The National Register.
London, England, 1816-10-21 00:00:00

411141:11EL AT THE 114 R.

In the trial before Mr. Common Scrjcisnt and a London
Jury, lull Saturday night, the 6th last. blr. Alley appeared as
Counsel-fur flue prosecution, and was opposed to Mr. Adol-
phus. who alled :is Cotinsel for the prisoner. During the
progress of the ease, acne warmth of feeling was expressed
by the contending advocates. A./ the trial advanced, how-
ever, fresh► UCCiliioll was given in a personal, manner, as it
appeared to us, by the Learned Counsel for the prisoner, for
irritati.m on the part of Mr. Alley, who said in the hearing uR
every body, that a Court of Justice was not the place to ma
nifest per s!inal feelings, ben that if Mr. Adolphus was dis-
posed to indulge himself in that si ay, he knew very well a litre
to foul Mr. Alley. This produced a retort from Mr. Adol-
phus, in a tone and manner of deliauce, 6* that he aliould be
glad to know where Air. Alley was to be hat he had
twice before Sought bitty, but e. mild not find him," and added,
iu a tone equally audible, but in a manner more easily under-
stood than expressed, " I have not been in Coventry smith the
Beach for two sears."—Whatever might be his feelings on
t'i, oceasion, ilk Alley sat down in silence till the trial was
concluded. Ifefore the Common Serjealit summed up the
evidence for the Jury, lie took occasion iinliliely t• lament
the length to which this disorder in the Conti had gone ; but
at the same time passed ao eiwomium upon the cha-
racter and conduct of Mr. Alley, sliming the long period of
their acquaintance. lie had known that gentleman fur many
years a all able mad rmlnus advocate, and diving that time
haul always rowlocttii himself as a gentleman and a man of
honour. Nothing bad ever occurred tu his knowledge to de-
rogate from that character, and he felt the utmost concern
that any ()evasion hail liven taken now to cast an imputation
upon it. What pass-+l afterwards upon this subject, is ex-
;darned in the following e ((((( naimication

TO THE EI)ITOR or. 1111: TRAVELLER.
SIR-1 Living seen in The Macrrer of yesterday au article.
purporting to contain an account of an affair between Mr.
Alley and Mr. Adolphus (the substance of which is correct)
1 think it my duty to lay before the public a true statement
of the transaction, as far as I was personalty concerned. Un-
doubtedly there i• one circuntsCuiee mentioned in the para-
graph, which is not quite troy ; ly, that Mr. Adolphus
positively it-fasted to meet Mr. Afz:v al any One. This, in
strictness, is not correct, Mr. Adolphus having told nee,
" that he could not meet my friend mail the 14.1.4 niter ne.rt ;"
a declaration which I deemed to anwunt to a total refusal, or
perhaps worse; for I considered such an ousts er to my 411.
plication as throwing upon my friend the odious ditty of call-
ing eq Mr. Adolphus ler circumstances which would
have subjected him to the imputation of feelings and motives
tar from his nature to iuQuht ; and which, as his friend, I
could not pencit 111111 to execute.
I think, Sir, I cannot better fulfil the puinfnl duty I have
now undertaken, than to insert my letters, giving an account
to Mr. Alley of the part I had undertaken its the vindication
of his honour, and the manner in which I had acquitted my-
self in conformity to tfic confidence which lie did me the ho-
nour to repose in me, in so delicate an adair. I shall cont-
inence with the first letter which I wrote to Mr.. Alley, im-
mediately after my first interview with Mr. Adolphus, and
which is as follows:

Monday, Two o'Clork, Oct. 7. 1816.
MY DEAR Sin—At eleven o'clock this day I called upon Mr.
Adolphus at his chambers, conceiving it the most proper place to
communicate with him on the unpleasant subject of your note, which
I much regret did not reach me till late yesterday evening. Not
having been fortunate enough to find him, after repeated attempts
throughout the day, both at his chambers and house, I determined to
wait for him at the Old Bailey, whine I obtained an interview at half
past one o'clock, which has proved so unsatisfactory, that I conceive
any farther communization with him would not be creditable to you
or me. Mr. Adolphus has refused to enter into the arrangement I
proposed, by which Wow I consider he audit atone for the gross in-
sult offered you in Court on Saturday evening. I demanded that lie
should publicly retract before thei.ondon Jury, (who were not to be
impanelled again) at rive o'clock. those expressions which he made
use of before them, and which admitted of but this one remedy; or
that he should appoint a time and place where he would meet you,
accompanied by a friend, in two hours, in order that you might re-
ceive the satisfaction you repined. I have, in consequmme of Mr.
Adolphus's refusal to meet you (hisexpressions being •• that he would
not go out with you or any other man on that day, ) declared to lion
that I considered his conduct in the most untavoumble light, and
that it was sufficient to justify my not having any farther communi-
cation with him ; and that I should not hesitate to declare in public,
that it would be as highly improper for you to put off such an affair
to any longer period, as it would be disreputable to have any thing
farther to do with a person who bad refused the demand you had so
much reason to make. I am, Sir, fse.
W. li. ALLEY, Capt. 11. I'. 4th Rcgt. Foot.

In the evening, about seven o'clock, I received the follow-
ing letter from my friend, Mr. Alley, inclosed in an en-
velope, informing me that it had been put into the letter-box
of his chambers some time before:—
Temple, 7th Oct. Int 6.
Sin—At ajiout half paq one o'clock to-day a stranger introduced
himself to me at the Old- Bailey, as Captain Alley, a relation of yours,
and demanded in your name that I should publicly retract and apo-
logise for some expressions I hind used towards you on Saturday
night at that place, or meet you within two hours. I told that Gen-
tleman,and I now repeat it, that under the circumstances which occur-
red on Saturday, I have no retraction nor apology to make. As to the
other alternative, I have no objection to seeing you at any place you
nil! appoint on Wednesday, or at any subsequent time. Before I
saw Captain Alley I had made arrangements which will keep me at
my house all this evening and to-morrow morning. I can therefore
see any body from you at N 0.23, Percy-street, until dinner time to-
morrow, or at my Chambers in the evening. You would have known
my sentiments sooner, but Mr. Arahin, for reasons which I cannot
disco 11111 l end, declined interfering, even by delivering a message.
I am, Sir, your obedient servant,
Peter Alley, Esq. JOHN ADOLPHUS.
To the above letter I sent my friend Alley the following
reply :
MY DEAR Si a—l this moment received your letter, inclosing one
from Mr. Adolphus, most improperly addressed to you. His note
must have nu utiower, it deserves 110714'; but confirms me in the opi-
nion 1 so plainly expressed to Mtn at our interview on Monday, that
after the dishonourable manner in which he had conducted himself,
it would be disgraceful for either you or roe to have any thing
farther to do with him ; and I expect you to act accordingly.
I am, Etc. W. H. ALLEY.
Notwithstanding my decided opinion as alcove expressed,
that my friend ought not to have any farther contmauicat
with Mr. Adolphus, after the manner in which lie had treated
the affair of' Saturday night I but yielding to his solicitations,
I waited upon Mr. Adolphus on Friday morning to know his
pleasure, at what time and place lie should be ready to keep
kis. promise of meeting Mr. Alley on Wednesday, or at any
subsequent period. The following letter, wittten to my
friend Mr. Alley immediately after my interview with Mr.
Adolpus, contains a correct account of what passed between

OCTOBEIt 21.

Friday AAernoon, 11th Oct. 114111.
MY i/V. AR Sin—As you did ncit fed Satisfied with the opinion I
gave you in my last communiCation, I waited upon Mr. Adolphus
this day, to demand the meeting you sn much desired, naming to..
morrow' in order to put an end to a business, which in the first in-
stance had been so very improperly awl indelicately postponed. Ile
told me he had just received a letter from Mr. Holland, requiring
hint to leave town on the morrow, but that on his return the week
after rest, he would grant you. the satisfaciion requirctl. I told him
that no business, however urgent, should again take place of a call
on his honour—more particularly, as the time was of his own ap-
pointment, and requested to see his friend, not doubting he•hati pro.
vided one in the interim which had elapsed since our tust interview.
On his saying that he had not done m, I told him he must be pro-
paml by to-morrow, on which he replied in an emphatic nuumsr.
•• he did not choose to go out to be butchered." Thus insulted and
4111.3,,A1 by this untimely language, I could not refrain from express.
ing my contempt for him. sod my indignation of his conduct in terms
of tic strongest kind. Impressed with ;these scrollections, I must
be.• to say, it is my decided opinion, that you should take no further
nonce of the man ; the I cumet fed myself jusiitied as an Officer, or
a Gentleman. in accompanying you to the field, to meet u person
who could coldly and ildiberattly 36k me if •• I wished to see hilts
buLliercd.' I am, dear Sir, yours, eke.
W. 11. ALLEY.

Four insertion, Mr. Editor, of this candid statement of a
trausaetion ts hick must have excited so lunch curiosity, by
the
will oblige, Sit, sour must obedient humble servant,
W. H. ALLEY, H.P. 4th Font.
P.S.—After what has passed, as stated in my letters, I consider
the matter at an end, and certainly it should have been, at least su
far as my friend and self were concerned, if my opimion was adopted.
I was therefore much surprised this morning, when I lean ed that
yesterday afternoon, in the absence of Alr. Alley, who dined absoad„
a Gentltnian called at his house, spoke to Mrs. Alley, and esprei,-
ed himself anxious to see her husband. On how telling hint that %lr.
A. was not at home, he begged to leaveanote. saying he would call
again on Monday. This occurrence, which took place in the pre-
sence of a young Lady, created a suspicion that all was not right.
In consequence of which they opened the letter, which was only
closed by a wet :raft r, and finding it therein stated that he intended
meeting Mr. Alley at some future time, the ladies, alarmed, much
more than was necessary, determined to communistic their discovery
at How.strect.

Slaughter's Co&e-hone, Sunday F.vening. Oct. 13.
Mr. Ailey was Brought, in the custouy of Perks, the officer,
to lb. Bun-street Police Office, on Saturday night, at nine
o'clock, flout his chambers in the Temple, by direction of
Mr. Birnie, the sitting Magistrate. Upon being called On to
enter into securities to keep the peace, Mr. Alley detailed
the circumstances already mentioned, and said, that nothing
was mole foreign to his intention than to take any farther
notice of Mr. Adolphus, after the manlier in which he had
conducted himself. In this view of the ease, Mr. Birnie
agreed to take Mr. Alley's word of honour that he world ab-
stain from any hostile steps, and suffered him to depart. It
is but proper to state, that we arc informed the course taken
by :‘'r. Birnie on this occasion originated in an application
from Mrs. Ailey. From the Lady's statement, it appears,
that 11 at the Bar called at Mr. Alley's house on
Saturday ei ening, and not finding him at home, wrote a let-
ter, stating that Mr. Adolphus had been misunderstood, and
that he was ready to give Mr. Alley the desired meeting sonic
time in the ensuing week. This letter he delivered to Mrs.
Alley, sealed with a wet wafer, and her suspicions being ex-
cited she opened it, and thus discovered the imaginary dan-
ger in which her husband was placed. The feelings of as
affectionate wife wilt account for the rest.