
witted upon a British subject for which all redress
had been evaded. Subsequent events, the volun-
tary payment of the inaemnity demanded, the
formal obligation entered into to execute the mur-
derers of Mr. Richardson when arrested, the pro-
fessions of friendship cheerfully expressed. by Prince
Satsuma's envoys on behalf of their chief, their de-
sire to cultivate friendly and social intercourse with
the British nation, and their graceful offerings (of
fruit) to the crow of the flag-ship of the British
admiral, after the facts of Kagosima, would all im-
ply that Vie agents of her Majesty displayed a
degree of caution and moderation duly appreciated
by those most deeply interested." We never had
any doubt that the officers who represented Eng-
land in Japan did not exceed their duty, but per-
formed it wisely, bravely, and well, to maintain the
'honour of their country and defend the lives of
British subjects. But we certainly must believe
that the respect and good-will exhibited by Prince
Satsuma's agents were really due to the vigour,
promptitude, and decision with which Col. Neale
and Admiral Kuper acted, rather than to any other
considerations whatever. Had our officers behaved
in a way that would in the least have borne the
interpretation of wavering or timidity, the Japa-
nese, who only understand the arguments of force,
would have regarded us with profound contempt,
and would very probably have expressed it, top'
ther with some other characteristic sentiments, by
a general massacre of all the English in the coun-
try. This, of course, must have been chastised, and
thus a long and furious war might have been en-
tailed upon ua with a compact nation of some thirty
millions of people at the Antipodes—a war involv-
ing the lives of thousands, and the waste of propor-
tionate treasure. As it is, this calamity has been
averted. by the wise vigour of two British officers,
whose eminent services have brought upon theca
the most unjust incriminations.