The Express.
London, England, 1861-06-13 00:00:00

THE MARRIAGE CARE.

CORRY v. WED CREVORNE.

This important case was resumed at Dublin on
Tuesday. The petition, a. already ems, was Sled by
31. m. Corry, widow of the late Mr. Thomas C. S. Corry, of
Roekoorry Castle, in the county Monaghan, to whom she
alleged she was married on the 2nd of April, 182i—thirty-
eight yean since—to obtain • decree for dower ; and the
respondent was the Right Hon. Lord Cremorne, for whom
the property on which the dower was stated to be charge.
able was parchmed, when a minor, and purchased, as he
Meted, without notice of any claim for dower.
The Soheitor-Genend characterised the petition as an
attempt on the part of Mrs. Corry to recover dower out of
estates purchased by Lord Cremoree slong ago as
1831 ; sod though bee *MN if any she had, seemed fully
seventeen years ago, her claim had been deliberately
kept back until every human being concerned in the trans.
action had passed from the world. The learned counsel
at much length propounded the first defence, on which he
relief in resisting the petition, and which was that Lord
Cremorne, being a purchaser of this estate for valuable con-
sideration, and without notice of the alleged
could not be held liable to pay dower thereout. He
stilted that be would show his lordship that in this case
no notice, either active or constructive, could be held
to have been given to Lard Cremorne or his
treeless. The grounds on which he rested his argument
may be shortly summed up as follow :—The ante•
m&nt improbability of Mr. Corry's marrying the pe-
titioner, from her ponrtion in life and wvious circum-
stances; the secrecy with which the marriage, if performed
at all, was kept from the knowledge of every one, even the
inmates of the house where the partite lived ; and the facts
proved to have taken place subsequent to the alleged mer-
rier, Mr. Carry's behaviour towards her, and the position
she occupied in the household. On the first branch of the
argument the Sobeitoe-General read affidavits of several
witnesses, Asking that about a year prior to her alleged
maniage with Mr. Corry, petatsoaer pre birth to an
illegitimate child, of which a certain Lieutenant Prep-
deepat, a visitor at Rookoorry Castle, was stated to
be the father. As to the paternity of the child,
counts-affidavits had been put in, imputing it to
Mr. Corry ; but, bearing in mind that on either sup.
position the child was illegitimate, he argued that tt
was unlikely that a gentleman in Mr. Corry's posi-
tion would even seriously think of such a woman as hie
wife, especially as it appeared from the affidavits of various
parties that, prior to and up to the time of the alleged mar-
riage, the petitioner had been a housemaid in the eetabhah-
meat of Mr. Corry, and was in the habit of performing
modal services far a " Mrs. C.," a person between whom
and Mr. Corry an improper intimacy existed. On the second
breach of the argument--that of the secrecy of the mar-
riage, if performed at all—the Solicitor-General referred
to the affidavits put in by petitioner, and also
to three in evidence on behalf of the respondent, to
show that the ceremony, if ever performed, was
performed in daises, hribtis, and that the fact Of
its celebration was kept a strict eectret, not Acme from the
public, but from the inmates of the household; and that
on this ground the respondent could not be held to have
received constructive notice thereof. Lastly. from the
circumstances which appeared in affidavits to have taken
place subsequent to the time of the alleged marriage, collo.
eel submitted that it was impossible that hie client,or those
acting for him, could have heard of, or be held to have
cognisance of it. The marriage, it was alleged, took place
in the drawing-room of Rockcorry Castle, and was kept a
strict secret in the household, so much so, that after the
ceremony, the petitioner, though on her own showing the
lawful wife of Mr. Corry, continued, nevertheless, to
occupy the earn. position in the household as before,
and which was that of a menial fervent and waitingmaid on
"Mrs. C.," and this latter lady remained in precisely the
same position towards Mr. Corry as she had previously done.
This extraordinary state of circumstances continued for
two years, the petitioner, though the alleged wife of Mr.
Corry, (beehives the duties of upper housemaid. and
Weeding on "Mrs. C.," until at length, in 1824, Mr. Cony
being at the time absent from Rockcorry, the petitioner,
for some mum which does not clearly appear, was ar
charged by "Mrs. C.," quitted the house, and Maned to
her own family in England. From that time ohs mime
had lived at any known residence of Mr. Oftwys. to am
pounds the Solicitor• General subsabled that the Omit
well not hold that say notice al ail•••
email or constructive, led been reesivedlay Lord
or his trustees. The Lewd Clumoslisr said as es* point he
was satisfied that them was se Wag ee aseelewsiive urn ea.
The further hearing of the ease was adjourned.

Mr. Kinglake will ask the Secretary of State for
Foreign Affairs, to-morrow, what regrew bee been made
towards effecting theme "full and adequate arrangements°
which, in her Majestem meet imams speech addressed to
the homer at whiniest in August last, were expressed to
be confidently beaked forward to se the means for "ma-
curing the aseetrality and isdepeadepos of the Swiss con-
federatioa ?' whether (pending the negoti►tions referred to
in her Majesty's moat gracious speech) the °optioned mete-
potion by Fiume of territories which have been declared to
"foam part. of the neutrality of Switzerland" is sanctioeed
by any precriekeal egreemnt or understanding between the
guamanteeing pewees : and call the attention of the house
to the danger which seams to be threatening the integrity
and independence of Switzerland.

Admiral Sir F. Grey, H.C.8., and Commodore
J. IL Drummond, C. 8., wi l fill the seats now vacant at the
Admiralty board by the death of Sir R. S. Dundee and the
retirement, from &held*, of Admiral Pelham.
The report of the oommittee of Convocation on
" &ways and Reviews" ia is pint.