The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1819-05-03 00:00:00

IRELAND.

COMMON PLEAS, Nrossso►T, Aram lii

SEDUCI lON.

BIRCH r. NEKIEDYTII.
This cue, win( b excited a very lively interest,
came on to be tried before Lord NORBURY, and 4
most respectable Special Jury ; Alderman Mar,
foreman.

Mr. &moots'Es, in a most pathetic address,
laid the Plaintiffs care before the Jury. and Mr.
GRADY replied on behalf of the Defendant. There
was but one witne►s called, Sarah Birch, &tighter
to the Plaintiff, and the object of the action,
very pretty interesting English girl, of 19 years of
age, and apparently extremely fascinating in her
manners and address. She underwenta lung and
minute invertigation; but from the great throng
of persons who filled the Court, we were riot able
to get within dirtitict hearing of the witneres, and
are therefore only enabled to aftiird our readers the
following impertect ►ketch of the leading facts of
the use :

The Plaintiff was the proprietor of an hotel iii
the small town of Ilroallsta-ra, in England, %Olio
half 11 otile of which his daughter Sarah resided, at
the house of her aunt, a rropectable lady; she had
two sisters older than herself, one of whom had been
insrried to a gentleman of fortune, the other to a
Captain in the navy. In the mouth of August,
1815, the Defeuthint, Mr. Meredyth, a young
Irish'Gentletnati, under age, who had lately be-
come, by the death of his father, the owner of an
estate 01 4 or 5,0001. a year, arrived at the Plain-
tiff's hotel in a harouche rod four, stud h wing
seen the Plaintiff's daughter, then but fifteen
years oil, at her father's, where she sometimes
went of messages for her aunt, and being struck
with her personal attractions, lit soon effected an
acquaintance with her. After a few interview., he
contrived one evriliog to induce her to take a drive
in his burouclie, but she finding he was taking ad-
vantage of her extreme youth and inexperience,
when lie had driven her about the distance of
two miles, got alarmed, and asked loos where
lie was taking her to He gave her all evasive
answer ; renewed promises of marriage he had
made to her before, moil continued driving on
until they arrived, at eleven o'clock at night. at
• town thirty miles from laroadstairs. where they
alighted ; and after supping, they retired to their
re-pectise noon's. While the y num; Lady, however,
was in the set of locking her door, the Defendant
made his way iii, soil, in despight of her remon.
@trances, completed the ruin of his unfortunate
victim. After taking her to different places in
England, they went to London, and stopped at
Blitt's hotel, Dover-street, where they were pus.
sued by her brother, who, however, did hot suc-
ceed in rescuing his sister from her seducer, or ob-
taining satisfaction for the injury lie had done her
family. The Defendant made Isis protege dis-
guise herself in the dress of a housemaid, 111111 cows
trend to avoid being taken up by the police-officers,
who were brought for that purpose by her bro-
ther. Ile then came over to Ireland, and after
stopping at one or two places for a short time. lie
took a house for Tier at Eantlegli, ahem site was
delivered in July, 1816, of a boy. who was
called after his father, Joshua Paul Meredyth.
Hitherto, and for some time longer, the Defendant
treated her with Lindneas. although of a very
jealous diliositum; sJ much so. that for sixteen
mintlis she was in that house, she was never per-
mitted to cross the threshold. In August, 1417,
lie drew a kind of will, in the shape of a letter,
miserably ill written and spelt, in which lie men.
tioned tier with great affection, and settled all his
disposable property on her and his child, whom he
confided to her guardianship. however, his affec-
tion at length abated. and his conduct towards tier
changed ; and she stated that lie even heat her
cruelly. Ile sent a friend of his to tell her, at last,
that he must part with her, us he was going to get
married, and had therefore token lodgings in town
fair her, her child, and a couple of set-aunts, anal
would settle au annuity of 200/. a year upon her,
and give her a sum of motley in hand. Ilia pro-
'sive, however, lie did out think fit to perform,
sod she removed to her new abode with no more
than 51. iu her pocket. Here she remained for
several mouths without his even comiug near her,
or giving her any money for tier support, except on
one occasion that she went to him at au hotel, in
Capel-street. when lie gave her a pound note ; sod
on another. after an interval of tonic weeks, when
he gave her 21. She war cousequently compelled
to pawn her watch, seals, prime, and several other
articles, even to her child's frocks, to enable tier
to procure the means of subsistence. The witness,
iu stating this, pulled the duplicates out of her
purse, at silk!. the Learned Counsel who was ex-
omitting her (‘lr. Gould) was so much affected as
to be unable to refraiu front shedding tears. As
fur the wretched gill herself, she at different periods
of her examination wept bitterly ; uud indeed every
body in Court appeared deeply to deplore the fatal
indiscretion that had seduced this lovely young
creature to such premature misery.

lo charging the Jury. the Noble Judge, after
deprecst►ug the conduct of •• the spo►ler who could
first rob the rose of all its sweets, and then fling it,
hke a loathsome weed, away," asked, what must be
the feelings of the parents at losing such a child.
whose education, it was plans from her deportment
on the table, was far from having been neglected,
even at the tender age at which ►he bad fallen ? Ile
Lordship was so overpowered by his feeling•, that
he was obliged to stop and weep for several minutes
before he could proceed. He concleded by eau.
noniog the Jury against sull'aing themselves to be
.led away by their feelings as l!e had beat► by ;
at the auue time to mark their sense of the 1)e.
feodaist's conduct, by awarding such damages as
would 'hew that crimes of this nature were not to
pass unpun►shut.
Verdict—Two Thousand Pounds damages.