The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1870-07-12 00:00:00

A LOVER'S PRESENTS-CURIOUS CASE,

An action was brought on Wednesday in the Exeter
county court to recover the sumo( £IO, value of certain
articles presented by the plaintiff to the defendant in
contemplation of marriage. The plaintiff, Mr. Sion:Ban,
is • middle-aged men of independent means, li•ing at
Exeter; and the defendant, Miss Eleanor Tucker, is a
dressmaker residing with her parents at Herm:tree. In
the commencement of this year the plaintiff appears to
have determined to settle in life. He purchased •
niece of ground, on which he proceeded to have a house
erected; and it having occurred to him theta wife would
be • great desideratum in his new home, he resolved to
make an off•r of his heart and hand to the defendant,
who is a tall, prepossessing young woman. He laboured
under the disad vantage of not being personally acquainted
with the object of his choices, but he had known her by
sight for ten year.. One morning in April he went to
Mr.. Allison's at Heavitree, where Miss Tucker worked;
and having obtained his first interview with her, he at
once, without circumlocution, made known the object
of his visit by asking the young lady to become his wife.
Startled by the soddenness of the proposal, the defeat.
dent begged time for consideration, During the ensuing
week the plaintiff saw the defendant every day. He
told her on the evening of her first day's acquantance-
ship that ha had a house beautifully furnished, and on
every day of that week be made her • present of some
kind. First he gave her two costly brooches, then came
a laty's trunk, followed by a watch and chain, comb
and brush, silver thimble, card case, Ito. Some of these
things were left for defendant at her residence during
her absence, and she rather demurred at receiving such
costly presents, but plaintiff insisted. He also gave his
expected bride's mother a workbox. A week after the
offer of niarnage, the defendant, who in the meantime
had learnt that the house represented as being beauti-
fully furnished was not half built, told the Tould-bii
bridegroom that she did not intend to marry for two or •
three years. This communication the plaintiff, haying
regard to the tone in which it was wade, construed into
refusal of his offer, and he 041110 as • suitor no more.
When he left her, however, after receiving this answer,
be told her she was welcome to the things he had given
her. Subsequently, however, be changed his mind, and
went to defendant and demanded ths return of his
Presents. Defendant refused to give them up, and he
now sued to recover them or their value. Mr. Floud,
for plaintiff, eontendrd. on the evidence of Mr. Blume's,
that the things were given conditionally on Miss Tucker
beeeming his wife, •nd tbob aa *overall of thew wore
not handed to defendant by plaintiff the deed of gift was
not complete, and that plaintiff was entitled to recover.
Mr. Fitend, for the defendant, submitted that they
were given unconditionally, and that there had heen so
absolute gift even after he had obtained defendant's
decision. His Honour said it was a pity this matter
had not been compromised. A case bed been deter-
mined in reference to gifts given in contemplation of
marriage, and be should adjourn his judgment until the
next court in order to look into it,

THS jury on Thursday awarded £5OO damages against
the Countess of Derwentwater for the wrongful seizure
of stook on Newland's farm, Northumberland, under
bey claim to the Derwentwater estates.
Ths King of Italy has sent 14,000 f. from hie privy
pima to the assistance of the Dahlias who have suf-
fered from the late fire at Para. Prince Hembert has
given 1,0001. fur the same purpose.
Tug Earl of Pembroke, eldest son of the late Lord
Herbert, appear, to have taken up his residence in New
Z.aland. He is now residing onto island in Annklaild•
the property of Sir George Grey.
Tiin New York press publishes despatches from
Havanna stating that the insurgents have recently
gained several victories over the Spaniards in the
liastern det.artment of the island.
AOCORDI to intehigenos from Canada, the Canadi
NG an
Government has no information that any Amerman
631 p-rinse have been stopped in the Strait of Canso, as
alleged by General Butler in the House of Heine.
tentative'.

A iiltll—gßAlten RIITIZAT.--Mr. Donald Dalrymple's
Bill to amend the Law of Lunacy. and to provide for
the management of habitual drunkards, is published.
It proposes the establishment of refuges and reform..
Curiae, to which habitual druokarda may retire or be I
sent for periods varying from three months to a year ;
habitual drunkenness being practically considered as • I
form of insanity.
HOLLOWATILI OINTIMIT AND PILLS. --SURZ RZLIZF
—The weak and enervated suffer severely from nervous
affections when storms or electrie disturbance agitate the
atmosphere. Neuralgia, gouty pangs, and lying pains,
very distressing to • delicate system, may he readily
removed by robbing this ointment upon the affected
part alter tt has been fomented with warm water. The
pills taktn occasionally in the doses prescribed by the
Instructions keep the digestion in order, ezeite a free
low of healthy bile, and regenerate the impoverished
blood with richer materials, resulting from thoroughly
eesimileted food, wanting which, the strongest must
ioevit.biy s.ezet sink into feebleness, and the deheat•
led it diffisult to maintain existeace. Holloway's
ointaionk and pills are infallible fousadiea.

TWO MAN STARVED TO DEATI-17'..1
Mr. Htimphrys held two Inquiet' ou Th.
respecting the deaths of William Hoehn, aged s.rittr,
formerly • city clerk, and George Eroat?at,.
labourer, aged 30 years. Hewlin 'polled for
at the Whitechapel Workhouse on Thursday, I.ll"`te
dreadfully emaciated, bed been a clerk to a eir, nine
end through their not wanting his servioes t, lie
into destitution. The doctor was called to kin, 'lnt
food was given to him ; on Tuesday he expired.' ',44
Champney. made a post 'torten examinati.,,,
was not • particle of fat on the holy. lie h"'rt
dently suffered from want of food for • 'cry 104 „7.'
The atomaeh snit intestines were quite empty. ../".
jury returned a verdict of " Death from starroi„:4.
Brown, on Tuesday, was found sitting on t,e '
of the woikhouse. He was taken into the home,
be said that be had not heated food for eight Cy; a
Champneys stated that I.e died on Wednesdy
the effects of starvation. There we. Do fat 0,14
body, and the bones came thronch the skin. Th. 21
returned • verdict of "Death from want of food,•'?

THE FORTHCOMING CENSUS.
Convocation of the Province of Canterbury
session, and their lordships of the Upper Hone. h
done one or two things worthy of note. Adruitt:a.
Dissenters ta the Holy Communion is justified by
Bi,hops of Gloucester. Ely, and Bath and Wells,
his Lordship of Salisbury "thinks it unnerems,.::'
inquire who his fellow communicants a ~
re." The,'mo
be a good deal of wiednm in such retiomee
Wednesday the Upper House talked about the
coming cerise., and the practicability of tskin,
obtain a registration of members of the Chum
England. The Bishop of Oxford said in the is:4
census, many eh•pels returned greater numbers 4,4
they were capable of holding. The Bishop of
said the Sunday on which the census was taken au,
extremely rainy day, and the consequence
while the chapels were filled the chutcl,,,, ,4,1‘
emptied ! (Of °Dune church-goers would not att.o
church on a wet day. My Lord ham e good ooition
his flock 11 The Bishop of Ely said it IF as
generally reported that • great effort was mails t„
the Dissent.na chapels on that day, and Church
England people muds no effort. The Bi.t.op
Wiochester moved,—" That while the lions. is fslis
mosible of the importance of obtaining an ac..urat
,r..
gistiation of members of the Church of England st,..t
Wales, it is not aware of any measure that colid
usefully taken." The Bishop of Salisbury, in see
ing the resolution, said the census of IE6I now oceutuA
the gronnd, and they wanted something more truo.fp,
and perfect. Al the same time be thought the tam,
had not come for action.