The Sun.
London, England, 1860-09-22 00:00:00

rfIE SUN, LONDON, SATURDAY EVENING, SEPTEMBER 22, 1860.

wing of the battalion of Royal Marine Light In-
fantry and the Loodianah Regiment of Native In-
fantry, with three British men-of-war and a
French force some 600 strong. Most of the wealthy
shopkeepers living within the walls have deserted
the place, leaving behind only those who have
nothing to lose. Guards of the allied forces occupy
the gates of the city, and strong outposts have
been established beyond the European settlements,
to guard against surprise.

The great and wealthy city of Soo-chow, the pro-
vincial capital of Kiang-Su, is in the hands of the
insurgents ; and in all directions the wavering im-
perial troops are going over by thousands to the
,‘ pestilent vermin," as the long-haired revivalists
of the Ming dynasty are styled in official edicts. Ho,
the Governor-General of the Two Kiang, and an
Imperial Commissioner of the first class, empowered
to adjust " barbarian affairs," on visiting Shanghai
a short time since, tried to stir up a loyal feeling
amongst the populace, and to enrol volunteers from
amongst them to serve under his master's standards
500 rapscallions and ragamuffins, the scum of the
streets, accepted the proffered bounty of two taels
(about 135.); the least disreputable of these tatter-
demalions received the rank of sergeants and sub-
officers, and this notable rabble-rout was dubbed
with the imposing title of Body Guard of his Ex
cellency the Governor-General of the Two Kiang.
The business which had brought Commissioner Ho
to Shanghai being terminated, he proceeded to re-
turn in state, escorted by this honourable posse of
gentlemen-at-arms. The work of Messrs. Callery
and Yvan, translated into our own language by
Oxenford, gives a long detailed account of the
rise and progress of this great struggle for liberty
by the Chinese race, who have smarted under the
yoke of their Tartar conquerors for 260 years.
The facts related by these gentlemen appear to be
confirmed by the observations of our own ambas-
sador during his enterprising ascent of the Yang-
tse to Han-kow, an amusing and instructive descrip-
tion of which adventurous expedition is to be found
in Mr. Oliphant's work, to which I have before
alluded. With the great provincial capitals of the
central distracts in the hands of the insurgents, the
revenues exhausted, the troops disaffected, and the
populace sympathising with the rebel lineal de-
scendant of the old Ming dynasty, it is evident
that the Imperial Government cannot long contend
with the allied forces of England and France.
A great force has been assembled hero, at a cost
that will make the hair of our economists stand on
end when the " little bill" is produced for payment.
£BOO,OOO was the sum originally voted for the ex-
penses of this expedition, and the commissariat
alone disbursed in the last month £185,000 or more
than one-half of the entire sum voted. A calcula-
tion has been made here by pretty competent
judges that, supposing the whole affair to be settled
and the force dispersed by the first of January,
1861, the expenditure would not amount to less
than £7,000,000 sterling.
We have been waiting now for fully a fort-
night for our gallant allies, and the Forbin came
in on the Bth to inform tiff that the 25th of the
month would be the earliest day on which they
can possibly move onward. We fear that
the reduction of the Peiho defences will
be followed by immediate submission to our dicta-
tion—the yielding of the Court of Pekin, by the
withdrawal of our force—and the withdrawal of
the force, by the instant refusal to fulfil their fair
and false promises. It is indeed to be hoped that
we shall not make this the third occasion on which
we have been similarly gulled by this treacherous
and faithless nation. We are slow to benefit by
experience, but it will indeed be an unsatisfactory
expenditure of our time and treasure if an insecure
peace is hastily patched up, only to fall through as
soon as our backs are turned.

The 23d of July is named as the day for the
departure of the British force for the Gulf of
Pecheli.

CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT, &pt. 2

(Before Mr. Justice Blackburn.)
Frederick Augustus Davis, 35, who had pleaded
guilty at the commencement of the session to three
charges of forgery, was brought up for judgment.
Mr. Giffard, who was instructed to prosecute on
behalf of the Bank of England, informed the court
that the prisoner had a discount account with that
establishment, and presented three bills of discount,
which were placed to his credit, and the whole of
which turned out to be forgeries, The total amount
of the bills in round numbers was about £1,500.
Mr. Best, who appeared for the prisoner, said
that he had filled a very respectable position, and
he believed that if he had been permitted to do so
ho would have taken up the whole of the forged
instruments. lie did not urge this as any pallia-
tion or excuse for the prisoner, but it was an in-
gredient in the case which he thought ought to be
brought to the notice of his lordship.
Mr. Justice Blackburn, in passing sentence, said
that the prisoner had pleaded " Guilty" to three
charges of forgery, and the depositions left no
doubt that he had committed that offence. It was
an offence of a very serious character, and one that
it was impossible to pass over with a ight sentence.
The learned counsel had urged on his behalf that
he intended to take up the bills, and, probably, if
he had had an opportunity, he would have done so,
but that was no excuse whatever for him. In every
case where a clerk embezzled or misappropriated
moneys of his employer he generally intended
in the first instance to make it good, and pro-
bably in many instances he did so, but the
result was that he continued in a course of
crime, and the extent of his defalcations be-
came very great. In the present case the for-
mer respectable position of the prisoner was an
aggravation of his offence, for he must have known
perfectly well the nature of the act he was com-
mitting, and its dangerous character in a commer-
cial community. The amount of the forgeries was
very large, and the very lightest sentence he
could possibly pronounce was one of six years'
penal servitude.
Alien Ferie Johnson, 28, upholsterer, and Sarah
Elliott, 29, were jointly charged with having fe-
loniously and by force taken away from the cus-
tody of her parents a chili named Clara Telson
Smith, she being under the age of ten years, with-
out their consent.

There were a variety of other counts varying
the form of the charge, andby one of them the in-
dictment alleged that the °Eject of taking away the
child was to steal the ebthes she had on at the
time.

Mr. M'Donncll appearel for the prosecution.
The woman Elliott had been admitted to bail,
and she did not surrender, and Mr. Jonas, the
Governor of Newgate, hauled to the learned judge
a letter that had been received from her, ad-
dressed to the man Jciinson, which was dated
from Southampton, and the writer stated in it that
before the receipt of the letter the writer would be
no more, and would be at the bottom of the
Southampton Water. :t was not considered pru-
dent to show this letter to the prisoner Johnson,
and he was, of course, not aware that such a com-
munication had been received.
Mr. Justice Byles, having inquired whether any
further information lud been received in reference
to the statement contained in the letter, was in-
formed that nothing more was known than what
appeared in the letter,
Mr. Justice Byles said that all that could be done
was to estreat the recognisances of the woman, and
proceed with the case against the prisoner Johnson.
The evidence went to show that the father and
mother of the child in question resided in Knights-
bridge, and that the father was in the habit of sing-
ing at different concert rooms in the metropolis
with the child, who, it appeared, is only five years
and four months old, but who is said to possess con-
siderable musical talent. The prisoner and the
woman Elliott lived in the same neighbourhood,
passing as man and wife, by the names of Mr. and
Mrs. Elliott, and it seemed that they were on inti-
mate terms with the father and mother of the child.
On the 30th of July the woman Elliott went to
Mrs. Smith and proposed to take the child out and
buy her a sash, and the mother consented that the
child should accompany her, but upon the under-
standing that she was to bring her back very
shortly-. It appeared that, immediately after the
woman had obtained possession of the child, she
was joined by the prisoner, and they all three
stayed in London that night, and on the following
morning they proceeded to Southampton, and
thence to Portsmouth, where both prisoners were
taken into custody on the 15th of August, the child
being still in their company. The real motive that
appeared to be assigned to the prisoner and his
companion for their extraordinary conduct was a
desire to make a profit out of the musical talent
possessed by the child.
Mrs. Smith, the mother, was called, and stated,
in answer to questions put by the learned judge,
that none of the child's apparel was missing except
a feather that M 4 in her hat. Tler clothes had, I
however, been somewhat changed in appearance by
being trimmed with black; in fact, for §ome object