EXTRAORDINARY OCCURENCE.

Wellington Independent, Volume XVII, Issue 1794, 20 November 1862, Page 4

EXTRAORDINARY OCCURENCE.

The following is related by the Paris correspondent of the London Court Journal :— "The Japanese Ambassadors left Paris to proceed to London. The last days of their stay at the Hotel de Louvre were marked by a most extraordinary and inipressive occurrence. One of the officers belonging to the suite of the envoys received the order, which had been despatched almost immediately after his departure rom Japan, to commit suicide, or self-execution, known as the hharti t described by Bayard Taylor and other travellers in Japan as the only method of avoiding^ 1 " the disgrace and torture accompanying a public execution. What the offence committed by the man before bis departure was, or, what the means whereby it was discovered, [must for ever remain a secret. Bui what is;certam is the act of suicide having lieen; faithfully" perforated by the victim, and, according to official form, in presence of the tepresentative of the spiritual Majesty of Japan, and by stabbing himself in tbe bowels with tbe hroad yataghan, which every Japanese officer of distinction weais upon his bosom, suspended by

that it has been the custom daily, of an afternoon, for the four-and-twenty chief officers of tbe expedition to take their bath in a large marble basin, which has been expressly fitted up for the purpose on the first floor of the hotel. In this, the water being let off and renewed at pleasure, it was easy to accomplish the work of vengeance; and here alone with the Minister of Imperial wrath, the shadow appointed to watch every movement of his cotnpanions and report every action to his Sovereigu, did a miserable being put an end to his existence, at the word of command issued from the other side of the globe. The bath waiters at the hotel had reported on the suspicious appearance of the water which remained at the bottom of the bath on a certain day, aud the evident attempts which had been made to cleanse the floor with unusual care. But so strange are considered the customs of these people, and so utterly impossible has it been found to understand there language, in spite of the numerous savans in Paris paid by the Government not only to learn but to teach it, but who, although proclaimed perfectly convevsant with all its dialects until thej ambassador arrived, seem so suddenly struck with awe, perhaps at the sight of their excellencies, that they lost their memories entirely and could neither understand nor utter a single word — that it was deemed by the person consulted on the subject that the disorder mast be created by some religious or superstitious custom, and no other enquiry was needed. After the lapse of a day or two, however, it was observed tbat one of the officers was missing ; tbat the room occupied by one of them remained undisturbed, although his vestments of ceremony remained extended on his bed ; and at I last many little circumstances and sundry religious observations which seemed to have no adequate explanation, occasioned an inquiry to be insisted upon. The result of this inquiry seems to have been the discovery of the corpse of the victim, rudely embalmed and placed with great care in a large wooden box, all ready packed to couvey it away. The embalment merely consisted of the most careful bandaging in silken wrappers coin pressed by leathern thongs. As far as gesture and intonation can convey the impressions of the mind, it soon became easy to perceive that no concealment was sought, and tbat the occurrence was greatly regretted by the victims' companions, although regarded as a stern necessity of duty. Tbe discovery, of course, created the greatest embarrassment to the Government, and M. Tbouvenel, after consultation with the Emperor, sent down a message to the ambassadors, as representatives both of the temporal aud spiritual sovereigns of their countries, declaring his great astonishment and disapproval. Intimation was given at the same time that such barbarous customs being totally at variance with the laws, and the institutions of the country, any repetition of the same occurrence would be followed by expulsion. ' The body of the unfortunate man being but imperfectly embalmed, was conveyed away upon an order i.«sued from the Ministre des Affairs Etrangeres to tbe Minister of the Police, at 6 o'clock in the m oining, to the cemetrv of Mount Aarnasso, where it has been temporarily deposited to await the return of the ambassadors, who, on the pain of the same order of the hart are bound to lay it as piece de conviction at tbe foot of theii emperor. This is the story whispered about in Paris, and unfortunately confirmed by the only possible proof — that of the absence of one of the suite on the departure of the Embassy ; which was ascertained beyond a doubt by those who, roused by the interest excited by the tale which has been vsuffered to get abroad, had the curiosity to assist at their departure yesterday evening;, in order to compare their number with the photographic sketch executed on their arrival. This proved not the truth of the stovy here related, ont that of its foundation — namely, the absence of one of the most conspicuous of the group."