The Sun.
London, England, 1854-08-09 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, AITGIUST 9, 1 854,

direction of that brilliant "financier" who has
earned an undying reputation for his management
of the Exchequer of the United Kingdom, and
respecting whom very gloomy previsions must have
been imagined, if the sad reality can be deemed
satisfactory to the friends of India.

It appears that Iceland is not the only place
where " abductions" can take place. We have
also had one on this side of St. George's Channel,
of a very tame and common-place character when
compared with the daring attempt of Mr. JOHN
CARDEN, but not the less mischievous on that ac-
count, or deserving of less serious attention. Mr.
CARDEN'S was the highway robbery of abduction
—the stopping of his intended victim on the public
roads, and forcibly taking possession of her person,
without deeming her own consent indispensable.
The other was the mere " petty larceny," or
" obtaining under false pretences," the young
lady not having attained the age of legal assent,
or being capable of contracting the marriage into
which he had betrayed her.

In the English case, Mr. JOHN ATKINSON,
young man of respectable appearande, aged 23
years, was indicted for the abduction of a girl,
aged 12 years and 3 months. The prisoner was
the organist at the parish church of Appleby,
and also engaged as music master at the school in
which the young lady was a pupil. He took ad-
vantage of his position to whisper "soft nonsense"
in her ear. The familiarity came to the know-
ledge of the mistress, and he was discharged from
his situation. But a clandestine correspondence
was carried on through the instrumentality of
one of the female servants, and an elopement was
arranged with the very precocious young lady.
This was duly carried out, and the parties married
at Sark Toll-bar. A speedy interruption was put
to their anticipated felicity. The schoolmistress
had caused a rapid pursuit of the fugitives,
and the newly-made Benedict was taken into
custody at Carlisle, and removed from the blandish-
ments of his blushing bride.
Now this may be, as described by a morning
contemporary, "a very sneaking affair" when
compared with the more brilliant exploit of the
Irish Hero. It is, however, not the less mischie-
vous on that account, and inasmuch as it might
possibly find more numerous imitators, should be
the more earnestly condemned—the more empha-
tically repudiated. What could be more painful
to the feelings of a parent than to find his
innocent daughter corrupted by a depraved
scoundrel, and carried off during her infancy
from the establishment to which he had
confided her for educational purposes. Her
wealth, her beauty, her accomplishments, all
wasted on an unworthy wretch, who had delibe-
rately violated the trust reposed in him. We
cannot, then, look on it in the same point of
view in which it is regarded by our Contemporary,
more especially as it is said that the marriage is
binding, and that the wretch has succeeded in his
object, not merely securing the person, but the
property of the young lady, amounting to no less
than 10,0001. sterling.
Mr. CARDEN justly received the extreme
penalty sanctioned by the law for his abortive
attempt. He was sentenced to two years' im-
prisonment, with hard labour, although he failed.
JOHN ATKINSON, the organist, only got nine
months, without hard labour, at the end of which
time he may claim his wife and her fortune, heed-
less of the sufferings of her family, or that the
mind of her father has failed under the trial. He
will receive an ample equivalent for his sufferings,
and there is, therefore, nothing to deter others
from following his example, except the universal
condemnation of the press, and of the community
in general.