The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-05-03 00:00:00

LISMORE DIVORCE BILL.

The following are the letters adduced in the Committee on this
Bill now before Parliament :
The Hon. C. H. B. Clarke examined, and said he received this
letter (Lady idurtore's) :
The letter was delivered in and read, es follows :
" Ulcombe-place, Thursday, Aug. 12.
"My dear Charles,—l do indeed feel most grateful to you (as I
ought) for your kind letter and offer. lam as well aware as any
one can possibly be of the misery and disgrace that will be en.
tailed, not only on me, but my poor children, by this dreadful se-
paration ; and God knows there is nothing I would not do to avoid
it. lam sincerely penitent, and conscious of my many faults, and
only desirous to be given an opportunity to atone for them. In-
deed, could you know the misery I endure, and have endured,
this last six weeks in particular, and the dreadful state, not only of
bodily but mental weakness, 1 am reduced to, I am sure you would
pity me. There is nothing I would not do to be reconciled to Lord
Li•more ; and would he but return to me, and restore me to him
and my children, I solemnly promise you that there is no mode of
life I would not cheerfully lead to please him, nor that no endea.
sour should be wanting on my part to atone in his eyes for my past
errors, and to contribute to his happiness and comfort. Let him
forgive me this once, and if I ever again in any respect forfeit the
promise I now make, let him cast me off from him, deprived of all
my children, and leave me to the disgrace and contempt I should
deserve. My dear Charles, restore me to my husband and my
children ; we will pray for you, and bless you the longest day we
live. Don't let me and my children be disgraced for ever ; give
me but en opportunity of retrieving myself in the eyes of Lord L.,
and if I fail in any one respect to keep my engagements, I will sub-
mit to any degtadation that can be devised. Could you know
the variety of misery I undergo—my two children here always
asking for their papa, wondering he don't return, and wishing to see
him t and my two eldest boys ill in London, and I not allowed to
go to nurse them ; indeed, I suffer more than I have words to ex-
press. lily two children here will never be happy away from their
papa, particularly my little girl ; and should this dreadful business
continue, she will grow up to hate me for separating her from hint.
I hope you will pardon me for what I am now going to say, but I
entreat you will nut mention that I have written this letter to
you, either to Wat or to mama, or any one who would tell them.
You know how violent mama is ; we always differed in our opi.
nion of Lord L, and not more eleven years ago than we do now.
Wat is just gone to London. He is also very desirous for a recon.
ciliation, and says he will do all he can to promote it. I did not
tell him I had heard from you, because I feared he might be of.
fended at my having recourse to the mediation of any one else but
himself. Should you (which God in his merry grant !) succeed in
your kind and brotherly endeavour, it will be of no consequence
whether they know it or not ; but should you unfortunately fail,
it would be a sad thing for me to have incurred their displeasure,
If Lord L. don't consider the disgrace that this will entail
on me. let him think of his poor children, and for their sakes
give their unfortunate mother an opportunity of retrieving her.
self, and of making atonement for her faults. My dear Charles,
I pray unceasingly that this misery may pass away from me.
Think what I must suffer. particularly with my boys, whom I
have not seen for five months—ill, and I not with them. Perhaps
you may well laugh at the incoherency of this letter—but do
not ; for could my greatest enemies know the agony of mind that
I endure, they would, lam sure, pity me. I shall most anxiously
expect the answer to this. 1 repeat that there is nothing that Lord
L. wishes I will not cheerfully submit to, to be reconciled to him ;
and that, should I forfeit my solemn promise of devoting the re.
mainder of my life to the sole study of pleasing him in every
respect, attending to my children, and trying to atone for my past
faults—l say, should lin any way forfeit this engagement, I will
consent to lose all my children, and become an outcast from every.
thing I love. Will you, my dear Charles, be my security for my
performance of all this, and I promise you that I will not fail in
any one respect. My dear Charles, should you succeed in this your
kind endeavour, you will have my thanks and prayers the longest
day I live, and a blessing will attend you and yours, for restoring
an unfortunate wife to her husband, and preserving four children
from everlasting disgrace. That you may succeed will be the un-
ceasing prayer of an unfortunate and affectionate sister,
"ELEANOR LISRORE."
The following letter was afterwards delivered in, having been
proved to be in the hand-writing of Lord Lismore, and was read
Itainsgate, June 22, 11119.
"My dear Miss Bunting,—l have s ritten to Mr. Moore to thank
him fur his kind offer of ceming over to see Lady Lisniore, and
therefore I shall say nothing upon that head, except that I value
it as I ought; and it gives 137 C pleasure to think that the feelings
which dictated such a disinterested and friendly proposal must for
ever insure the possessor of them happiness in himself, and from
all who are not dead to good feeling, gratitude and esteem.
Eleanm's attack has not been a very severe one, though I think if
she was stronger, the attack would have been more severe. Doctor
Plenderleath, who attends her, is quite aware of the nature of her
complaint, and of the extreme delicacy of her constitution, arld
has been most lenient in his treatment. Site would have been by
this time neatly over the attack, had it not been for a slight cold
which she caught. This is • very cold place, open to the sea,
without the hest slither, and exposed in particular to the East,
from which point, the north-cast, the wind has baeti for some time
blowing, consequently the weather is much agailat her; she is
better to-day, but her lunge are so irritable that the least cold
affects her. I hoptfahe will soon biable to leave this; she mug
then go to a mild &mine, which, with God's help, will beget a
new habit of constitution, cid in time, in a few years, she may
return a stout and healthy woman. .11y two eldest boys are at
school, and well. The boy has a bad cold ; and Anne is growing
a tall girl. The old lady has been here since Saturday : she is
wonder!iolly well. The Doctor has just knocked at the door; he
finds Eleanor much better; her pulse down, unl good. The great
object tine. is to guard against cold.
Believe use, dam Miss Bunting, very truly yours,
Lismone.",
The following extract of a letter, also proved to be in the hand.
writing of Lord Lismore, addressed to Mr. Butler Clarke, was
read as follows :

" Dublin. Sept. 15, 1819.
"I did not decide upon . separating from Eleanoruntill had
fully considered, ardi meat maturely weighed, all the circumstances
of the vete. For many years 1 had no conversation with any batty
upon the suhjtct except with ticorge, and him only because he
was an inmate of my house: I never spoke to any one upon the
subject until my opinion was formed upon the evidence of what 1
saw and what I knew. Last pear 1 spoke to you and your
brothers, and I did the same ibis year; but 1 spoke not to my
mother, my sister, or my brother, until I decided; and they
avoided the subject. Do not suppose that my conduct has been
influenced by any of the idle reports and patchwork stories I may
have heard ; let site assure you that 1 have been guided only by
what 1 have c.,en and kit, and by what I know. Allowing for
much misrepresentation, and for many unfounded reports, still, In
my mind, Malmo? is only to be justified by her future, and not by
her past conduct."
lThe examinations have born heretofore reported).

(31,A1160W COTTON MAPRtt r, A I RII. 29.—The market
continues to der hue. Wroth the very depressed state of the market
for Twist and goods, there is no immediate prospect of prices im-
proving. The sales this we. It amount to 490 begs, as follows :
to Kea histml., 1111.. 460il fair ;41 Stained+, 11441. to 911., fair ;
fl 7 Bowed*, MI. mbldling, BJ,II. fair, 74. good ; 23 New Orleans,
1,0. to 71d. I or; 140 Surat., 41,d. ordinary, LC fair, 43d. good.
IMported from St. Kitts. 18 Wes.
Tuts 11AY Al FITT, SIX or C21,000.—HA7.A1111 ANR
Cr):11 (111 EAT RI/Cet011!!—IlatIol and Co. shared and sold
three prizes of 20.11001., drawn the Ist of last month. This day, at
' fire, slit poise. of 21,1111111 L, with other capitals, must all be drawn.
Thie le
_positive, the last buttery but anis Ilarard and Co.'s
(Mires, Royal Etching, Use 126, Oornhill t arid 324, Oxford.
street ; aid by thou artists lit all the principal country towns.