him to let Her Majesty sign it. From inquiries made
concerning this man, it was discovered that he was a respectable
farmer in the neighbourhood of Exeter, from which distant place he
had wandered on so strange an errand.

But of all visitors to the Royal Palace, THE BOY JONES was the most
frequent and successful. Who, in this generation, knows anything about
THE BOY JONES? Yet his escapades were very daring and his story is very
true--but so strange is it that, in order to be believed, I must, at
least, in part, give the chapter and verse for it:

_The Times_, 15 Dec.:

QUEEN SQUARE.--Yesterday, a lad about 15 years of age, who gave his
name as Edward Cotton, whose dress was that of a sweep, but who was
stated to be the son of a respectable tradesman in Hertfordshire, was
charged with being found in the Marble hall of Buckingham Palace,
under circumstances of an extraordinary nature. It should be stated
that Buckingham Palace, even during the absence of the Queen, is
guarded by the gentlemen porters of the establishment, two inspectors
of the A division of police, and sentries from the Foot Guards. In
spite of this, a number of cases have lately occurred at this office,
where persons have been found in the interior of the Palace under
unaccountable circumstances.

George Cox, one of the porters, having been sworn, said, that at five
o'clock yesterday morning he saw the prisoner in the Marble hall.
The latter endeavoured to make his escape into the lobby, but he
pursued him, and he then took a contrary direction, across the lawn
at the back of the Palace. Witness called for the sentry at the
gate, and a policeman of the B Division who was on duty in James
Street, caught the lad, after a long chase over the lawn. Mr. Cox
added, that he found, in the lobby, a regimental sword, a quantity of
linen, and other articles, all of which had been purloined from the
Palace. The sword was the property of the Hon. Augustus Murray, a
gentleman attached to the Queen's establishment. Witness went into
that gentleman's bedroom, and the bedding was covered with soot. The
prisoner had, evidently, endeavoured to get up the chimney, in order
to effect his escape; there was a valuable likeness of Her Majesty,
in the Marble hall, which was broken, and covered with soot; and it
was supposed that the lad, in the