The Sun.
London, England, 1859-01-21 00:00:00

ROBBING" A FRENCH CAPTAIY.

The Moniteur de la Flotte has a curious account
of an accident which took place during a visit made
by a French frigate to the Corea. It says :—" We
first of all arrived in Caroline Bay, and were well
received by a mandarin. We afterwards went to
Deception Bay, and there the same mandarin showed
us hospitality. He also visited the frigate, and ap-
peared astonished at its arrangements. We paid
him great attention, and made him some presents.
Two hours after his departure' one of the officers
missed a watch, and everything indicated that it
had been taken by one of the mandarin's suite.
The captain at first was not disposed to make any
complaint, but, on reflection, he sent an officer to
the mandarin to claim the watch, and several
other officers accompanied him. The hour was
late, and darkness had set in. On landing, the
officers took a guide, who led them to a village at
about an hour's distance, where the mandarin re-
sided. There, they were taken to a large square
building which appeared to be the town-hall, and
at the door they found guards watching over the
banners of the mandarin. This latter received them
with great kindness, in presence of a number of his
servants bearing torches. When he heard that a
robbery had been committed by one of his people,
he manifested surprise and indignation. He then
gave some order, which was transmitted from one
officer to another, and which appeared to cause
great agitation among the crowd assembled out-
side. In about a quarter of an hour, an old and a
young man were brought in and knelt before the
mandarin ; the former held the stolen article in his
hand, and muttered what appeared to be an appeal
for pardon. It then turned out that it was another
son of the old man, a lad of 15, in the service of the
mandarin, who had stolen the watch; and having
been seized with remorse, he had given it up to his
father and taken to flight ; and that, according to
the law of the country, the father and elder bro-
ther had come to be punished in his place.
France,' said one of the officers, 'robbery is se-
verely punished, and is considered most disgrace-
ful." And so it is here.' said the mandarin.
He then pronounced a sentence, and in execution
of it, the son was bound hand and foot ; the father
took an instrument somewhat resembling an oar,
and bearing the name and letter of the mandarin ;
and the spectators broke into a slow monotonous
chant. Just as the father was about to stiike, the
officers, interposing, begged that a pardon might
be granted, and the mandarin, after some hesita-
tion, accorded one. He then explained that after
the son had been punished, the father would have
been bound and punished also. The prisoners, offi-
cers, and spectators having retired, the mandarin.
offered his visitors a drink called saki, and some
salt fish, and expressed a hope that the theft com-
mitted byhis servant would not leave a bad impres-
sion on their minds. He then, in answer to their
questions, said that his name was Li, and his title,
' Mandarin of the third class, Governor of a Pro-
vince.' The officers afterwards left, the mandarin
accompanying them beyond the village, and causing
ten torch-bearers to light them the rest of the way."

SUSPICIOUS CASE.—The body of a child, four
years and a half old, was found on Wednesday night in an
ash-pit belonging to a court-house, leading from Lace-
street, Liverpool. The body had a long deep wound on the
back of the neck. The local coroner has had the matter
under investigation.

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