The Sun.
London, England, 1863-07-13 00:00:00

HER MAJESTY'S THEATRE. to the wishes of Lord ALmERsToN, of the Emperor
FAREWELL NIGHTS. NAPOLEON, of the North, of the South, of the
CHEAP PRICES.
PRODUCTION OF OBERON. Opposition or of the Government to withdraw his
TO MORROW EVENING (TUESDAY), July 14, will be ,
performed (first time), Weber's Grand Romantic Opera, motion without requiring a division—the posidon
OBE RON.
The new and extensive scenery and original effects by Mr. in which he would stand would be nothing less than
William Calcott. The new costumes, from original designs, •
simply ridiculous. It would be ridiculous, and yet
'by Mr. S. May and Miss Dickinson. The incidental Dances
arranged by M. Petit. The machinery constructed by Mr. S. it would have about it, too, infalliblya spice of crimi-
Sloman. The decorations and appointments by Mr. Brad-
well. The Mise en Scene by Mr. J. R. Planche, the Author nality. For, having once put the Question to the
of the original Libretto. The recitatives composed by Mr.
Benedict. House of Commons, as he has, Mr. ROEBUCK, as the
The following* is the unrivalled cast:—
Sir Huon, Mr. Sims Reeves ; Oberon, Bettini ; Scher- propounder of it, has at this moment devolving upon
asmin, Mr. Santley ; Babekan, Sig. Gassier; Puck, Mdlle.
Trebelli ; Fatima, Mdme. Alboni ; and ttegia, Mdlle. Titiens. him a heavy weight of responsibility. So far from
Chorus of Knights, Nobles, Spirits of the Elements, People
the altered position of the belligerents out there,
westwards, at the seat of war, so far from their al-
tered position, relatively to each other, having ren-
dered the putting of this vital and momentous
Question to the British House of Commons in any
way inopportune, it is precisely the very reverse.
Never yet has there come a moment, since
the commencement of the war, when an
independent member of the English House of Com-
mons could more opportunely, could so opportunely
put it to that House, Whether or not the Indepen-
dence of the Confederate States shall be recognised ?
By the answer accorded to that inquiry the
Gordian Knot may be cloven asunder. Its involu-
tions defy unravelling. Sooner or later it must
needs be severed. Whether shall this be by the
blood-dripping blade of one or other of the two in-
furiated. belligerents, or by the keen stroke of policy
(it matters little at whose instance) causing
at the same moment of time a remark-
able division of the House of Commons
and the virtual settlement, upon the opposite
shores of the Atlantic, of an otherwise inextricable
Difficulty ? Upon Mr. ROEBUCK'S firmness,
probably, there devolves at this moment the
solemn and weighty responsibility of pronouncing
the decision in this alternative. Will he pronounce
it or, rather, by insisting upon earryisg his
motion to a division, will he enable the House of
Commons itself to pronounce it ?

Conductor, Sig. Arditi.

Wednesday next, July 15, FA UST.
Thursday next, July 16, FAUST.
Saturday next, July 18 (second time), OBERON.
Monday, July 20, Grand Combined Entertainment. Fifth
Act, MARIA STUART. LA FIGLIA DEL REGGI-
MEN u. Fourth Act (Italian Tragedy), MACBETH. Last
Act, ELISABETTA (REGINA D'ING HILTERRA). With
other Entertainm.-nts.
Restrictions to Evening Dress not enforced. Commence at
Eight o'clock on each evening.
Prices :—Gallery, 2s ; Pit, 5s ; Boxes, 58 ; Dress Circle, 7s ;
Orchestra Stalls. 12s 6d; rivate Boxes from Half-a-Guinea
upwards ; Pit Tier Boxes, to hold four, Two Guineas.
Bo ~office of the Theatre (under the superintendence of Mr.
Nugent) oven daily from Ten till Six. Tickets also to be ob-
tained, on the evening of the perfermance, at the special
offi..es open at the entrance of the Pit and Grand Tiers.

The state of our relations with Japan have, as
might have been expected, been brought under the
consideration of Parliament. The tragic events
which have lately occurred in that country must be
fresh in the recollection of our readers. It is not
very long since the ports of that peculiar and isolated
people were opened to English commerce, and our
merchants were congratulated on the important
extension of their Eastern trade. It is true that
the terms of the treaty which conferred these privi-
leges on the European trader were limited and
partial; but it must be remembered that the very
sight of a foreigner was new to Japan, and we had
no right to be unreasonable in our expectations. For
a time we felicitated ourselves on having conferred
a mutual benefit on the English merchant and the
Japanese trader as well, in having opened the way
to progress and civilisation in that long-benighted
country. Our gratification proved, however, some-
what short-lived. The first thing that distuibed it
was an attack on the British Legation, evidently with
the object of taking the life of the Consul. In this
attempt the assassins were fortunately unsuccess •
ful, but they were only repulsed by fire-arms. Not
long after two marines en guard near the Legation
were fatally wounded, and in the month of
September, last year, occurred that unpar-
donable outrage for which the English Go-
vernment have, very properly, demanded
reparation. An English lady and some gentlemen,
residents in Japan, were riding along a high road,
which is one of those which it is expressly stipu-
lated in the treaty shall be free for the use of Eng-
lish subjects. They were unfortunate enough to
meet with a procession accompanying a Daimio or
great Japanese official from Yeado to Miako. They
got on the side of the road to allow it to pass, but
the opportunity for injuring the hated foreigner
was not to be lost. They were surrounded and
attacked by the retainers of a Japanese bearing the
dignity of Prince of SATSUMA. Unarmed and
defenceless as they were, their only
alternative was flight. Mr. RICHARDSON
fell covered with wounds, his companions
escaped with difficulty, and the lady reached the
nearest town, terror-stricken and covered with
blood, to tell how the pleasant morning's ride had
been converted into a tragedy. Earl RUSSELL,
in defending the course pursued by the Government,
said very truly that no doubt many of the Japanese
objected to the permission accorded to foreigners to
take up their residence in Japan, and considered
that no such intruders should be suffered to remain
on the road during one of their grand official pro-
cessions. But the noble lord added that it was
impossible that we should accept such sentiments,
or even religious motives, as sufficient reason
or excuse for the murder of unoffending
British subjects. Reparation was very justly
demanded in each of these three cases. With regard
to the attack on the Legation the punishment of the
offenders was asked for ; a pecuniary compensation
was demanded on behalf of the families of the mur-
dered marines ; while in the case of Mr. RICHARD-
SON, our Admiral has been directed to obtain from
the Prince of SATSUMA the punishment of the
assassins. We do not see how less could have been
done. It would have been most unwise as well as
highly unjust to have suffered such offences
to pass without notice, unless we wished to see
the lives of every English man and woman
in Japan fall a sacrifice to the frantic
fanaticism of the semi-barbarous population.
armedpele force
like
:t by no means follows that the enforcement of our
the presence
with a op
of an demands
by
war.
In dealing w
oc-
casion

Japanese, We must remember that anything like
hesitation or uncertainty is at once attributed by
them to fear. If they can be brought to realise the
stupendous strength of their despised ally, they
will not only be more careful of the lives of the
British subjects, but considerably less likely to pro-
voke a war. It is mistaken lenity which for fear
of incurring hostilities between this country and any
other would adopt a timid and vacillating policy,
in cases of real urgency. It has been truly observed
that weak persons do as much harm in the world

as wicked ones, and though England can hardly be
called weak in resources, yet her foreign policy has
too often been of that character.. " Pais ce que
dolt, advienne que pourra " should be the motto
for nations as well as individuals : otherwise
Flat )ustitia ruat colum. If it be true, as

Lord CARNARITON and Lord GREY asserted, that
the English merchants, traders, and residents in
Ivan have been greatly to blame in irritating,
overreaching, and insulting the people, such
conduct should be inquired into and punished
with the same severity as we should

exact from the Japanese in similar cases. Inquiry
should especially be made into the story of the Eng-
lishman s ho trespassed on a portion of the Tycoon's
dominions to shoot wild fowl, which were esteemed
sacred, and who shot the official who endeavoured
to stop him. In a case like this a severe penalty
should be inflicted on the offender, and the Japanen
should be made to feel that we will not tolerate
injustice or aggression on either side on any ground

whatever. But it is not the way to secure peace or

respect for property to overlook such dire offences
as the attack on the Legation and the

assassination of Mr. RICHARDSON because Eng-

lishmen have in certain cases disregarded the law.

On the contrary, it will induce the residents to