The Express.
London, England, 1855-04-09 00:00:00

I be at the saga limo observed, that ke meet say it was mar
very honourable for the defendant, who had obtained bir
promotioa by Masa, of the money N advaneed to him, Alt
torn retied afterwards sad my thaillthe contract by *Hob
he obt iced it was illegal.
Mr. &dean' Chaantll was engsged in the nisi prios court
the w►ole of the day in tryinr • ectunton jury oamara
" Chappell v. Brandon." T►e arias was brought to recover
paws/Woe of a bill of esciange Hu 80W., which bad bomb
entrusted by the plaintiff, who is an attorney, to another
person to be discounted. The real question in the !4WD wee
wh4her 6 per mat. or 30 per cent. was to he paid us interest,
and tke proceedings were of no interest to the public. The
jury returned a verdict la the plaintiff.
The 0910111 will not sit oa Mooday sad i•esday, bat will
meet on Wednesday morning at nine o'clock.

NORTHERN CIRCUIT.-LANCABTEN APIIL 7.

THE HOPWOOD WILL CASE.
The court at the cunning this morning was 'resided fw
exams. A large number of the nobility and gentry were
present, as it was understood the Attorney-Chanel would

the defence:

The Attorney General commenced by stating that he re-
presented an upforninete gentleman, who, whatever may
have been his errors and faults, could not be eonsidered other
teen an object of compusion. Horn and bred In the so.
penance of a noble inheritance, he found himself involved
is this most painful aid wretched Inquiry, and in danger of
Ming despoiled ut the inheritance which had been the object
of his legitimist* hopes; and that not by any of tease
accidental circumstances to which, in the mutability of
human toiugs, all men are at times subject, but by the
macitinations, by the hostility of those at whosilumda--frona.
ties 01 bluod and natural affection, and from the renellem
nun of the years of infancy and childhood paned neither .
—he might have expected affection, or at all events mercy.
he learned counsel preceened to may, that his client did cot
=Manic that in the case of the late Mr. Hopwood there
era- insanity or lunacy, but that owing to the gradual decay
of the vital powers there was the weakening of the nano •
lent which rendered this gentleman, slthosith oompenat
to couverse and take an interest in the *rather,
Woke of diathesis's, incapable of the.. powers of re-
flection demanded by more tuan the ordinary duties of life :
tbat he had become not only incapable of mental energy
himself, but ea.cely in the Mite of micd in sthish be was-
capable of being prompted, end of receiving his thought., se:
it were, from persons acting Open him. Tbe learned counsel
described the gradual lapse of the testator's intellect, kir
manifested la • forgetfule•ie of the habits of his original
high breeding, descending ohm as a disregard fur comma
external proprieties, and the use of bad and irritable
Nosing.. He Own denounced the insinuation that Capt.
Hopwood was desirous of attempting to prove his father m
lunatic; and to this ascribed the testator's eager and the
alteration of his will. Copan Hopwood knew he had only
to come into his father's presence, aid his anger would be •
appeased by explanations; but to guard against this the
brothers removed the will from the lather's Chia
tody. Attuning to Mrs. Hopwood's (Capt. Hhpwood'e wife)
visit to the hell, and her eudeavoure to obtain a private
interview with the testator, the learned counsel Said that
the testator three times assented thereto, but that Mr. P.
1 Hopwood intervened with "I will not permit it." Why
nut? demanded the Attorney 0 I. Could he suppose
fur a moment that she intended to do the pour old man any
injury ? Could he suppose for a moment that she came -.
there for the purpose of getting him to sign any document I • •
The thing is absurd—too absurd to hear a single momeetle
consideration. What, then, was the motive ? I defy you.
iugenuity to suggest more than one : it was data mince
that there 'humid be no reconciliation. It was felt
that the intercession of the suppliant doughtrron-
law—the wife of the father's own son—would he
powerful to mitigato his wrath and turn his heart
from his eager towards his son, whom he had loved
so long, and the rev. gentlemen wee determined that the
opportunity should not be eflorded. Mrs. Elitism Hopwood
urged, unrested, implored; she went upon her handed -
knees; she implored forgiveness for her buabaud; she ea.
treated her latheriu•law to allow him to retire ; she Ina
minded him that they had parted friends; she ~eked what
he bad dune sloes, and she implored that he miethe be per-
mitted to return. Mr. Fronk Hopwood, she situ tell you,
interrupting her, said, "He has behavedlvery ill.—be bee
said all over the country that lather wee mod ;" and the
poor old man mid, " Yes, he says I am mad." doe deals.
it, again implores him to let his son mme hick I
and every time she does this the Rev. gentleman, •
the brother of the eon, comes in "gain, with hie
chiding, bighting words,—. Tell him to write ;" au*
the old man says, "Ti., tell him to write—tell him to
write." At last, seeing that her supplications only pro-
duced distress, and that her influence was withered by this
baneful influence, she &inn, end this moving went, that
une would conceive would reduce a heart of stone to softness
—a daughter praying to a father for mercy for her bust:Led.
for his son—and con.mous :hat • entitle word from him who
stood beside her—the brother cot this alts -nt ma—world
have accomplished her purpose—is closed. Far num eddies
hey, all that shit can du is frustrated and resented abortive
—blighted by the in ion of the son and brother—
that sun end brother a minister of Christianity and peen,
who, one would have eupposef, would, at such a moment,
have gladly added his supplications to ben tor an ening
brother. But uo, it was nut to be so. The learned gentle-
man then entered upon an examination of the arrangement/
of the well as set forth in the evidence, and cone:tatted by
calling on the jury to du justice to his dee,,ly.imjered client.
The lint witness called fur the defence 1148 Su.an Fauny
Hopwoud, wile of the detendant. Mrs. 11••peuod 5.1.1
have flee children, and was always upon terms it effeetioe
with Mr. Hopwood senior. I never knew of anything une
pleesaut taking place between him and my huebead. Since
11139 I noticed Mr. Hopwoud's getting very irritable, ecoula
times to.. ards servants and sotettimee to paste. I rementa
her la 1852 his gong to Chester races with Colouel flop.
wood. He got incised nearly so hour bet ft tae time ei go.
I remarked to Column Hopwood that he would Eon hie
hands toll; meaning that he would have to manage hip
father. I remember Colonel H •pwood spe.kieg to me of
his intended metriege. He said he w,e gotrg to sea' hie
father at Mr Mscbtll's upon the subjeet. 1 to:d him hie.
tether would not take the same interest in hi. marriage,
and he must not beditappointed. Ou his return nom Me.
Mitchell's Le said he lied had a long convereatiea with hie
father, and wheu he expeeted an answer hi. tether sate he
would go to Scotland. He had spoken to his father the •
previous evening on the subject of the marriage. I reminded
him of my übservati mi. About two or three weeks before
• the marriage of Colonel Hopwood I was at Hoperecele .
• Frank, Lady Eleanor, and the colonel, were •1 there. They
talkie about toe marriage settlement, and Frank r• eau.
m• nded that the lather should write a lever to Mr. Woie-
house. We went into the drawing room, and Fronk toe*
• a cuoy. I had some conversation with Caideiti Hopwood
• about the letter in the evening. On the follewleg atoning
another letter was prepared, ..ifrent to that ie pith heft •
: minuted, been prepared. Frank came into the ro, in, and
' said to hi. brother, it Tnis must do. Yco will no-. get tiro-
to write another." S me time before the mairi.go I had
some conversation with Frank ab•cut the loss of some money.
He acid his father was conetantly losing merle"; he had lost.
a very large sous, and it was very wrong of lie brothi-r not
to take tut control of attain, and des:red I should represent
it to him. I said he was hot there all the year' aid it
was not pension he could take the control. He was
speaking about my husband. 011 one ,CCILaiOII, be.
fore he was married, be urged that Ca main Hop-
wood should take charge of the affairs ; there wee
no master, and the money went like bail. I remember
Lord Sefton coming over to Hopwood one day. Hie lord-
ship said he "tarred Mr. Hopwood was very much altered.
1 replied, " Yee, he is very well in health, hut ,tiered is
' mind " I remember about tee marti•ge. Mr Hopwood'
came down stairs He could sweet, mu r aegthii.g cohe-
rent. He a:k• d the little girl if she would hay, mime cannel
coal to ear. His head was much affected. 'Les was about
J.ly, 1850. He took his coat end waistcoat iff in the
drawing.toom; he emptied hie pocket., cud appended to
think he was going to bed. Mr. Woo , the amino,. wee
then sent for. He rallied, but was neter cm eamo mss
altar that. Hs became quite childish, thinking on!ir of
trifling thing,. He 'amid to continue in the ..me state of
mind, We rem teed there until the cod of July. WO went
to Wales. Mr. Hopwood came to yin us t.• Wales very
shortly. Tie man serv,nt, White, slept in the came rale
waft him. He appeared the same, and was plemed with Mamie
I told him what I caught fiehiug. He generally set
upon a Beet in the lawn. Sometimes tie would *pi • lettere.
He used letters from Lady Belton tiler and Over alpine he
never knew mina he tioithed. lie we nii net ins ma lent
when he could not read his lettere, and it 1 -.lf• red to es, ell
him it made him still more angry. He cremolt d • letter
from Lady Sefton, and used a Wog rapes tot, saying he
aisbed she would not write. I don't think .e mein! It; he
didn't kaow what he said. He never used thine exprei.ioas
when he was quiet. He returned in abut a fortei,..ht its
three weeks to Hopwood, and we followed in &menthe%
He west next to Mrs Heron's, at Moor, his sister. We
went the day altar. He eat down with us, be having just
had luncheon, and when he was told of it he got angry,
and said he had not had any. Mice Henn mid, "Never
mind; eat *nuttier luncheon, it will do you no berm." We
left the following morning, and Mr Hopwood conic down
to the train with us, and he thought he most go tit,. We
had Peet eilleulty in keeping him from croesas g the line.
gOoninge owf mityvate.dayhteror beicimnegtiilml oetf thcespmues,:ene
oppre.vomented...innyt
over in Jemmy, and returned again. I was at Meer its
Mare t, 1853. My husband came there, and we had aims
°envenoms ; and I went to Hopwood on the 6th of April,
taking my ein with me, and Carrell) Hopwood was to meet
me. 1 f .and Mr. Frank end Lady Eleanor. I went into
lb, lib an and found Mr. Hopwood and Frank there. I
waddle Mr. Hupwoad, kissed him, and he untied cleated
to aft me. I talked of some things we had woe at Delimit,
sadi n
Ladyf ae twi
la:
ey..t.itil
re
re anything
acmewent that wouldt?i
n breakfast amuse
about him.a
a bt.u.,H, answeredto...rnos,
i..a.tbli,
c,muif.re,...
...
_...
Fronk soon after left the room, sad in abeAr. • . ---.....t] \
•
itetgahurigelerhiegha his
rws tooytcrift b4;"uilimnigmci irtisf:lefkr.4ll7lLerm;dd :Id Beicuget Hopwooda MR? dime bswwasiatedbiltefbudre° iu7l7t 1 9 74: ''44.1'.a."11.-
: . . . :"...'"'
mint tea, and I sent my little boy to lath tor him. t?l"i' * .;... 1.1
back secomianied by Mr. Frank. He eat down, •ci . i*:
~;o. • : --
needed to pour the contests of the brendyth ittl i ',..• lr'' * --:
~
tea, and Lady Eleanor tld him he bad had en• •• , '''' 6..;.,-,:i .7
sauteed Mai to have lose froth tee, ae hie was .ully \co '7%4 .....-:.,,...
He woad, however, drink It; and taking my arm, we : .:"
Into the library. lie nifialsed sitting on the sofa for se. -Nt
"r\ ' ••••-•
L
t me, and 1 tried to amuse him. Presently he was misted
up, and Mr. Frank cad his father ,cent on'. Shorty after
he came in, and sat down close by me. Mr. Hopwaesi said.

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