The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1808-05-09 00:00:00

LAW INIELLIGENCk.

COURT OF KING'. BENCH, Waste:erne, MAT T.
BREACH OF rtomum OF MARRIAGE.'
NEMINFOUJ) tr. IIIEL•bil).
This was an action brought by •Miesisabella
Ifearnford, • young woman of resiwetatiie family,
at Newcastle-upon-Tyne, against M.. beheld, a
Clerk in the Bank, for a bretiCh of Pin:nisi.: of
Marriage. The cause was tried at the Spring
Assizes, and a verdict for bOOl. diunages ntitaniell.
Mr. PITL•IaN, this day, mitered for a new tied,
upon the ground of excessive damages. It ap-
Kared that the Defendant being at Newcastle, he
became enamoured of die lady, and promised her
marriage in the preseuce of her friends, who as-
*tded to the match. The Defendant's father,
however, was extremely di pleased at the eininec-
tiou, and said he would for ever break with his son
•if lie persisted in Cie connection. The sequel was,
that the Defendant married another lady, and the
Plaintiff brought her action for the breath of pro-
mise.
• The Defendant suffered judgment by default,
and the Jury found a verdict fur the Plaintiff, with
8001. dainaLee.
These, the Learned Counsel contended, were
excessive, and inconsistent with the Defendant's
means. Ile added, that the Defendant had no
means of paying the damages; and the whole of
the property he possessed was 70 acres of laid epon
the banks of the river Tyne, which he fuel got
with his wife. •
The Coeur asked the value of the land, lent the,
Coausel not being prepared with au answer, their
Lordships granted a Risk to *hew cause.
ANOTHER 'BREACH OF THE SAME lit:ilD.
' stsAstrt S. ‘IIIIII.IION.
This was also as action. for a breach of promise
of. marriage, ands. verdict obtained for 6001. da-
mages.
Mr. Dauxceir mewed to • set aide that verdict,
upon the ground of excessive damages. It appeared
that the Defendant, who is a country Attorrtev,
became desperately. enamoured of' the Plaintiff,
and sortie familiar cneresportdence having !sassed
betwixt them, he executed a bond to her for 10001.
to be enforced if he did not marry her in six mouths
after his *metes death. The uncle died, and ao
marriage took place, upon which the 'Plaintiff
brought her action. The Defendant pleaded that
the Plaintiff had pat it ouCof his power to marry
her, and instanced • variety of cercunavtauces to
prove the Lady's want of virtue and public decorum.
. Attioarpit other things, be gave evidence of her
having beet' seen lolling over a bridge with • Gen-
tleman, whose arms were familiarly enfolding her
waist ; and at another time, when she was return-
ing from a walk in the fields with a Oentletnaii,
her pelisse was discoloured behind, and her diem
rumpled and confused. The same Witness added,
that she had twe or three children by different wen.
This' was, howeier,confrouted by 40001 CT Witness,
and the cherges denied, upon which the Jury found
as above stated.
The Learned Conners], however, who moved
for the new trial, said it was stated in his affidavit
that the Witness who contradicted the Defemitint's
case, bad confessed, since the trial, that she had re-
ceived money from Plaintiff to state that contradic-
tion upon oath, and that, in point of fact, the Plain-
tiff wits a very imprudent atrl loose woman. Still
it was manifest the Defendant was not wholly un-
til:3;llU habitual ,with
incontinencellaln-tifram's iwiatotapopfeared prudece
further,und
that one of the children was his own, and went by
his name. •
The Comer thought it • case in which they
ought not to interfere, and refused to disturb tile
former verdict. The Plaintiff had the bond for
10001. and might have enforced it, so that the De-
fendant was a gainer by the present action.
An application, of an interesting nature, was
made by Mr. LAMBS. It was !leafed as a sort of
bar against the passing of sentence on a person
who had been found guilty at the Assizes of de-
ferring a Custom-house Officer in the discharge of
his duty. The Lever of Assistance, as it is called,
under which all Officeys of the Customs act, is
dated in the WI year of the reign of His present
Majerty. It was urged by the Learned Counsel,
that this letter was perform: to the then Commis-
sioners of the Customs, and to persons to be named
by them. All of three Commissioners were dead
previous to the officer's appointment to his situation
in the Customs ; the Learned Counsel therefore
contended, that he acted without authority.
The Arroetize-Gewseat alleged, that the
practice had been to 'nem such • letter only at the
cominenceinent of each reign. Ile admitted, how-
ever, that it wits a question of importance.
Rule to chew ca,i,e granted. _

Yesterday being the first Sunday in Term, the
Jurors, LOAD MAYOR, Mansur:sr, andSnaators,
attended divine service St. Paul's Church.--
Ito the evenin•. the Jersusa, &c. were eutimuainad
at dinner at the Mansion-house.
We are concerned to state, that the Earl of
IlastuvrtcliE, on Saturday, received a vrnifiranation
of the mc:aiieliolly event of the death of his eldrst
son, Viw•ount Rots Ton, as mentioned in the Fo..
reign News in Tue BRITIIO4 Passe of Friday.—
Vi,coutit Hotstoar left Ireland about two years
ago for the Continent, and was on his return en
the 7th of last month in the ship Agatka, of Lu-
beck, a hen the vessel was wrecked iu a storm, not
far from Memel, and his Lordship sae unfortu-
nately drowned. The names of other sufferers are
given iu the Memel article; but English names are
very incorrectly stated in the foreign papers.
Had hie Lordship lived until this day, he would
have been twenty-four years old. It was reported
that the Marquis of Donaras was lost in the same
vessel, but we do not understand that thcre,is
any authority for this report.
Oa Wednesday morning, about four o'clock, a
lugger, laden with contraband goads, ran into
Crow link, near Cucktnere. ill Sussex, wherea party
of men were assembled to convey them away ;
when some soldiers, who were parroting the coast,
fell in with them, and took five honors with ten
casks of spirits, awl four mess, two of whom made
their escape. The goods were lodged in Ilia Ms-
aarrY's Cnetorn-house, at Newhaven, sad the men
put in confinement. A seuftle ensued, in which
one of the smugglers received a dangerous wound
on the head from a sabre.

7tinV. ' *1 (

NEVIMARKET FIRST SPRING MEETING, Iliac I

rIttDAY. MAY 6.
Sweepstakes of :245. each. Two-ir old C
Mr. Sitseirs truosorder Fist tab
Mr. Watson's Hymen, brattier W FalbPuri lat. lalb d
Col. Chileer's ch. r. by Stasatiod, 7st. 111 b .
Mr. Lioness. by Aktuuistes, art• 4
alas l'arst Goosaader.. Xvais ori Hypes. ,
Strrepstakes d 23g4 earls. Twia-yrold Comm:
M. Dation'. I: Chu ntiet, 4 Yr* old, BA 71b. I
Mr. C. Ilroor re's f. by Patriot. 7 yrr old, fert.gib. ....
Ld Grosrenur's Isis, a yra old. Ij.l. ylb . 3
Ld. G. 11. Careirditles Hari; try ToturipAtor, r yrs old, lit. 4
Mr. ti4JJ4,114 yrs skl, gst 6
!u 1410eetoreaser. 7to agst
_

Lora Foitii'm HZwing beat Lei Lortlier's Tra&Jest, Sat.
716. each. Y. C. .teuza. ti to 3 apt blowing.
A Subacriptiwa Handicap Plate of 501. fur hums of all
&pa V. M

111r.tiii does b. c. by Wo;aby, 4 yrs old,
,ast. tilt
Jr. Hataam'ark. r. t:barniar, 4 yrs old, sat. sib a
D. of Grifioa's Vanity, 4 yrs okl, nat. tolb. ' J
'High aids apt Wortliy. sto t apt Charrocr.
6 to i apt Vanity.
_