England is not often betrayed, but a remarkable trial this
week at Devonport shows that foreign Powers include her in their schemes for obtaining information by treachery. William Matthews, a signalman on board the Ganges,' surrendered himself, and admitted that he had stolen a signal-book of great importance, under promise of a heavy foreign bribe. Before the transaction was complete, however, his conscience smote him ; he destroyed the book, and made a full confession. At his trial he pleaded " Guilty," and was sentenced to eighteen months' penal servitude, and dismissal with disgrace. The sentence would have been much heavier, but that the Govern- ment thought the production of evidence would be injurious to the public service. The time of the affair was immediately previous to the Spanish-American War, when some Continental Powers were exceedingly anxious to discover the line which the British Government had resolved to take.
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