The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1824-07-24 00:00:00

charged upon biro in puttingotthe hit trial for libel, and the new
trial of the criminal information, the delay did not proceed from
him; and Mr. Speokie told him (Mr. IluCkinghani) that the Go-
vernment would not follow up the information, athougb six months
after, upon the arrival of ChiefJuatiee filmset, the information
was handed up to him ; but the will of providence di4 not allow
him time to grant Of to refuse it. 111th regard to the guarantee given
by Judge Macnaghten to continue the licences already existing, ft
lila all a piece of casuistry. foe it must be odd to find, that the
licence was continued to Jobe hall and refused to the Cairene
Joareal. lie was told that he bad repeated warnings, but he never
had one specific warning. But betide that, the warning depended'
on the right of the ).arty to warn ; and these rules and regulations on
which the warnings took place were no law; and therefore •
wanting against doing a lawful act was cone than useless.
The last heard of charge against him was the remarks upon
Dr. Boyce, but them remarks he (Mr. Bdekingham) contended
did out notate any one of those rules sad nwlations, even
if these rules and regulations were law. Ile moped the din.
C11.0,i011 of thin subject would continue. and while he had health
and spirit he would take rare the. should. He had the welfare of
the natives of India much at Leart, and he would persevere in his
exertions to improve their conaltion. They might not hear him In
whispers in India, but they would be obliged to hear him in *bun-
ders in England. (Hear, hear.)
The Citat u MAW regretted that a gentleman possessing abilities
like Mr. Bueltingham should not have amassed a finnune rather
than be an appellant here. But with respect to the main question,
he could not help appmving the conduct of Mr. Adam. Mr. Buck.
ingham himself admitted lie was indiscreet ; and indiscretions
in India, when attended with bad consequences. were as dangerous
as if they resulted from meditation. Ile hoped after two days of
lengthened tHseussion, that this Court would now allow him to put
the question. (Cries of " Question
Sir C. Foaaks and Captain Gowaw here rose.. The former
gate way, and
Captain tioWAW said, he merely rose to defend the character of
• literary native who • name had been mentioned in the course of
the debates—(Strong symptoms of impatience were manif.sted
while the Gallant Captain was paying a tribute of applause to the
various Minionaries In India.)
Sir C. Coupes rose to order. If those gentlemen who express
sty± Indecent haste are inclined to think that this question shall not
have a full discumdlio, they are mistaken. If they wish to adjourn,
I Imo nu objeciim, I alw.ll swat* fifer toy sentiments mithe
'abject
. Mr. Hrmr.--AMlri shall fps& Man hour. (Cries of "Ad.
journ"—" Go on.")
Sir C. Foaaws contended, that' the original resolution ought '
to be supported, if the Court of Directors acted fairly by Xt.
Burkititzham or the people of India.
Mr. Hunk replied.
The original resolution Was then put and negatived, and the
amendment carried by a large oi•jority.
The Court adjoinned. at 10 minutes to nine o'clock.

omEw.

SHERIFF'S COURT, RED I.toy.sauAnt,
//insAy, JULY 23.

&fare J. Beacism.s., Est., Uade► SlierV, and a Special Ju►y.
SIM JAMZS ZOISSINZ, s.szostsTr. SIR GEONOT ISVRMAY,

IC
A Special Jury met this da► to assess damages in this case,
which had excited great interest in the fashionable dreles, from the
high military rank and family distinction of the parties concerned
in it. The Court was crowded at an early hour. At a few mi-
nutes after eleven o'clock Mr. Brougham arrived, and the Jury
were sworn.

?Jr. PARK opened the pleadings. This was an action brought
to recover compensation In damages from the defendant for ertimh
nil mmersation with tne plaintiff's wife.
The damages were laid at 20,0001., and the defendant had suf-
, fared judgment to go by default.
Mr. BIIOUGHAM-1 do not remember ever to have risen to dis.
I charge my duty in a Court of Aisnee with feelings of more painful
anxiety than I feel on the present occasion. That anxiety does not
arise from any doubt I entertain as to the result of the present in-
quiry. From the case which has been laid before me, lam satisfied
as to the result ; but the painful feelings I entertain have been
created by to penonal communication. which I have had with the
plaintif—a communication from which you. Gentlemen, by the na-
ture of your dude., are necessarily preluded. The unmixed feelings,
with which the events you are the day assembled to review, have
overwhelmed him, presented to me a picture of misery and of suf-
fering which it Is impossible, by any langUage I might use to make
sensible to your minds. And in considering the case this day to be
submitted to you, it will not be the least painful part of your duty,
to consider the happiness he once enjoyed, and to contemn it with
the miserable state of mind to which the facts about to be laid
before you in evidence have reduced hint. It is not on my state.
men; but non those facts, you are called upon to decide on the
injury that has really been inflicted ; not on my representation of it
to you. The peeing plaintiff is descended of an ancient and
honourable family In Scotland, the second son of Sir W. Erskine ;
himself a distinguished General, and one who was only prevented;
by being in the service at an earlier period, from sharing in the
glorious exploits which have been achieved by those illustrious per-
sons, of whose names mention will be made in the progress of this
inquiry. In the year 17117 the plaintiff first became acquainted
with his wife, Lady Louisa Paget, the daughter of the late Earl
anti (!onntemni llshtidme, and asses to she moss Marmieref
Anglesey. Tisane mtachnient was more ardent and romantic than
attachments usually are In real life. Ca. osiderable obstacles pre-
sented themselves to their union, principally arising from their
being younger members of their respective families, and without
patrimony. These difficulties continued for a considerable
time, and it was not until the fourth year that they were
overcome, and even then they were only surmounted by the
intervention of their late Majesties, who interfered in their favour,
and chiefly by their interference they were enabled to accomplish
the object of their wishes. They were married in the year 11101,
and what does not usually occur in marriages under smiler cir-
CIIIIII+IbIICM, their attachment; ardent and romantic as it was, con.
tinned undiminished. "For fourteen years they enjoyed the most
uninterrupted happiness. This will be satisfactorily testified to you
by their friends and persons of inferior station who had an oppor-
tunity of observing their deportment towards each other. About
1815, Sir James Erskine succeeded his elder brother, Sir William
Erskine, in the baronetcy; In that year ha projected a visit to
Pails, to meet his old associates in arms after the battle of IVaterloo. I
Sir James Erskine had himself served honourably in the Penin.
sular war, but was prevented by ill-health from continuing in it to
its glorious termination. Up to the period of his projected visit, be I
enjoyed the moat uninterrinned domestic felicity. The attention and
affection of Lady Louisa was now rendered more essential to his
happiness by indisposition. He was afflicted with sore eyes, and
she was wont to read and to write for him, and her attention ale.
appeared unremittingly kind, to all who had an opportunity of wit-
nessing it. The felicity they enjoyed in their privacy could not be
produced in written documents, it was not to be heard from others,
it was known only In themselves; but those who had an opportu-
nity of witnessing their intercourse in society, were ready to testify,
that it had been uniformly kind, and bespoke the must ardent at-
tachment. Shortly after their arrival in PAM.' manifest and sudden
alienation of the Lady's affections took place, his happiness in her
socioy was destroj col. That a fatal attachment which she conceived
for Sir Geo. Murray was the cause of this alienation, you will not
vaguely conjecture, but surely infer, after the evidence has been
laid before you. If Sir James Erskine had known then what he:
has since unhappily learned, he would not hare been at a lons as
to what to attribute his hourly experience of his wife's altered
deportment and diminished affections. He saw love replaced ,
by distrust, and confidence by habitual alienation, yet was '
ignorant of the cause. He had now become as miserable as
he before was happy. in this situation he took the only ermine
open to an honourable man, and one which he was bound to take--
he redoubled his attentions, and became, if possible, more unre.
wittingly sedulous than before, and determined on removing her
from the scene in which this alienation of her affections took place.
lie took her to Brussels. and hem thence to Spa, where he re-
mained some months. Ile subsequently resumed to Paris, and
afterwards returned to England, when she went to her venerable
mother, whom she found on the bed of sickness, which after-
wards proved to be the bed of death. Shortly afterwards he ;
brought her home to his sent at Torrey, in Scotland, hoping that a
restoration of privacy, and a return of their former retired habits,
would be accompanied with a innuoration of that happiness he once;
enjoyed. This was of little avail, however. At Brussels, on their
return to Paris, and at home, her anacondas continued altered, and
manifestly alienated from him. Meanwhile some suspicions broke
in upon his mind, through reports which had reached hint, as to the
cause of he unhappiness, and he had reason to believe that this
alienated attachment had embonlied itself in the shape of a corre. I
rpondence carried on between the defendant and his wife. He
charged her with it ; the charge was met by constant denial
on her part—she treated it with indignity—she threw herself:
upon her knees on one occasion. declared the charge to be ground. !
lea, and asserted her innocence. With this asseveration he was
satisfied, and yielded, as I conceived he was bound to yield, an
easy belief to this declaration of her innocence. But her passion ,
had grown too strong for her now to master or control it. She had '
not resumed the wonted spirits she enjoyed before their ill-omened
visit to Pans. An incident row occurred which gave irresistible
strength to the sun nions he had previously harboured. flog,
nturring the postman arrived; the servant brought in the past-bas
to the room where Sir James and Lady Erskine were ; she was
reading; she seized the beg and opened in turning half round from
him to ers:le his obrervation ; she drew from it a large packet.!
directed under a tree cover, marked " Tem Quarter Master
General's Department." no George Murray was then on the :
stain Id that establishment. Sir J. demanded, as was his duty,
to see the contents of the packet. She immediately ruse, and
rushed out of the room and remained absent siifficiently long to
destroy its contents. On her return she showed a snudil note and a
letter, which was all that she would admit the packet to contain.
In despite of all her oaths and nil her denials be was now satisfied
and convinced that n correspondence had been carried on ; he no
longer doubted the cause of the alienated aft:enema of his wife. Here
he had proof why he was male wretched, which was n confirm-
ation strong as proof of holy writ" of the suspicions he had before
entertained. The next day he left his home--that home which in
an rigonized letter he designates touchingly but simply "an unhappy
home." lie ass apprehensive now that not only his wife's affec-
tions were alienated, bit tin's her honour bad been given up to
another. Sir George Murray had been his comrade in the anny—
he had known him hem his youth—they had been long intimate—
on the visit of himself and Lady Erskine in Paris they were naturally
flung into his society. They had met Finn on the first day they dined
out in Paris. Standing its this situation—no ordinary one, towards
Sir G. Murray—it required no ordinary measure to be taken. He
resolved to have from his own mouth an adinimion of the meth
of his suspicion, ow a disavowal from him ; he addressed him a
lettet fur that purpose, to whien be reCTiVed a frank and pemnp.