The Sun.
London, England, 1866-11-17 00:00:00

THAMES.

SAILORS AND THEIR MONEY—A SUSPICIOUS CASE.-John
Donaldson, a Swede, aged 36, was brought before Mr.
Partridge, charged with stealing four £5 Bank of England
notes and £7 in gold, the moneys of John Holm, a Norwe-
gian, at a boarding-house in Ratcliff-highway.
The prosecutor and the prisoner were seamen, and be-
longed to an English ship which arrived in the port of
London on Monday last. They wero paid off at a shipping
office on Wednesday last, and both men were using the
same house, and slept in one room. On Wednesday
afternoon, on leaving the pay table, they went home toge-
ther, and Holm was about to deposit four £5-notes and
seven sovereigns in his chest, when Donaldson said he
would lose it if he did so, and advised him
to place it between the bed and mattress. Holm
acted on this advice, put his hard-earned wages
under the bed in the presence of the prisoner only,
and went out the same night on the " spree" with £1 10s.
in his pocket. He returned on the following morning at
half-past seven. The prisoner was then asleep in bed.
Holm aroused him and looked for his money. It was gone.
He complained to the prisoner of his loss, and began to
make a noise. The prisoner said " You fool, hold your
tongue and make no row, your money will come back." The
prisoner then left the house and was absent five hours.
The unfortunate Swede could gain no tidings of his hard-
earned money, and made known his loss to the police
Yesterday the prisoner was arrested by Donald M'Kay,
275 K, and he gave up to the officer about £2O in gold,
silver, and copper, and said it was his own. The prisoner
did receive £29 at the shipping office on Wednesday for
wages, and it did not appear that he had expended more
than £9 of it. It was mentioned as a matter of suspicion
against him that his own money, also placed under the
bed, remained untouched, and that he was the only person
who saw Holm deposit his money between the bed and
mattress ; on the other hand, it was proved other men used
the same room.

Mr. Partridge said this was only a case of suspicion
against the prisoner. Others might have taken the money.
It was a great pity that sailors coming to the port of Lon-
don did not avail themselves of those excellent institutions,
the Sailors' Homes in Well-street and East India-road,
where their money was taken care of for them and interest
allowed. He must discharge the prisoner, and Holm
would lose his hard-earned wages.

THE NEW OPERA.—Verdi's new opera, " Don
Carlos," continues to be in active preparation, and will be
produced in the course of the next month. The composer
rests content with M. Morere, from Brussels, for his hero,
although at on© time he longed to exchange the new tenor,
who has not yet made his dibut, for Capoul. The last-
mentioned artist is so popular hero that Gounod would not
give his forthcoming opera, " Romeo and Juliet," without
Capoul, but the latter was engaged at the Opera Comique,
with a fine of 40,000 f. if he broke his engagement. Chou-
dens, Gounod's publisher, has cut the Gordian knot by ten-
dering to MM. Leuven and Bitt, the lessees of the Opera
Comique, the fine in full, but they have declined to re-
ceive this sum and will bring an action against Capoul
and Choudens for damages beyond the £1,620 forfeit, the
tenor having signed with the publisher for .£BO per month
to sing for six years at any theatre he pleased in the world.
The Tribunals will have to decide, therefore, whether
Capoul is to sing at the Lyrique as Romeo, or whether he
will be forced to return to the Opera Comique to his ori-
ginal engagement. He has a nice voice, but not much
style. tHe is very good-looking and an efficient actor,
and is:much admired by the ladies here—which will go a
long way for his acceptance as a Romeo.—Paris Corres-
pondent of the " Queen."