The Sun.
London, England, 1858-12-16 00:00:00

ROYAL ENGLISH OPERA, COVENT '
GARDEN, under the sole Management'of Miss Louisa.
Fyne and Mr. W. Harrison.—The public are respectfully in-
formed that this new and elegant Theatre will be OPENED
for the first ENGLISH OPERA SEASON on MONDAY,
Dec. 20, when will be presented an entirely new and original
Opera, by Mr. W. Balfe, entitled SATANELLA ; or, THE
POWER OF LOVE. Playhouse prices.

ROYAL PRINCESS'S THEATRE.
Under the Management of Mr. Charles Kean.
TIIIS NVENING will be presented Shakspere's Play of
KING JOHN.
King John, Mr. C. Kean—Constance, firs. C. Kean.
Preceded by a new Farce, in one act, entitled
THIRTY-THREE NEXT BIRTHDAY.

THEATRE-ROYAL, HAYMARKET.
Lessee, Mr. J. B. Buckstone.
THIS EVENING will be performed a new Comedy,
THE TIDE OF TIME
olds and . Messrs. Buckstone, Chippendale
Am. ; Mesdames Reyn Poynter.
A new Spanish Ballet, THE INFLUENCE OF GRACE
in which Perea Nena will appear.
THE TODDLES. Sir Wm. Don, Bart.
And A DAUGHTER TO MARRY.
Commence at 7.

ROYAL STRAND THEATRE,
Lessee and Directress, Miss Swanborough.
THIS EVENING, THE LITTLE SAVAGE.
After which THE MAID AND THE MAGPIE.
WOOING IN JEST AND LOVING IN EARNEST
Miss Swanborough.
And THE BONNIE FISH WIFE.
Commence at 7 o'clock.

ASTLEY'S ROYAL AMPHITHEATRE
Westminster-road.

Sole Lessee Mr. William Cooke.
THIS EVENING the performances will commence with
the successful gorgeous Spectacle of THE REVOLT IN
THE EAST ; er, The Fugitives and their Faithful Steed :
concluding with a Grand National and Allegorical Tableaux.
After which SCENES IN THE ARENA, introducing Mr.
W. Cooke, and his beautiful horses, Mr. Runnels, Madame
Blanche, Miss Emily Cooke, Madame Fleurette, and the first
male and female equestrians in the world.
Dress Circle, 3s. ; Boxes, 25.; Pit, ls, ; Galleries, 6d.
Stage Manager, Mr. R. Phillips.

CANTERBURY HALL, Westminster-road.,—
Proprietor —C. MORTON.
,:vve public is most respectfully informed that the FINE
An :Tv GALLERY,--in connection with the above Hall, IS NOW
OP EN DAY AND NIGHT, from 11 o'clock a.m. until 12
o'ch ,ck p.m. The New Gallery contains an extensive Collec-
tion (If-Pictures, by Ancient and Modern Masters and is also
devot td to Art productions generally. The Proprietor feels
he may confidently assert that, viewed altogether, the exist-
ing M usie Hall, the New Fine Arts Gallery, and the recently
added Ante-Hall, will present an attraction which, whether
as rem trds the architectural beauty of the structures them-
selves, or the varied and hitherto unattempted combinations
be found to be wholly without parallel in the
Kin gdn t n.
The DA USICAL ENTERTAINMENT commences as usual at
Seven ol lock.
In add tion 'to the usual entertainment, the SAUVLET
FAMILYI of Amsterdam, Eight in number, whose varied.
instrument/ 'AI performances have created so marked a sensa-
tion in thi principal cities and towns of the Continent, will
perform ce very Evening at Nine and Eleven o'clock.

THE WEATHER.-SUN OFFICE, DEC. 16.

THERMOMETER, TN THE SHADE.

45—highek. It since noon yesterday.
39—lowest this morning and during the night.
41—this day at noon.
- -

BAROMETER-. 30.18•

WIND, South erly ; fresh, with cloudy weather.

THE SUN.

THURSDAY. ,DECEMBER 16, 1858.

Mr. WILLIAM HUDSON GUERNSEY, otherwise
Mr. WELLINGTON GUERNSEY—for, like other great
men, he ini,lulges in a high-sounding alias—has
reason to rejo.;ce at the very lenient view taken by
an English jury of the matter laid to his charge,
who accepted coo law the various objections raised
by the learned am' ingenious Sergeant whose ser-
vices he was fortunate enough to obtain. It was
not denied that he had :abstracted very important
documents from the Colonial-office ; that he had
betrayed the confidence reposed in him by his
friend, Mr. MILLER, the sub-librarian, and that
in a manner that might have seriously com-
promised the future position of that somewhat
incautious gentleman ; that, " actuated either by a
feeling of anger and disappointment, or a silly
desire to bring before the public the information he
had obtained possession of," he had occasioned the
publication of these very important despatches.
But the animus furandi, the intention of stealing,
was denied, and the jury, probably influenced by
the consideration that the papers taken away pos-
sessed no nominal money value, and that no specific
sum had been demanded from the Editor of the
Daily News for the information, gave the accused
the benefit of the point, which, as we have already
stated, had been overruled by the learned judge.
We cannot, however, conceive a more dangerous
principle, or one that should be more promptly
negatived. In the olden time the bill-stealing
fraternity contrived to evade justice by purchasing
the stamps and paper on which these valuable
securities were written. A man might have been
charged merely with the larceny of a piece of paper
value one-halfpenny, when it really rendered all
parties thereto liable for tens of thousands
of pounds. However, although the nominal
amount charged did not exceed the smallest
coin of the realm, it rendered the accused
liable to severe punishment. The expiation would
be proportioned to the real not the legal measure
of the article purloined.

The Legislature removed the gross anomaly
where documents bearing a money value were
concerned. But others, which might be of vital
importance, which might occasion the greatest
mischief, :either to the nation or to individuals,
remain within the former rule, and the only charge
of larceny that could be preferred would be for the
paper on which they were written. Mr. WEL-
LINGTON GUERNSEY had unquestionably taken this
paper. He did so surreptitiously and furtively.
At the time when he was found standing near the
table on which the despatches were placed, he said
to his friend, " I am not prying into your secrets;"
and when Mr. MILLER was deeply annoyed at the
trouble in which he was involved, declared that
" the man who had obtained the despatches must
be a - scoundrel." The chivalrous Mr.
GUERNSEY, the ex-Provost-Marshal of the Turkish
Contingent, with a just appreciation of the
magnitude of the offence, emphatically added, " he
must indeed be a blackguard, it might have
cost you your situation." And this was to the
friend with whom he was on terms of close inti-
macy, and who placed implicit reliance on his
honour and integrity.
We cannot conceive any offence of a more serious
character than that which had been committed by

the accused.

The undtie publication of such docu-

meats might produce very untoward compli-
cations, leading to a war in which thousands
of lives and millions of money might
have been sacrificed, for the purpose of
avenging the anger and disappointment, or
satisfying the silly desire of Mr. GUERNSEY of
bringing such interesting information before the
world. Anger and folly have produced mischief
in all ages, and if they are to be adopted as excuses
we know not who can be held responsible.
Some important facts have, however, been elicited
by the trial. The Government and all the Govern-
ment employes have been completely absolved from
any complicity in the publication. But it has
been proved beyond the possibility of doubt that
there was great laxity in the custody of very im-
portant State papers. At the private printing
office 25 copie's only were ordered, but 28 wege
printed; one ad a voucher for the stationery-office,

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