The Express.
London, England, 1848-09-07 00:00:00

PROVINCIAL.

BREACH OE PROMISE .SITICiARRIAGE.—At the Court
of Record, Salford, on Toraday night, the last ease taken wee
that of Spencer e. L-ary," for breach of promise of marriage.
The parties reside at Rochdale, and are both rather young.
The plaintiff (Mils Margant Spencer), according to the state-
meet of Mr. Monk, is a dressmaker, and about two pare
and a half ago the dofendsnt, Mr. Abraham Leary, the eon
of an ironfonader, doieg a respectable business, began to
pay his addresses to her. ar.d carried matters so far that on
the 24th of August, 1847, the wedding bone la and dresses
of the bride intended, and of the laid, 'maid, had been pur-
chased with his approval. The bridesmaid at hie "epeeist
request, a cousin to the plaintiff, had come all the way from
Coventry to be present. On the following morning the
bridal party awaited the arrival of the defendant to accom-
pany them to church, hut he detained them all day in vain,
and it was not until eight at night that he arrived to apolo-
gise, and throw the blame of disappointment on his father,
vie M acid had promised to set him up in business if he
Veda wait a few months longer before he was married.
TM plaintiff was again led to believe hie intentions
* bosszable," and to hide her chagrin went to
pain some months at Coventry, during which the defendant
continued to writs to her, pp edging himself to fllelity in the
strongest tonna. At length, however, he had taken anotl,er
bride, the temptation, it wee supposed, being • dowry of a
thousand pounds, and the mode he chose of announcing his
marriage to the plaintiff was ky sending the wedding cards
and a pair of gloves to her. The damages were laid at 601.,
being the utmost amount which can be proceeded for in the
court. Both the lady and the gentleman were present, and
it was given in evidence that the defendant had offered 301.
and "taxed" costs—Mr. dewier, for the defence, did not
deny the promise, but pleaded in mitigation of damages the
youth and inexperience of his client.—The jury almost im-
mediately found for the plaintiff, demagee SOL, a verdict
which appeared to give satisfaction, especially to a great
lumber of ladies, in the court.
A RAILWAY UNDER WATER.—On the express
train, which left Carlisle at twentyaeven minutes put one
o'clock on Thursday afternoon, arriving at Carstens,
about four o'clock, the paseeniren were greatly earprieed
and alarmed at finding the red signal. up, and all the pee-
sengers of the penny ,mmile train, which had preceded
them, out of their carriage*, and standing on the line.
On cautiously coming up they found that the rails in the
Barnamecutting wen, nearly two feet deep in the water, for
the space of about a mile, by which no lee than five trains
were prevented from pursuing their respective journeys,-
and it was several hours before this extraordinary flood
subsided sufficiently to let them paw, in doing which the
greatest caution had to be used. The water is supposed to
have come from the Bleasdale Fell, over which a violent
thunderstorm, accompanied by torrents of rids, had buret
bat a short time previous to the line being immersed in the
water.

ABUSES IN TUE MANAGEMENT OP PO3R-RATES.-....
At the last sitting of the Court of Petty &elites, Dartford,
the overseers of Alit applied for a poor-rate to be missed for
that perish, and brought a long list of named' to be excused,
as recommended by a vestry meeting. Title the sa,gieustee
refused to sanction, until they were enured thin wen reason-
able grounds for them to be excused, which 'hey very mach
doubted, as several parishes in the division have aone excused,
and no defaulter,. And holding the opinion that they are
not obliged to sign a rate when offered to them (although a
different opinion is held by some benches of magistrates in
the county), ordered the overseers to summon the defaulters
who,* names wee, presented to be excused. The Maid-
stone Journal, which reports the case, s.,ys "Ice the
awes of the conversation it was said that some of the land.
beds of cottages in the perish had threatened the men in
their employ with their discharge if they paid any ratite ;
also, that they let the cottages at a high natal, under the
pretence that the TAU* were included, and at the vestry
meetings caused the same persons to be put in the list of
excused. The magistrates expressed a determination to pre-
vent such disreputable conduct as far es they could, and to-
day the ovate en appeared with thirty persons who had been
recommend: dto be excused. Out of this number, only two
case, were considered as excusable from payment of the rate
made April 7th, and the rest were ordered to pay their se-
veral rates in lourteen dAys, those who had been summoned
having the extra coats to pay. The mtgistrates reprimanded
the overseers for their neglect of duty to not inquiring into
the cases before they put their MOM on the list of the ex-
cused, and expressed their indignation at the disreputable,
it not dishonest behaviour of one iudividu.d, an owner of
several cottages, who threatened to discharge his men if they
paid the rates, although they were willing to do so, and had
sutficient common 'elute to know, if the men who sent them
had not, that it wee far better to pay a 2s. or 34. rate than to
lose a day's work in the middle of harvest, and walk a dis-
tance of ten or twelve miles to attend the magistrates, end
afterwards to have it to pay, with the eat of the summons,
which in some eases exceeded, and in the *then. equalled, the
amount of the rates. Mr. William Cooper, of P, anis, a rate-
payer of the park., suggested that they ehould be ordered
to pay the rates without costs, as it was through their mes-
tere they attended. and then the costs would fall upon the
parish, and the instigator of the costs would have to beer
their part. The magistrates said they could not do that, as
it would be throwing part of the costs upon those who had
nothing to do with it, although they hoped those persons
who bad caused their low of time, and locreued their ex-
penses, would bear them harden. The court was occupied
a considerable time abeut this parish, during which 'vides**
of glaring mismanegement was exhibited."