The Sun. — London, England, 1841-12-08 00:00:00

1 :---. 1: VENING SUN -LA NNT _ CR.. -------...—____ --'4kNi CER Y CO URT.--(TIIIS DAY). Th e 1-,_ TRASMER, of CAUSES; • eLo cillAlitviLLoit on taking his seat thin Morn /ill g stated that it might be for the 6anVenenco of the bar fLkeow that he had directed certain causes to be trans t:u from the paper of the Vice-Chancellor of Eng '4l to that of Vice -Chancellor Knight Bruce ; and the i l l _, l4 es which his Lordship had selected were those which 2 1 been set down for hearing in Hilary Term last. The ; 41 1 sfo r of those causes would, however, be subject to c o '' 3 arrangear y. ment as to any p ar ti cu l ar cause th a t m i g h t ib e - I tle access OF THE COU. Lonnsuie SITTINGS said that he had made ßT a mistake when sta kli to the bar yesterday that he should not be 11 ,, , allied to sit on 'Thursday. He found that he should be 17e to sit on that day, but not on Friday. His Lordship 0 stated that he should - take motions on Thursday. .1:11E MATTER OF PLUMMER, A BAN:—".,g the Lox') CHANCELLOZ . give judgment to-day at this bankrupt's petition. His Lordship said ar thi . B wak 11. special. case, stated under the Act ti n , a thartient, by the Court of Review, for the it y . 1 ' 41 of this Court. The facts of the case, as far as It er j s tl eeeenry to state them for the present purpose, tar , skt)rtly these :—Messrs. Plummer and Wilson Ve. t . * . on business as, Wrest India merchants ; they 4 `c indebted in a sum of' 2,0001. for money lent to a Mr. j ur g e 'lead, and they. ere desirous of obtaining further e a ,„"ees, and for the purpose of securing Mr, Joad iva_ss,igned.to him a mortgage security which they had 3 , i „, e, t India property, :and they also entered into a t it "' and several covenant for the payment of the sums to ttal a ' h anced, i nc l u di ng t h e 2,000 1. ; b ut t h e w h o l e 11 r • 4 °u nt, to be ad vance d was not to excee d 1,0001. There to t ransact i on w i t h respect to money due for ti ns Messrs. Plummt , r and Wilson became bank- A commission was sued out against them, and Leh,' ' e ' 3l "ge Joad did th a t w hi c h h e was en titl e d to do, I, i a joint an d several creditor ;he offered to prove jt . Lest th e separate estates of each of the bankrupts. lq t , s ‘ ‘' . ', object e d th at he was not entitled to do that tin e, "e sold or gave up h i s jo i nt secur i ty ; t h at was t oatB. P o int for th e cons id erat i on o f t h e C ourt , an d the 14 °e ll Was what were the principles applicable trbestions of this description ? If a party, a creditor t‘.t)ankrupt, has a security upon the bankrupt's estates, net allowed to prove without selling or giving up se eurity, and f or t hi s r eason , t h at t h e pr i nc i p l e )fthe Itt 4 , kr ePt Law s was t h at a ll t h e cre di tors o f a particu l ar th o ''' should be put upon an equal footing. If a party s t „ st , to prov e h e must sell - or surrender the particular Pe r ;aY, but if lie hid a security on the estate of a third tle a °4 that principle did- not apply, because he was 1, 441( P laided t o prove f or ' the whole debt against the ;Iv r . u Pts estate, and f or , an y d e fi c i enc y h e might thk 3 tl t o the security, , provided he was not paid more litliil) k kr vc in o tY shilling s i n th e p ou nd. It wa s unn e cessary any authority on the subject, but his Lord. (l,A;;!ight media the cases of ex parte Bennett in Int% r'us, ex parte Bar in Ist Rose, and ex parte Good the 3,1 Maddox. The - next point was this : In "'ministration of property, and other bankrupt laws, ; 0; 'oteil ' t it estate and the separate estate were 0 /1 1 .,,,red distinct., and accordingly when a party to prove under the joint estate, having titl et r e eme under tl:e separate estate, he is en t,c) Prove ag a i ns t-• th e sep a r a t e estate, with ea I .,°`eg up his security. That was laid downin r Le Peacock, which was first decided by Sir John It 11 t1 afterwards upon appeal by Lord Eldon, an . d tk s inee been followed by the Court uf Review in qarte Bodman. Now what was - , the present case ? s. a ). it was the converse of that ; and looking at all the d was th e his Lordship was of opinion that the party Aivi r , p . ti ght to p rove aga i nst t h e separate estate , w i t h out t uP his security.. against the j o i n t e state. a "" been cons id ere d th at t h e present was Lot h se . °f principal and surety ; it appeared to his v i CIP that it could not be, looked at in that 'Ek es ais Lord s hi p was t h ere f ore o f op i n i on t h at t h e ttrtln4entativt:s of Mr, G eorge J oa d were no t o bli ge d t o !tr 4 , the divide:ads Which they had received under the 441 ißete ientent pending the present question. The . case a e ;" long under .litigation. The Commissioners ‘‘e at s*Lded in opinion upon it ; the Judges of the 'I E4 t Review, w h en t h ere were f ours an d a f terwar d s th, there were only two, were divided in opinion upon I kri, 4 , 4e L s tion, and under those circumstances it came ‘ , l ll 4, 'l tt r ie - , l t n i i e l l g r t l:t for its opinion. His Lordship on the looking at the principles to which he had a t kd, that the representatives of Mr. George Joad tktt li ri ght to prove against the separate estate, without a`'itertT the security they h e ld o n the general estate. ktth4Peet to th e question of costs, his Lordship would ° PiniOn to-nziorrOw. &11% tiliT BOOTH V. CRESWICK. `'Rhi:then proceeded with the arguments in this - "gril ease. p /. . COU.II.I I .—(THIS DAY.) COCKERELL V. BRIDGEMAN. i 3• 811it,,was instituted by the plaintiff against Mr. c ri ugeman M.P., the defendant, to recover the j▪ jt )y1, (4 , a bill of exchange, accepted by the defendant, i e f " had been subsequently lost. In February, R 10; 4 % 1 ). F. Ryan .drew a bill of exchange for ‘tts itee " 4t three months, which, for his accommodation, I t t tk l t war e t ' 4 by the defendant. This bill was shortly • 4 a t t ' and before it became payable, indorsed by s taid over to Messrs. Hodgson and Burton, by IZ t agtie% e 18th May, 1838, it was presented at the host' but ° lt k r , of the defendant, who was then in Ire the accid, Its not paid. The bill was subsequently the draw€l.'Lltally destroyed, not having been paid by g at ke epta or acceptor. The defendant admitted et e al k e and a ' lc es of a bill of exchange of the m t m g'ea th„ n otint for the accommodation of Ryan, and Ct it up 'le had supplied Ry an w i t h t h e money to ' 1,1114,„7 , and that this would have been done if pr o p er 41 1 1 ""(nt had been made for payment, and the bill had kN e ,, ,o rtheoming, but th at the . plaintiff . had given him Uplon the 21st May, 'he being then in Ireland, that V,,'" ; 43 it was immediately paid a bill would be filed 11 - " st him ; and on the 28th of th e s ame mont h fil ed tie,P t esent bill. He therefore contended that und er th ese evip a stances he was not liable, and that there was no tivZee that the bill was lost, nor the the plaintiff had alti valuable consideration for it. P14,i 4 , 1 emberton and Mr. Elderton appeared for the T:lt and Mr. James Russell for the defendant. I t 4s ktis 'j \ fa l c A t s o T r E y it of the Ruus said the evidence was not as it craght to be, since neither Ryan nor 4 4 t r " who presented tbe bill had been examined, 41%1, Would look it over, and give judgment on Monday V ICD -4- CHANCERY.--(THIS DAY.) \B --ere the VICE-CHANCELLOR of ENGLAND.) FLETCHER V. NORTHCOTE. ;‘ ) t ' th s ettse, which occupied his honour during the whole th,lux,°rninm, came before the Court upon exceptions k kts - 4 1 4 , te,es &pert. The discussions on the several e rise to no question of general interest. (Bef ore Vice-Chancellor WIGRAM.) 1'°34,1%-"):IxoUn. dispoSed of several short causes and unop 'Lions, containing no feature .of general interest. k thi s i n WALKER .V. JEFFREYS. I t)4 of Ca use the bill wa s filed for the specific perform ilksquracovenant in a lease of mines, to grant a new I Years at th e ex piration of a lease which had t h'ies for 42 years . Th e d e f ence wa s th a t th e l ad not been worked for more than 20 years; that therefore, for which the lease was granted t ' f e I :" "en fulfilled, and that no rent had been paid to , 41 who y ntitled to a rent for every ton of an _ sere e ht'ltiff d ironstone raised. It was admitted for the L lit ‘nat his object was not to work the mines hi . %% I tith „,t) Prevent any working of them by other parties, „`4lis r~aeel 7, l , l ot injure some very large'and valuable iron "eh had been erecte,d b% the plaintiffs on the cl 1, 1 '" 14-, 14: 1 , S- Was pail heard yesterday, and was not con en ". ' e went to press. -"'ei OF' PR BErbIC OM H ISE O -( F M T H ARRIAIS DAY.) GE. ), 'rh o DAIMON V. ROSSER. 4 th„ vt°ec edings in this case were resumed this morning, ; 11 tr e~eV i lonient the doors were thrown open, there was a de C ourt4B rush, which, by in a few minutes, every part r(ki waserOwe to, several hutt 14issi.u' 4 " 0 fill e d the age d uens, were suffocation unable and te obtain ad 111 IL first w i tness called on behalf of the plaintiff this Ors ng Was.. h,. - " J le Birch—l am the wife of Mr. Edward ; 43 an irn orter , of Irish linens in Great Rtts -I.44;trheet, li loornsbi P iry I have known the defendant n as t ': 4 ' ) W ig. l l, l3°lll. and a cnStomer for many years. f ; ll ,Plyi - ,7 Q alembers of the family. I recollect Mr.,Ros , s o er_ - "g for a, list of prices about, the 20th, 215t,.0r d_ Prii ' 4 1% 1840. They 'were ladies' under-clothing. I r. li i the list since. It was since shown me by Tro ta l aas, the plaintiff's solicitor. A letter was list.t I) °lir h ouse to Mr. Rosser, enclosing 1110 11,.. - I,` )s ser is a very fine gentlemanly man. I 1 • the f 4 Y urn about sixty • - five. - His. manners were f ti eud c ," r tl.Y. He told. the he wanted the list for a 'er the 411. :4 acquaintance. That she wanted a few things Present and might want more at a future tim thol,:bwedding'. He seemed in excellent healthl t lttit t I saw him yesterday in Court, but I tun not 11„s 1-1 \ l 'e t • 4\lr .Lary Clarke was called but did not answer. ; ureorge 13-irr tt-L-a a foreman and. general ma- Sterr 's ,c tlie c jewelle ni r, in Regent-street.. ieco.ln tiu,. n g . a wedding-ring on the 20th of April last, i siluilar to this now • banded me. i c ik tw 'ilrB. „ A A t „ ll "./ Cozier—l knew the defendant, Mr. Rosser, ;J 1 %17, 1 - '" and 50 years. He has to the best of my 1 4t ti :4 carried on the business of a solicitor during -ae in Red l ion-square.lie has act&l as a soh prc' k r the. hi s h ouse i s a very goo d one f or any "°w• I have only been in his office. I have Money in the way of lusiness, but repaid it 4lr it un j ti UStICO WIGIVIMAN did not so 3 e object of the a Airs M "' • 41 ) 1 61 ary Clarke-I am manager of Mrs. Day's es ee - . lln eut, 316, Regent-street. I have been there for ar Betwe vn the 97th and 30th of April last 11 s a ': gentleman came to speak to me about a bonnet. (La u . about was about -sixty—a very fine old gentleman.— day " t er.) He -looked at a great many. Ile came a ltri,„°,l' tw o afterw ar d s w i t h a young l a dy, w h om I now tori l t i ° be Miss Sophia Darbon. She appeared to be a k () o - d —c° Young lady, about 25. She seemed in very si, ce health and spirits. I have seen her on . ce two or three days ago. She came with gentlenian. • t , „ Her appearance was net at all ker '''a B on the former occasion. She was altoge bLiatiged, and decidedly for the worse. When Miss el are On first came, she chose a bonnet, which was sent to Ivrot_ne•terrace, Hampton common. The gentleman 4 f ew ' tne address, but I have mislaid the memorandum. ealle t l daYs afterwards, about the 3d May, the gentleman a ad p4i4 for the bonnet, which he said was very Ewell approved Of. He said it was for a particular occit- Oon, and should be sent at a W.iculttc. vi".t. I have seen him pass thedvind , _+w NtiC, out ho did not come in. I saw Ithn In 'tile Court I think yesterday. I thought ha looked older. Cross-examined by Mr. THESIGER—I don't think Was changed for the worse. From his tram - vets sitoilid have thoucrht him about Ho iris particularly polite t• 3 and attenttye tatty and to me. Ladies are generally in good spirits when they go to a milliner's to choose a bonnet.—(Creat laughter.) The gentleman had more to say than the lady. It was her attorney that came With her two or three days ago 3 I recognised the lady in stantly. - She did not speak to toe at all, but seemed to be in very low spitits. I have no recollection of any thing that then passed. Joseph Oughton—l carry on the business of a law stationer, I know the clefendant, and am acquainted vk,",111 his hand-writing. I saw him yesterday in the gal lery of the Court. Mr. Rosser has always resided in Red Lion-square as long as I have linown him. He has -lived in a respectable way ; it is a very good house, and well furnished. A large number of letters which had been referred to by Mr. Platt in his opening speech, amounting to about sixty, were then put. in. Mr. Platt said there were about twelve or fifteen others which he wished to have put in. He had made the best selection from the corre spondence he could, because, if the whole was read, it would keep thein there for the remainder of the week. Several letters were then put in and read ; in smile or them he requested her not to vex herself about an infirm old man, and expressing his fears that his unceasing in firmities would not allow him to fulfil his engagement. In others he offered her the use of houses he possessed in London, Islington, and Edward-square for the use of her mothers and sisters, and these were wishes repeatedly expressed that they would 'come and reside near him. Ile also suggested that he should withdraw the stock and allow her an annuity. The three letters written by Mr. Kitchen to the plaintiff were then read ; they were dated the 3d, 9th, and 15th Oct., 1836, regretting that she had broken off the intercourse between them ; that he knew he was not liked by her, and saying it was time to put an end to it altogether. One of the letters inclosed 81, which the plaintiff returned ; and he requested her, whenever she wanted money, to call on him, and always to consider him her friend. This closed the case for the plaintiff. Mr. TI ESMER (with whom was Mr. Grey) then ad dressed the Jury fur the defendant. There had been a studied endeavour to parade the case into an undue degree of importance. It had been ushered into Court by paragraphs that had gone the rounds of the news papers, and by which public curiosity had been excited. It had been opened by his Learned Friend in an elaborate speech of nearly four hours, which had been followed by a mipute and tedious examination, as If his Learned Friend had been apprehensive that so very im portant a case should be too soon decided ; and Mrs. _Mahon yesterday, in the exultation'of her heart at the important part which she was performing in the eyes of the public, declared that there had not been such a case for 100 years.—(A laugh.) He thought the statement was rather below the truth, for he'believed that such a case, with such parties, and under such circumstances, was without a parallel.. On the one hand they had an old man, whose term of life had been protracted far beyond the ordinary apace of human existence ; the vigour of Whose - mind had evidently been broken under the weight of years, and who had displayed that weakest of all weaknesses of the human family at a time of life when he might have been employed in higher and better thoughts, and who believed himself capable of feeling and inspiring a tender and romantic affection. On the other hand, they had a young woman not unwilling to take advantage of that weakness, and counterfeiting a passion which it was quite out of the ordinary course of nature that she should feel ; and, with the assistance of her mother, weaving a web round the doting and infatuated old man from which it was quite impossible for him to extricate himself, but by a painful and public exposure. They might smile at the follies exhibited to them in that case ; but, after a moment's reflection, it must be tinged with melancholy. It could not be forgotten, that, during the whole course of a long life, Mr. Rosser had main tained a character of'the highest respectability ; laid it was pitiful indeed to see his declining years stamped with contempt. It was impossible for them not to feel for himself and hiS family, who had suffered most deeply by his conduct, whose days had been embittered by the conduct of their father, and one of whom he feared had been hurried by it to any untimely death ; the bolt had been shot ridicule had done its worsts There could be no more painful cir cumstances induced—nothing more could be dis closed to wound the feelings of those who had re garded the old man with reverential love ; and he should therefore feel it his duty to expose as far as possible the arts to which he had fallen a vic tim,. and he thought they would be satisfied when they heard the disclosures he had to make, that it had been the endeavour of these parties to fetter him in such a way, that it was impossible for him to break through, except by means of the sacrifice of that worldly wealth which it was the principal object of these parties to obtain. It had not been an unprofitable speculation already. It appeared that the family had been for three or four years subsisting on the bounty of the old gentle man. That they had received, besides 0661. stock in vested in the mune of the daughter, at least 601. per annum, besides 401. fur the wages of a servant, for extricating himself from the trammels thrown around him. Never was a trout more delicately tickled, Never had an angler been more expert than Miss, S. Dar bon had shown herself, in allowing her prey to run to the end of the line with the hOok in his jaws, and then gra dually drawing it back again until his powers of reeistance were exhaustaid. lie.could show from hiSsetters that there could not he the slightest debt that from beginning to end she was instigated by mercenary motives ; it would be shown that Miss 1). had kept copies of the letters, and re ceived various presents from time to time. One could understand now why the mother and daughter should be so unwilling to put an end to the state of vaccillation and uncertainty in which the old gentleman continued during the whole period to which their attention had been directed. One would have supposed that the mother, at least, would have been desirous to put an end to such a state of things, and then she would have imperatively called on Mr. Rosser to ascertain what his ultimate in tentions were. But it was too profitable a matter. She was unwilling to stop the source which , supplied the • golden eggs from day to day, and therefore she encou raged the old man, and favourably entertained him. His Learned Friend had denied it showing the possi bility, at some future day, of the matter becoming a sub ject of public inquiry. Such a course, he thought. unprecedented, when a person tenderly and faith fully loved a man and poured forth the emotions of her heart to him by letter. lie would show by the plaintiff's own letters that she had told him she had kept copies of her letters. He would remind them of the evidence given by the mother, that the let ters had never been copied ; but the fact proved that these• parties were preparing for the evil day when it might be necessary to make use of these mate rials, in order to compel Mr. R. tp comply with their de mands. That he thought was an index to the whole of the case. Mr. R. was 79 years old when he lost his wife, and Mrs. D. would persuade them that he immediately con ceived the idea of consoling himself for her loss, by pro fessing the warmest attachment for Miss D., but he did not think that was quite in the natural course of things, and that he should have, under such affliction, entertained thoughts of a person young enough to be. his grand child.—(A laugh.) They had no evidence except that of Mrs. Darbon as to the conversation between her daughter and the defendant, when he made his proposal to marry her; and, if she was to be believed, she had recommended him to abstain from all thoughts of her daughter. The Jury were to infer that an attachment had sprung np in his mind, • and that the young woman never. dreamed of anything of the kind until she had been in duced to yield her reluctant consent, when his term of widowhood had expired, to become his wife. Then the rage of writing commenced, and he regretted the quantity of *paper that had been spoiled by it ; but throughout the year 1837 the old gentleman wrote most amorous and impassioned letters, interspersed with sentiments of reli gion, which he regretted to see introduced in such a matter. lie would now call their attention to the letter of the 16th of May, 1838, when this silly affair seems to have been broken oe, and When the plaintiff cunningly en deavoured to lead Mtn into a correspondence on the footing of platonic love. The Learned Counsel then read letters in which it was stated that she would never marry any one if stern decree for bid their union, and that she would always keep single for his life, at least—(Great laughter)—that she wouldatill continue to think herself engaged to him in thought, and maintain the connection innocently by letter, and begging of him for her sake to agree to that. Now how could the foolish fond old man refuse her? Then there was a letter of the 2d 'June, in which the same sentiments 'were repeated ; and on the sth June she says that he alone was the world to her ; that his two last letters were kind; and that she had bedewed them with the copious showers of tears his others had caused. On the 16th June she invites him to hear the warbling of the birds ; that it was a hard, destroying, and almost insurmountable struggle with her to get over her disappointment, and that her mind would not be calmed by moral and religious philosophy. On the 25th of May, 1839, there was another letter. saying that her love for him partook not of a worldly nature, because he was possessed of the highest virtues of the human heart. She did not flatter, and surely Heaven would and bless their union, of which she saw some in his last letter. It Was beau yet smile symptoms onth em liful to love as they did, prayed him to send his beloved •profile to kiss, and signed herselflti c s o very to see him if she 'could sOne March 11, 1 840 , s he said she would come 'could only hope todiein lhisking 0 nice armss.On and th so w the 12thsel l.he was pleased to sea him ou a s n h arrived at writes that t t i o m to resist such flatteries?tee f l him e How was it possible for a in 11 Min how.very lovrn On the 10th January, 1840, shetetells would endeavour g that she. would nurse him in Ins infirmities and old fere. of his late partner, and to imitate the virtues to and obedient she would be. That she that she was studying deserve the position in which he said he perse cutedthe 7th of April, 1840, she 1 he would. whysplace her. On ? In another with her, to deprive her •of all happinessbe his wife. Here her, and asked him would l a ie s , i r ' efuse by meeting she expresses her full confidence to out to him of hav ing cramps, and the temptation held b his nurse, and was an old man, with age and infirmi▪ tea, and tortured ing a young person, professing to a ttacks ? I . comforter, and his solace in his • and_ he asked, how could be resist these combined a He now came to a part of the case w hich he cod not must add of approach without feelings of regret, and he m deep disgust. Mr. Rosser was the f a ther of six two of them unmarried daughters, residing with him, and such a step must have been peculiar l y unpalatable and unpleasant to their feelings. his Learned Friend had suggested that the fair comparison would have been THE TVEDNESDAY„DECEMBER 8. 1841. .. ~ to t,t tii ) . case as having occurred to one of their own daurrliters, but he trusted that such an event could not possibly occur out of the Darbon family, and that no respectable female would endeavour to form a clandestine conneetiun at, 4 ith aw old Man aft!alust the wisho (if lia. ktiiilY: 1 - tieY bad seen that when the .. daughters were absent they .came to see him clandes tinely and by stealth ; and that it was stipulated the Marriage should not take place till Mr. and Mrs. Allen Were out of the way. Hp would show, further, that the plaintiff had crideaVoilrect to undermine the affections of the father for his children, and if he proved that he would ask them, whether that would not satisfy them that the only object of the plaintiff was a mercenary one? On the 2d of January, 1840, she wrote ; expressing a wish to see him twain ; and that he had explained .to his daughter that her visit was on family business On 14th March she said she would never release him, and that he seemed to prefer hiS obdurate daughters to her, and to marry• her in privacy if he chose to do. On 25th April, they had some of the articles he purchased referred to. She said she would come to town again if he wished it ; she - wanted very few - under robint, - , , 5, and asked him if he preferred the blue chequered silk! telling him to send to the Bon-in-Tine to avoid suspicion. Mrs. liarbon had yesterday denied that there were any nightcaps sent, but on 29th . April she wrote to say she bad sent the patterns to him. Think of a gentleman of eiglttrtwo haVitig lidtlefli§ of ladies dresses :lent k him! One was a pattern of body of dress and the other of 'slips, leaving the matter altogether to his good taste--4he thought three petticoats enough— the night gowns for' summer wear ; aril thre'tilght caps—(Roare of laughter)--and not too much over the face.—(Renewed laughter.) Then there was the number of fingers' length of the dresses and -slips, and night gowns, one yard and a half long.—(Bursts of lAtighter;) Let the jury only Wilk these letters,' and say holy could the old gentleman resist them. In other letters she anticipated that - when - the family returned to town they would break off - the marriage. He thought the course - pursued when they found that the daughters were averse to het introduction into the family, was most: artful, insidious, and impro per. He would show,' from the letters of the plaintiff, that -s'ae resorted to the most insidious arts to provoke the old gentleman to a breach With his fatuily. - The plaintiff requests hitt to...break at once from hiS cruel fa mily and do her justice ; and in another lettee'she calls on him ,to fly from the ' trammels of his base family. On the 12th of July she endeavours to persuade him that he is not the master or his own house, and then she iettS Wicked enough, to Suggest that the daughter was treating him cruelly—she calls her au unnatural daugh ter, wanting in duty and affection to him. There was a confirmed attempt to undermine the daughter in her father's affection, and to reprceent herself as being ready to fill her place. -On the 18th July, she says his family had caused him to treat her unchristianly; as the best means of punishing them, he was to make them some what less in their portions, and make herself pro per repara.tion. In atiellieP letter she suggested to him that if he did not take care his family would en deavour to prove him insane. That was the 7th of May, 1840, and the letter was of a very important nature, for it contained not less than five postscripts.—(Laughter.) She told him in it he was surrounded by spies, and that she would not submit to a paltry pe cuniary recompence. Now there could be nothing in his conduct on which to found a charge of insanity, except his absurd connexion with her, and the voluminous correspondence that had taken place be tween them. He thought he had shown that a most dis graceful, and unjustifiable clandestine correspondence had been carried on between the parties, and finding an invincible repugnance to any connexion on the part,of his family, .they wickedly attempted to poison the old man's mind against his:daughters, He now came to another branch of the case in which his Learned Friend had shown that, however vacillating and unsettled the de fendant had shown himself throughout, they' had at length got him • to purchase the ring and the li cense, and that to throw himself off the hook af terwards was unpardonable, and entitled the plain tiff to a large measure of damages. But the man ner in which the ring was procured showed the easy gullibity of the tilt! gentleman. On the 2d March the elaintiff's mother suggested the purchase of a ring, and a statement that he intended marriage, and had been pre vented by the opposition o(Jsi family, and that the money and stock waa . Intended a:" have been a part of the marriage portion. On-. the 22d of March, the mother again returned to the charge, and it would seem that the affair was then entirely off. He was requested to write a statement that he intended 'marriage, and he did so to get rid of their importunity. Now, it was clear from these letters that the engagement was then off, and that the purchase of the ring was only intended as an atonement to the wounded feelings of the plaintiff. In 1836 it appeared that the engagement. with Kitchen had been broken off. Mrs. Darbon said that she had mentioned the subject to Mr. Rosser in 1837, and that when she again alluded to it in 1840 he appeared to re collect what she had before stated to hire. He would not stop to inquire whether Mr. Rosser had really been in formed of this affair in 1837, but he would put it to the Jury whether, supposing such really to have been the case, it was not extremely probable at Mr. Rosser's advanced period of life, that the whole should have escaped his memory. It was the characteristic of old men that they recollected perfectly the transactions of their youth, while they forgot recent occurrences. it was clear,. from all that had taken viace, that if Mr. Rosser had received any commuutention on the subject in 1837, he had entirely and completely forgotten it. When, however, he found he was completely enclosed in the net of the family, suspecting that the young lady might entertain some lingering attachment for some ether individual, he wrote for an explanation, and that explanation had been afforded by the three letters which had that day been produced, and which she told Mr. Rosser she had preserved, for the pur poses of affording him every explanation and satis faction relating to the affair. That statement, how ever, struck him (Mr. Thesiger), as - rather remark ab!e, for the letters were dated October, 1836, at which time the affair with Kitchen was broken off; and the engagement to.air. Rosser did not take place until 1837. He would ask if those letters of Mr. Kitchen's, which had been read, did not indicate that he was a young man of the kindest feelings—they showed 1 the highest respect for his parents, and the deepest feelings of respect and esteem for Miss Sophia Darbon. He (Mr. Thesiger) could not iu those letters perceive the slightest ground for suggesting anything reflecting on the character of Mr. Kitchen. Yet how did they think Miss Sophia Darbon spoke of that young man when attracted by a more valuable prize? In her letter of 23d April, 1840, addressed to Mr. Rosser, after stating that she thought she had fully explained to him all the circumstances alluded to, sufficiently to convince him of the non-existence of any previous engagement, she said that she had preserved one or two letters, which she hoped would remove all his scruples. In her letter of the 29th of April following, enclosing the letters •of Kitchen, she, after explaining the circumstances of the money transactions between herself and Mr Kitchen, observed, speaking of Mr. Kitchen, " I entertained no sort of regard for him beyond good wishes and ordinary Christian . feelings." In her next letter to Mr. 'Rosser she spoke of Mr. Kitchen as a " degraded being," stated " she was too horror-struck at his (Kitchen's) addresses not to feel thankful that since 1836 she had lost all clue to so despicable a fellow ; that she thanked God for her escape from so degraded a creature. His Learned Friend had yesterday, in commenting on one of the letters of Mr. Rosser, written after the commencement of the present action, made use of no very mild terms in characterizing certain expressions therein made use of, alluding to the young lady's escape from destruction, body and soul, and had challenged him (Mr. To to pro duce any passage from the young lady's letter, warranting such an expression. He accepted the challenge, and would p now read a passage from the young lady's letters, which was a complete justification. In her letter of June 30, 1838, alluding to this attachment, she said, " I am well assured that it was a particular interference of Provi , donee alone that shields me from total destruc tion, body and soul, if you knew all ; and fortified my spirit to spurn with indignation the treat ment •that was threatened to unsullied and indigent vir tue." That letter also contained a passage showing that Mrs. Darbon herself had not been altogether blameless. It was as follows :—"lt was my mother's imprudence that exposed me to all those miseries." .. Mr. Rosser could not believe that this attempt to blacken the cha racter of Mr. Kitchen was part of the artifice. He (Mr. Thesiger) should show them that nothwithstandia,g all his Learned Friend had said of her ardent affection for this old man,the gratification of which alone she sought, was influ enced by mercenary motives, he should show that from beginning to end her views and those of her family had been directed solely against his property. He had Leen foolish enough to tell them shortly after the acquaint ance commenced, that he was possessed of considerable wealth, . and frOm that hour they had determined to place him such a position as might make him a pro-. Citable speculation fur all of them. On the 22d of No vember 1839, the cloven foot appeared. They had at that time advanced a considerable way in their design, although they had not got quite so far as the purchase of the license and the ring. At that tune it appeared Mr. Rosser had shown symptoms of retir ing, and they determined to retain him, by appealing at once to his feelings and his fears. The young lady, in her letter. of November 22, 1839, after saying she could not believe Mr. Rosser after his many broken promises, proceeded :—" The least you can do is to end the affair by making a handsome settlement upon me. It must not be by your will, for that you may alter. If you do not settle enough, the only thing you can do is to marry me. lam entitled to a handsome settlement for your breach 'of promise of marriage. Your letters produced in' Court would procure -me heavy damages. It is all the consequence of your own folly in list ening to the advice of friends. You had better, to secure yourself from public ridicule, marry me." So that this young lady who was so full of affection for this old man ! told him that his making love to her must expose him to public ridicule. The concluding paragraph of the letter was as follows : " If you still refuse to marry me, or to make a handsome settlement upon me, depend upon it I to mortify your daughters, inform them of the Bad( moneys.— P.S. I would accept of a bond for sixty pounds a year, in addition to the twenty pounds." In sub sequent letters ' she threatened him with informing his family of th'lßank moneys, to show, as she said, how she had cheated them, and was constantly holding a writ over his head, in terrorem. After hooking her gudgeon still more completely, she induced him to purchase the license and the • ring,-- When . she rose in her demands. In one of her letters written after that transaction, after taunting him With his many breeches—(A loud laugh)—the Learned Counsel supposed she meant breaches of promise —she said that she could not think of accepting the amount she would have done before the purchase of the license ; that-rto moiety less than an income of 1001. or 1201. a-year for life would induce her to refrain from proceeding against him; and in another, in reply 4,0 an offer on his I part of 601. a-year, she says, " As you. are .so far com mitted, it remains for yourself to make me amore worthy offer." And this was the young lady who was worn to L.• skeleton ry her iihrejuited lote fur this .old man: Now, with regard to the eAti&nde to preie this state of agonised feelings, with the exception of the mother, Whose evidence could not be much relied on, the only witnesses called were the milliner in Regent-street Who had tried a bonnet on for die young lady, when, in company with. Mr. Rosser, and to whose shop the young lady •again went a few days ago, accompanied by her -attorney and .Mrs. Bennett, who had seen her once three years ago, and again a few weeks since, It was evident Miss I)arbon was an accomplished actress, and she had got up a face of agony for the occa sion. Her real character could be better judged of from her. letters. He was,•flianliful to his . friend for having put in Mr. Rosser's letters-,,,written• since the action, beeause.they showed what must be the state of mind of that unfortunate old gentleman. He could not justify these letters, but he would read them one letter written by Miss Darbon after she had dropped the mask, which.. he.. thought was some sort of exause . for one of the...letters which Mr. Ros ser had written. That letter %vas dated June 9, .1841. There was then a letter of the 9th of January, 1841, commencing " Mr. Ross er —D ear Si r ." In this letter the tithihtiri spohki of Mr, Rosser's aggravated and dastardly conduct ;" of his "prevarications and jealousies without grounds." " Your very abominable and utterly groundless charges," she continued, " drove me to dis tfnti'dti, '.ithri I feel toeettl e you a total disgust. exceed Nothing can le beenif your very horrid treachery , your You have all through the piece." She "en all the charges ; s h e did nut f ear a ny of his false hoods," could meet him," aga and she knew him to he tt Vain, Unstable man," In conclusion, she said, ."J have reason to believe if you had fulliiled your marriage. contract . you would, per haps, have treated me unspeakably ill." Here, then, was the lady's own measure of her.-loss ! Could it be a happy Union forher? Could she.praend to say she had suffered so much in the loss of the splendid establish ment in Red Lion-square, whichhad been .spoken of by the law-stationer ? Could she:pretend all this, when she herself said that . she could anticipate nothing but ill-treatment ? But take her own character. See how smooth, how coaxing, how submissive she could be, as long as- she thought it. possible to accomplish her object, .The moment -.all hope was relinquished,- that moment dropped the mask from her face, and her real countenance and character •ap peared—that moment she appeared as the little vixen which these letters indicated her to be., She then pro ceeded to the most violent and .anmeasured abuse of this old gentleman, for whom She might have had some consideration and forbearance on account of his very advanced period in life, and the unnumbered acts of kindness of which, for nearly four years, she had been made the subject. This was the whole of the care on the part of the defendant which he proposed to offer; he did not, the Jury would observe, contend that the delbnclant was entitled to their verdict. He blushed to say that the plaintiff must recover on ac count of the promises which had been given. his object, however, in introducing the :particular part of the correspondence of the plaintiff, had been to enable the Jury, in the exercise of a clear and dispassionate judgment, fully to appreciate the motives:which had in stigated this unhappy, he had almost said unhallowed attachment, and to award such., damages only as they thought the justice of the ease, .or the conduct of both the parties, • deserved .at their hands. I sincerely wish (said the Learned Counsel), that there was a power in this country, which was pos sessed in one of the ancient States, of preventing the follies and indiscretions which are occasionally com mitted by persons who have arrived at an advanced pe riod of life, by putting them under a careful sort of pupilage not exactly amounting to the restraint which it is suggested by this lady that the children of Mr. Rosser might be disposed to place on her ; and I am indebted to one of my Learned Friends for a very apposite passage of a very distinguished writer, in which he alludes very particu larly to the subject : " Children from marriage we by laivs restrain, Why not prevent them when they're such again ? Why not forbid the doting souls to prove The indecent fondling of preposterous love ?" I will not, Gentlemen, offer any further remarks on the conduct of these parties. I leave the matter in your hands, with the most entire confi dence that you will prevent so dangerous and perilous an example as that of a person in the situation of the plaintiff, and with the assistance of. her mother, taking advantage of a doting old . :naan- to make a property of him, drawing him into the snare, until it was impossible that he could retreat without ex posing himself to scorn and ridicule, threatening him, un less he consented, to do that which was the original ob ject of the parties, and then having the exquisite effrontery to stand up in a Court of Justice to demand a verdict for tortured feelings and blighted hopes, and to expect, that such a case as this could be recommended to au in telligent and dispassionate Jury. The Learned Counsel then put in the letters which he had referred to in his address. (The trial was proceeding when we went to press.) EXCHEQUER-(THIS DAY.) WOOD AND ANOTHER V. PARKIN. This was an action brought by Messrs. Wood and Ellis . , solicitors, to recover the balance of an account for work and labour done, amounting to 3951. 18s. 4d. Mr. George, and another clerk to the plaintiffs, proved that the work charged in the bill which had been deli vered had been done. It consisted in soliciting a patent for wood paving and paying the expellees incident thereto ; the money out of pocket was upwards of 2001. In his cross-examination by the defendant, who ap peared in person, the witness denied any knowledge of any agreement between the defendant and Mr. Wood, that the firm were to make up a direction for the Com pany that was proposed to be formed, and that if they failed they should charge nothing—if they did succeed they wire to be appointed solicitors to the Company. The defendant was pursuing this line of cross-examina tion, but in so irregular a manner that his Lordship in terf red. Ina very short address to the Jury the defendant re peated the above statement, but acknowledged he could not prove it. He complained that the plaintiff's had, contrary to his instructions, completed a patent that was useless, and gave up the proceedings for a patent that would have been most valuable, and said he had entered into an ar rangement with a Mr. Grub, by which he was to be re leased from all responsibility. His LORDSHIP (Baron Gurney) said, in fact, the cause was undefended, and from the specimen of the waste of time which had taken place then, the jury would be sa tisfied that if all persons abstained from employing ad vocates, 365 days in a year would not be enough to try the causes .which came before them. The Jury immediately found a verdict for the sum claimed. BARRETT V. ABBOTT. Mr. Sergeant LUDLOW stated that this was a horse cause, but both parties were highly respectable gentle man engaged in the practice of the law, and both car rying on business in Doctors' Commons. Ifi Februaty last the defendant was in possession of mare which he said was too quiet for him. The plaintiff wished for such a horse, and upon the representation of the defen dant as to the perfect quietness of the mare; purchased her for 10/. She was delivered on a Saturday at the latter end of February —next day she was put into the chaise with the intention of driving from Tottenham to Hampstead; the moment the groom left her head she started off at full speed, and nothing stopped this quiet mare but the heavy roads, and the still heavier hill, at the end of the journey. A few days after she was again put into the chaise, in which the defendant and his son drove to town. On the road she started off, and nothing stopped her until both were thrown out, and the chaise dashed to pieces. The plaintiff was injured on the head and arm, and his son on the knee. Of course he could not drive the mare again ; and as the defendant refused to take her back, she was sold. The plaintiff sought to re cover for the damage done, for the money paid for the horse, allowing for what she fetched, for the keep of the horse until she was sold, and for such other damage as the Jury thought he was entitled to. The case, as stated, was proved by the son of the plaintiff; and an inspector of police, who saw the latter accident. A farrier at Tottenham had been employed to shoe the mare in question ; it was anything but a pleasant operation, for without, the very greatest care she would have knocked him into one forge while she remained in the other.—(A laugh.) Wm. Groombridge, son of the livery-stable keeper, drove the mare at the latter end of March. Without any cause she ran away and began kicking—she was very violent. He had been used to driving 14 years. An hostler from Stanmore, where the defendant re sided, gave evidence of her running away while in the possession of the defendant. The cost - of repairing the chaise was proved to be 71. lOs. ; it could not be shown what was got for the horse, as she had been bartered. A gentleman behind the bar addressed the Jury for the defendant, and contended that the evidence clearly pro ed that the mare at the same time of the sale was perfectly quiet, and that she had been frightened subse quently. He called the groom and footman of the defendant, his brother-in-law, who was the attorney in the cause, his father, and a Mr. Oliphant, all of whom had frequently seen and ridden behind the mare. She was perfectly free from vice, and was perfectuiet. On only one occasion did they speak to the mare ha q ving been driven in single harness. Mr. Sergeant LUDL OW re p li ed , and his Lords hi p having su l m o rd up, the Jury found f or th e plaintiff, damages COMMON PLEAS-(THIS DAY) PARKER V. TAYLOR. This was an action of trespass under the Interpleader Act. The defendant having obtained judgment upon a bill of exchange against a person named Stockbridge,- residing in Clapham, put in an exe cution, and levied the amount of the judgment debt, notwithstanding the protest of the plaintiff, Par; ker, who claimed the goods seized as his, under a bill of sale and transfer alleged to have been executed to him on the 10th of August, the day before the seizure by Stockbridge, who was his brother-in-law. The bill of sale was alleged to have been executed in satisfaction of a debt of long standing. The goods having been sold under plaintiff's protest, under these circumstances he brought the present action. The defence was, that the whole proceedings between the plaintiffand Stockbridge was a contrivance to defraud the other creditors, the allegation of debt resting only on the evidence of Stockbridge himself, and the transfer having been made subsequently to the judgment obtainei by the defendant, when the execution was im minent, and only the day before it was levied. tyrgRA,T u RE. BLACKWOOD'S ,s ; Titil.7l;Aidi NOVELS, Vol. I. MO:wood, Edinburgh, 1841. The pretent volume contains two of Galt's ear liest arid Wiest Rap, the " Annals of the Pari s h," and the " Ayrshire Legator§,' ° together with a memoir of the author, written by his friend, Mr 4 Moir. This memoir is chiefly taken from Mr. Gait's own autobiography; but the letters in terspersed throughout it are original, and im press us with a highly favourable idea of his frank, manly, and social character. It was un fortunate for his reputation as an author, that his works appeared about the same time that the Waverlev novels were de lighting or astonishing the world; and -being also chiefly devoted to Scottish subjects, Were, by the majority of readers, pronounced to 'be imitations. But nothing was ever further from the truth, for Galt, in his own peculiar line, was quite as original as his Master; and in his ad mirable sketch of "Leddy Gripps" in the "En tail," displayed a power of minutely pourtraying character every way worthy of his illustrious contemporary. If Galt had not the exuberant fitney and chivalrous enthusiasm of Scott, he had quite as much humour, and of a more decidedly Scottish cast, for it was dry, and grave, and caustic, and pre-eminently shrewd ; whereas Sir Walter's—though we do riot forget his " Cuddie Ileadriggs," &c.—Lad more of the frank, sunny, English bonhounnie and cordiality about it. We have little doubt that "Black wood's Standard No vels" will be a successful speculation, for it is proposed to comprise in the collection some of the cleverest fictions of modern times. PICTORIAL SHAKSPERE. Part XXXVIII. C. Knight, London, 1841. This Part contains the Sonnets of Shakspere —or rather the last portion of them—and is em bellished, as usual, with a variety of appro priate illustrations. THE COMMLISIONER. Part I. Curry. Dublin. 1841, As this is only a First Number, we must see more of the work before we can venture to pro nounce a decided opinion. At present, all we can say is, that it promises well. ALEXANDER'S EAST INDIA MAGAZINE. " The Origin and History of the Indian Navy," written in a brief and hurried style, forms, ne vertheless, a useful paper, from the correctness of its data. " The Ceylon system of the Universe," with its thirty-four heavens, one hundred and thirty-six hells, and doctrine of materialism, gives a curious exposition of Cuigalese belief " Papers on Mal va' informs us that the notori ous Holkar still lives, though in a most preca rious state, and has adopted Dundee Row, a boy of eleven years of age, of the Holkar tribe, son of a common Sowar, and thereby entirely shut out the restoration of Martin Row. " Life at Melbourne" contains some valuable meteorolo gical observations upon the district, and consi ders the chief causes of its great sickness of late *to arise from its river of generally impure water. Honololu, both in its shipping and internal trade is reported to be on the increasing and improve ment. THE BRITISH ALMANAC AND COM PANION, 1842. Knight and Co., London. We have always much pleasure in noticing an nually these twin publications. The Almanac originally planned by Mr. Knight, and followed, as regards many of the arrangements, by nume rous others, has created a complete revolution in the mode of constructing these useful works; and it is gratifying to find that, unlike most re volutions, the gradual progress is still towards further improvements. In the publication for the ensuing year there are several tables, monthly notices, and astronomical phenomena which are new, or formed on a different plan from that adopted on former occasions; the in formation is copious and interesting; and consi dering the quantity of matter, the small price, and the lucid and simple arrangement of the details, it may be pronounced the cheapest pub lication of the day. Nothing, in fact, but an enormous sale, could enable the publishers to give, at the trifling cost of one shilling, a work of ninety-six closely-printed pages, containing such a variety of intelligence, obtained at great expense. The " Companion " still maintains its high character for able treatises on different sub jects connected with natural history, public health, and public improvements; for numerous statistical tables, Parliamentary intelligence, and a condensed chronicle of remarkable occurrences. The papers which we recommend to especial notice, are " The Effect of the - Penny Postage," " llailways,of Great Britain," and " The Corn Trade, froni 1828 to 1841." GRAND JUNCTION CANAL COMPANY. Yesterday the half-yearly meeting of the Proprietors of this Company was held at the Crown and Anchor Ta vern, Strand. The chair was taken by Thomas Poyn der, Esq. From the report of the Managing Committee, read by Sir Francis Head, it appeared that the net ton nages for the half-year ending the 30th of June amount ed to 56,927/. 13s. lid., being 711/. 163. 10d. less than the previous six months, which was occasioned by the severe frost in last January and February, and besides decreas ing the Company's receipts, created an expense for ice breaking of nearly 1,0001. Last August the London and Birmingham Railway Company completed their experi mental culvert for conveying water from their deep cutting at Tring into the canal summit level, the result of which is to be brought before the arbitrator. The Committee have, since the last meeting, effected great reductions in the ordinary expenses of the canal by the discharge of ineffi cient servants, and by substituting as lock-keepers a num ber of the Company's carpenters and bricklayers, who still work as mechanics, without extra wages; and by an alteration in the system of dredging, the annual pay ments for labour, lock-keepers, and dredging have di minished to the extent of 5,0001 The consolidation at 14 Wharf, Paddington, of the workshops and store houses at fourteen different parts of the canal, is ex pected to effect a saving of 5,0001. a-year, making, on the whole, a reduction in the Company's ordinary expenses of about 10,000 L annually. Under these prospects a dividend of 31. 10s. per share was recommended. The cash =court was as follows :—Net tonnage, 56,9271. I3s. I Id. ; single boats, 704/. 4s. ; wharfage, &c., 225/. 135.5 d.; rents to Midsummer, 5,8061. Bs. 4d. casual receipts, 869/. Os. 2d., making a total of 64,532/. 19s. 10d. Out of which the various payments amounted to 23,4871. 14s. 5d., leaving a balance of 41,045/. ss. sd. The ex penses incurred by the Company through the inunda tion last January amounted to 1,0211., and the amount of unclaimed moneys to the 30th of October, 1841, was 15,447/. 12s. 7d. The report was unanimously adopted, and a vote of thanks . was passed to the Committee of Ma nagement, when the meeting adjourned. DESTRUCTIVE FIRE AT MESSRS. GREEN 'WOOD'S STEAM SAW-MILLS, CHAPEL -STREET, CURTAIN ROAD.—Last night, between nine and ten o'clock, a fire broke out in the steam saw-mills, belonging to Messrs. Greenwood and Company, in Chapel-street, Curtain road. Immediately after the fire broke out, the fire engines were sent for and promptly arrived. From the combustible .nature of the property on the premises, the flames gained rapid ascendancy. The engines were got into active operation, and torrents of water were thrown on the flames, and by eleven o'clock the firemen succeeded in subduing the fire, but not before immense damage had been sustained. The fire commenced in the engine-house. The stock and premises are insured. At eleven o'clock a dreadful accident occurred to a man as sisting the firemen. He had both arms severely frac tured, and was conveyed in a cab to the London Hospital in dreadful agony. NEW INFIRMA RY.—A tradesman at Wool wich, who is a maker and mender of various articles, writes over his door, " Hospital fur umbrellas—none turned out incurable." ANOTHER CHILD BURNT TO DEATH.—On Tuesday afternoon an inquest was held by Mr. Higgs at St. George's Hospital, Hyde Park-corner, on view of the body of Henry Wiggins, a child aged five years. It ap peared from the evidence of William Hallett, of Shep herd's Bush, brickmaker, that about twelve o'clock on the morning of the 25th of November last, witness was at work in one of Mr. Bird's brickfields, opposite to the White Horse at Shepherd's Bush, when, hearing a vio lent scream; he looked round, and saw two children running out of a shed iu the field, evidently in great alarm. Witness instantly went to the shed, and there found deceased enveloped in flames. Witness, assisted by deceased's father, who also hastened to the spot, im mediately extinguished the flames, but not before de ceased had been most dreadfully burnt. In spite of every care and attention he died of those injuries on Saturday morning last. Verdict—" Accidental Death." We stated, a few days ago, that Sir Robert Peel's agents were on the Continent, collecting statistical information relative to the prices of food and rates of wages ; but, from some information we have since re ceived, we are disposed to fear that those gentlemen are not applying to the best sources if they really wish to be accurately informed. Our vice-consuls up the Baltic are, no doubt, very respectable men, but the are most of them, if not all, engadge in the corn tra y de, and, in many instances, connected with the very men who lire and thrive by working the averages. However honour ably men may be disposed, they are often themselves un conscious of the extent to which their facts and opinions are biassed by their wishes and interests, and it would b e a wonder, indeed, if the consular body on the Baltic were exempt from the infirmities which attach to human nature . The hint thus thrown out may be useful, if at tended to in time. Sir Robert Peel's wish must be to receive his statistical information in as complete a form as possible orm as possible, and as nearl y approaching to accuracy. DUBLIN SOCIETY.--The Society having com municated to the Lord-Lieptenant their intention to dis continue the news-room on the Ist of January, they have been informed by Lord El iot that " his Excellency will e recommend to her Majesty's Government to petition Par liament (so Lord Eliot expresses himself) for a grant of 5,3001. for the current year ending 31st March, 1842." — Dublin Pilot. CHUIiCH-YARD POETRY. (FROM A CORRESPONDENT.) SHEFFIELD, DEC. G.—Being in the Court-room at Ecdledall to-day, I picked up the following rich and racy thing, which I thought too good to be lost, and therefore send it you. - I was fortu nate enough to get possession of the original copy, given by the defendant, and have it now in my possession. At the Court of Requests for the manor of Ec cle6all (Sheffield, Earl Mitzwilliam's manor) a person was summoned before the Commissioners on Monday last for V. 4s. 2d., being the value of a grave-stone ordered by him for his wife's grave. His defence was, that his instructions had not been followed in the inscription, he having writ ten a verse and given it to the plaintiff, who had altered it. The following is a copy verbatim et literatini, of the author's production:— " ficrse sickness and alliction come Blasted my flower just in my bloom. in love I lived in peace I died , • my life was asked but god denyed." The plaintiff had corrected this morceau in the following manner : " Fierce sickness and affliction came, Blasted my flower just in. her bloom, In love she lived, in peace she died, Iler life was asked—but God denied." After a lengthened hearing the Court held that he plaintiff had no right to recover. [The original epitaph in the above is as great a curiosity as can be conceived; but the stone cutter, inspired by a generous emulation, has in his alteration made it little less of a phenomenon. Not the least curious part of the business is, that the action was dismissed, " on the ground that the sense of the inscription had been altered"—a result that seems to us to be decidedly illegal, inasmuch as there was no sense to be altered ! Had the word " nonsense" been substituted, the decision would have been legal enough ; but scarcely so as it at present stands.] SIR FRANCIS CHANTREY. • As every incident connected with the late lamented Sir Francis Cbantrey now assumes a mournful in terest, we subjoin some lines which appeared in one or two literary periodicals of the day, on occasion of the chance-medley by which Sir Francis, when at Holkham, shot a brace of woodcocks, as his first feat in arms. If we recollect aright, the Mar quis of Wellesley wrote some elegant lines in Latin on the event, which were translated into Greek by Lord Brougham, and all three are inscribed on the pedestal of the pctrifAction of the birds effected by the great sculp tor, which he presented, in commemoration of the event, to his host : Chantrey, by genius prompted to excel, When first the fatal tube he tried, Sad victims of his new-found skill, Two beauteous woodcocks died. Repenting quick the cruel deed, And urged by pity to atone, He calls his magic chisel's aid, And turns them into stone. Thus sacred justice is appeased ; Each bird in breathing marble lives ; While the immortal fame they gain The sculptor shares and gives. Russell•square, Nov. 1830. "V. T. NEW TORY MAGISTRATES. -. BATH, DEC. 7, 1841.—The recent appointment of Tory Magistrates to most of the boroughs in the coun • try having-created much interest, and the city of Bath being one of the number, the following resolutions were this'dayagreed to at a meeting of the Town Council , and carried by a majority of 26 against 7, which majo rity would have been further increased but that many Councillors were absent, being lessees, and not feeling justified in attending on that account: — That while this Council disclaims any undue inter ference with the powers granted to her Majesty by the Act providing for the regulation of Municipal Corpora tions in the appointment of Magistrates, it feels itself called upon to express its extreme surprise at the utter disregard shown by Sir James Graham, the Secretary of State, to its recent recommendation of gentlemen qualified to fill the Commission of the Peace for the city and borough of Bath. That the list forwarded by this Council to fill up the three vacancies in the Magistracy, contained the names of ten gentlemen of long residence in this city, of un exceptionable characters, of considerable property, and possessing the general confidence of the inhabitants, and that, notwithstanding such recommendation, her Majes ty's Government have thought proper to appoint seven gentlemen whose names were not included in such list, and who have not been recommended by any legally-con stituted authority. That this Council most respectfully submits to her Majesty's Government that such a disregard of the wishes of the inhabitants of a great city, when made made known through their legally-appointed civic repre sentatives, is calculated to weaken that confidence which should exist between the Government and the people, and to diminish that reverence for the scat of justice which it is the interest of society to uphold. STOPPAGE OF MOORCROFT IRON WORKS., TO THE EDITOR OF THE MORNING CHRONICLE. SIR —As Sir Robert Peel may continue to assert that amount of distress in this country is exaggerated, a few facts may be worth his consideratiol ; I therefore beg to enclose you one. It is a copy of the original, pre sented to me this morning by some poor workmen who solicited charity to keep their families from starvation. I am, sir, your obedient servant, T. B. Wolverhampton, Dec. 4, 1841. " Moorcroft Iron Works, in the county of Stafford. " We hereby certify that the bearers hereof have been employed for many years in the above works, but are now thrown out of employ in consequence of the stop page of the above works, and we kno•+ving them to be honest, industrious men, and willing to work if they can obtain employ, have granted this ccrtlficate under our hands. (Signed) " THOMAS VERNON, Agent. " JOHN THOMPSON, Stock-taker. "Nov. 28, 1841. " les these men, there were above 400 men and boys deprived of work by the stoppage of these works, and the distress in this neighbourhood is truly appalling. (Signed) " THOMAS VERNON. " JOHN THOMPSON." DREADFUL FLOOD.—We cannot recollect a more tempestuous night, since the 6th January, 1839, than that of last evening. During the day the rain came down heavily, accompanied by frequent gusts of wind. As the evening advanced, a very strong gale arose from the south-east. Towards eight o'clock, the flat of the city became inundated with a flood, caused by high tides and the great fall of rain during the day. A river flowed through the principal streets ; and in many houses on Hammond's marsh the water was four feet deep, at least. The flood completely subsided at nine o'clock. The rain descended in torrents during the whole of last night and the greater part of this morning. We have not re ceived any reports of casualties from our sea-port cor respondents, which leads us to entertain a hope that the gale was confined to our city.—Cork Examiner, of Friday. BANK OF BRITISH NORTH AMERICA. — Yesterday an extraordinary general meeting of the pro prietors of this Company was held at the offices in St. Helen's-place, Bishopsgate, to receive a proposition from the Directors relative to the unissued shares. The meet ing was numerously attended, and James John Cum mins, Esq., presided. A series of resolutions prepared by the Directors were passed unanimously, by which it is provided that the 2,741 shares not yet issued shall be offerod to the existing proprietors at the rate of one for every six, two for every twelve, and so upwards, on con dition of their paying on or before the s th of Jan uar y a deposit of 101. per share, and making further payments to the amount of 401. per share on or before the Ist of March, 1843, when they will be entitled to receive the whole arrear of dividends, which will at that time amount to 91. per share at the present rate of dividend, which is six per cent. per annum. The present number of shares is 20,000, upon which 40/. is paid, making the capital subscribed soo,ooo/. A vote •of thanks having been passed to the Directors the meeting adjourned. FATAL ACCIDENT IN THE WEST INDIA Docics.—Yesterday forenoon, about eleven o'clock, a shocking accident, attended with fatal consequences, oc curred in the West India Docks, to a youth named Jo hn Brundell, 15 years of age, in the employ of Mr. hatch, Plumbers employed plumber, of Osborne terrace, Commiejveastihael.-. export dock. ' road, E ast. It appears that Mr. Hatch has some on board the ship Good Intent, lying t teconadi coals n for c e At the above hour the deceased, wh o upon the workmen, was desired to fetch i so m m u e the fire at which they were heating t d ieir irons. Some time having elapsed and the deceased unsuccessfully, at length groans were h n e o a appearance, search was made after open, and a e nd tim on e from the hold of the vessel, whriehlmw,asf‘trdintoakpinrogeeheids going down the unfortunate youth was discovered lying manner. insensible on some chain cables with his skull shattered in a shocking He ashore, and conv e y e d in a c e ab w t a o s the imm but he expired shortly after his admission. Londonatel y Hospital, brough t ToOTH- ACHE,—At a late meeting of the Lon don Medical S • that he could Society, el a short time ago, ache, provided t u h r e e y t t i v i e e re m Dr. Blake stated notos most desperate t d c aseswith o r f h e t o u o m t h a -- tis m, by the PP um lic A a l tion of the following, remedy to the decayed to o th a re duced to an impalpable pow der, tw o d rac h ms ; nitrous spirits of ether, seven drachms. Mix them well and appli them to the tooth. HOPKINS AND DREWITT S FAILURE. —By reference to our advertising columns it will be seen that the late bankers are declared bankrupt. This was, per haps, under the peculiar circumstances of the case, the only step to be taken to secure 20s. in the pound, without drawing ruinously upon Mr. John Drewitt's private es tate.—Brighten Guardian. A person who had laid some night hooks down in the river Tivy, Cardiganshire , a little time ago, and on going the following morning to visit his lines, he found a crane attached to one of them. An eel had taken the bait, and was caught by the hook, and the crane after wards took the eel as a bait, and he got hooked himself. —Carmarthen Journal. The celebrated German female traveller Baroness Dinglage, of Hanover, died of fever, in Cairo, on the 15th ult. She was about 50 years of age; she travelled alone, and was preparing to set out on a visit to the ruins of Thebes. Fevers have been this year extremely fatal in Egypt. No less than 40 persons daily died of them in Alexandria. EVENING SUN GENERAL DISTRESS. n Tir tt 4 • (From the _Morning . Advertiser.) /';. - 71 - , , - ,_ -,7 If the inh a bit an t s of some other planet were to visit,.';:.(' g xl __' 1, ' ours, and to vouch that the laws were there framed and . -..,-; _ A er administered upon a principle which made the id1e:;304.:1-_ , " UP wealthy and the industrious poor—which made the mass : -;.:.:- .. , :;,4p,„ 1 4 Dct, of the inhabitants dependent upon their 00:n skill 9.11 d !.:;)'• ~ industry for the means of existence, and at the Sat time., , ,..,,, :. - " .• so narrowed the field for' 'the exercise of that skill. and ' industry, as to leave thousands in want and destitutti* --- V&SMAg which dealt with poverty as a crime, and best la c honours and distinction xipon wealth„howsoever acquired and' howsoever expended—which drove the virtuous to ~ ~ ; : acts of desperation and madness, and then stigmatized the lifeless bodies of the victims of the law's injustice with - the brand of shame and disgrace—if all this were avouched to, be the state of things in another , planet, what would the "humane and intelligent" inha bitants of our own " favoured" land think of the cora miinication ? One of two things, undoubtedly ; either that the narrator dealt in fiction, or that the race of beings to whom his commun i ca ti on h a d reference, were not one remove from those fallen beings, whose malign hostility to the beneficent intentions of their justlY-offended Maker, . induced, the blasphemous resolve— " To do aught good never will be our task ; . But ever to do ill our sole delight." What would startle and confound us, as a revelation from another sphere of existence, passes before our ayes, however, as a matter of course, awakening no astonoh ment, and exciting no apprehension of those fearful judg ments which the religion by law established assures us must follow upon national injustice and the oppression of the poor. Have our readers read the particulars of a late " dreadful case of murder and suicide," which occur red at Leigh, in Lancashire, where a poor woman, of whom one of the witpesses on the inquest said, " iere was not a more hardworking woman in Leigh, or one who strove harder for a living "—where this poor crea ture, having three young children dependent upon her for subsistence, and being "unable," as she had declared to a companion, "to get a meal for them," although, sometimes by washing and sometimes by weaving, she managed to obtain from two and sixpence to two and ninepence a week—a penny a day for each in the family, even supposing it to be all expended in food !—where this poor creature, in a fit of desperation, destroyed Tier infant and herself, " being unwilling," as the Coroner's Jury put it in their verdict, "to leave her infant child behind ; " and for this double crime of " murder and suicide, was ignominiously consigned to a felon's grave, without the usual rites of the Church ? " • Betsy Thompson was one of the hundreds of poor creatures whose lives have been rendered wretched, and whose deaths have been accelerated by the insk_amen tality of the Corn-laws, and the barbarous ba74.: ardy clause of the new Poor-law. She was, as we have soon, an honest and industrious woman, but she had three ille gitimate children, whom our thoughtful and sensitively moral Legislature, in its deep anxiety to elevate the moral feelings and condition of the people, threw upon their mother for support, while it set the father free from all obligation ; or, what amounts to the same thing, en forced the obligation by means so inadequate to the purpose, as to render them, according to the evidence of the relieving officer, an object of defiance and deri sion with those whom it is pretended they are framed to affect. . The whole of the evidence, in point of fact, concurred in two points : that though " remarkably industrious," she , could not obtain food for her children ; and that a sense of their sufferings, acting upon a susceptible and impaired mind, induced her to precipitate herself and her infant into eternity. The mental and bodily suffering of Betsy Thompson, and her three helpless children, is no solitary case. At the Conference of Ministers just held in North Wales, G. Evans, Esq., of Mueyspandi, Merionethshire, stated that the small farmers in his neighbourhood were totally unable to give employment to the labouring popu lation, being scarcely able to provide food for their own families ; that meat seldom appeared at their tables from one end of the year to the other ; and that distress grew worse and worse among the population. The.aev. 0. Thomas, of Talsarn, stated that the distress of the working people in his neighbourhood was very great, and that the people in the parish where he resided were actually starving. He stated, amongst other things, that he knew an honest working man who had nothing for his break fast but the tea-leaves given him by his neighbours, and vegetibles collected from the .fields ; and a woman who had lived for one whole week upon potatoe-peel. Dr. 0. 0. Roberts, of Bangor, stated that " his avocation as a medical practitioner gave him abundant opportunities of knowing the real condition of the poor, and that their distress was of the most heart-rending character. In the Bangor Union a poor woman, who had lain ill for five weeks, had scarcely any clothes during the time he had attended her. She had only one shirt, which, having washed, and having no fire wherewith to dry it, she was obliged to put on whilst wet. She had no bed. She was i n a 6 ,andition not fit to keep a pig in. Her misery was horrible t& look upon." Everybody hart suposed that the life of a hand-loom weaver exhibited the g ri :nd climacteric of human wretch edness ; but we Jiave lived to see that notion refuted ; for the Illichburn Gazette state.: , that the condition of even the hand-loom weavers of that town has been affec ted for the worse ; and, of course, that " their sufferings appear to have reached the last stage of human en durance." In the town of Paisley, the number of those living upon ltd. per day, doled out by the hand of charity, had In creased from 6,500 to 11,100 ten days ago ; and there is good reason for thinking that by this time the number of such persons reach 12,000—much more than a fourth of the entire population. At Leeds, where, as we last week stated,. 5,576 per sons, oat of 19,936, who had been visited, have no vi sible means of ,existence, while the average totai weekly income of the whole is less than led. per day, the pres s r.! of distress, and the extent of suffering, are stated by the Leeds Mercury to be much on the increase. At Bolt )n, as we !earn from a resolution passed st a public meeting held there, "the distress is as unparalleled in its severity as in its duration." At Nottingham " hundreds," says a Correspondent of the Gi be, "are starving on straw beds, without food, fire, or covering • and these are the people who would • work if they could get it. Each day parties of men, with starvation in their looks, and dressed in absolute rigs, have been parading the town in processions of two, thre-, and - four hundred, carrying a board, and which is printed in large letters, ' Distressed and out of work.' Other parties, to the number of thirty or- forty, drag carts, loaded with sand, through the streets, and beg from door to door. The relief list at the Union work house contains 3,600 recipients. The house itself has 900 inmates crammed within its walls. * * * Be sides those receiving parish relief, upwards of 2,000 are starving. Distress and gaunt misery haunt the whole wn." In the west of Scotland the state of the labouring classes is equally appalling. " The city missionaries, secretaries of the different charity societies, and clergy men of populous districts in the suburbs," says the Glas gow Chronicle, " are all soliciting aid of every descrip tion, to relieve the distress they daily come in contact with. The calico-printing business is in the most hope less state ; and we are certain we do not exaggerate when we say that in the west of Scotland one-half of the workers are idle, and that the same number of masters would be bankrupt had they not capital to fall back upon. As to the weaving population, they have for so long been reduced to a state of misery, and we have so t a frequently had occasion to s how the hel p less state the y do i not s n o f l e v e i inclinedkintaking a d imorere e aboutar are co n t come them. , that e The distress don, and it is to t his fact that we wish p articularl y to direct attention." now much this distress will be ag gravated by the re solution to which the ironm aste r s of Scotland have come, under the pressure of " wire neces sity," to blow out for six months one-fourth of their fur naces, we leave our readers to conceive. The nr e l ea f sn a s c d t: ne w s • e t l l t i a a t v We might proceed to multiply these ovidences of sbuaynmn class s s s o a l f r e 3 g tm a '. ! human suffering to an almost unlimited extent, but it is commercialem might be monopolies. i r ea n sd. is d h u e tt o d fa i i n r illustration of the frightful state of society, brought about Oh, the wealthy moralization and vice 'of • ' of the "lower orders!" These good folks—we mean the sleek and simple creatures of this wicked world, who, from the sanctity of their drawiug rooms, preach the Christian necessity of a life of unremit ting toil, and somehow see their cash account flourish with their principles —these excellent people are ever prone, when the text can be wrested so their purpose, to unclasp their family Bible, and read therefrom the apt denuncia tion of the prevailing wickedness. If a poor creature, plunged into the very depths of human misery, and, like Betsy Thompson, "feeling what wretches feel," per petrates in the phrcnzy of the moment what, under other circumstances, would be RS high a crime against her own feelings as against Heaven, these Christian expounders', armed with the law of God, come forth, brand the me mory of the unfortunate with the crime of murder, and throw him or her into the earth like a dog. This cannot last long. The bonds of society must snap asunder first. It is the result of no necessity, na tural or social, but of unrighteous legislation, under which neither industry, steadiness, nor frugality, nor all combined, can keep Poverty and Wretchedness from the homes of the poor. The language it breathes to the poor is this : " I'll manacle thy neck and feet together ; Sea water shalt thou drink— thy food shall be The fresh brook muscles, withered roots, and husks,'' and even worse than that ! The Tories may strengthen the hands of their parti san magistrates—they may multiply their inland for tresses—they may increase their soldiery and their po lice, but all will be in vain to mai ntain the ex isting state of things.' There is " a sure word of prophecy" w hi c h points out the end of all such attempts. Let those who present Bibles and bayonets to the poor, instead of food, ponder well upon it :—" Woe unto them that join house to house, and field to field, till there be no place [for the people], that they [the monopolists] may be placed alone in the midst of the earth. Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without mea sure ; and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it. As the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall he as rottennes s , and their ' blossom shall go up as dust • because , ' tney have cast away the law of the Lord of Hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel !" ANTI-MONOPOLY AT LIVERPOOL.—We have great pleasure in stating that a numerous and influential meeting of the friends of free trade was held in this town, yesterday, Thomas Thornely, Esq., M.P., in the chair, at which it was unanimo us ly res olved to form a Society for the purpose of exposing the injustice, and aiding in the overthrow, of the Corn-laws, the Sugar Coffee, and Timber Duties, and of all other commercial, and agricultural monopolies, and _protections of every kind, now in existence,—Liverpool T imes, _-~..,,~ ptllr ed in!: opo- i OP c 1 goo' # . - 4.4