The National Register.
London, England, 1819-11-14 00:00:00

COMBPRBACiI V. CHOTT.

The fallowing suit, for tile seduction of a daughter,
was tried before the above Court, on the 17th of March
last. The circumstances, as detailed in evidence, are
of a singular and aggravated chaarcier, exhibiting the
st incredible infatuai ton 00 the one side, and Unpa-
ralleled hypocrisy on the other. The damages were
• laid at 50,000 rupees.
-Mr.Fergitson addressed the Court on behalf of the
Plaintiff. The Defendant, who was a married matt,
had come out to this country with his lady and her fami-
ly in the year 1813, on board the same snip. with the
wo daughters of the Plaintiff. Ati intimacy Seas .for-
itied during the passage between the young ladies and
the family, high in rank and situation, with whom the
Defendant was connected by ittarria,te, and which con
ttnued after their arrival in this country. Soule tittle
after their arrival the Defendant became the patine' of
of the Plaintiff its his profession, and f:oitt this time he
was looked upon and treated by the Plaintiff and his
family as a member of it. The voting lady herself, the
unfortunate subject of that day's inquiry, was also treated
with the greatest kindness by the Lundy.. The Learned
.4...:0un5el here adverted to the conduct of the deluded
young lady (tutored no doubt fur that purpose by her
abandoned seducer) fur some time previous to this day,
as being calculated to raise great anxiety in the minds tit
her parents, particularlyher ntother, Her demeanour on
s,.teral occasions was strange, and in particular she
if welt more than mice on the subject of the lunatic asy-
lam, and the-state of the unlortmiate beings who are the
object of that institution. 1t would appear,. that on the
atty in ,tittestion, NI C. took leave of her sister as if they
at ere swoon to separate for ever, but which did not then
e seite any extraordinary feeling of surprise in her sister,
as she had tor some time previous appeared to be much
depressed in spirits. The Learned Gentleman chewed,
that all the drift this must abandoned of nten must have
used, failed to break asunder those links
.by which nature
its to our kindled. must have been his feel.
iiigs (if' the *old be nut profaned .by so applying it) when
he saw the last agonizing pang endured by his victim at
parting rime' those to whom she had so Mug been united
by every tie of affection that can bind us to each other!
Mr. Fergussun then went on to stale, that on the following
morning, June Ith, the Plaintiff, as usual, came early into
town. That about 7 o'clock in the morning he was called
to the gardens by a note front his wife, desiring his imme-
diate return. On his arrival at the gardens he met a
.friend open the stairs, from whose countenance lie per-
ceived that something dreadful had °centred. lie would
leave to taiusewho heard him to imagine, fur lie would not
.attempt to describe,
,what most have been the agonised
feelings of a doating.lither upon learning that his faVott-
a ite daughter had Cootie loan minutely end, and that the
oratise of this dreadful catastrophe was a fear of approach-
ing insanity.!
lie then pioceeded to slate the conduct of the defendant
through the whole (Attie scene of villainy. Ou the morn-
iug of the 401 lie appealed at the gardens, with ell the out-
ward signs of gi jet and of unmanly with the agonized
feeliugs of the tinfortimate parents. Atter shedding an
abundance of teats, lie reunited to town with the declared
in elution of waiting upon Commodore Hayes, fur the pur-
pose of obtaining the assistance of his boats and dives s to
wait for and recover the body; and at the sanwaime re-
!molted that he might be allowed to take with him the
setters and papers that bad been found, in order. to chew
thew to his fatuity and the friends of the plaintiff. lie
returned to the garden in the evening, and, with his usual
expressions of anxiety and interest fur the family, said,
that theyeught nutfo be left alone in such deep affliction,
asid that he was determined to remain all night.
When the defendant neat appeared at the gardens,
Which was the Sunday following the day on which he baJ
witnessed and triumphed over the scene ur desolation lie
lie had occasioned, lit appeared.tp der p u g, saying
that his relationship to Ine family through Capt. bladdock
(milled bin to appeal- so, and that he mourned her leas as
deep as he could that of a beloved sister. At that very
moment this wretched young person was 1. sing with him
in his house, the object and victim Ufhis brand sensuality.
Was there any thing like this to he found in the annals of 1
human deprasif,y?
Mr. F. said, he would gladly quit a subject SO disgusting,
and would proceed to call the evidence in 81114,011 al the
cue which he had stated,
The first witness called was Capt. T. Maddock, whose'
testimony corroborated the statement made by the
Learned Cuinisei. He spoke of the impressipio enter-
tained by Inc zoning fatuity that she had drowned
herself, and deposed to her hawing been, after some time,
discovered w a house belonging to the detectiam. tie
stated that the lidless ing lettets were in the hatill-Wrilltig
of Miss GoillUei barb _ _

" My ever dear and respected patentit.—„defore
Insets your e% e, yuur Louisa will have found in a watery
gi ave the ouly relate that is left to her from insanity.
'escape the worst ut human calamities, I shall, when all are,
buried in sleep, hasten to the river, and iu its waters find
speedy, but not painful death. Yes, my dear mother, who
know that I hive long been a prey to the terrbrs of ap-
proatiliturnsauity, will be less shocked aid surprised
than my lather, who knows out that his poor daughter •
has for pane years dreaded ; but of late, as the
symptoms have increased, the idea has become more root-
ed and strong I have been subject to burl ible and in-
describable pa iks. and burning hu the head, which will
even deprive sue, tu,r a time, of recollection; I have also
been subject to discharges of watt r from the head, which
I inicepirguardedly tutu you of, but you suspected not the
raise, the horribre relive ,of jt; none kneW but myself.
My beloved patriots, ha leave you is misery; but to live
i-i to inflict as you a still greater one ; death is far prefer-
able to the I Us. of reason; surely, Ou would out wash to
see we live, reduced to this last state rif human misery, a
harden to ii.y faulty, and ell object ct. pity to the WOO Id ;
(rust a viray CAI ly age, I leave been at tunes subject to the
fears lam now (.0411114mA ; before you, may dearest
father, I have aut.:avowed to appear cherrlial, that I
*night Hot cause you uuwailiug distress; but the (dal
lass of late berm so ',maul, that I have berm obliged to a-
void, as much as possible, your pregame. It is my east
request thp you was break my death cautiously to my be-
furedmothsr) tell her the greatest proof of affeetiyu she