The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1824-11-04 00:00:00

ARCHES COURT, WEDNESDAY, Nov. 3.

Before Sir Jou,: NycnoLL, let.
At the opening of the Court, Henry Van Sainsbury, LL.D.
from Trinity Hall. Cambridge, was presented by Drs. Swabey and
Arnold, on the rescript of the Archbishop of Canterbury, and, hav-
ing taken the usual opals, admitted an Advocate to practise in this
Court.

Dl' RANT •. DURANT.
Dr. Lrrontwcrow said this was a suit originally instituted by
Mrs. Mary Anne Durant, in the Consistory Court of Lichfield,
against her husbani.. for a divorce, by reason of adultery. From
the decision of that Conn an appeal was lead to this. After a num-
ber of witnesses had been examined on the libel rod allegation, and
their depositions given to the Proctor for the defendants, the Court
decreed for the conclusion of the cause, anti his (Doctor Lushing-
ton's) application to the Court was to rescind their order. Tile
facts of adultery charged cecurred in a avice of fourteen years. On
the delivery of the origroal evidence to Mr. Wood (Mr. Durant's
solicitor il) the country), he was then confined hy indisposition to
his hours, by which he was prevented from re-examining the wit-
nesses, and enabled to offer the necessary exceptive allegation to the
Court. Mr. Purant's (the defendant) riNidence was at Tong
Castle, Shropshire t Mr. Wald, hi, attorney, lived in M'olver-
hampton ; the various witnesses all lived at distant places ; to col-
lect evidence from them would have occupied ton h time to
procure it. and Mr. IVtind's affidavit stated, that front these causes
he could not do so. though he had used every exertion in his power
to procure it. Under these cirenmstances he hoped the Court would
allow further time to enable Mr. Durant to put in his exceptive
allegation.
Dr. Dons()); followed on the same side.

.... .....
Dr. Anamsox„ Advoc: to for Mrs Durant. opposed the appli-
cation, ani denied that the indinnsition of Mr. M nod, • country
solicitor, rot known in this Court, was sufficient to justify the im-
plication made for dday. It was ton much the practice in the
Ecclesiastical Courts, to drlrcite the I'metor's duties to persons not
conversant with them. the parties did so. they did so at
the risk of great Injury to their clients, aid it was a Seflothi annoy-
ance to this l'ourt. rut lie must say it did not require very great
exertion to collect sufficient evidence, and as hlr.Vi'ood was hintse.f
oo:y a deputy, he rr.'pht have appointed another to act for him,
whose acts would have hewn just as valuable is Mr. ll'oed's own.
Dr. JEN En. for Mrs. Durant. also oppnsed the a-optical ion. and
contended that the affidavit uf:Mr.Wood as too incomplete in every
respect to satisfy the ('curt. It appeared that though Mr. Vinod
received the depositions on the fith November, 1822, he had not rent
them to the defendant on the fith following. Mr. Durant therefore
might have gone to Mr. iVorrs, though the alleged indisposition
prevented him from g.itting the evidence ; and Mr. Durant might
himself, as he was bound, have procured it within the time pre-
scribed by the Court to have filed, iv order to obtain the delay now
sought for.
Affidavits were put in denying parts of Mr. IVood's affidavit.
Sir Jolt!: Nicttnt.t., on delivering the judgment of the Court.
reviewed the proceedings in this case at considerable length, told
said there appeared to him to have been every obstruction and delay
given by the defendant to the hearing of this cue, and bringing it
to a conclusion, without making any allotment of alimony (though
small gums were given on account of alimony from time to time).—
The suit has commenced in consequence of the repeated misconduct
of the husband, full fire years past ; and whether the charge is well
or ill founded, it ought to have been fairly met at once. This was
not done; for the party declared he would not deny the allegation,
but would object to the e, knee adduced ; he had not done so, but
had given the wife every possible obstruction. The Learned Judge
then went into i'ar history of the different applications for delay ;
the Court could not permit such attempts only where it appeared on
the face of the proceedings petually e.ecessary to meet the justice r;
the case, and that only where extraordinary circumstances shou:d
arise. In this ease it was apparent that most culpable negligence
had been used, and therefore the Court would reject the petition, an
it would he a practice most dangerous to encourage, and attended
with great injustice to the parties. In rejecting the petition the
Court will net preclude itself from hearing an allegation, if it shall
'teem meet to them in the further stages of this cause; and as the
petition is rejected, the Court will expect, from the length of time
that has elapsed since any steps have been taken, that the parties
will be prepared on the fire Court day of the next Session, in order
to have a full and final hearing of the ease.

POLICE.

MANSION-HOUSE.

Yesterday a men named Barrel wu brought before the Loan
MAYOR.ott suspicion of haring acted feloniously. under rather ex-
traordinary circumstances, towards two widows. Crowds of the relit.
tires and friends of the parties attended to hear the examination.
It appeared that on Tuesday a Mrs. Evans,who resides at No. 83,
Fore-street, waited upon the Lord 3layor, and stated that the pri-
soner had 'emelt°, or other contrived to make a widow lady,
whose name was 11111, fall in love with Lim. This Mrs. 11111
had a little cior.ey, and a decent business as a drew-maker, and it
wu more than supposed that his object wart not quite so disinter.
cited .is his ditrlarations professed to be. Marry him, however.
31rs. 11;11 would, notwithstanding the probabilities ac to the actual
ca use of the attachment. They teed together for sixteen months,
at the expiration of which he suddenly took her off with him, stat-
ing that he was going to the country, and leaving his daughter by
a former wife to take care of the business, on which he had since
his marriage subsisted, without putting himself or his wife under
any obligation to his own labour. Great surprise was occasioned
1 y the intelligence that the prisoner, one month after the disap-
paarmice of the late widow (fill, had married another widow. The
applicant was present at the marriage of the prisoner and Mrs.
11:11, rod took great interest in the fate of the latter, as she had
been a^quainted with her many years. The prisoner was applied
to for information as to the abode and condition of his wife, but he
padtircly and resolutely refused to give any account of her. The
friends t f the unfortunate wife were alarmed in the highest degree
at this mysterious concealment. The Lord Mayor, upon die re.
presentation, granted a warrant against the prisoner, considering
that. at all events, if the account was correct, there was a case of
bigamy made out. The prisoner wss apprehended and brought to
the Justice-Itoom.

Mrs. Evans rousted her complaint, and said that the prisoner,
after he had married the widow 11 ill. and lived nearly a year and a
half upon leer ezertiors, married a Mrs. Wood, of Chancery-lane,
before he eid which, he secured the busitona of Mrs. Hill to his
daughter. She also said, that when he was taking his wife away,
he declared that he was taking ha to the country for the benefit of
her health.

Brand, the Mari -.alman, who executed the warrant, stated, that he
had ascertained that the prisoner's wife. alto was supposed to be
dead, was still living. She was not however, he believed, likely to
continue long so, as she appeared lobe in the last stage of a con-
sump:lot. He wont to • house in Curtain-road by the direction of
the prisoner, and his new wife, Alta. Wood, who accompanied him,
and found the poor woman in the condition described. The room
in which she lay was indifferently furnished, but the patient seemed
to be on good terms with the prisoner. The witness questioned her
upon the subject of her marriage, and she said, she believed she was
not the prisoner's wife in law, as she bad married him in the name
of Hill, which was not her own name, but that of a man with whom
she heel lived finateen years before she married the prisoner. She
complained of nothing, but appeared to be very resigned.
The poor woman's friends who had listened with the greatest
anxiety to this statement, declared that the thing was impossible
that she was either not in a sound state of mind, or that site had
spoken under some eztrannlinary influence, the facts being quite at
valiance with her account of her connection with the prisoner.
A youth here stepped forward and said, be claimed the protection
of the Lord Mayor against the proceedings of the prisoner. He
(the complainant) was the son of Mrs. Wood, the widow, of Chan.
eery-lane, whom the prisoner had prevailed olio.' to marry him af.
ter eight weeks' courtship, and a worth marriage it was for the
Young man, who said, that when his father died he conducted the
business of the houie, and was earning about 2001. a-year. The
prisoner. hove,: r. no sooner hid:aced the weak woman to give Lint
her hand than he began to exercise the authority of smashr as well
as a husband, took possession of the shop, and turned his son-in-
law out of doors without a farthinj in his pocket.
The Loan 3laeun said, that as far as yet appeared from one
of the documents which he held in his hand, (the certilieates of the
two mareages,) the first marriage was valid, in which case the pri-
soner would not be entitled to the cootrol he had exercised.
Upon the part of the prisoner it was submitted, that rat charge
hut been yet established against him. It was evident that .11th.
Hill had nothing to complain of, and the second, or red wife, did
not consider herself justified in aiding this proceeding, for she did
not think proper to attend. It was not contended that the whole
of the prisoner's conduct was capable of justification, and the w,.-
ter y respecting Mrs. Hill deserved to hare been investigated.
Mrs. Evans, and the other friends of the prisoner's 'bat wife, im-
plo:ed the Lord Mayo, not to discharge the prisoner until thee
should have an opportunity of investigating the circumstances
themselves, Particularly with reference to the estra.irdinary se.
most given by the sick woman to the fllarshalman on the subject
of he: marriage.
The prisoner was silent, and advised by his frienda to remain so.
The prisoner, indeed, said not a word during the examination.
The Loan Maros sale he should by no means discharip the
prisoner. It appeared. at prelim% that t! re was a ease of bigamy
against him, and the matter must be fully investigated.
The prisoner was then remanded, and the laird 'layer gave or-
ders that the female friends of the sick woman should be conducted
to flee place where she lay, and that care should be taken that the
communication should be perfectly Gee.
A young men, canted vas charged on suspicion of