The Sun.
London, England, 1845-02-15 00:00:00

THE PORTLAND VASE.

Yesterday, a letter was received by Mr. Jardine, at the Bow-
street Police.office, with an enclosure of 31., which the writer re-
quested he would apply to the payment of the sum awarded, in
compensation, to the Trustees of the British Museum, and in de-
fault of which the young man who destroyed the Portland Vase
and its glass case, had been committed to hard labour for two
months.
The sum was accordingly appropriated to this purpose, and the
Governor of Tothill-fields prison received the authority of the ma-
gistrate to discharge his prisoner, who immediately repaired to the
European Coffee-house, in Long.acre, where he previously resided,
and at which, we believe, he is still located.
From another source we learn that the offender, who de.
Dies that his name is William Lloyd (the name by which he
was known at the coffee-house, is a student at the Dublin
University, which he entered as a pensioner, under the tui.
flan of Dr. Atkins, and at which he has at present a brother
of considerable standing. Beyond this he gives no particu.
lars respecting himself and family, from a desire, as he
stated when under examination, not to inflict upon his relati►es
the pain of his disgrace. He says that his object in visiting Eng.
land was merely to spend the vacation in viewing the principal
exhibitions and other objects of attraction in the metropolis ; and
that having exhausted his means, it was his intention to have
written to his friends for a remittance, to enable him to return to
Dublin. _ _

....
During the short period of his confinement, we understand,
he felt very deeply the degradation to which he was exposed ;
and, on more than one occasion, evinced rather a refractory dis.
position. Thursday morning he refused to comply with certain
regulations of the prison, and having been consequently handled
by one of the turnkeys, with the view of compelling submission, he
raised his arm and struck him a violent blow over his ear. For
this breach of order he was consigned to solitary confinement, with
the additional restraint of a pair of handcuffs, and in this position
he was kept until the unexpected arrival of an order fur his
dismissal.

He has never been heard to speak of the offence for which
he was committed in other than terms of apparent contrition.
Indeed, he talks of a willingness to Five up his claim to pro-
pertg to which he is entitled, and to devote the remainder of his life
to any pursuit by which he cou'd be instrumental in affording
reparation to the Museum for the mischief which, in an uncon.
scions moment, he was the means of causing.
Of the genuineness of all this it is as impossible to speak with
certainty, as it is dangerous to offer an opinion. We can only say
he wears the look of sincerity. If, in smashing one of the most
precious relics of antiquity in the whole Museum, the delinquent
sought notoriety, and knew, from the deplorable deficiency of the
law, that he could thus obtain it without material personal punish-
ment (even if he fai'ed in exciting commisseration, by talking of
unaccountable visitations, brought on by rash intemperance), we
can only say that he has accomplished his object well, for never
were the fraternity of " penny.a.liners" more busy in their inqui-
ries, or the active artists of our illustrated periodicals more anxious
in their endeavours to present to the world the very eyes, nose,
and mouth, of any " mysterious" being who, of late years, has ex.
cited public attention.