The Sun.
London, England, 1841-08-12 00:00:00

THE BOY JONES.

In consequence of there existing a strong feeling of
curiosity in the public mind to ascertain the circum-
stances relative to the extraordinary deportment of the
boy Jones, we have made the fullest inquiries possible
on the .subject,and are now able to lay before our readers
the following statement, which is principally derived
from the boy's father :
The particulars of the boy having three times effected
a mysterious entrance into Buckingham Palace - are
already known, and it perhaps will be recollected that he
left Tothill-fields prison on the 14th of June last, having
completed a second term of incarceration of three
months. During the time :Jones was in prison his con-.
duet was most exemplary ; and we ought here to state,
that the boy most positively denies that he ever was in
the neighbourhood of Buckingham Palace after his last
liberation from Tothill-fields, except on one oceasioa,
when he walked up Constitution-hill on his -way to thq
Setpelitirie- for .a bathe.
Without further preface, however, we will proceed. to
give a statement of the circumstances of this extraordi
narynffair, which, as we before said, is chiefly derived
from the boy's father. Ten or twelve days after Jones
had been last released from prison, Mr. JaMes, of York -
street, Westminster, and who is the landlord of the boy's
father, called upon the latter, and inquired if he would
like his bOy to accompany him (Mr. James) a few
miles in the country, as he had several friends in the
neighbourhood Of the 'Regent's-park, amongst whom 1w
would try to get the boy a situation. The father did not
object, and the boy and Mr. James went out forthe day.
They returned, 'however, at night, when Mr. James said
the places were all engaged, and then inquired if the boy .
would like to go to sea, as he knew the captain of a ves-
sel who was a good kind of man, who he had no d mbt
would take him as an apprentice for three years ; that
he would receive wages of 301. or 40/. per annum. and
that the money would be paid him at the end of each voy-
AVt,wbea.be. would: be allowed to -return home-for a few"
,days. •Vr. James went on to say that it was Captain
Taylor, of the ship Diamond, bound to Port William,
that he meant, and who would sail from the London
Docks in a few days (this was on the •ist -of July). The
boy's father thanked Mr. James for his attention and
kindness in trying to • obtain employment, and added
that his son did not object to go to sea, but he would
rather have a situation at home. Here the conver-
sation on this occasion ended. On the following
morning, about ten o'clock, Mr. James called again,
when the boy Jones, his father, and. Mr. James pro-
ceeded to Blackwall, for the purpose of having an inter-
view with the Captain of the Diamond or the agent of the
ship. They saw the agent, when Mr. James said, " This
is the boy and his father." After that a somewhat
lengthened conversation ensued, during which it was
stated* that the boy must• be fitted out for the voyage, and
as his-father was a poor and needy man, with a large
family to support, he must receive 5/. These terms, it
appeared, were agreed upon, but it was said, before they
were finally settled, the Captain's approbation must be
obtained. Jones's father was then Wormed that the
Diamond had left the Docks and sailed for Gravesend,
and therefore they must follow it. Jones proposed to
accompany them, when he was told that it would be bet-
ter for him not to do so, as his mean appearance would
not be any credit to his son, and it was also urged that it
would increase the expense ; that he might depend. upon
it the parties accompanying
.the boy would see all was
right, and bring back his indentures, and he (Jones)
might tell Mr. James's family he should be with them
again at night, or, if not, " they might expect him when
they saw him." After some further conversation they
parted, and Mr. James, the boy, and a stranger (who, we
have heard, was a Thames police-officer), started for
Gravesend. This was on Thursday, the Ist of JulY.
Nothing more was heard by the father until the Saturday
following, when a note was read to him, stating that on
their arrival at Gravesend the ship had sailed, and that
the boy Jones expressed a wish to follow it into the
Downs. From that hour until a report relating to the
mysterious deportment of the boy appeared in the news-
papers, Jones's family heard nothing whatever on the
subject. • The report stated that the boy had been taken
to Cork, which caused great astonishment, but which-
proved to be true, as in a few days afterwards his father
received a letter, bearing the postmark of Cork, of which
the following is a verbatim copy

" Cork, July 7.

" Dear Father,—l am glad to inform you Mr. James,
his friend (a police-officer), and myself; since leaving
'Westminster, are well. I have experienced the utmost
friendship from Mr. James. In earnest, I wish the same
never to be forgot. Having a good recommendation, I
am happy and in excellent spirits.
" Finally, I hope all of you are well. Please to inform
Mrs. James that Mr. James intends to take a tour
throtigh Ireland, and will not, therefore, return for ten
days. I am on my road through Bristol." [After the'
word " Bristol" had been written, it -appears that there
was a wish to cancel it, as it is crossed several times ;
but sufficient remains to make it.legible.l
EDwinti JONES."
To this letter is the fallowing postscript :
" My kind love to all my brothers and sisters, and I
hope ex,ermore they will become good children."
This letter caused great anxiety to the boy's family,
which was not•all allayed when another was read to
his father, which had been received from Mr. James, in
which it was stated that Captain Taylor, of the Diamond,
refused to take the boy on board, and said that in conse-
quence of the reports which had appeared in the Lon-
don newspapers he would not receive him for 5001., or
any other sum offered.
We must here break off the narrative, for the pur-
pose of explaining that the letter from Cork, alleging
Captain Taylor's refusal to receive the boy Jones on
board the Diamond, is dated the 7th of July, the very
day on which the report appeared in the London news-
papers, and which consequently could never have been
heard or thought of at Cork at the time the letter was
written. _ _

We have stated the father was informed, on the boy's
arrival at Gravesend, and finding the Diamond had
sailed, that he expressed a wish to follow the ship to
the Downs. If he did express such a wish it certainly
was not gratified, for on the same evening or the next
day, Mr. Jones, his friend, and the boy returned to Lon-
don, and after staying some time in town.went on board
another vessel .bound to Cork. The boy's father was
told, that on returning to London his son did not wish
to visit home, when he (the father) replied, " I do not
believe it."
As the Captain of the Diamond would not receive the
boy,• on his father making inquiries on the subject, ari.
other letter was read to him stating that his son was
going to Plymouth ; but it appears, that in company
with Mr. James and a stranger (the policeman), he
proceeded to Bristol, in which city they all stopped a
fortnight. What might be the object of so long a so-
journ at Bristol we leave to the curious to divine.
Nothing is known by the friends of the boy, except it
being staled Mr. James had friends in that place. The
next account that was received of the boy Jones is con-
tained in a letter from the adventurous youth himself,
dated Liverpool, July 15, 1841. The following is a
copy :
" Dear Father,—ln my progress lam glad to inform
you Mr. James has entertained me with kindness. Our
earnest views is ended. A pleasant voyage to Brazil
with nv., with a good captain. You will add a calm to
my mind, in believing your son hopes you are all well ;
finally, I am in health,
" My writings or otherwise keep them with careful-
ness. Believe me, &c.
" P.S.—England is a most magnificent country. Her
inhabitants arc a most gracious' (query, generous ?)
people. I declare the same, inasmuch as I have experi-
enced a kind regard from several persons. At the pre-
sent time I am greatly extolled by Mr. James ; his ear-
nest views are promoting the welfare of deserving indi-
viduals, pursuant to establishing them in orderly courses.
I trust may declare that my kind friend in the present
case is a neighbour who has acted on a greater interest
than generally."
We give a copy of the above letter verbatim. It bears
no:signature or, postmark, but
.was handed -to Jones's
father as having been received from Liverpool. '['he
letter appears to have been Written by two persons, as
the hand-writing of some (-.1 the words is evidently diffe-
rent from others. The. father says part of it appears
like the writing of the boy, but h,; cannot clearly recog-
nise it, at the same time he would not say that it was
not his.'
On Friday week, Mr. James, after an absence of one
month, arrived in London, but his statement did not allay
the -anxiety which prevailed. He said that the boy was
going to the Brazils in a ship of 270 tons burden, and
that the first voyage would occupy nine months, but it
was desirable " that nothing should be said on the sub-
jeet, if any inquiries were made of the family." One
fact, however, was overheard by the father, in a conver-
sation on the subject, which appears very singular.
When the boy JoneS was taken to the agent of the
ship in which he has sailed, or is about to sail for the
Brazils, the agent observed that the lad had a wig on
his head, and inquired the reason ; the answer was,
that lie had recently; had the ringworm, which the
father declares is not the case. He (the father) is ex-
ceedingly anxious to ascertain whether the boy has gone
abroad known as the boy discovered in Buckingham Pa-
lace ; if so, he thinks that he will be subject to great
annoyance, or whether another name has been assumed,
or he goes in his own proper name of Edward Jones. He
also complains of not being fully informed of all particu-
lars relating to conveying the boy from place to place,
and the secrecy which has attended all the movements.
Since the above was written, • Jones has had other in-
terviews with Mr. James, and he says, that he is satisfied
that Mr. James did all in his power to obtain the boy a
comfortable situation on board a merchant ship, and
that he (Mr. James) had also promised to get a blind
daughter of his into an asylum.

I am requested by a gentleman, who arrived this
gFos i impostion practised in Lon-
dagonai.nstnae
moniiiig from London, to caution the English public
siinsfteormsofme that he and sezieria PUTrs booked
and paid for their places throughout to Pans, oil the tt4r
surance that they would have nothing else to pay ; but
so far, from this being the
itm
case, they were- compelled to
pay on board the cte
ov, it being clearly demonstrated
to them that there was no connection between the Steam
Company and the parties booking in London ; and it ap
in -
pears that on arriving Boulogne they had also to pay
at the Diligence-office for Paris.—Paris Correspondence.