The Express.
London, England, 1862-04-26 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, SATURDAY ETENRIG, APRIL 26,

kind—omega, that is, in which leneest, indus-
trious, and respectable girls have been ruined
under a solemn premiss of manisge--have rases*
occurred. A eogresposdimt writing fro* Lin-
oolnahire, whose Islts; appeared in - our
columns last week, gives a similar case that bad re- I
cently occurred in the rustic life of his own 1
neighbourhood. A girl, seventeen years of age, ,
who was out at service, " returned home to her
" parents for a week's holiday, and while there was
" persuaded by a young man to go with him to be ,
" married, instead of returning to her situation.
" Trusting to his word she went. The following
" Sunday, finding no banns put up, she remon-
" strated. He said there had been a mistake,
" and they should be the next week. It came,
" and he then jeered at her simplicity for sup-
" posing he ever meant to marry her. She would
" not live disgraced, and went and hanged herself.
" For this villain the law had no punishment
" whatever ; but the magistrate might if he
" pleased have sent the victim to gaol." This
happened some months ago, but during the last few
days a similar case, followed by the same results, had
occurred at Great Grimsby, in the same county. Our
correspondent calls attention to the peculiar cruelty
and hardship of three cases, and the difficulty—or
rather in most cases the impossibility—of obtaining
redress for the irreparable injury done :—" The
" only way by which a villain who has made use
" of • promise of marriage to ruin a poor girl can
" be punished is by • civil prosecution, when a
" sum of money will be gravely awarded by a
" judge and jury as compensation for the injury.
" In the days of the Normans a similar law
" existed in cases of homicide. We shrink with
" horror at the thought of awarding money for
" human life • but a pecuniary mulct is still
" the only punishment for a crime that often
"brings the victim to the madhouse or the grave."
Every now and then one of these cases in which
a poor girl has been ruined under a solemn promise
of marriage comes before the Courts in the form
of a civil action, and some alight damages are
awarded. But in most cases even this nominal re-
dress is not within the reach of the unhappy
victim. Our correspondent naturally asks i—
_

" Might not these cruel cues of seduction under
" promisss of marriage be separated from those of
" deliberate immorality on the part of the woman,

" and transferred from the civil to the crimin►
" side of our courts of justice I Such a measure
" would extend the protection of the law to those
" classes whose poverty at present both exposes
" them to temptation and deprives them of all
" redress ; for where the seducer is as poor se his
" victim compensation is impossible, and damages
" are a mockery." There is undoubtedly an
enormous difference between the cases of
girls who easily or willingly allow them-
selves to be drawn aside from the path
of virtue, and those who are deliberately seduced
under solemn forms of promise which are in their
own circle not nnfrequently looked upon as virtual
marriage. In these latter cases the result proves
that so far from having had any criminal desire or
intention, the deluded victims prefer death to dis-
honour. If it were possible, the cases ought un•
doubtedly to be separated, and some fitting penalty
provided for so grievous and fatal an injury.
We are all aware that the subject is beset with
grave difficulties ; that any such legislative
attempt would tend to recognise a deviation from
that solemn and public form of marriage contract
already established for the protection of women ;
and further, that it would be extremely difficult
Ito prevent a law founded on such a distinction
from being widely abused. But these are only
reasons for proceeding with caution, not reasons
for acquiescing in the present grievously defective
state of the law. We commend the three asses
mentioned above to the consideration of law r►
formers. In the meanwhile, in the absence of
express and severe legal penalties for this worst
and most cruel species of injury, it is the more
important that it should be brought before the
tribunal of public opinion, and exposed to the just
xecration of all manly and honest minds.

LATENr rNTELLIQIII4OII.

...

AUSTRIA.
It has been renirullad that of late the Vienna
jeurnala have dimmed various subjects with great
freedom. The question of the Beak' that of Hun-
gary, with its dependencies, and that of federal
reform, are remarked on without restriction. The
Concordat also is the subject of warm discussion.
As a proof of the advance recently made, it is suffi-
cient, perhaps, to state that a Vienna journal, the
Neueste Nachrklaes, has openly declared against
the Pope's temporal power.
A letter from Trieste states that the iron-cased
frigate Salamander was launched three days back,
and is to be immediately fitted out. She is the
first vessel of the kind in the Austrian navy, but
three others are being built, one of which, the
Schwartsemberg, will be launched at Pole next
month. The Austrian builders have not followed
the American system, but that of Franca The
Salamander will, it is expected, be ready for soa
in June next.

0111,011iiiirmsoatitill box for the Voistiassires, sad Ow
dboorre pasobad that • forgo, bed bream-
'MAlL Oa bog* K Wasod oat that tits lb* two lotion
two ormalorfolt.lo4lw lbo swain cif tho
paw anortal Sae imos who won offselgiobobox so pro-
cured for TOOK. They wore tam to prima.

Fourteen busts of celebrated ;dramatic authors,
from Rotron to Scribe, are about to be placed as
ornaments on the front of the ThdLtre Francais.

INTIMNATIONAL Bsanrrtox. The amn received
for the sale of season tickets already exceeds the
sum received for the corrresponding period in 1851.
The sale yesterday at Exeter-hall exceeded 1,0001.
We understand that Sir John Lefevre is about

NAVAL AND MALITARY:'

THE ROBERTSON COURT-MARTIAL.
ERE VERDICT.

(Prom Saunciers's NewsZegter.)
The finding has been this day (Friday) read to
Captain Robertson, acquitting him.

AmaxAzar Aran 25.—Arpourrimmi.Com-
wander O. J. Billow, to the Rails, commissioned.
Lieutenant T. IL H. Wyoyard, to the Colossus.
Nader R. O. Dyer, to the Royal Adelaide, for service in
the Priming Alice.
Shooed Hester W. J. Hooper, to the Shannon.
Surgeon D. Lyall, M.D., to be additional to the Piaprd.
Paymaster J. Hayward, to the Eagle.
Ambient Sugeosio—W. Edney, to Greenwich Hospital;
J. Jefferson, to the Doris ; J. Earrelly, to the Exoellent ; T.
G. Wilma, to Bermuda Hospital ; W. D. Snritattoisotte
Victory • H. G. Ruby, to Hadar Bonita ; J.
to the 'trick% for lentos at Hadar Hoimitel ; E. B.
gory Variting), the Devastation ; and J. (adios),
Hasten' Andresen—B. J. Sims, to the RenerraiT.
Goober, to the Trafalgar; H. Bder, to the V ;W.
Spun, Victory ;G. S. ireodo the Ivry ;P.
to the Defame ; J. E. Babr„11. O. mg* and
0. P. o, to the Adventure.
Assistant Paymasters—T. W. Moore, to the Royal Ade-
laide; J. L. Order, to the Adventure; and W. H. Has.
well, to the Awnless.
Oterk—W. Adams, to the Adventure.
Pint-Class Anistent Eocineer J. Simpson (eating), to
the Royal Added*, for memos in the Prinosin Alww
Naval Cadet C. R. Bell, to the Deleon.

PORTSMOUTH, APRIL 25.
The Royal Sovereign, three-decker, undergoing
the proms of conversion into an irow.creed shield ship, was
docked to-day to be brought forward as soon as poenhhi.
The Royal Marine* light infantry were of loiauy inspected
today by Major-General Ws:ahem
Oaptain Eadreff, of the Imperial Russian screw EH-
gotsal,°let. ;47,e'r, by
treiluraPaVutt,
Vine-Admiral W. Brom RtarAdmiral the *Hon. G.
Grey, this morning.

CHATHAM, Ann 25.
By direction of the Lords of the Admiralty,
Luteaant M. Rogge, Royal Marines, serving on board
the Hero, 89, has been dismissed from the awes" their
lordships being diasatiafied with hie conduct in • recent case
where he was stabbed by • corpora of Royal Marines, who
was subsequently asiatenced to 14 years" penal servitude.
Moors IBON bIIDLC—The Windsor Castle, E. L troop-
ship, which arrived at Gravesend yesterday from Bombay,
landed her cavalry sad infantry troops, to the number of
nearly 250 men of all tanks, at Government-quay this
morning, when the whole were immediately forwarded to
this garrison, when, on their snivel, three regisking inediMl
treatment were admitted isle Fest Pitt Hospital.