The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-03-20 00:00:00

VICE-CHANCELLOR'S COURT.

1111,0A1 TIP VlCl;:trli ANCEI.I.O9 THIY DAT. AT FIALIP-TAIIT TIN.
Spode v. Smith—Petition, part heard.
hablerupt Petitions.
Exparte Strange v. Al- White v. White Solarte v. Deee
I mand Warner v. Ilubirs Kent v. Coolie
\lithely v. Haigh Gay e. Goy lfeaih v. Marquern
ivison v. Ethrtillire Wilde v. Wilde spiion v. Webb
Brown v.S'aveniliilt Johes v. Hampton 1 Latham v.....entlen
V si.. Ihyder i /...telosey v. shad

Brocklehorstvltrockle- I.arken v. Dryden ; P..solsey v. _ ,
burst Brad IlkW T. Bradshaw I Mort •v v. tierces'
I.esk v. Leak Outfit:in v. Chariton l'w Fenny v. Dann
('other v. Catttsr (*novel* v. Collins I Vt'alkor v. ditto
it•lirk •. Mortonßrow' v. IVidavt 1.°1110192 V. Loveday
ilrearley v. liresrley Musket! v. Ne%llle I limos' v. l'ltontt,...l
Benson v. lien-os Green v. tiret.n 11, onett v. I.sn.ling
llowden T. PVI•COCk Show T. Vert Rn I *4 1/Isy V. Lest:
Pest v. De -t Lewis v. Prince I 31,1 .re v. Pollard
Seals and Petitions before the Vire-Chancell.tr, previous to Easter

....... .....
'rem.. 1N26. . .
Toc.day, Aprtt 4—Fird Seal FricbT, Aril 7—llitnkrttpt petit.
ll'eiltic.ulay, i'.—ttaiikt opt petit. r.:iturday, —..— .econti Scut
Thurday , 6 ditto 31 °oda), li'—'titioua

ROLLS COMIT:

•
The Mn,ter of th- RPIli will hear mitt-. further dlreetionx, and yrti-
lions by r in.ent, oa Thilr<rl-1 next, the 2:•th in-t. at nine in the
Cowles and petitions nit.t ire .et down before t•co o'clock on Wednesday
neat.

LA IV INTELLIGENCE.

COURT OF CUANCEFiI: SATURDAY, MARCH IC.

rfcttEsr.ry V. DUKE OF OEM:FOOT..

Thia (lay Mr. FEALD resumed his argument. sr.d commented
at length on the affitlarks filed in the cease. It was true (said the
Learned Gentleman) that out of a mass of lctt• ra. two, and two
only. could be selected in which Mr„ Wellesley had fallen into one
or two unguarded and irritating exptiosions ; but any iniprevii m
which these could otherwise have, must be entirely done away by
the general evidence of the remaining catalogue of letters, taken as
a whole. These did 31r. Wellesley the greatest credit as a father,
and were in direct contradiction to the imputations which are at.
tempted to be conveyed by Dr. Bulkeley's atsterneots, It was
quite astonishing to suppose that a man who could ha►e teemed his
children as Mr. Wellesley has evidently done, secortt'ng to the ge-
neral tenor of these letters, could have been the person described
in the Doctor's affidavit. The contrariety was too stror.g to have
existence in one and the game person. With respect to 31rs. Wel-
lesley's opinion of Mrs. Bligh, it was to be collected plainly
enough from the letter which she had written to Mrs. I'atterson.
Mrs. Bligh'a mother. The letter, written after Mrs. Bligh had
quitted her (3lrs. Wellesley's) house, mei thus :
"TO MRS. PATTrRSOM. _ . .

" Dear Miulam—l am under the painful nacessity of giving you
the information, thrt, owing to the reports respecting Mrs. Bligh
and Mr. Long ll'efleshy. though assured and convinced of her
innocence. I have induced her to accept, for the mike of both par-
ties, the advice of her friends in England—namely to return to the
protection of her own rehitiens, being convinced that their creme.
nance will clone save her character in the eyes of the world."
This letter was slated Florence, Bth Jan. 1824, and demonstrated
this Mrs. W. never could have seen what Dr. Bulkeley represented
had passed before her eyes, of indecent familiarity between her bus.
band and Mrs. Bligh, or else she never could have written such a
letter to the mother of that lady. The Learned Counsel then read
the first line of a letter, addressed on the 4th of August, 182 a, by
Mr. Wellesley, to Doctor Lushington, his professional adviser, to
show how sincerely alive he was to the interests of his children. It
ran thus :—" Sir,—The subject nearest my heart is to promote the
welfare of my children." How was it possible he could avow this
solicitude, if he were the unfeeling and immoral patent described
by Dr. Balkeley ? The thing was quite imroasible. Upon look-
ing through all the affidavits, the result, as it appeared to him,
was, that although there had been a blot in Mr. ellesley's con.
duct, yet he dirt not think it was indelible. Mr. Wellesley had
made all the recompense in his power to the Court and to the
public. and there appeared to be now no cause whatever for keeping
his children from him. He observed upon the attempt of Mr. Wel.
haler to see his wife when at Clarges-street, and commented upon
the feelings by which Mrs. Wellesley had been actuated to secrete
herself in the holm. Mr. Wellesley being unable to find his wife,
went up into the drawing room, and fell asleep upon the sofa. The
next morning he lett the house, and in the September following
Mrs. Wellesle.y unhappily and most unexpectedly died. No blame
at least could be attached to Mr. Wellesley for his conduct on this
occasion. It showed an attachment for Ida wife, and the letter
written to his son William, after her death, evinced a very strong
feeling of affection and sincere regard for her. If Mr. Wellesley
really was that abandoned character which he was represented to be,
he never would have so acted or so written. On the 10th of Oc-
tober following he wrote a letter to Mr. Gladstone, with respect to
the care and custody of his children. At that time he had no coo.
eeption whatever that the Court of Chancery would interpose ha au-
thority. The letter was dated 28th Sept., and concluded in the
following terms : —" 1 should certainly be most happy to allow the
lirle girl to remain with her aunts. I consider it certainly to be
my duty to fulfil to the letter any wishes which may have been
expressed by my poor wife, when she possessed the free exercise of
that good sense and amiability which governed her character." Mr.
Wellesley, in a subsequent part of the letter, expresses his opinion
that all the questions about his children had much better be with-
out the law than with it. "My resolution is," he adds, "to live
with my children in England, if I can get there. I wanted them
to come over to me, because I wish to clasp the poor souls to my
heart." He then alludes to the base and false reports afloat
against him, none of which had the slightest foundation in truth.
" One of them is," he says, " that I want to take my children
out of the kingdom. and Langdon, they say, is to be my inform.
went." This he declared was both false and malicious, and in-
vented by his enemies. All he did was to make Langdon take
his children over some lands, and at the same time he desired him
to repeat to him, vita voce, when he returned, what they had said,
and to tell him whether he thought them manly. This he fulfilled
Ito the very letter. Towards the conclusion Mr. Wellesley ad.
versed to his opinion of the Misses Long : I may be wroog, but
I have a strong opinion that the Misses Long are a little sectarian
in their opinions. I place them upon their honour not to teach
them any thing upon religion but such as is to be gathered from
the Common l'rayer Rook or selections from the Bible—no yeti-
srinue tracts. This is all I ask." He then alluded to Mr. Pitman,
the tutor of his children, and professed that he was unable to un-
derstand the conduct of that gentleman. Mr. Pittman had the care
of his children, but did not hold any communication with him
(their father.) He had always thought him a man of excellent
understanding, and of a highly cultivated mind. The letter con.
eluded by some allusion to pecuniary affairs. Could any thing,
he asked, be more fit and demesne than this letter ? It showed a
strong feeling of affection for his dear children, and a desire for
their happiness and welfare. With respect to the other letters,
a few only et' which had been communicated from the other
side, they were couched in terms highly creditable to the
father. He meant those letters which bad been written by Mr.
Wellesley to his sons and Mr. Pitman. These had already been
slightly touched upon by Mr. Hart, but he thought there were some
peintiewhich might he usefully stated. In the first of these letters
to his son William, the father expressed his anxiety that his chil-
dren should always enjoy the best possible health. He hoped
wou'd intervene which could occasion illness. still less
the loss of Efe. lie then urged, that Dr. Gladstone should not
repeat the vaccination, as it might be a dangitrons experiment.
Ina letter to his daughter, he thus expressed himself " I send
your brothers their watches, and I beg your acceptance of
a necklace, such as is now worn by the Princess of Norway.—
Ood bless you, my dear child !—P.S. I have forwarded your
necklace, as your brothers wished me to send it to you, as you
had left off telling stories, which I am glint of." Mr. Wel-
leaky (always anxious to impress upon the boys' minds the
absolute necessity of speaking truth, and to avoid tellirg lies
even in jest) subsequently wrote to his :am illiam—" Your
letter has giro me much pleasure, as it is very creditable to
you: the writing is bold and large, and much betters the com-
position is such as may well belong to a boy of your age, and
evinces sincerity, truth, and good (eerie...a." it was then
" Your bmther'elast letter is a species of abominable humbug, anti
derided falsehood, a fault Mat must never be ovetlooked."—
At a subsequent period the father writes, " your letters bear the
stump of truth and affectionate feeling." Then followed a long
treatise upon what Mt. Wellesley called the alienable habit of
cunning. There were many other wts of the letter to which he
might have adverted, but lie feared beet lie should be needlessly
taking up the time of the Court. The residue of the letters were
directed by the father to Mr. Pitmen, and he defied any man to
show that they displayed any lukesumnee% or indifference to the
in:rusts of his children. Jo one of these Mr. Weilesley said,
Your Recount of the hoes made me very happy. I should
wish you to pursue, as strictly es possible, +he *icon plan in the
education of my boys." At another time he yap'. '• Eitihrace all
my children for u.e. tell the boys to be good lads, and beg my
little girl not to !ell stories; that she is very pretty now, hut
its she lies she will be very ugly." Again, on another occasion,
" I have been within the twinkling of au eye of loaner an eye.
Tell the boss I have received their three lettem. 'they have
done me more good than all thedociora. William is an idle dog
for writing me such abort letters. Their letters are very well
written. You have obtained great credit, and they ere not
without merit." Subsequently the father wrote to this effect : " I
am fully satisfied that you will religiously attend to all my direr.
ti sus. if the steady system you are pursuing be allowed to be
broken in upon, time mischief will be done than can be easily
repaired." The last letter was couched in a *huger strain of kind-
n vie and patetnal affection. "I um very anxious about the silence
of my bay*. You did not tell me who the bleat was who said
that a
„young squire had no excision to study :" and speaking of his
non %I illtam he added. " Ile would be a eery letteuull to his name.'
if not forced by conviction rather than coarcinn." These were thei
sentiments of an affectionate father, and cf. a noble nand ; and this
ten the substance of the letter, written without thought, tithe
least notice that they would form the subject of future discussion,
or even °that they would be preserved. Whatever observations,
therefore. might -be made upon this solitary point, for which
Mr. Wellesley was now put upon his trial, he was not, at least,
a man of that abandoned and profligate habit which idle report had
represented him to he. No man could bring home to hint a eon.
tinusoce, or intended continuance, of such conduct. All the 'via
deuce, therefore, as append to him, led to one omelusioo.
There waaa blot which he would cot attempt le conceal, 'On

THE BRITISH- PRESS.

which, he hoped, would be completely eradicated by his 'subsequent I
repentance. Ile concluded by expressing a strong hope that. '
upon a clear and distinct view of the whole case, to be derived
both from the lettera and the affidavits. his Loalship would think
fit to grant the prayer of the petition.
lilr. Drama said, that niter the theta hall been en fully detailed,
and the arguments so completely exhausted by Ilia learned leatlcra,
it would ill become him to occupy much of his Lordship's time ;
but lie felt it incurnhem to make a few observations upon allots
rot yet folly ativ.eted tn. The Learned Dentleman then went
through the material facra of several affidavits, to show that 31r.
Wellesley. however wrongly he hail acted in other respects, had
at Vast the credit of succeeding in preventing the contamination
of his children; (or there woe not a single iutendo, not a sein-
tir.s of a hint, that the children ever were in the company Or
even ever Yaw Mrs. BHA This surely wall acanthi') tlcsersiug
much raise. and showed the feeling of delicacy which pervaded
•he mind of Mr. 11'cllesley with respect to by children. He
then referre l to a letter addressed by 31r, W. to los wife, in which
the former thus expressed himself:—.` 1 iinplore your sister (list'
Long) not tn allow the children to read any of 31r. B.'s religious
farragoes.' in a letter to Dr. Lushington a: a sulmeement per:od.the
' father expressed him-elf its asi Mixt manner : " 31y only reason (he
lays) toy deniring that my children should remain at Draycnt is.
dint they rosy have an opportunity of preserving the religions
principles and doctrines of the Established Church, without being
poisoned by sectarian doe:lines of the wildcat description, which
Mrs. Wellesley'a sisters pursue with the greates: ardour." lie
added. " I moir' myself of the Established Church of I;rigland,
and I have tatted my influence with the t. lergy on my castes to
perform their duties with t•xactitude." The Learned Counsel next
alluded to the very Important letters which, in the course of the
discussion. had been touched upon, hut never fully rend. One was
the letter of Mrs. Wellesley, written shortly previous to her death,
in answer to a desire of her husband, communicated• through Dr.
Lushingron. with respect to the care of the chiltlren; and the other
was a sort of answer to that letter. The first of these document's,
addressed to Colonel Windsor, her uncle, was to the following
effifct :
" ;ly Dear Uncle.—On communicating to my legal adviser,' the
purport of the imimadion conveyed to you by Dr. Luahington, as
to Mr. ‘Vellesley's request concerning the direction and manage-
ment of the children ; I am advised to ovoid all discussion at the
nreaent moment. Whenever it oily become necessary to enter
into it, 1 nincercly treat the line of conduct pursued by me will be
found to he becoming anti proper."
31r. Wellesley having heard of tire resolution taken by his wife,
wrote the following letter to Colonel Windsor, a few days after-
wards :

llv Dear Colonel—l bane the greatest possible anxiety not to
proceed in an unkind manner towards the mother of my children,
which could work upon the tenderness of her feelings. The mean-
ing of your niece's. letter I take to be this. that she will exercise
lirr7sole control orer the children, and will not allow them to go to
Drayent. The point I want a direct answer to is this question—
Will you he good enough to glee me cne from your niece. or from
Dr. bushington. Ido not wish to lead you to it correspondence on
the auhjeet with nie, and therefore name Dr. Lushington. My
fixed resolution is. not to give up my parental rights over my
children. My anxious desire is not to exercise those rights in
an unkind manner towards your niece, but exercise them I will if
I csn."
This was the letter which was said to have had so great an effect
upon Mrs. Vi'elleeley, and even to have accelerated her death. Ile
would ask his Lordship, and every candid man, whether it was
calculated to preduce such a feeling as had been represented by
Counsel on the other side? After some further remarks, he con.
eluded by declaring his belief, that his Lordship would read all
tile docuinents, previous to the decision of so important a case.
The So LICITOII-fANERAI., who had not before been heard in
the case, having been otherwise engaged, then rose to reply. and
contended that the defence of 31r. Wellesley was the worst part of
the whole case; and, if it rested upon that alone, it would be im.
possible for his Lordship to refuse his interference. The man who
was capable of framing such a defence, displayed not only a total
absence of all religion and morality, but, he was sorry to add, of
all manly feeling. Such a defence, he would add, was ten times
worse than the original crime itself. The husband had ventured :o
hold forth his innocent and ill.ttied wife as the cause and instru.
mcnt of his own vile and debasing wickedness. She was, he had
declared, the person who had ministered to his vices. To set up
such a defence was making crimes more criminal—even more cri-
minal than the first offence. The Learned Solicitor proceeded at
Considerable length to advert to the arguments advanced by Mr.
Heald, and to the different heads into which he bad divided the
subject. It was said that harsh terms had been used by the Coun-
sel for the defendant. He would ask, whether similar and equally
harsh language had not also been adopted by the Counsel in sup-
port of the petition? Dr. Bulkeley's statements, supported as
they had been by other affidavits, and contradicted by none but
Mr. Wellesley, had been termed wicked, false, and malicious
fabrications. . .

..-.. ... ..
Mr. HEALD denied that he had used these terms. He had con-
trasted tile affidavits of Dr. Bulkeley with those of Mr. Wellesley,
and, io commenting upon the Doctor's affidavit, he had carefully
abstained from all offensive language, and had used the words to
be found in the plaintiff's own affidavit, viz. that the statements
were " wholly false, totally unteve, and entire fabrications."
The SOLWITO2-0t Wll RA D. soar ad vowed toils* affidavit whirls
Mr. Wellesley had thought "fit to sweat before the British Vice:
se
Consul at Naples, an act which (wit CT it might be elsewhere
termed) would, in England, be gaff " perjury." Whether the
act would be cognizable in any dou of Justice was not a question
he would then determine.

The loan CHANCELLOR asked what was the date of that affi.
dsvit - - • . . -

The Sommort-GaNtaat. replied, that it was dated the 24
August 1823, and the pa,eage which was most peculiarly striking
Was the following : "I have never visited Mrs. !High butin an open
manner; I have never seen her under my roof, or under any other
roof but her own, excepting in general society. Mrs. Bligh, on the
day when she quitted her husband's house, was met by me a few
yards from her own house." In order to show that an adulterous
rottreonnis estbsisted between these parties previously to the swear-
ing of this affidavit (and he should not hesitate to call it, whatever
mien be said on the other side, by the strong term of false swear-
ing), be referred to several affidavits, but particularly to those of
Mr. D'Aleans, Mr. Bicknell, and Dr. Bulkeley. The former of
these, in his affidavit, stated that on Sunday, the Ist of August,
1823 (the day before this affidavit was made), lie was sent for into
Mr. Wellesley's room ; that the latter shut the door, looked deadly
pale, and his mouth quite parched. " Mean," he said, " they are
going to play hell with me; Mrs. Nigh has left her husband, and
aU I am afraid of is the groom and lady's maid ; go directly, and
give them something, fir these Bligha have not got a sou." The
affidat,:s of Bicknell and of Dr. Bulkeley proved to the same effect,
and the journey to Veauvins was of Itself sufficient evidence of the
fact. Ile then proceeded to call the attention of the Court to the
statements contained in Dr. Bullnley'a affidavit, and adverted par-
ticularly to the allegation, that Mrs. Thigh was so anxious to con-
ceal her state of pregnancy, that she was even willing to re-
sort to the vile means of perverting the course of nature. Mr.
NVellesley, who had professed so much religion and morality in
his affidavit and the letters to his children, never once thought of
repressing such an attempt, or even (Ai:sprouting his abhorrence of
the act. _ . . _

At four o'clock his Lordship rose, and desired the Solicitor-Ge-
neral to conclude his reply on Tuesday morning. lie was anxious
that the arguments might he then concluded, in order that during
the Easter Recess he might have ample time to read the voluminous
papas in the cause.