The Express.
London, England, 1858-06-15 00:00:00

NOhIEIAONIP. RONENNON AND LANE.

This was a petition 6; th;diddlitrce;of marriage on the
ground of adultery promoted by Mr. Robbers against his
wife and her alleged paramour, Dr. Edward Wtateed lace,
Mr. Montague Chambers, Q.C. (with whom were Dr.
Addams, Q.C., and Mr. Eanishe), in opening the ease said
that the evidence he skald hive to odorant b support of the
petition was of a very adreordialucheiseter, and ft would
as be well to state at the (Wag he had some doubts
whether It would be enough to In the co-respondent ,• but as
regarded the wife herself he apprehended there could be no
doubt whatever as to its sufficiency. At the time of her
marriage to the petitioner Mm. Robinson was a widow and
was in possession of a considerable fortune, name)y, between
4001. sad 5001. a year, which was settled upon her for her
separate use. She bid cohabited with her second husband
at a number of places—at Blackheath, in Edinburgh, at
Boulogne, end in the neighbourhood of Reading. While
in HS isburgh, in 'the year 1860, they became acquainted
with Mr. Lane, who was then a student at the university,
bet who had since beoome a bydropathic practitioner. Ile had
married a daughter of Lord Drysdale, and he had set up
a wall-known hydropathic eetabliahment at Moor-park, near
Farnham, in the county of Surrey, which wan probably well
known to their lordships as having formerly been the resi-
dence of air William Temple. Mr. Robinson was himself a
civil inginser, and necessarily a good deal from town. He
hod amareinesd building a house far himself in the nea.
benrbood of Reading. When they went thither
renewed their acquaintance with the Lanes, and they
often to visit at Moor-park together. Still more haqueatly
Mrs. Robinson went there alone; and it would be proved
that the intimacy between the repondents had attracted the
attention of some of the patients and servant. of the establish-
ment. Mr. Robinson, however, remained perfectly con vlnced of
the fidelity of his wife, until at last in the year 1867, during
an illness of Mrs. Robinson, he made as accidental discovery
which convinced him of his wife's guilt. It appeared that
this lady was in the habit of keeping a diary, which gave a
most full and extraordinary account of her impure proosed-
in%r. Forsyth, Q C. (with whom was Mr. Coleridge), on the
set of co-respon&nt, said be should object to this diary
received in evidence. It was perfe.Mly true that it
bad admitted in the Hoeleeirtioel Coati ; but to that
proceeding Dr. Lane was so pasty. It was obvious that it
could not alert him; and as Men. Eobktaoawee charged with
adultery with no one else it could not be received at all.
air C. Creswell said there was no pretence for the objec-
tion. &apposing a man were to confess to conspiracy, It was
quite true that his statement would not be evidence against
anybody is., but could not the man himself be convicted?
Mr. Forsyth—No.
Bir C. Cromwell should be glad to see any authority for
that statement of learned counsel.

The Chief Justine said it would be absurd to suppose that
enact which was passed to facilitate the relief of parties
complaining of adultery could be construed so as to put
them in • worse position than they were in before.
Dr. Phillimore, Q C., had been about to take the same ob-
jection on the part of Mrs. Robinson; but after the expression
of opinion he had just heard from the court he would not
proceed.
Mr. M. Chambers, resuming, said that there were two
other individuals besides Dr. Lane mentioned in the diary
whom it would appear that this unhappy lady had atteroid
to corrupt ; but his impression was that her endeavours
not proved successful, although be would admit that It was
quite possible they had. She accused them of coldness and
restraint, and a deans to maps from her ; and therefore
he would not, if he could avoid it, introduce their pauses,
especially sa they seemed to have been young men. He was
really quite at a lens to know what would be the defence set
up en the other side. He had been given to understand that
it would be contended that what this lady had written were
rime hallucinations, and had no reference to facts ; but the
paroL evidence he should call before their lordships would be
found to corroborate the diary in many important puticulare,
and to show that what she had written was not unlikely to
have occurred. With regard to the co-respondent, he shOuld
leave the own to say whether or sot the evidence was on the
whole strong enough to inculpate him.
The following witnesses were then called
Mr. James Jay, the brother-in-law of the petitioner,
proved the marriage, which took place on the 27th Feb.,
1844, at St. Peter's, Hereford. Mrs. Robinson woe a
widow, end she had one child—s boy, named Alfred. The
parties lived at Blackheath for several years. Had visited
them there. They always appeared to live on good terms
with each other. Mr. Robinson's conduct was kind and
&Seethed'. The three diaries produced were in Mrs. Robin-
son's handwriting. Just before the separation Mr. Robinson
was building a house near Reeding.
Cross-examined—Did not know how old Wm Robinson
was—probably about fifty.
Mr. James Robiason, the father of the petitioner also de-
posed to the good terms on which his son had lived with the
marlent.
eta from the respondent's journal Ware then read.
It was contained in three of Lear' Deane., and it extended
from November, 15.50, to November, 1855. From the earlier
entries, it appeared that the writer had been much struck
with Mr. Lisa on his base introduced to her; for she
described him as " headman lively, and good.humoured."
Afterwards, and this MS AMY she had observed him paying
attentions to a ;waterbed ink els wrote of him, " he doss
not improve on seqedmiddim." Then there were • large
number of notes el seellelllolllll she had had with him en
various scientific NM pusibil malfseta. Phrenology, in per-
Ocular, appeared be bays essipistl much of her attention'
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