The Sun.
London, England, 1860-06-27 00:00:00

T ate SUN, RLONDON, WEDNESDAY wEVENING, JUNE 27, 1860

The mysterious Norwich abduction case is for
the present at an end. The Jesuit priest, in
long coarse cloak and small Italian hat, has
turned out to be " fiction founded on fact." The
fact unfortunately was enough to give an air of
probability to young VANSITTART'S story—the
fiction enough to compel us to wonder how a
lad of sixteen could have uttered it on his oath.
Other persois had seen the unusually dressed
person near Rackheath at the time mentioned ;
but instead of the swearing on the relics, the
affectionate appeals, and the parting kiss, Master
VANSITTART now coolly says that it was all
false—that the stranger only said to him, " Good

morning !"
Afer hearing the fresh statements of the lad, the
Magistrates could not well do otherwise than dis-
miss the case. No part of the youth's evidence
could possibly be relied on, except so far as corro-
borated by independent testimony ; and as the
Assizes are at hand, Mr. VANSITTART, the father,
will be able to proceed easily, if so advised, by in-
dictment against any of the parties implicated.
That must, of course, be a matter for his discretion ;
but it is due to the Catholic priests concerned to
state that as the evidence now stands, there is no
trustworthy proof whatever of any conspiracy
amongst them to take the youth from his parent,
or from the guardian to whom he had intrusted him.
It must not, however, be thought that we con-
sider Father CLERY at Brighton to have been
entirely free from blame, much less Canon
DALTON at Norwich, for the parts they respec-
tively took in the transaction. Their own ac-
count of their own conduit condemns them. We
must hold it to be the duty of any gentleman, any
neighbour, much more of any Christian, and much
more still of any Christian minister, not to pre-
sume for a moment to stand between a child and
its parent. Even if ill-usage were suspected, the
least any one ought to do would be to seek an
immediate interview with the parent; and i

satisfied that there was no case for lega
protection of the child against its paren

at once to restore it. Canon J)ALTON
did the reverse of this. He did what he could to
facilitate the youth's leaving the school, instead of
advising him to return immediately—lent him
money, aided him in the sale of his watch, or rather
his companion's watch, and his pencil case, and
even gave him letters to a friend in London. The

,mpression inevitable from his own Explanations is,

that he became alarmed when he found Mr,

HODGSON sceking the lad, though at first h; had

intended to aid his escape. We give him, there

fore, the benefit of his afterthought, and only r( grc

that it was not his first thought.

Advices from Buenos Ayres, vi,l New York,
mention that General Mitre at the election on the Ist of
May Lad been nominated Governor. This selection is
considered favourable to peace. In he new Cabinet Senor
Riestra may probably return to the post of Finance Minis-
ter, which he lately filled with credit to the State.
The value of the steamer Malabar, lost at Cey-
lon, is not £70,000 as stated yesterday, but about half that
amount. Her measurement by Customs' register was 916
tons.

OItPIIEONIST FESTIVAL AT THE CRYSTAL PA-
LACE.—The attendance at the second concert of the Or-
pheonists, which took place yesterday, was nearly twice as
large as that of the first day, a fact which may probably be
accounted for by the improvement in the weather, com-
bined with the favourable impression made by the inaugu-
rative performance of the French vocalists.

simple-minded English philosopher at once solved
by pointing to the falling of an apple. We thought
of all the wise acts of Parliament and decrees of
different sovereigns to cause trade to prosper by
all the ingenuities of protective bounties, prohibi-
tions, and tariffs, and of the simple principle de-
veloped here by ADAN SMITH, and popularised by
RICHARD COBDEN-thAlt to raise trade and com-
merce to their highest paeh, you had but " to let
them alone." And we thought also of the
wise, after the event, discoverers of America, and
their vain attempts, in the presence of COLUMBUS,
to set the egg on end, and their emotions
when he gave the little and a slight tap, and
the thing was done. The ways of truth and
honesty are generally simple enough. And well
did our committee know that they were simple
enough in the matter before it. Well did they
know that all which is preventible both of the
odious county bribery of intimidation, and the
borough bribery of money, and all the drunkenness,
rows, treating, corrupt conveyance of voters, and
the like—well knew they that it might be all
banished for ever, or reduced at least to its mini-
mum by the simple device of letting every man do
his own voting, thus and preventing all the evils by
the penalty of uselessness. They knew that cor-
ruption would wither and die under the simple
provision that every man should be required so to
give his vote, that no one could tell how it was
given—in a word, to vote by a real ballot.

It is almost a work of supererogation to quote
testimonies now to the working of the Ballot ; we
cannot help, however, referring to that of a well-
known philanthropic lady, in her second letter to
Mr. BRIGHT, which we published on Monday.
Mrs. CHISHOLM is quite as good a judge of the
moral working of any plan beneath her own eyes
as the whole of the gentlemen comprising the Com-
mittee could be. The Times, she writes, says :
" Mr. BERKELEY assumes that all bribery and
intimidation, all seduction and oppression, all
treating, feasting, and drunkenness, all that now
disgraces a British election, would necessarily be
extinguished by the Ballot." "Now," she adds,
"a limes' Correspondent would, in Australia, see
none of these badges, orange, red, or green
ribbons, until, I believe, lately used in England
at elections, or any of those distinguishing flags
carried by the contending parties. He would be-
hold none of those violent mobs marshalled under
their respective bullying leaders, and meet perhaps
in the middle of a street in contentious strife, and
which, as the limes truly observes, now disgrace
a British election.' It was only last year when one
of your candidates, and an esteemed friend of mine,

the Right Hon. R. LOWE, nearly lost his life through
the outrageous violence of one of those mobs ; and
I observed by a late mail from England, that three
men were killed, and three more wounded, in the
streets of Limerick at one of the late elections,
Truly, such disgraceful scenes as these, such bare-
faced bribery, are an iniquitous scandal to a civilised
nation. The only remedy for it is the Ballot."
Some might even think the Ballot would make
us almost too good—for she tells us : " Every-
thing connected with an election is conducted
in such a quiet, orderly, and systematical way ;
some have even remarked that the proceedings
carried with them something of the solemnity of a
Court of Justice, so totally different from the
violent and uproarious scenes which they had been
accustomed to see on like occasions in England."
Perhaps Archbishop CULLEN and his friends would
have most to lose—Mrs. CHISHOLM is known to be
a Catholic, but she writes, " Even the clergy
looked amazed at the sudden development of the
Irish mind ; men who had been so tenacious of
their influence, and had been accustomed to pro-
claim to their people from their altars what men
they should vote for, now hardly venture to
acknowledge they know the day of poll. The Ballot
has given the people the legitimate power to free
themselves from every power of political thraldom,
whether such were imposed upon them by the
landlord, the employer, or the clergy."

LA'

The following telegrams have been received at
Mr. Reuter's office :

NAPLES, JUNE 26.

By a sovereign act, under date of 25th of June,
constitutional and representative institutions, on
national and Italian principles, are granted to the
Kingdom of Naples.

A general amnesty is accorded to all political

offenders.

Spinelli to form a Government and the statute
directly.

An agreement to be made with the King of
Sardinia for the adoption of the tricoloured flag.
Analogous institutions for Sicily, with a Royal
Prince as Viceroy.

PARIS, JUNE 26.
The Patrie contains the following despatch from
Naples, dated the 24th inst.:—

The King has accepted the constitution, which
has been prepared on a liberal basis, and of which
•ne condition is an offensive and defensive alliance
with Piedmont.

The royal decision has been communicated to
the diplomatic corps, and has been favourably re-

ceived.

The promulgation of the new constitution veil:
take place towards the beginning of July.
The Patnie announces that the obsequies o
Prince Jerome will be performed on Monday next.

MARSEILLES, JUNE 26.

Advices have been received here from Naples to
the 23d instant, stating that the Ministers had
resigned, and that the Commander Spinelli had
been entrusted with the formation of a new Minis-
try.

According to news from Palermo to the 20th
inst. the official journal had published a proclama-
tion by the son of the Neapolitan General Bene-
dictis calling upon the army to rise against the
Bourbons.

The barricades had been taken up and the insur-
gent bands had been sent back to their homes for

reorganisation.

Garibaldi had issued a proclamation inviting the
clergy to second the revolution.

Intelligence has been received from Rome an-
nouncing that General de Lamoriciere had been
nominated Grand Cross.

Six hundred Irish have been already embodied
in regiments, and others are expected.

PARIS, JUNE 27.

The lifoniteur of to•day states that the rumour
which has been circulated to the effect that the
Government intended to negotiate a loan is com-
pletely without foundation.
On the occasion of Prince Jerome's death the
Emperor went into mourning for 21 days.

GENOA, JUNE 26.

News have been received that the Dictator of
Sicily had decreed the demolition of Fort Castella-
mare. The first division of the revolutionary forces
had been directed towards Catania ; another divi-
sion had been directed towards Syracuse. The
Municipality of Palermo had sent an address to
the Dictator, requesting the immediate annexation
of Sicily to the Italian kingdom. The Dictator re-
plied that such annexation was his wish, that he
was a great admirer of King Victor Emmanuel, and
that the annexation would be accomplished by him
and with him, but that at present the annexation
of Sicily alone would not be advisable ; besides, in
the event of immediate annexation, he would be
under the necessity of retiring.

The Washington has arrived at Genoa with six-

:een wounded.

TURIN, JUNE 27.

Garibaldi is said to have sent one of his agents to
London, in order to negotiate there a loan of
30,000,000 francs, the revenues of Sicily being

offered as a guarantee.

GENEVA, JUNE 27.

The Journal of Geneva announces, according to
reliable information, that the Count de Persigny
and Lord John Russell had agreed upon the con-
vocation of an European Conference for the adjust-
ment of the question of Savoy:

PESTH, JUNE 27.

The ixau,guration of the statue of the late Arch-
duke Joseph, Palatine of Hungary, will take plane
on the 20th August next, the fete of St. Steplrn,
the patron saint of Hungary.

INDIA.

By the arrival of the overland mail we have
advices from Calcutta to May 19, and Madras May
24. The Governor-General was expected to arrive
at Calcutta in a day or two. Tho Income Tax and
License Bills were to be read a third time on the
26th ult. The delay was said to be occasioned by
great changes in the machinery of the bills which
were taking place during their passage through
committee. The Englishnian says :—" Probably
the principal modification will be the relinquish-
ment of the 1 per cent. on the income tax intended
to be reserved for municipal and public works pur-
poses, and, we should hope, the remission of the
double tax upon officers of the European army
ordered to India, and the abolition of the detestable
half-batta regulation in connexion therewith."
The Wu zeerees had been defeated, and their chief
men had come out to negotiate with General Cham-
berlain to sue for terms for Kaneegorum, their chief
town. In forcing the pass Lieut. Ayton, doing
duty with the sth Punjaub Infantry, was killed.
The indigo districts had been for the most part
tranquillised, and the commission of inquiry had
just commenced sitting at Calcutta.