The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-10-14 00:00:00

reminding you of the promise of allowing me the unspeakable hap.
pmess of meeting you, at half-past six to-morrow evening. Fray,
do not, my dear girl, disappoint me. From the moment 1 parted
from you on Saturday, the only pleasure I have known has been
anticipating the happiness of meeting you to-morrow. lf, by
merely seeing yon at the window, I admired you, how much more
am I in love after conversing with you ! Your manners, your voice,
your behavinnr altogether, tend to make me think you the moat
fascinating of your sex ; besides, my pretty moralist, you forgot to
give me the lecture you threatened; arid, although a dull scholar
under other irstructions, lam sure I should retain your lessons. I
had the pleasure of jute seeing you this afternoon, but if you are
at the window, and I make my appearance, you vanish like a spec
tre. This. my dear girl, is unkind. Surely you would not deny
me the pleasure or looking at you. Adieu,
my dear Elizabeth, un-
til to-morrow, and pray de not forget half-past six, at the same
place where I met you on Saturday ; and believe me, with the most
sincere !affection, " Your WILLIAM.
" To Elizabeth, 64, Oracechurch-street."
" Apil 12.
" My dear Efirareth—Accept, my dear girl, the enclosed
and if you do not exactly like it, hope you will sometimes wear it
for the sake of the giver. I have been anxiously waiting to hear
from you. Pray send me word when lam to see you again, and
let it be to-normw if you can ;at nil events before Sunday. lam
continually thinking of next week. I hope nothing will prevent
your being nut for the whole day, ae I anticipate the greatest hap.
glees. Adieu, my dearest Elizabeth ! and believe me your sin-
cere lover, " WILLIAM.
" To lelieeheth Manvell."
The Co el MON SERGEANT then addressed the Jury for the de-
fendant. He felt considerable difficulty to encounter upon the
present occasion, after the sort of case that had been proved ; and
he was sure the Jury would make as much allowance for his client
as they would for him, because they knew perfectly well that the
evidence on the other Bide could only be refuted by putting his
client into the bee, and that was imposelhie. The duty of tha
Jury was, to administer justice fairly between the parties, and to
give to the observations which an Advocate might use in a dia.
cult calm as much weight as they were entitled to. The present
action was literally the complaint of the girl, whose affections were
supposed to have been wounded, and to whom a disappointment
might hate taken place. His Learned Friend on the other side
had n adc a pledge that the girl herself was not going to bring any
action for the supposed wrong she had sustained ; but his Learned
Friend could have no kind 01 authority to give such a pledge, as
it could not be binding in a Court of Law. That girl might to-
morrow bring an 'talon for a breach of promise of inatriage ; and
what with the damages the present Jury might give to the present
plaintiff, and the accumulated damages another Jury might give
to this girl, the defendant might be totally ruined, and east into a
gaol for life. It therefore became the duty of the Jury, under such
circumstances, to weigh well the evidence of the girl, who supported
the present action of her uncle only to try the strength, of her own
cause. He contended that in her intercourse with the defendant
she must have known that he was a married man, and the rapidity
with which the familiar correspondence took place proved incon-
testably that her virtue sat but loosely upon her, and she per-
fectly understood the terms upon which he was to be received as a
Inver. Ills Learned Friend on the other side compared the love
of the defendant to the appetite of ia person who was fond of a
peach or a nectarine; but it was manifest,from this young woman's
conduct, that she also had as strong a wish to tasteforbiriden ft sir,
notwithstanding all the modesty, purity, and innocence that had
been attributed to her. If she had been truly virtuous, would she
have accepted the assignation of an anonymous correspondent, and
have gone to meet a man by appointment, whom, fur ought she
knew, she had never seen before? Moreover, after the intercourse
commenced, would she on a day which she pretended was devoted only
to innocent pleasure, have gone openly with the defendant to pur-
chase night-clothes for her own wear that night ? Would she not
have given some alarm, and spoken to the people of the house
shit her she had been conveyed, ii there was any suspicion on her part
that she was about to be treated its an unexpected manner ? Ott
the contrary, she consented to all, and the desire was, no doubt, as
sweng on her part as it was on the part of the defendant. Hie
Learned Friend had talked • great deal about warm protestations,
and he had gone so far as to say that the tire, as well as himself,
knew what they meant when uttered to a young girl. When he
(the Gammon Sergeant) heard the gentlemen of the Jury coupled
tip with his Learned Friend's knowledge upon these subjects, he
did venture to suggest, in • subdued tone, that he should only
answer for himself. But his Learned Friend then turned round on
him (the Common Sergeant), and coupled him also with himself in
his knowledge upon the subject, under the appellation of " a pair
of sly old foxes." (laughter.) There was no man in England
with whom he was prouder to walk arm and arm through the streets
than his Learned Friend ; but in a matter of this kind he begged
to disclaim the association, and leave " the sly old fox" to his own
covert, perfectly contented with his own private pursuits in these
matters, In cases of this kind, however, Juries ought to act a part
which would teach a lesson to young women of this description. If
servant girls, by their Haunting, flung themselves into men's way,
and, after having been seduced by their own impudence, were to
receive the sanction of Juries by a heavy amount of damages in
their favour, seduction would be encouraged instead of repressed,
and temptations would be offered to men which they could scarcely
resist, merely for the purpose of enriching the real seducers.
The Loan CHI Fr JUSTICE, in charging the Jury, told them,
that it, considering a case of this lend, they had the sanction of
Comes of Justice for a long period back, not only to take into con-
sideration the mere !mot service accruing from the seductien of a
girl, but also the injury to the feelings of the relative who com-
plained of the outrage. In this case the plaintiff' was the uncle.
but he fulfilled the character of a parent and a guardian, and it
must be supposed that his feelings had been in some degree wound.
ed. It was very true that the girl might bring another action for
breach of promise of marriage; and, therefore, his Lordship felt
it his duty to Memo the Jury that, upon the present occasion, they
were only to estimate the damages which the uncle had sustained ;
and in doing this, they ought to act with temper and moderation,
regardless of any thing which had been introduced unconnected
with the cause. No proof whatever had been given that the defen-
dant was a married man, though, by his Counsel, he had thought
fit so to be represented, and his last letter to this unfortunate girl
was the only kind of evidence from which such a fact could be in-
ferred. Whether that letter redounded to his credit or not fonned
no part of the present inquiry; anti if his Lordship could not give
any opinion favourable to the party before the Court upon a sub-
ject not exactly in issue, he would rerraai front uttering any thing
to his disparagement. It was admitted that some damages must
be given in this case, and the only question was, what amount
ought to be given to the uncle for the loss of his niece's services,
and the wound to his own feelings consequent upon such an injury ?
The Jury retired for twenty-five minutes, and, on returning into
Court, pronounced a verdict for the plaintiff—Damages 4001.