The Sun.
London, England, 1865-09-18 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS.

".THE LONDON REVIEW" ON THE LIBERTY OF
LOVE-MAKING.—As for Miss Crosse and her papa's
groom, that resolute young lady has deprived the
world of amorous batchelors—who have an eye not
only to the mind and form, but the purses of their
inamoratas—of the benefit of a judicial decision as
to what the Act of Parliament touching the crime
of abducting ladies of fortune means. Had her papa
persisted in prosecuting his paternal wrongs, the
late romantic elopement- might have resolved itself
into a " leading case" for the guidance of runaway
lovers. But Mr. Crosse has, at the eleventh hour,
done what it would have been better if he had done
a little sooner. As we said last week, it was not
George Smith who abducted Miss Alice, it was Miss
Alice who abducted George Smith. How it came to
pass that the " natty" groom won the affections of
the rector's slim and ladylike daughter, we know
not, except from her own statements ; and, though
it is not a commendable thing for a delicately-reared
girl to conceive an affection for the lad who groomed
her palfrey and helped her to her saddle, to make
' advances to him as they rode side by side in the
lanes of Ockham, it was a greater offence against
paternal prudence on the part of her father to allow
her the opportunities of throwing herself away
which_ culminated in her elopement and the late
proceeding at the Wandsworth police-court. Partly
Mr. Crosse redeemed his error after the first inves-
tigation of "the case before the magistrate. When
he found that the groom was rather the victim than
the abductor of his agreeable daughter, he:withdrew
his prosecution—committing a lamentable blunder,
however, in the indecent intimation which he in-
structed his solicitor to publish. Wholly he re-
deemed it, as far as he had left himself the power to
do so, by consenting to the marriage of his daughter
and George Smith, which took place on Thursday.
It is not given to ordinary couples to enjoy the
ovation which attended the celebration of marriage
between Miss Alice and her groom—we beg pardon,
her bridegroom—at All Saints', Wandsworth. Never
before was there, on such an occasion, such a gather-
ing of the townsfolk. "The church," says the Express 11
of Thursday, "was crowded, and every available
spot, both inside and out, from which a glimpse
could be obtained of the couple, was occupied. The
road and paths were literally blocked up for some
distance, and as the pretty church bells rang a merry
peal a stranger might have supposed that nothing
short of a royal marriage was being celebrated.
The couple arrived in Wandsworth last night, and
took up their temporary abode at the house of Mr.
George, a baker, in the High-street, who was one
of the groom's bail. They were unaccompanied by
any friends saving those who had been made in
Wandsworth. Mr. George and his daughter ac-
companied them to church, and acted as their best
friends. After the ceremony was concluded, and
on walking from the church, they were received
with loud and continued cheering. The young
lady was dressed in a pink bonnet, with a black silk
cape and purple silk dress. The young gentleman
looked exceedingly happy, and escorted his bride on
his arm to the residence of Mr. George, Inspectors
Lovelace and Usher exerting themselves manfully
to clear the path for them. As the young couple
walked for the few yards from the church she seemed
to have the advantage of height over her husband,
who, however, presented a very natty' appearance.
He was dressed in a black coat and trousers, with
a white waistcoat, and wore white kid gloves. They
were quickly ushered into the baker's shop by the
police, but quickly reappeared at the first-floor
window, where Mr. Smith took off his hat and
bowed repeatedly to the crowd beneath. However,
that appeared not to satisfy his friends, and he then
opened the window and briefly addressed the crowd.
He thanked his friends sincerely for all their kind-
ness and sympathy shown to him since he had been
in Wandsworth, and he hoped they would all live
long and be happy. This short speech was followed
with tremendous cheering, and it was some time
before the police could clear the streets and restore
order." When we add that "it was understood
that the newly-married pair intended to travel for
a short time," we may close the romantic history,
which has so enlivened these dull days, of " The
Lady and her Groom."
" THE ARMY AND NAVY GAZETTE" ON RU-
MOURED CHANGES IN THE INFANTRY DRESS !
There seems to be a general impression that several
changes will shortly be made in the Infantry dress,
mere especially in that of the officer, and there can
be no doubt that they are urgently required ; but
suggestions are so numerous, that the required
alterations are doubtless most difficult to decide
upon. When the present tunic was substituted for
the old coatee, the authorities urged that it was to
save the officers expense ; and if it was the practice
to wear the former no oftener than the latter, then
such would really be the case ; but the tunic is
worn every day on parade, and on almost all duties,
so that instead of one red coat being sufficient, a
single season of field-days, reviews, and flying
columns, especially at Aldershot, completely takes
all the gilt off the gingerbread, and necessitates the
provision of a second tunic for occasions when the
officer may wish to appear otherwise than shabby.
An officer finds, on looking over his tailor's bill, an
item of 13 guineas for a tunic supplied since last
Christmas, and already it is quite unfit to appear in
either at a ball or a levee. It is argued that it is
hard that regimental officers should have to do all
the rough work in camp in full dress, when the staff
only wear theirs three or four times during the
whole season. If it is considered indispensable that
the officer should wear red whenever his men do so,
and such is the practice, it either obliges him to buy
a new tunic annually or to be the worst dressed of
the two, and unfortunately it too frequently hap-
pens that such is the case, and from no other reason