The National Register.
London, England, 1808-07-24 00:00:00

TUE NATIONAL REGISTER.

4113

was eighteen at the time of her marriage, and her Lord thirty-
two. If this disparity of years were, however, to be reckoned
as a great inequality, the objection could not come from the
mouth of the Defendant, who was two years older than Lon'
Boringdon, who was now thirty-eight years of age, whereas
his Lordship was but thirty-six. Until the month of May hi
the present year, Lord Boringdon had no reason to suspect the
fidelity of his Lady. It was in consequence of Lord Bormgdon's
• "asking to her upon the subject, and pressing her to know
whether those surmises were true or not, that Lady Boringdon
went off the next day, and bad since continued to live in a state
of open adultery with the Defendant. During the time that the
Plaiutilf and his Lady lived together in harmony and affection,
there had been a son born, who was .now living. lie had in-
vestigated the e'rcumstances of this case with all the attention
that it was his duty to bestow upon it, and he could defy, and
he did mean to hold out a defiance to the Defendant, to bring
forward an instance in the course of Lord Roringdon's married
life, which would dishonour his character, either as a man or as
a husband. He should call a number of witnesses, persons of
the highest rank and character in life, and who had the greatest
opportunities of being intimately acquainted with Lord and
Lady Boriugdon, who would prove most unquestionably, that
Lord Boriugdon had always treated his Lady with the greatest
kindness and affection, and that they appeared a very happy
'couple. He could also produce letters written by Lady Boring-
don to her Lord, before there was any question of adultery, and
in which her Ladyship shewed all the anxiety and tenderness of
a most affectionate wife. Toe first letter was dated the 14th of
180, and hail the following expressions :
" 1. am very sorry, my dearest love, to hear that you are not
well. I was so anxious about sour letter, that I was almost
afraid to enquire. 1 have myseif been unwell, and induced to
take some laudanum (you must nut scold me). This made me
so ill, that I could not go to church last Sunday. as 1 intended.
Do not belie%e that this was from neglect of your orders, or neg-
ligence of any sort, it was from the violence of the cold."
This last Sentence sheaved the care that the Noble Plaintiff
bad to fix in his Lady those habits of morality and relieion, in
which she had been brought up. In the same letter there was
the following sentence :—" It appears to me six weeks, instead
of six days, since you have left mc." There was another let-
ter, dated the Ist or April, 1t,07, ss hich had the following ex-
pressions :
" It was quite an unexpected pleasure for me to hear from
yon, lam quite well, and so is my dear little Henry. I hope,
my dear Boringdon, you will like my going to the play, as no-
thing could give me pleasure that was not agreeable to you."
He thought, theretnre, that there could not he a doubt re-
main* on the minds of the Jura, that the circumstances of the
present ease weir those of a seduction under every species of
aggravation. As to the visits of Sir A. Pnget, it was quite im-
possible that Lord Itoringdon should have known any thing nhout
them, unless the servants told him (and servants were in general
very slow to communicate that sort of information). The De-
fendant appeared to be nlways lurking about the horse, to pny
his visits as soon as Lord Boringdon had gone ant. Independent
of these visit, Lady Boriugdon used often to visit lit the house
of a near connection of his Lordship by marriage, where Sir
Arthur constantly visited. His Lady also went out often in the
carriage Kith her child and its nurse, which was a cirmunstanee
that could not give suspicion to any reasonable husband. The
carriage used to stop at the Bayswater Gate of Kensington Gar-
dens, and her Ladyship chose the private stalk, where Sir Ar-
thur Paget always met her. The mirsc then went one way with
the child, and the Defendant and Lady Boringdon went another
way, and were absent usually fur an hour or more. The fact
of the adultery was confessed ; and in estimating the damages •
that ;might to he given, he trusted the ury would refer to that
which had ever been held the best criterion in those cases, the
rank and situation of .the parties. To their good sense, integ-
rity, and justice, he would now commit the cause of his Noble
Client, mid he trusted that the yerdictesould be such as reason.
justice, morality, and religion demanded of them in such acme.
Lord Amherst, the Hon. Mr. George Villiers' Dr. Vaughan,
Sir W. Llford, and the Rev. Mr. Haver, proved that Lord and
Lady Boriugslonalways appeared to be on the most affectionate
terms, and that his Lordship always treated her with the utmost

Elizabeth Croft was nurse to Lord Boringdon's child. Her
J.adv often went with her and the child in the carriage to Ken-
sington Gardens. The carriage always stopped at the Bayswater
Gate, kind when they got into the gardens, they were always
met by Sir Arthur Paget. She and the child watkcd oti, and

ff.

her L-oly and Sir Arthur separuted from them, and were ;rue.
:all, from three quarters of an hour to an hoar and a hill, herure
they joined them. Her Lady then returned to the carriagt
with her, arid drove home. On her cross-evaniination 1„ lit
Garrow, she said, that the Lady and the Defendant w alkod in
the gordens at those times, bet that she never ime% them 6„.
nu: of them to any house.
Sarah Porter was Lady Rorinplon's maid for near five %cart
She had never seen the Defendant and her Ladv totether at the
house in town, but she knew that he visited frequently in the
absence of his Lordship, and had seen him more than mite collie
out of the house.
William Radnor was porter id Lord Hotingdon for the Lt,t
five years. He frequently opened the door to sir Arthur Paget,
who generally bodied up stairs (as the whew's es preswd hintwir)
without asking whether Lady Boringdon was at home or am.
lie sometimes enquired for her. Their visits were alnaNs paid
when Lis Lordship was out, and the Defendant gen/Tatty staid
there for an hour or two at a time.

Mr. (arrow said, in defending his client, it was his duty to
call the attention of the Jury to the case as it had been made nut
in evidence. Sir Arthur Paget was a brave soldier, the second
son of a noble family. and had served his Sovereign in the
honourable situation of Ambassador; hitt although these em-
sidertitiors might raise him to an equality o ith the Plaintiff in
point of rank, it certainly gave hint no rept:ll4y in point of fair-
tune. Eva ry body knew that Sir A. Paget %vas by no means a
titan of fortune, and that whatever his connection with a Noble
family might give him at a future day, that would depend opens
his father's pleasure. lie remembered in a case of this sort,
Noble Friend of his (Lord Erskine) in speaking of the fortune
of the Defendant, bnid, " You may ask any man von meet is
" K nd-street what is his fortune, and they will tell you, ho
" has none, and every hod. knows it ;" the same observation
would apply to Sir Arthur Paget. If there had been any friend-
ship or hospitality violated, the Plaintiff's agents would have
brought forward witnesses to prove it. At Kensington-gardens
nothing was proved. het the Defendant's walking with her,
and that they did not think it neresvary to have the nurse of the
party. There was nothing like proof of any criminality till the
time of elopement ; and by the testimony of the witnesses it ap-
peared that she and the Plaiatif had lived ina state of harmony
and affection up to that time. He considered that the real cause
of these things is fashionable life proCeeded in a great nieasure
from the course of education which young ladies of rank receive,
mid from the manner they are introduced into life. A young
lady, who was known to be an heiress, after a certain course of
education, which was well known, dime out, or, as the polite
phrase is, was introduced into the world at about $5 or 16
years of age. She soon met somebody that her parents con-
sidered a good match in point of rank. and after a short courtship
they were married. After marriage, fashion (which he feared
was often the bitterest enemy of our happiness), made them see
hut little of each other. Fashion might drive a Nobleman to
attend his Parliamentary duty, and might drive his Lady to
some other mode of passing her time. She meets sn agreeahk
saunterer, and is pleased with his conversation : she receives ills
first visit, and is pleased is ith the repetition of them: Fashion
had made separate beds necessary among married people in high
life, and it made the pursuits of the husband and wife different.
It might, perhaps, be fashion which suggested to Lord Boring-
don to question his w lie about the visits of Sir A. Paget ; ty.,t
whether he questioned her mildly or otherwise, there could he
no doubt hut that wits the immediate cause which Induced her to
elope, and throw herself under the protection of Sir A. Paget,
on whose accountshe had incurred thestispicions of her husband,
and been ruined in his good opinion—how was it possible rot
Sir Arthur to refuse that protection ? There was not a shadow
of proof of criminality before the elopement. There was on
officious chambermaid to tell of doors being fastened, or of her
Lady's dress being discomposed. It appeared that the elope-
ment was entirely the effect of Lord Itoringdon's questioning her,
and that when she conceived herself ruined in his opinion, she
resolved to throw herself upon the protection of Sir Arthur.
who could not, in honour or in spiJit, refuse to receive her. 4
The Sub-Sheriff recapitulated the evidence to the Jury, an
made some appropriate observations on the hearing of it.
The Jury, after a short consideration. found for the riauttia
Damages, Ten Thwand Pounds. • ~
Another Cries. Con. cause is pending; in which a rientlemau
of extensive property is Plaintiff, and a youth, ander IS years,
who officiated as footman in the family, antis now a waiter at
an Hotel in St. James's-street, is Defendant. Thescene of adia•
tery is said to have bees at a village sear Canterbury.