The Sun.
London, England, 1859-11-02 00:00:00

PRE SUN, tAiNDON, *EDNESDAY EVENING, NOVEMBER 2, IRA

A FIRST VIEW OF YEDDO:

property of the liamios or higher class of nobles.
Vast gardens and small forests were seen enclosed
within the Walls surrounding these princely-looking
domains,—giving quite a peculiar character to the
whole city. Nothing perhaps is more striking to
the eye of a stranger on first penetrating through
the commercial part of. the city into the official
quarters than the vast dimensions of all these feudal
princes' residences in regard to space. The streets
are at least a hundred yards wide ; the fronts of the
houses, that is, the one-storied range of courtyard
buildings, often extend nearly a quarter of a mile,
and behind lies garden ground, and beautifal tim-
ber can be seen towering above, and giving a semi-
regal air to the whole quarter. No business is ever
seen here. Nothing but retainers are ever visible
with the armorial cognizances of their masters
worked on the back and sleeves of their tunic, often
with bow and arrows slung. Once I met a guard
With musket and bayonet fixed, which, if they did
not come from European workshops, would to all
appearance have done the best no discredit.
One would think a score or two of these great
hereditary chiefs, princes in their own .right,
each with five or ten thousand armed retainers
within his town house and grounds, would be
but dangerous guests to the Tycoon, brought as
they are under durance, or at least compulsion,
by the ruling power to eat their substance away
from their estates and sources of revenue. Still
this same arrangement of check and counter-
check has been in existence for many generations.
without, it would seem, any serious attempt to over-
throw the governmental system. Perhaps this is
to be explained by. the fact, already stated, that
power has passed in no small degree from the
Tycoon's hands, as it did from the Mikados, and
now resides chiefly in an executive council of state,
consisting of six ministers, and these again are
held in no small check by the Damios and feudal
chiefs of the higher order, amounting to some 370;
and although these do not actually form a chamber
of lords nor assemble in a body at stated periods,
nothing legislative can be done withouttheir assent
obtained after they have been convened. It does
not appear that they interfere with the executive
rule of the empire, it being recognised as the proper
business of the Tycoon and council of ministers to
apply and cause to be respected all existing laws
and customs. But neither the Tycoon nor the
ministers separately or combined can venture upon
a change in these without their sanction and a
farther confirmation by the phantom sovereign of
Miaco, who shut up for life within its garden walls
is occasionally recalled to a conciousness of an
outer world by being required to give his authority
for some legislative action or fundamental change
of which he can know nothing. Ido not hear that
it was ever refused: why should it be? What can
it matter to him, poor recluse, how they govern or
misgovern the empire in mockery called his ? But
I must attempt to tell you what Kanagawa (the
port of Yeddo) and the capital itself present to
the eye of a stranger for the first time ushered into
this mysterious residence of feudal chiefs and re-
tainers of the middle ages, girdled with moat and
bastion, and in still wider sweep encircled by a
city, the extent of which no European yet can tell,
and still less guess at the number of its swarming
population. Is it two milions or three? I cannot
pretend to tell you. It is another London, which
requires a twelvemonth to learn by heart, and a
day's journey to traverse from end to end. Widely
scattered along the western face of the bay, ascend-
ing by a gentle rise from the water's edge, and
carried over several hills, or rather a belt of hills,
of no great elevation ; its low one-storied
houses (a ground floor and a garret), half-con-
cealed by the profusion of timber and foliage
enclosed within the Damio's grounds,Cand
Buddhist temples plentifully scattered in all direc-
tions, give, upon the whole, a pleasant civilised air,
but something quite different from any European
city. There is nothing in the way of architecture or
public building to mark a great city and the capital
of a people far advanced in the arts of life and civili-
sation ; one very good reason for which is the fre-
quency of earthquakes. A few high and solid walls
appear for defence round the two inner moated
cities. These, rising some 30 or 40 feet from the
water's edge, are built with great blocks of granite,
curiously let into each other, every one at different
angles, and, in their pecularity of construction and
enormous strength, seem to be able to resist even
the earthquakes ; but every other dwelling in the
city, with obvious and especial reference to such
conditions, is built on one model, of a framework of
timber, strongly girded together, the sides filled up
between them with a network of bamboo, and never
more than two storeys in height, if a ground-floor
and low gairet deserve that title, and I should say
are admirably fitted for resisting any ordinary shock.
Even now, while writing, the whole house and the
earth under my feet have been vibrating for more
than a minute in a way not altogether comfortable;
but the house showed no signs of distress, whatever
the inmates may have done. And uow that you
must ha. 143 gained some kind of general idea of the
position and outward aspect of Yeddo, come with
me all through the streets. There are some officer
of the American or British men-of-war in harbour
going on a shopping cruise, and although neither
you nor I wear crowns on our caps, or epaulettes
on our shoulders, they
.are numerous enough, and
busy enough with their own eager curiosity, to
allow us to join the party without appearing de
trap. And now the boats have neared the shoal
water, and we must all get out into those two or
three miserable-looking little flat-bottomed pants,
and be dragged over the mud on shore for the next
quarter of a mile. The Tycoon need not have
surrounded such a landing with well-trimmed bat-
teries as he has done—(how I wish I had some
sheep grazing on their green-looking slopes in
this sheepless, beefless land !)—for it would require
an amphibious race to make a hostile descent
here. And now we are arrived ; not even the mud-
sliders can get us further. What are we to do P It
is quite plain we, have 20 yards of water, reaching
half-way up our legs, either to wade through, or
trust ourselves on the backs of our rice-eating
friends there, who seem willing to give us a lift. It
is done, Now we clamber up a shabby wooden pier
and rather dilapidated stone stops, and stand on the
Great Tocado or road at the entrance of Yeddo,
leading from the capital to every part of the em•
pire, and along which the Princes—the Damios and
Kamas—hereditary and merely official take their
way, surrounded by their retainers, when paying
their annual visit to their " well-beloved cousin"
the Tycoon ; or going their way rejoicing to regAin
their liberty within their own territories, leaving
their wives and children behind ; which may or may
not, I have not had time to ascertain, be an arrange-
ment not altogether disagreeable to the parties con-
cerned. But it does not seem based on any great
regard for the joys of 'domesticity. And here is
one passing, by the most fortunate concurrence.
First approaches a sort of standard-bearer, with a
tall staff; or lance, pointed in steel, and with some-
thing not a unlike a fleur-de-lis as an emblem of
authority ; these vary according to the rank. Then
a tall caparisoned riding-horse, led by two grooms
---,and not a bad looking beast either; than asquad
of retainers, with the armorial bearings of their lord
embroidered on the sleeves; and now comes the
great man himself, seated, or rather doubled up, in
his norimon, a palankeen curtailed of half its
length, so that instead of stretching your legs to
the end, you are fain to stuff your knees‘ into your
mouth, or very near it. A Japanese tucks legs
and knees both under his person (whatever his
rank or dignity), or sits cross-legged, both of which
feats require, as I know to my cost, some practice
to render the fashion, however convenient, either
easy or pleasant. This cage-like box has a roof re-
minding one of a Swiss toy challet, and under the
angle at the top a large and massive looking pole
is thrust for the bearers, so that the sitter is sus-
pended below. The poles seem disproportionately
and unnecessarily, massive and cumbersome; but
upon inquiry one is relieved of any uncomfortable
feeling about their weight; by being told they are
for the most part hollow ; but it is considered more
consistent with dignity to have them of such
extreme dimensions. This is a matter of taste
and fashion. After the great man, who seems quite
as enrions to see you as you could be to catch a
glimpse of him, come bearers of covers for his nori-
mon if it should rain ; tellnks with his wardrobe,
a large p irasol if the sun is hot, :note led horses, a
few attendants on horseback, and then 2 squad of
archers and followers. And so passed on his IN
the Damio, meditating, perhaps (it might well bb;;on the sudden and strange revolution in his coun-
try which has brought the foreigners once more to
the Japanese shores, and even into the streets and
thoroughfares of the capital.

(From the Correspondent of the Daily News.)
KANAGAWA, PORT OF YEDDO, JULY 20.
111 y pke-Vious letter will have given you not only
a passing review of our relations in China up to
the time of Mr. Bruce's departure with the squa-
dron for the Peiho, now some two months ago
nearly, but also a cursory glance at the past and
present of Japtn, a country with which Western
nations have begun to renew their intercourse,
after an interruption all but absolute of two cen-
turies. My first impressions of Japanese life and
manners I sent you from Nagasaki ; and I now re-
sume the thread of my story, after having seen
great part of Yeddo, the capital of the Tycoon, or
sovereign de facto ; while the Mikado (miscalled
the " spiritual emperor" by certain European
writers on Japan) is the only sovereign de jure re-
cognised still by the Japanese. True, the Dairi or
Mikados have been shorn of much f their power
since Yoritomo, in 1143, profiting by civil commo-
tions among the princes of the land, and armed
with power as Generalissimo to humble theAkstur-
bulent chiefs, only suppressed the troubles to arro-
gate to himself greater part of the sovereign power,
under the title given by a grateful master of
Ziogan. Another Pepin d'Heristal and Mayor of
the Palace, he did not care to dethrone the descen-
dant of an illustrious line of emperors, and was
content with holding the reins, and transmitting
the same privilege to his descendants. And so the
power continued divided in great degree, the sha-
dow from the substance, until later, towards the
close of the sixteenth century, a peasant's son and
favourite attendant of the actual Generalissimo
raised himself by great abilities to the seat of
power, on his master's death, and stripped the
reigning Mikado of the last remnants of secu-
lar power. Since that time the successive Emperors,
or Mikados, are brought into the world, and live and
die within the precincts of their court at Miaco—
the boundaries of which he never exceeds during
his whole life. Is it possible to conceive a less de-
sirable destiny ? But the Ziogans, or Tycoons as
they are now called, have long been undergoing a
somewhat analogous process, under which all sub-
stantial power is being transferred from them to the
principal Dami or princes, who form a great coun-
cil of state, and whose nominee the Tycoon himself
has become, ae well as all his chief ministers or coun-
cillors. They claim the right of dethroning or dis-
placing both Tycoon and ministers, and a voice
potential in all affairs of state. For legislative
changes even the almost forgotten Mikado must
give his consent—never of course refused when any
unanimity prevails. But when the treaty with
America was concluded, of which I shall have more
to tell you by-and-bye, many things took place
highly illustrative of the times and the men in
Japan. A large party among the vassal princes and.
chief Dami were vehemently opposed to any depar-
ture from the long maintained system of exclusion
and isolation, and hostile to all measures tending to
any change. This party enjoys the soubriquet among,
the more advanced or progressive of their own coun-
trymen of "toads in the well," because they can only
see immediately over their heads and what is under
their nose. The result of their activity was a great
commotion, threatening a revolution and the lives of
the ministers, who were instantly disgraced, and,'
although their successors have had to sign many
treaties since, they still continue under a cloud with
their secretaries, interpreters, and everybody con-
nected with their ministry. The hostile party to
foreigners is still in office, therefore, which does not
tend to make things more pleasant for European
prospects or diplomatic agents.
But to return to the feudal reproduction, in this
isolated and far eastern land, of forms of govern-
ment and types of men and things, of which the last
trace has nearly passed away.now from the soil of
Europe, where they once flou. ashed ; it is curious te
note the coincidence sometimes carried into points of
detail. Whoever wishes to study in the life phases
of the feudal state which only existed in the Western
world in the sixth century, or an oligarchy such as
Venice produced in the middle ages. need only come
to Japan. The Mikado of the day is the exact type
of the last descendant of Clovis, sitting sad and
solitary, effeminate and degenerate, doomed only
to wield " a barren sceptre" and sigh away a
burdensome and useless existence of mock pagean•
try ; never permitted to pass the gates of his prison
palace. It is related that some years ago one of
those fearful and all-devouring fires for which the
great imperial cities of Miaco, Osaca, and Yeddo
enjoy a most unenviable reputation, drove the in-
mates even of the Dairi out of the sacred precincts,
the only choice being that of the celebrated King
of Aragon, of moving or being burned alive. Rigid
as the etiquette of the Dairi is held to be, it appears
that it melted before the fire of a vast city in flames ;
and his sacred majesty after escaping to one temple
in the environs had to flee to a second, and on his
way to cast himself from his bullock car and take'
to his feet under penalty of being burned after all.
One cannot help feeling that in all probability this
escape, with all the change, movement, and excite-
ment, must have formed by far the pleasantest, if
not the only, hours of life he knew throughout his
whole existence. How his august person, too
sacred to be exposed to the vulgar gaze of his sub-
jects, was restored to its pristine sanctity after that
midnight rush and long tramp along the dusty
roads, Japanese writers have not told us.
This double machinery of a titular sovereign who
only reigns, and a lieutenant of the empfre who
only governs and does not reign, from generation
to generation, is certainly something very curious ;
and by long continuance it seems to have led to a
duplicate system such as never existed in any other
part of the world, carried out to the very minutiae
of existence. Every office is doubled, every man is
alternately.a watcher and watched—not only the
whole administrative machinery is in duplicate, but
the most elaborate system of check and counter-
check on the most approved Machiavellian principle
is here developed, with a minuteness and perfection
as regards details difficult at first to realise. An
interpreter engaged to come at a certain hour to
see me. He was late, and when reproached, said
quietly in Dutch, " that he could not come without
his shadow," by which he described his double—in
other words, his spy or watcher! As upon all this
is grafted a system of more than Oriental mendacity,'
one feels launched into a world of shadows
and make-believes, hard to grapple with in the
practical business of life. Of their mendacity,
and views of it, I heard an amusing illustration
the other day. One of these official gentry, upon
a particular occasion, havins, been found in deli-
berate contradiction with himself by a foreign
minister, was asked, somewhat abruptly perhaps,
how he could reconcile it to his conscience to utter
such palpable untruths P With perfect calm-
ness and self-possession he replied, " I told you last
month that such and such a thing had been done,
and now I tell you the thing has not been done at
all. lam an officer whose business ?t is to carry
out the instructions I receive, and to say what I am
told to say. I have nothing to do with its truth
or falsehood." This must be pleasant hearing to
thOse whose business chiefly lies with ()Metals ; but
perhaps the chief difference in the manners and cus-
toms or officials and diplomatists at the two eAtre-
mities of the great Continent may be after all more
in forme than in things. In Europe official un-
trails are also toldnow and then or systematically ;
and unblushingly enough too; but it is not consi-
dered right to avow the fact with the same synical
indifference to what may be thought of either the
act or the avowal. If practised politicians and
diplomatists ever blush in the western world it is
at being found out—not at the consciousness of
having tried to deceive. And this, by the Way, is
very much the case in China. A Chinese lies habi-
tually, and I believe more naturally than he speaks
the truth under any circumstances ; but I have
seen him colour and look confused when convicted
in the act, at his own stupidity or clumsiness no
doubt. But it would seem, by a great many illus-
trative anecdotes and some practical examples be-
fore my eyes since I entered the country, that the
Japanese is a Stoic, signally above a sense of shame,
whether deception or detection is the result of his
labours,
tut to return to the Tycoon and the government
of the early middle ages, with its suzerain and feuda-
tory fiefs, and a phantom king, with hereditary
mayors of the palace, and chiefs with 10,000 re-
tainers, each holding himself as good as the Tycoon,
who always seems to live in dread of open revolt or
secret assassination—a pleasant state of lacing. Each
of these territorial potentates or great Damios is
absolutely independent of the Tycoon when within
his own territory, with power of life and death
over all his subjects and dependents. An imperial
passport will not secure an intruder's life, and each
is capable of giving the answer Hugh Capet pro=
jyakt‘mvehneochoeedutnyepi antoKalssn,
Nkruis:neici
ongthtufbhgnpbiee,
under
every
eTel wwrdbryyihial
aco:s.
Tycoon
the
modmjenuaoiarrnapkii
tansireendoes
dpiuhi
hse
eiedittmnis:i
tordeyenocaep:onp(
ttiyhtatnlahn:tol
eidrPiaaidg'rn'tidi Yeddo,ol :irdhtieei
tn:iweo
spending
even
yhse
Nate,sredtirbeixoeel
yoked by reminding a disobedient vassal of his duties
in
turn to their territories he,
state of mutual love and confidence between the rival powers-elinshc
and hereditaraygfeesu.dalhclihsi
child'een hostages. Thus it eaenmds
parifnucreths.erApnledaftialunts
eetrlmei their
st ao,i;d..
ary
is explained the enormous extent of the official
quarters of the city within a double enceinte of
3,g.
al arcdi wall, and moat, and whole streets with
mooted houses extending a thousand feet or more,
tformingane
rs aen Ndi d
their
hn
et
ranoutges
screen to a large court-
and furnisKinr,
while fine and massive-
io.f apartments for :re
families,
with high roofs
lboking gates of bronze an
and armorial bearings, markw°thllols'e which-Rre the

JULY 28.

I add a few lines to tell you that, by a vessel
just arrived from Shanghai, news has reached us of
the untoward result, of
.the uttgi;ont to clear the
way to Pekin for the English r.nd trench minis
~;
tiers thtirged IVith the ratification of the treaties.
This.ropulse,,with.great loss of ships and men on
our silt, Will doillitlti,M itEtVe Et bad effect here,
where difficulties enough existed already. Vortu-
nately the ratifications of our treaty had been for-
mally exchanged here by our diplomatic agent
before this news arrived, or it might have been
\Vase foi: the party in power show in a thousand
ways hoW little any treaty relations with foreign
powers arc to their taste. Questions of currency
and choice of location at Kanagawa have hitherto
made all trade impossible; and although before the
arrival of this news there were some signs of a dis-
position to give way on both these points under the
velisure of strong remonstrances from the British
and American representatives at Yeddo, it is im-
pc.sAble to be sanguine. It is quite certain that any
.ade or residence of foreigners so near the capital
3.3 very repugnant to those in power, and the whole
. .

body of Damios ; and they even go so far as to Mr. Ingham asked her what she had to say to
object to the officers of the foreign diplomatic mis- the first purse, w-hith was not found.
sions at Yeddo and the consulates at Kanagawa The prisoner si kid she never had it.
passing freely along the road, and would reduce all Mr. Ingham st da in that case she must go for
communication to writing between a minister and trial.
his own consul not 17 miles off. This may suffice The prisoner said she did not understand. She
for a specimen of the spirit at work and the diffi- would plead guilty, but she never had the purse.
culties in the way of both British and American Mr. Ingham said he could not deal with the case
representatives in their efforts to obtain a fair in- with that plea, and fully committed her for trial.
terpretation of treaties, and the removal of obsta- After she had been locked up, Mr. Martin entered
ties to trade of every possible kind. Nagasaki, fur- the Court, and said that his client was anxious for
ther removed, may present fewer difficulties. his worship to deal summarily with the case, and
she would plead guilty, and that she now thoroughly
understood her position.
The prisoner w as again placed in the dock, and
the depositions in both cases read over. She then
said that she would withdraw her plea, but
Mr. Ingham said he had decided upon sending
her for trial on both charges.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE, Nov.l.

LAMBETH.--CAUTION TO PERSONS ABOUT TO
MARRY.--A fashionably-dressed female, whose ap-
pearance and manner bore evident proof of respec-
tability, applied to Mr. Yardley for his advice and
assistance under the following somewhat singular
and distressing circumstances : •
She stated that about tliree months ago a
foreigner, of gentlemanly appearance, followed her
in the street, and addressing her in broken Eng-
lish, begged permission to address her. His appear-
ance being that of a gentleman, she complied with
his request, and he then represented that he was an
Italian lay birth, and a musician by profession, and
had a great desire to get settled in London.
He also said he had a great desire to get married,
and offered to make her his wife. She of course
told him that, being a perfect stranger to her, she
could not say anything on a subject so important,
but. that if, after an introduction to her family, he
was found to be what he represented, she should
take their judgment in the matter. An appoint-
ment was arranged for a Second interview, and after
that she introduced the gentleman to her father,
who approved of him as her future husband, and
three weeks ago they were married with the per-
fect concurrence of her friends. Previous to
the marriage taking place her husband repre-
sented that his father kept a music warehouse
at Manchester, and was a man of considerable
wealth, and that he had lived with him up to a
short time since, when, on account of religious
differences—his father being a Catholic and he
himself a Protestant—they had agreed to part,
his father at that time consenting to hand him
over £l,OOO as soon as he got settled. He further re-
presented that he could earn £3 and upwards a-
week at his profession as a musician, but from the
day of their marriage up to Saturday last, when he
disappeared, he had not earned a sixpence, and kept
freely spending her money. The week before last
it was arranged that they should leave town on a
visit to his father at Manchester, and for this pur-
pose he had packed up the wearing apparel of both
in the same boxes, but hadby one excuse or the other
delayed the time for a week. On Saturday morn-
ing last he received a letter, which he said was
from his father, requiring his immediate presence
in Manchester, and suggested that as she was not
prepared to leave at the moment he should go
alone, and on reaching there should send for her.
Having no suspicions of his intention, she did
not offer any objection to this arrangement, and
her husband started away with the whole of
the boxes, &c., since which she had not heard a
syllable from him. On the day before she (appli-
cant) called on a tailor on whom she had given her
husband an order for a suit of clothes, in hope of
being able to learn something about him, and he
referred her to the shop of a tailor in the City,
where she learned, from the description she had
given of him, that he was only a journeyman tailor,
and had been employed there about a month before,
and further that he was a married man at that time.
Mr. Yardley observed that if this was the fact,
that he was a married man at the time he married
the applicant, he could be severely punished.
The applicant said her husband, as she called him,
had carried away her gold watch and chain, and
dresses belong to her to a considerable amount, be-
sides spending upwards of £7O in money, her sav-
ings, and she wished to know whether he could
return and carry away her goods, as she was told
he could.
Mr. Yardley said he should protect her against
that, and advised her at once to proceed to the
station-house close by, and give a description of the
person she spoke about, and he had no doubt that
every exertion would be made to trace him out,
and also to ascertain his previous history.
The applicant said she should act upon his wor-
ship's suggestion, and having thanked his worship
for the attention with which ho had heard her,
proceeded to the station-house.
CASE OF VIOLATION.—The magistrate was en-
gaged for some time in further investigating the
charge of rape against James Stephen Rowe, and
after receiving the testimony of the whole f the
witnesses, strongly confirmatory of his guilt, ho
committed the prisoner for trial.
Mr. S. Solomon, who attended for the prisoner,
applied for his being admitted to bail, but his ap-
plication was refused, Mr. Yardley remarking
that the charge was of too serious a character.

THE STATE OF TRADE.

LEEDS, Nov. I.—The woollen cloth markets to-
day have' been very quiet, and a comparatively
small amount of business has been done in the cloth
halls. At the warehouses, too, there was not much
business done. The general condition and prospects
of the trade, however, are satisfactory. Prices,
those of cloth as well as those of wool, are firm.
MANCHESTER, Nov. I.—There has been conside-
rably more business in the yarn market, and prices
have advanced fully 1-d. to id. per lb. on the quo-
tations of this day week. The good demand for
water twist for China during last Thursday and
Friday, and which exists again this day has
had the effect of bringing buyers for Germany more
freely into the market at the advanced prices, and
a good deal of business has been done for the con-
tinent. Spinners have declined offers at the rates of
last week, being mostly well sold, but have met
the market more freely at the advance quoted above.
The better news from Calcutta have not led to much
business in yarns,' but still some purchases were
made where spinners would accept the prices. For
the Mediterranean a moderate business is reported,
Ibut the demand was not active. A better feeling
among manufacturers has led also to some fair
orders for home consumption. The better advises
referred to from Calcutta came to hand in a tele-
gram received by a leading firm late on Saturday
night, were to the 10th of October (bringing down
commercial intelligence to within 19 days), and
were at first discredited. It has, however, led to
some activity in cloth, though merchants, aware °f
the custom which prevails on the 6th of October,
one of the principal holidays, have been led to act
with more reserve than under ordinary circum-
stances. The custom alluded to is a superstitious
belief that purchases on that day are necessary to
good luck during the remainder of the year. Thong"
this may have swelled the purchases up to the 10th-
many operations have been based on the telegram,
There has also been a fair business in low shirtine
for China. Some extensive sales have been mane
in T-cloths, and the market has been generallf
rather more active than for some weeks past, wit
rather more firmness in prices.
ROCHDALE, Nov. I.—The trade of Rochdale is
active at present, especially the woollen department'
This is evidenced by the fact that in September;
1858, according to the statistical report of one of
the local police superintendents, there were 40."
cottages and 117 cellar dwellings empty ; while in
September last, although 101 new houses had bee 2
built in the course of the year, there were only
empty ones and 50 empty cellar dwellings.

HAMMERSMITH.— ROBBERIES IN OMNI-
BUSES.—SINGULAR CASE.—Louisa Ward, a middle-
aged woman, very genteely attired, was brought
up on remand before Mr. Ingham, charged with
stealing a purse containing gold and silver from the
dress-pocket of a lady named Elizabeth French,
while riding in a Richmond omnibus.
When the prisoner was first examined the evi-
dence was exceedingly slight against her, but it
will be seen that on this occasion the case assumed
a different appearance. On Friday afternoon, the
21st ult., Mrs. French, who resides at Richmond,
entered an omnibus at that place for London. and
sat down next to the prisoner, who was also a pas-
senger. The prosecutrix had her purse, which
contained a sovereign, a half-sovereign, and £1
19s. in silver, in her dress-pocket, on the right-
hand Bide, next to the prisoner. Mrs. French
noticed that she appeared very fidgety,
and upon reaching the middle of Ham-
mersmith she suddenly alighted and went
off in a great hurry. The omnibus went
on again, and had not proceeded far before it
stopped to take up a lady and gentleman. The
prosecutrix lifted her dress to make room, and she
then noticed that her pocket felt very light, and
upon feeling she immediately missed her purse. She
at once made her loss known, and another pas-
senger, who had also noticed the prisoner's fidgety
conduct, suspected her of the robbery, and went in
search of her. He was unable to find her, but
shortly afterwards, while he was standing in' the
Broadway with the prosecutrix, he observed the
prisoner al roaching from the direction of the
Bridge-road. `1,!.2e was then given into custody,
but she stoutly denied the robbery, and neither the
purse nor its contents co;:tld be found. However,
on being searched, two pocket-books and a
bunches of keys. card-
case were found upon her, also tv,,-.9
When before the magistrate she said she had picked
up one of the
,bunches of keys in town, and
that the other things belonged to her. She
also spoke of her high respectability, and that she
received favours from the Hon. Mrs. Lamb, of
Richmond, and further, that her son had been
educated by the Duke of Devonshire. The magis-
trate was at first disposed to believe that the pri-
soner was innocent of the charge, and ought to be
acquitted, but upon it appearing from the evidence
of the constable that she told him that after leaving
the omnibus she made a visit to a female at 9A,
Brook-street, Hammersmith, which turned out to
be untrue, he remanded her for a few days, but
offered to take bail. On the next examination, Mrs.
French added some facts to her evidence which
strengthened the suspicions against her. She
stated that, while in the omnibus, she felt a hand
along the right side of her waist, and that when
she reached the station she found the frill of her
jacket turned up, which was not the case before she
entered the omnibus. It was also stated by Sergeant
Oatley that a tumbler, which was found upon the
prisoner, had been stolen from a public-house
at Richmond, but that the owger refused
to press the charge. Upon the application
of this officer, who was instructed to make inquiries,
she was further remanded.
Miss Louisa Dunk, a young lady, residing at 13,
Clarendon-villas, Clarendon-road, Notting-hill, now
stated that ou the 15th ult. she was riding in an
omnibus with her sister, when on reaching Oxford-
street a female, very much resembling the prisoner,
got in, and sat down next to her on the right side.
1 The omnibus was very much crowded, and during
' - ;ourney she thought she felt the woman's hand
the J -^ket. She felt for her purse and found it
in her pu,....
safe. Shortly .._-fterwards the woman got out of the
-'ray. When they reached near
omnibus and went a..
felt book
for her purse, and
Loudon-bridge she felt Nt ism& and purse corn-
it was gone. It was a pew et ^nd some silver.
bined, and contained half a sovereign._ -bet-books
Sergeant Oatley produced one of the pot.— ..,di_
found upon the prisoner, and the witness km.,
Ately identified it as the one she had lost. She
knew the book by its general appearance, and also
because it still bore some of her handwriting upon
the leaves. She also added that the more she
hat saw
the prisoner the more convinced she_ was that
was the sam--3 woman who got into the omnibus and
sat next to her.
MissA
s Ellairztaibne, hothwDunakppaelasroegaavfoerstihmeilaprrieznideerncoen.
this occasion, offered no defence, and said his client,
by his advice, would plead
shegu wiltyatsothefirst case.
Mr. Ingham inquired ifknown.
Inspector Grimmer, of the T division, said she
had been seen by a constable from each division,
and they were unable to identify her.
Mr. Ingham then asked the prisoner if she pleaded
guilty or not guilty.
The prisoner said she bought the pocket•book of
a woman in Oxford-street for 6d.