The Sun.
London, England, 1864-06-16 00:00:00

LAW INT,

HOUSE OF LORDS.
YELVERTON V. LONGWORTH (OR YELVERTON).
(Present the Lord Chancellor, Lord Brougham, Lord
Chelmsford, Lord Kingsdown, and Lord Wensledydale.)
At the sitting of their lordships this morning,
The Attorney-General said that the time at which certain
letters were written was a critical period in the history of
the case. inasmuch as they tended to throw some light on
the position in which the parties were placed before going
to Scotland. The letters he had read unquestionably
showed that marriage, honourable marriage, was the only
matter in question then, and that in the corres-
pondence, Miss Longworth was expressing to Major
Yelverton her views of the impediments to their marriage,
arising out of his circumstances, and his pecuniary arrange-
ments with his uncle, which he had disclosed to her at
Balaclava, No impression had entered her mind except
marriage—marriage under ordinary circumstances, and in
the ordinary way, It had been a great shock to her to
hear of the impediments which made it impossible that the
marriage could take place, notwithstanding the mutual en-
gagements which existed between them. In her letters
she proposed to discuss these impediments, and she sug-
gested many sacrifices that she would be willing
to make to enable 'him to relieve himself of his
pecuniary difficulties. Then came the alternative thrown
out to her of a secret marriage. She was most unwilling to
listen to the proposal, but by degrees she came to entertain
it, and what ho (ihe Attorney- General) believed to be the
true interpretation of many of the letters bearing on the
subject. These were the only terms proposed—these were
the only terms she thought the man she loved capable of
proposing.
The Lord Chancellor inquired upon what branch of the
inquiry all this correspondence bore? Did it bear at all
upon the Irish marriage ?
The Attorney-General said not npon the Irish marriage
but upon the other branches of the subject. It was neces-
sary that the antecedents of the parties be inquired into.
The Lord Chancellor was afraid they would never come
to a conclusion of the case if they indulged in those vague
generalities. There was no pretence, as he understood, for
saying that there was any co/erection between them before
they arrived in Scotland.
Lord Brougham inquired whether what took place out of
Scotland by cerrespondence night, not throw light upon
what took place in Scotland, giving
a meaning to certain
declarations and actions, and making those declarations
and actions clear, which otherwise would be ambiguous.
The Attorney-General said he could not carry the matter
beyond that, and proceeded to quote from the letter to show
what was the real position of the parties at Balaclava and
other places before their arrival at Scotland. He adverted
to the use of the word "friend,'' which it had been urged
bore a certain meaning, but he (the Attorney-General) had
never heard that the meaning attempted to be put upon it
was the accepted meaning in English society, and held that
it might have been used in the most virtuous way by a
woman who was looking up to a man for marriage. It was
a gross libel upon the respondent to put any other interpre-
tation on it. Quoting from other letters written by Major
Yelverton, he contended they were not the letters of a man who
had made improper proposals to a lady, which she was not in-
disposed to accept. Letters written by Miss Lougworth at
the same time confirmed the same views, and were indeed
susceptible
uncle,
dneobtos andther hmiseapneicnut Major Yelverton, on
accountpecuniary arrangements with
his intimated to her that he would be obliged to
of h
his a od f
live abroad, and she, in return, said she was ready to make
a sacrifice to their mutual position, by assenting to a secret
marriage. These were the cases on the one side and the
other ; and then came the discussion between them
what the nature of that sacrifice should be. There was
not a word in the correspondence that was not applicable-
to the sacrifices the would have to make by consenting to
age. Major Yelvertcn up to this time had
dishouourable proposals to her, and had
nrniyything to show that he was capable of any
never
ee second
vv ee rr dmo
made
ea
at
a.
dishonourable proceeding, When, therefore, she said she
would submit to what he wished, she merely meant that
she would submit to a private and secret marriage, how-
ever distasteful and distressing that mode might be of
realising her dreams of happiness. That was clearly
Major Yelverton's view of the rase, as appeared from his
subsequent letters, and it was upon that understanding
that their meeting in Scotland was arranged. Up t. this
time the correspondence had almost especial reference to I
arrangements for marriage.

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Mrs Yelverton and her two friends arrived at five minutes
to 12 o'clock, and took their accustomed places in the
Reporters' Gallery.

The Attorney ;General urged from these letters relating
to marriage that the respondent could not be supposed to
mean that she submitted to that which had never been pro-
posed. In her letters bearing upon this point there was a
great deal of poetry and sentiment, much that was romantic,
but nothing of harm; nothing that was unusual in the
'slightest degree. He thought their lordships would have
.031 no difficulty in coming to that conclusion.

The Lord Chancellor was understood to express his
assent.

The Attorney. General mimed to a phrase in one of the
respondent's letters in which sho said that the moral
dilemma in which they had been placed might prove the
salvation of them both, and contended that no immoral
interpretation could be put upon it, as urged by the counsel
for the appellant. In the same letters she spoke of the
secret marriage which had been proposed, and repeatedly
urged that she did not wish him to do anything that was
dishonourable with regard to his relations.
Lord Bingsdown— A. secret marriage would have been
just as inconsistent with his engagements to his uncle as a
public marriage.

The Attorney-General apprehended that what she meant
was, that she did not wish him to put himself in a position
by their marriage to prevent him from
paying his debts,
The respondent distinctly pleaded that he had told her of
these engagements in the Crimea, and also that he could
not at present marry on account of them. What she meant
was, that she did not wish him to make any sacrifice on her
account, and that an avowed public marriage might, per-
haps, stand in the way (of his getting from his rela-
tives money for the discharge of his liabilities..
The learned gentleman said he would read extracts from
a few more letters bearing on this point, and then he would
land the parties in Scotland. These extracts bore a simple,
natural, and obvious construction, and it was, he thought,
only an impure mind that could put an immoral construe-
ti n upon them. Raving brought the parties to Edinburgh
the learned gentleman said he should now depart somewhat
from the facts to inquire what was the law in Scotland with
which they would have to deal. Re referred to the dicta of
Sir William Grant, in the case of Dalrymple,
and other
high legal authorities to show the character of the marriage
law in Scotland, and how it bore upon this particular case.
Lord Brougham--If a man said to a woman in Scotland
de verba in presents "I marry you," would that be a legal
marriage
The Attorney-General—yes, undoubtedly, if thero was
nothing to discredit it.

Lord Brougham—Without any specification of time and
place ?
The Attorney. General—y„.

The learned gentlemen then proceeded with his exami-
nation of authorities.

COURT OP BANKRUPTCY.
(Before Mr Commissioner Goulburn.)
The cases before the commissioner this morning were
devoid of interest.

IN RE COOL.WAUGH.
To-day was appointed for an adjourned dividend meeting.
There appeared to be an impression that some examination
would be gone into, but as at the hour appointed none of the
legal gentlemen in the case were present, it may be inferred
that acme arrangement had been come to.

too costly for for
Beautifully arranged, varied, and tempting as
the goods look in the shop windows of the traders
of the Nest-end, they assuredly give frequently but a very
inadequate idea of the stock within—of the rare objects of
a
Le made a public
gaze rt
and
of
exposure to the
wear and tear, or not suited to the general taste of the pas-
sing multitude; therefore but a faint idea. can be formed
taste
inthe w
window,h i c
h abound
bebeing
g add cannot
of the variety within that comes at the call, produced by the
ready assistant. Take our jewellers' sow-vvindows, for
instance, and compare the inside wealth of geode displayed
with the exterior, or take one house especially as an example,
which is acknowledged to have one of the 13208 t beautiful
public displays of goods, and with a most extensive range
of side and front windows to show them in.—that of Messrs
T. A. Simpson and Co., No. 154, Regent-street. This
firm is still, notwithstanding its advantages) unable to place
in the window even a fair specimen of the large stock that
may be selected from of French clocks, dressing cases, ar-
ticles of ornament for the apartment, and costly jewellery.
There is profusion in every department, and there is an ex-
tensive range in the pr;ces to meet all demands. Few firms
can offer such variety in goods and such a vast stock, and
the doubling and those desirous of making advantageous
purchases should pay 154, Regent-street, a visit
.—Leourt
Journal.

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" You will hardly require me to point out to you a mistake
in your summary of news for lest week. Not only did the
mon-placet of Dr. Stanley's degree get triumphantly out-
voted by a majority of six to °lie, but the dean himself did
Cuosnthtrearcyomelpelmimenentst.oafnigdnboercianrogethoeneof u
narrow minority of such
s.
Your mistake
arose from the fact that the Prince of Wales's degreo was
conferred on him at a special congregation, in company
only with his suite. Few of those present will forget the
eloquent Latinity of our public orator's peroration when he
presented the dean for his degree, and when at the close of
an enumeration of his various merits, his striking power of
biography, his love of truth, he addressed him thus..., To
igitur Oxoniensibus tuis invidemus. Talis cum sis, noster
esto,' the thunder of applatte effectually drowned the
spiteful hisses of the opposition, and made the dean feel, as
he afterwards said, that a little opposition added a zest to
the honour. I should not have troubled you with this
note, had I not felt anxious to claim the honour of Dr.
Stanley's connection for our University.