19 NOVEMBER 1831, Page 18

STEALING EXTRAORDINARY.

made a due impression on him.

It seems that Mrs. REBECCA HOBSON, one evening in June THE IRISH AMBASSADOR.

duty to be put upon, to cry all through the Stranger, and then to and appears to have succeeded in bringing about a dialogue, very laugh from one end to the other of the Irish Ambassador. Ex- farouche on her part. When the play was over, the persevering fun is always incomplete until an Irishman blunders his torch are led to suppose that the lady so far yielded. When at home, upon the train. wine was procured, for which the gallant GREEN paid, and began The Irish Ambassador is of course from the French ; with one to insist upon remaining till the morning. Of course this was im- very material difference—the French have no little Ireland to ' possible - nevertheless '.Mrs. COHEN, the landlady, persuaded RE grow fun in; consequently the French farce is beaten hollow by BECCA into acquiescence. In the morning, the lady rose two hours the fortunate idea of putting an Irishman into a post of confusion. beforethe gentleman, whom she at length hurried up, on account of her being in expectation of the arrival of her friend par excel- An Irish officer, Sir Patrick O'Plenipo' (POWER), arrives at a lence, the aforesaid Sir J. MILBANK. When the gallant GREEN German court, with no higher mission, or rather commission, descended, he found the fair REBECCA HOBSON seated in the than to collect costumes for an English Duchess who is going to drawing-room ; whereupon "he took a sovereign and a half so- give a fancy ball. Matters, however, happen to be in a critical vereign out of his pocket, and placed them upon the table ; stat- state, in a small way, at this court. There is a negotiation on ing," to use the well-turned phrase of the Chronicle, " that he foot .to marry the Prince and Heir Apparent (ABBoTT) to either must apologize for offering so trifling a sum ; but that he would a Princess of Spain or another of Saxony ; and these Courts are all with his chaise on Sunday, and drive her out, when he would represented by a couple of formal old diplomatists. BARTLEY act towards her in a pecuniary point of view with a gentlemanly does the Spanish Ambassador, and F. MATTHEWS the Saxon. liberality;' and he departed. Now the Prince happens to be married already, but in secret, to an English lady at the court (Miss E. TREE) ; and is greatly per- Now, REBECCA possessed a watch; it had been presented to her plexed to find a mode of concealing the step he has taken- from three days before by the Honourable Baronet, Sir J. MILBANK. his Uncle the Duke (DIDDEAR), and at the same time put off the When she retired to bed, she gave it to the gallant GREEN to wind two pompous plenipotentiaries ; who, of course, make a grand mys- up : it was wound up, and deposited in a drawer, locked, and the tery of the business, and attempt, by all possible diplomatic means, key placed on the top of the drawers. The watch was attached to to thwart each other. For reasons which we shall leave to a black ribbon. be explained by the parties themselves (for every body must Now, when the Mr. GREEN or his Dromio descended, a little bit go to see the Irish Ambassador), Sir Patrick O'Plenipo' is of black ribbon peeped forth from his waistcoat-pocket ; the which taken for a secret envoy from the court of London ; and is he perceiving, it was immediately pushed in. This circumstance supposed by the Prince and his lady, as well as by the two Am- alarmed the young lady ; and as soon as he was gone she rushed up bassadors, to he sent for the purpose of carrying into effect stairs, tore open the drawer—the watch, her treasure, was gone ! certain views of the British Cabinet, with respect to this most She flew to the window : the gallant GREEN was running at full important marriage. speed : REBECCA cried " He has got my watch"—and he ran the Sir Patrick is scarcely arrived before he is consulted by the faster. Pursuit was useless : Mrs. COHEN, her landlady, told her Prince, entreated by the lady, cajoled by the two Am!,assa- that it would only lead to trouble. dors, and dined by the Duke. They talk to him in nods and Two years and a half elapse ; and as REBECCA. is again at the -winks ; they cry " hush!" when he begins to speak ; they peep theatre,—this time in the boxes,—observing a young gentleman in about, to see that nobody listens; they whisper conundrums in the next box, she exclaims " That is the man who stole my watch !" his ear ; they admire his diplomacy when he denies, they wonder and is so overcome with her emotions, that she faints. Her at his dexterity when he is silent, and after he has delivered the companion says she was ready to faint. The gentleman stared at real object of his mission—the picturesque in costume—it is not the party, went into an adjoining box, and appears to have re- merely received with utter incredulity, but glorified into a stroke of treated, ready cunning worthy of a METTERNICH Or a TALLEYRAND. At A week after, again at the theatre,—this time at Drury Lane,— last, however, he is fairly hustled and jostled into the business, and whither the dramatic REBECCA had gone to listen to the lions, she is obliged to take steps in the dark, whether he will or not. It is once more detected her recreant companion. This at least was the not surprising that he should very soon contrive to embroil all gallant GREEN : she had him apprehended ; and here he is at Bow parties, and get himself into an abominable scrape. His blun- Street. He is held to bail to take his trial. ders, however, turn out to be better than wisdom, and another The points in this case are very curious. Was the fond REBECCA stroke of his unconscious genius sets all right again. So that robbed ? We will grant she was,—by whom ? in the end, this prince of ambassadors contrives to bring a most Is Mr. GREEN the individual who went home with her two years difficult affair to a most successful termination, without knowing and a half ago ? Is he the person who robbed her ? one syllable about the business. All parties are lost in astonish- He may not be the person who accompanied her. REBECCA, ment at his genius; he is hugged, and shaken, and congratulated, agitated by her anxiety to detect the thief, may be deceived in his till he almost begins himself to believe that he is what they take identity. him for. The Duke is reconciled to his nephew—the Prince's It may have been GREEN, and yet GREEN may not have robbed English choice; and in the most eulogical terms promises that her. He may choose to deny ever having seen her, for he is natu- his whole conduct shall be explained in the Gazette of the next rally ashamed of vice and folly. And it may have been some other day, for the benefit -of the public in general—" and for himself in person in the house who effected the robbery, while he was apolo- particular," adds the Irishman; for the curtain drops on the sue. grzing for his-thirty shillings. cessful diplomatist before he learns one iota of the great state We see nothing in the circumstance of his running away from question which he finds he has brought to so happy a termination. thebouse ; it was a -very natural proceeding, utterly independent The piece is a satire upon the Lord ABERDEEN school of diplo- Of the watch. macy. The empty pomposity and formal mysteriousness of these The piece of ribbon in the waistcoat-pocket may or may not people, are admirably hit off by the two Ambassadors, the Noodle have been an accidental circumstance. It is very important. and Doodle of Congress; characters excellently wellsupport.ed by Anil yet, as this watch was a novelty and a treasure, and as Mrs. the actors. But the grand treat is the Irish Plenipotentiary of REBECCA had left it behind -her 'up Stairs, she may have bees feverish on the subject, and construed any shadow into the end of THERE iS a Police case in the Daily Papers (of Nov.16) which the Mrs. COHEN was ill, and could not appear ; and the evidence of a printer has for once properly entitled curious. A young man, of woman of her profession will not have any weight. If she stole what are called highly respectable connexions in the City, has the watch, or if her son did, or her servant, she will say any thing: been apprehended in the theatre, as having, upwards of two years her object will be to avoid trouble—and her inclination to let a ago, stolen the watch of a young woman of loose morals. Highly young gentleman off, for it is by young gentlemen she lives. respectable connexions means related to wealthy people. In this The arguments of Mr.0 REEN'S counsel were the respectability instance, the accused is a Mr. GREEN, the son or other relative of of his connexions, and REBEccA's turpitude. But, first, a great a partner in the well-known City firm of PELLATT and GREEN, rogue may he related to most worthy people ; and, next, there is glass and Chinamen, we believe, in a large way—that is, persons no connexion, whatever Mr. CLARKSON and Mr. SWEET, the legal of great capital. advisers of the accused, may say to the contrary, between what is The accuser is, in the language of the newspaper, averylady-like called easy virtue and false swearing. The two questions are— young woman. She calls herself Mrs. REBECCA HOBSON, in honour 1. Is Mr. GREEN the person who accompanied REBECCA home of her seducer. The particulars of her seduction, as given in the two years and a half ago? Morning Chronicle, are irrelevant ; as also the fact of her having 2. Did Mr. GREEN, or his likeness, or some other person, steal been tinder the protection of—that is, being paid for by—Sir J. the watch ?