The National Register.
London, England, 1817-07-28 00:00:00

MIDSUMMER .:S SIZES.

BERKSIII;iE.

Throw *arisen were held at .litio.n, at wh,cia nineteen
privotirra *err tried, and of them: rite ("Into lot; received
Jodi:went of Deaths Gsstle and (ivory
:.,r stealing seven slice;,; 111. Um! Ar for
loirglaiy. 'The two of diets. Jini.e, and Henry Creeds, nem
the nrineiptds of et soul: ho have lotig ioksted the
ltciglthuenhoed of Alno4 Lion. Jame,.. tinnuer, Richard 1)4-
14, Joseph C irter,Thonias I i i,'Tllwadi Ord y, John Ditv,
Ftiicit: Dry, itti.l Sarah Lunibons it, were all ordered io be
trinciported Tor seven v ears.

CIVIL *II/V.

CI( Or Pcoyl•c 4,7 M tItRIAGE.

11.\11.K15 v. I.olw:rt.

Mr. Ylrepticr.l opened the Cow, snil stated that it was at autism to
recover compensa;:o.l is dainagos for a breach of promise of mar-
riage.
Nfr. Wukefild addreased the Court and Jury on the pert of the
plaintiff; whom he repress toed to be a ytung holy of respee•aide con-
nections. and of omsiderable personal saucy and accomplishments.
The inifiry, he observed, which stir had sustained through the con-
duct of the defendant, was almost the greatest which a mall could in-
flict upon a wrinan. The defendant. who was a 11151) of compete. et
fortune, bial.ine aiquainted wit a tlie plaintiff in the summer of 1515,
and in a short dine secured both h r heart and Mal:tit/11Y. Ile was
intmilaced to her father, who was a fanner of sonic eonsasmence, and
was received by her leanly with every presilde confidence and fnend-
sldp. His intentions to Miss C.'1,1! of the most assiduous de.
scription, and to such a length had the mutual deterolias lion to he
married gone, that a day was actually fixed for the wedding. which
was to tithe place on the same day on which Harris, the
brother or the plaintiff, was to take the hand of a young lady to whom
lie had long been paying his:akin:me!. The wedding (Ire.; was per-
chr.sed, and !trident:lid chosen. In detb:l),,C or all these preliminaries,
hower...r. the de:instant, who wits be: i7en 59 and no years of age.
abandoral his en,osgements ; and without the slightest appatent
astute. desinti,d the plaintiff; tend prat it emnpletely out of his power or
make her amends, by marrying a younger lady, a Miss Stone, only
t years or age.
The evidenc,-, proved the rourtship of the plaintiff (who was about
es.,) by the di ferulant at her father's house, hi. saying at one time,
when applier: to in comemtenoe of hit: saying away longer than
usual, that lie would be as good as his word, and his subsequently
disappointing her.
7.1 r. Jervis addresced the Jury at considerable length, on the part
of the dellnda•st, tatting the courtship as joke. it., apprehended
the Jury would agree With him in thinkin:.; t;:a a few thillinga would
answer the 111,tiCe of the case; with teg:.rd to any other loss of which
the pUiliffluid a rigid to expect compensation, he reclly could sec
Male for to a young lady of 43 lie should irnai.zino to be rid of an out
suitor of sixty. was a matter rather of correlation than of sorrow ; and
he had no doubt that Miss Harris was heaitly glad to berelieved from
his importunities.
Mr. Justice l'ark said, that in this case it was for the Jury to Fay,
whether from the general conduct of the defendant, who wee a man
advanced in life, and therefore cnpaltlc of judging of his actisms, he
had not given sufileicut indication of his intention to marry the plain-
tiff, or to warrant tile belief that such was Ins desire. It was very
true that he had never said in expre_s term.. to any of the witnesses
who mid been eallad, that he would marry Aldo Ilarti.i; hot it up.
rated that when he was I,Ped by Harris, junior, whether fist
would marry his sister on the same tli.y on which he was to be mar.
tied himself, so far Mai he from denying that he contemplated a
marriage with Miss Ilarris, that lie actually agreed to the suggestion.
although he subsequently wadded the fuiGhnclit of his proms: e. It
was also manifest front his lingo:yr to the father of die plaintiff,
when he waited upon him to represent the painful feelings which his
absence had occasioned in the mind of his thiughter. that at that time
he fully understood the footing upon which he was consideted. In
words he said, •• he thought it was better that lie should stop away a
little, but that she might depend he would be as good as his word."
Here was a clear adintision, that neithee the plaintiff nor her family
were wrong when they consid:red bun a man who was to lk.come
connected with them by marriage. If the act was otherwise, and
that he reslly had no such silos., why did ..c net seize this invasion
to undeceive the father, and candidly to declare his feeliruts ? Upon
the whole, if the Jury believed the teaintony on the part oft the plain-
tiff, unopposed as it 1V11.3 by any evidence on the part of the defend-
ant, who had not attempted to throw a single reproach on the con-
duct of the lady. whose confidence he had übusist, they would give
rich reasonable damages as they, in the fair and impartial discharge
of their duty, consider, dui rcontpensc the plaintiff far tile mortifica-
tion and disappointment width she must neceessarily have felt under
all thew circumstances.
The Jury, after is short conenhation, found a verdict fcc the plain-
tif.....llautage., three hundred pounds. Coats 4tn.