The Sun.
London, England, 1831-10-28 00:00:00

BREACH OF PROMISE OF MARRIAGE.

(From the Dublin Morning Register of Wednesday.)
COURT OF -EXCHEQUER, OCT. 25.
ELIZA LITTLE V. MATTHEW LYNCH, ESQ.
Mr. BALL stated the pleadings in this case. This,
he said, was an action brought by Eliza Little
against Matthew Lynch for a breach of promise of
marriage. The first count contained a promise of
marriage on request; the second count contained a
I
promise to marry n a reasonable time; and the
third count a promise to marry generally. Damages
were laid at .500/. The defendant pleaded the ge-
neral issue. _

Mr. LITTON, K.C., was in this case Counsel for
the plaintiff, who was a very young lady. Miss
Eliza Little was now in her 22d year, and at the
rime she became acquainted with the defendant,
Mr.
was not 19 years of age. The father
of n
s thisLt lyti lady had been, in his life-time, in good cir-
cand 1-19 possessed of great property.
cuy:
He was the proprietor of a cotton factory near
Cork. He had married there a Miss Oliver, the
mother of the present plaintiff, who brought him a
considerable fortune, and with her he had lived
for many years in a state of opulence and comfort.
He, at length, however, lost his trade, and became
reduced in his circumstances, and died in 1823.
Ile kft his widow whh four infant female children
to take care of, and with them to struggle
through the world. He had left assets barely
sufficient to pay the amount of his debts.—
His widow, then, had not only to provide
for his four children, but also for the infant
children of one of her daughters, who had been
married, but whose husband had died in bad cir-
cumstar;2er. This lady, who had been reared so
independent, determined to support her children by
her own industry, and removed them to Cork, where
she set tip a hoarding-house. From 1823 till 1825
' she continued in that bur;iness, but from the badness
of the times she from obliged to give it up, and re-
moved from Cork to the village of Rathfarnham,
where she was the proprietor of a shop, and sold
toys and haberdashery. She was living there in
the year 1827. In that year an offer was made
to Mrs. Little, by an old friend of her's, Mrs.
Leman, that the plaintiff should reside in her
house as her companion. The offer was accepted,
and accordingly the young lady was domesticated
in Mrs. Leman's house. She became the adopted
child of Mr. and Mrs. Leman. There was a friendly
intercourse between the two families, and it was
from the state of happiness and comfort enjoyed
in that family that the plaintiff was driven by the
attentions of the defendant. In January, 1828,
it was necessary, on account of the state of Mrs.
Leman's health, to remove frnm Roundtown to
Dublin. The Lemans took lodgings in Charlemont-
street. Mr. Lynch, the defendant, was then a
lodger in that house, and there it was he became
acquainted with this young woman. There it was
that he formed his deliberate plan to destroy her
peace, to Ivound her spirit, and he (Mr. Litton)
might truly say, to break her heart. He (Mr. L.)
heard it whispered behind him, that her heart was

not yet broken; but this the Jury would know, that
she wa: now but a filed flower—t hat she was a broker,
reed, and a wounded spirit. Mr. Lynch, the de-
fendant, he had to inform the Ju'y, is a gentleman
of some fortune, having about 3001. a year, a native
of Galway, a man of middle :+ge, ahout forty years,
past the years of folly ; and he (Mr. L.) might say,
past the years of passion. Seduction n•as his ob-
ject; but the virtue of the phintiff preserved her
from the snares he had set for her. Mr. and Mrs.

Leman, perceiving the attention that Lyr:ch paid to
'he plaintiff, immediately communicated to the
young lady and her mother their opinion, that it
was better for her to go back to her mother's
house, and proposals of marriage, and addresses of
that kind, would take place much better under her
• mother's roof, than under that of a stranger.
The young woman, with the hope and the prospect
of a happy marriage, returned to her mother 'a house.
It was in December, 1828, that the plaintive re-
turned to her mother's house; there the defendant
visited her frequently, and professed an honourable
and unbounded attachment to her. This would be
proved, not only by the sisters and the mother of
the plaintiff, but by his own letters. His courtship
continued in this manner from December, 1828, till
July 1829. He from time to time put off his mar-
riage. He arranged that he was to go to the Con-
tinent with the young girl as his wife, arid then
bring her back to Ireland and introduce her to his
family. He then postponed the marriage till the
end of 1829, as lie said he wished to have his
affairs arranged. It was then thought proper that
she should return to Mrs. Leman's; but by the
persuasions of the defendant she returned from
Leman's to her mother's house. At this period
a proposal of marriage was made to this young
lady by a young man in a respectable rank
of life. Her mother wished her to accept it;
but as the defendant promised most positively to
marry her, the offer of that young man, to whom
she could have been happily married, was re-
jected. Mr. Litton then read a letter of the de-'
fendant to the plaintiff, in which he stated that
he was busily engaged in arranging his affairs.
In the course of this letter, he said, " I send you a
thousand kisses," and signed it " Your Lover."—
(Laughter.) Immediately before this man declared
he would not marry her, he wrote a letter—a mon-
strous letter. He (Mr. Litton) would call it an
infernal letter. After alluding to the proposal he
had made to her of going with him to Scotland to
he married, which she had refused, he says, " if you
know of any respectable female that would receive
you, I would pay with pleasure for your diet and
your lodging. I would sooner die than injure you.
11y sweetest love and angel, I would die for you.
Dearest Eliza, never desert me, and I will never de-
sert you."
Ellen Blackburne examined by Mr. O'CONNELL
—The plaintiff is my sister; my father left four
daughters; the pla;ntiff is the third youngest; Ido
not rightly know how old she is. lam now mar-
ried: I had a conversation with Lynch about his
marriage to my sister. Lynch told me, and took
Eliza by the hand, and said he would marry her,
and bring her to the Continent, and when he came
back no one would know where he married; he said
he would marry her in five weeks.

Mr. O'CoNNELL asked if she knew a young ma:
named Gallagher.

Mr. IloLsrEs objected to the question.
Mr. O'CONNELL—You may stop me, but you
wilt not succeed.

Mr. HOLMES—Stop you ! I don't know any one
who could stop you.—( Laughter.)
Examination resumed—l told Lynch that a young
man was wanting to marry my sister; he said the
young man should not marry her, but that he him-
self would do so. I have. heard him say that he had
only 2001. a year, that he was a poor gentleman.
Mr. O'CONNELL—Did he say anything about his
expectations ?
Mr. HOLMES-0 ! we have all great expectations.
—(Laughter.) I expect to be Attorney-General.
—((;rent laughter.)
Mr. O'CONNELL—I wish I had you there.
Mr. BENNETT—And I expect to be Master of
the Rolls.--(Loud laughter.)
Mr. HoLatEs----I have refused them all before
they are offered.—(Laughter.)
Mr. O'CONNELL—You are quite right; for no
one refuses them after they are offered.—(Continued
laughter.)
Patrick Kelly—l am clerk to Mr. Kennedy, the
tailor; I know Mr. Lynch; I have seen him write;
witness proved several letters to be in the handwrit-
ing of the defendant.
Cross-examined by Mr. HOLMES—I am not a
tailor; I am a clerk ; I would have staid away, if
Lynch bid me, unless I was subpceried.
Mr. O'CONNELL proceeded to read the letters of
the defendant.
Mr. BENNETT—What is the date ?
Mr. O'CONNELL—Date to a love-letter!

Mr. HOLMES—No one here knows anything of the
tender passion, but Mr. Litton, and Mr. O'Connell.

Mr. O'CONNELL—It is an ancient memory with
Mr. Holmes.—(Loud laughter.)
Mr. HOLMES—Mr. O'Connell, gentlemen, never
dates his love-letters.

Mr. O'CONNELL then read the following letters
from the defendant to the plaintiff. The peculiar
emphasis he laid on some passages of the letters ex-
cited loud laughter in the Court :

DEAREST ELIZA,—I would have called before, but I
have been confined at home with a desperate cold, my eyes
are all blood-shot, and it even pains me to write these few
lines. The moment I go out I will call on you, sweet love.
I send you a thousand sweet kisses. Your ever affec-
tionately, M. LYNCH.
Saturday.

DEAREST ELIZA,—I regret it was not in my power to
ca'l to see you to-day—in fine, I am occupied in settling
my little chairs, and it is not in a day one can do it. You
must therefore excuse me c,illing on you until next week,
say this day week, for I cannot settle my affairs before that
time. I write this, sweet love, not to disappoint you. I
send a thousand sweet kisses. Believe me, yours, very
affectionate love, FRIDAY. (Loud laughter.)
Tuesday.
DEAREST ELIZA,—I AM sorry it is not in my power to
see you this week—thin happens to be a very busy week
with me—it gave Jae the greatest pleasure to see you pass
two days running. I have had a very severe cold that
has confined me within doors for near a week past. I will
be with you about this day week. I send you a thousand
sweet kisses. Your most affectionate lover,
Monday Evening.
Dearest Eliza, never desert me, and I will never de-
sert you.

DEA ItI:ST ELIZA,--.I waited upon your sister, but I find
that she and your mother pull together. That is, my
sweet love, they are against us, for, sweet love, she said
she would not have any thing to do with it, but told me
to speak to your mother, and that she would not have any
thing to do with it. I told her that your character was
as innocent, pure, spotless, and honest as her's, or
any lady in the world, and that though I knew you
for two years, I never attempted to take a liberty
with you ; but, sweet love, I told your sister that
your mother tyrannized over you; but she said she
would not interfere ; in fine, I think your sister and
mother pull together, and therefore, dear Eliza, I will call
on your mother on Friday, but never shall say we met, but
shill recommend her to get you a place, and if she then
mikes any objection, I will never mention what you told me,
but I will give her as good a lesson as ever she got in her
life, but shall never tell her that you told me of her vile and
villanous attempt to set you against me ; but, sweet
love, I will never desert you, though your sister refused
to have any thing to do with you, but never misd that.
If you know any respectable female that would receive you,
I would pay with pleasure for your diet and lodging, and
I would sooner die than injure you ; and, sweetest love and
angel, I send you a thousand sweet kisses. I will be with
you at four o'clock on Friday ; sweet love, I would die
for you. Your ever attached lover,
Mr. BENNETT, K. C., addressed the Jury on be-
half of the defendant. Mr. Litton said the plaintiff
was " a faded flower," " a broken reed," and " a
wounded spirit."—(Laughter.) Ile next said tha.
the defendant was too old to have a passion, that
he was forty years of age, but that he had 200/. a
year, and Mr. Litton told them that they should
give the young lady compensation for an old man
without passion, and of 2001. a year.—(Laughter.)
When he (Mr. B.) was a young man, he would not

rare a fig for an old woman without plosion, even
though she might have 2001. a year.—(Laura)ter.)
Mr. Litton said his client was a " broken "
uid a" %%minded reed," but her bringing thi.
,hewed her spirit was not broken. Bar, then, said
Mr. Litton, she has lost Gailaglier.—(Laughter.)
IThe plaintiff proved, not that Gallagher was paying
addres!es to her, but they proved that they told
Lynch that Gallagher was courting bet. Lynch,
from his letters, was evidently a giddy, foolish man;
but giddy as he was, he never made a dishonourable
proposal to the plaintiff. All he (Mr. Bennett) had
to do was, to beg of the Jury to give a fair, honest,
and impartial verdict.
After a brief charge from the Chief Baron the
Jury retired, and in about half an hour afterwards
returned with a verdict for the plaintiff, 1001. da-
mages and Gd. costs.

TREATMENT of 31.BONHOMMEiR LISBON.

A new and interesting miscellany, called " Paris
in London," gives the following version of the in-
dignities suffered by M. Bonhomrne in Lisbon :
Influenced by the lively illusions to which youth
gives birth, I set sail in 1819 for Brazils and, after a
residence of several years, I left it to go to Lisbon,
for the purpose of establishing a seminary, to teach
mathematics and the French languages. I after-
wards went to Coimbra, and studied medicine. At
the end of two years I returned to Lisbon.
" Two months had scarcely passed after my leav-
ing Coimbra when numerous sacrileges were com-
mitted in several churches in that town, which set
the agents of Don Miguel in motion; but all their
searches after the offenders were freit less ; yet it was
necessary to find some guilty person. They cast
their eyes on me because I was a Frenchman ; and
my liberal opinions were no recommendation to me.
I endeavoured to justify myself by proving an albs,
but all my reasons were Taira ; I was declared guilty
of sacrilege, and cast iet• a loathsome dungen...-
where I languished ten moruhr. Their rage knew no
bounds; notwithstanding my situation other 17101 V
serious charges were brought Against me. I was
accused of having inculcated liberal opinions into
the minds of my scholars, hostile to the paternal
Government of Don Mignel, and that I was a free,
mason ! These were not the whole of the insigni-
ficant and ridiculous presumptions against me; hat
my Judges were in the pay of a tyrant. I was a
Frenchman, and a Liberal—sufficient grounds to
assure my fate ; they condemned me to be publicly
whipped through the streets of Lisbon, and after-
wards to be exiled to that burning clime of Africa
for ten years. Better had it been to hare sentenced
me to immediate death than to a slow and grievous
rue, surrounded by deserts, where scarcely an Euro-
pean survives more than two years.
" When I was made acquainted with my sen-
tence, I instantly informed the French Consul, M.
L. Ceps, entrea.ing him to employ his good offices
in my behalf. He advised me to get the judgment
revised ; but in the whole of the Peninsula the
order of justice is such, that the condemned cannot,
expect the least hope of establishing his innocence ;
for the same Judges who pass the first sentenre are
the Judges of Appeal ; therefore, however incon-
sistent, they fail not to confirm the same. I eon-
-,equently declined the appeal, and adopted the only
salutary plan that remained; I addressed myself
direct to the Chamber of Deputies of my own
country. My complaint was attended to, and shortl),
after the frigate Endymion entered the port of Lis-
bon. Her arrival was to make to the Portuguese
Government energetic representations for the insult
done to the two French citizens, and to insist upon
their immediate liberation. My unfortunate com-
panion was M. Sauvignet, an old gentleman of four_
score. Enraged to see his victims escape him fury
Don Miguel ordered that my sentence should bo
carried into effect the next day.
" On the morning of the 26th March, 1831, the
gaolor entered my prison. He was provided with a
heavy iron chain, a whip with a short handle and
long thongs. I shuddered at it, and a feeling of
horror ran through my nerves.
" The same morning several unfortunate Patriots
were taken from my side, to be conducted to their
last home; but that involuntary fright soon gave
way to a perfect resignation. Conscious of my in-
nocence, I armed myself with courage, and prepartd
to meet my fate.

" The gaoler stripped off my clothes, and made
me put on a pair of linen drawers, and fixed on a
leather collar ; to that was suspended a chain,
which he held in his left hand ; in his right he
brandished the whip. I quitted the priso►► ►n this
state, escorted by 16 mounted soldiers, and the like
number of policemen; they led me through all the
streets, and every now and then my conductors halted.
The gaoler published, in a loud voice, a long list of
my pretended crimes, and in the name of the most
just and most merciful King, Don Miguel, he indicted
on my shoulders and back a vigorous lash of his
whip. I read in the looks of the populace both
pity and indignation; many persons turned away
their eyes to avoid the sight, and fled with horror ;
the shops and the coffee-houses were closed at our
approach. My sufferings appeared less cruel, in
seeing that the tyrant had not yet stifled all sen-
sibility in his capital, the theatre of his baseness,
and of his sanguinary executions. After having
been subjected to this horrible flagellation I was led
back to my dungeon, with my skin cut and lace-
rated to pieces. I was destined to be transported
to Angora, the place of my exile.
" But I was a Frenchman—l was a citigen of a
nation that knows how to make the rights of her
people respected, and which never with impunity
suffer 3 an insult to be offered to one of its members.

" Soon after the French squadron entered the
Tagus, and in three days I was set at liberty, I
found myself proud and happy in the midst of my
countrymen and my liberators.
" The morning of ray departure I could not re-
frain from the pleasing idea of some trilling revenge.
I hired a cabriolet, and paid a visit to every one of
the Judges who had condemned me; anxious to
treat them ironically, 1 dared to present nay com-
pliments of condolence upon their destitute situa-
tions. How I was received may easily beconeeired."

The Irish Bishops in rotation fur the next
Session of Parliament are Lord Jolts Bearsronn, the
Primate; his cousin Chow= Da LA Posa BERISPOILD,
Bishop of Kiluaore; Lord ROZZAT Lu rea Torrsxnam,
Bishop of Cloglar ; and the Hen. EDWONS KNOI, Bishop
of Killaloe. The last-named Prelate will support Reform ;
of the other three the names are enough. They will stand
by their Order—may it stand wish them
The Political Union at the Rue and Crown
is rapidly inn-rasing in numbers. On Monday, nearly 300
persons, we understand, were pre.ent daring the evening.
Another Unioa of the working dawn is forming at the
Brunswick Arms. They meet this evening for the first
time, when the rules adopted by the Union at the Rue and
Crown will, we hear, be read for their approval and
adoption.—Brighton Gazette.

DUTCH SQUADRON IN THE SCHELDT...-
The following is a late, and we believe seerrate statement
of the Dutch naval force at present stationed in the
Scheldt :—The Zeeuto (of the line), 90 grin., 730 seen ;
Eurydice, Jaaram, Amphitrite, three frigates of 36
gun., 250 men each ; Ilippomenea, Kornet,
two bombs, 22 gene, 120 men
Nahalemia, lieldin, five sloops, 28 guns, 150 men each ;
two brigs, 20 gun., 110 men
ePacr
hos;erEpi
cn
ha,o, MATe
,deurama
i,
each ; Vliegendie Visch, lltiadhouud, twe brig., 12
guns, 70 men each"; Gier, one brig, 10 gun., 60 men.
Three steam vessels armed, vie.:—The Surinam, 20
guns, 90 men; Curagoa, 8 guns, i 0 men ; Zsex7e, 4
guns, 32 men. Besides various sure-boats of difierent
:razes, carrying principally one gun.

- - - • -
THE LATE ATTEMPT AT MURDER. AND
Suzczoz.—The actors in the dreadful tragedy wtatok took
place at Mr. BENTLEY* Eat Siniti'field, on Soonlay
sloctilligehdoipnektr lieTaudies airne:sllyeutGeLt7es,ll.ldpe,al,hsetira
night last, are still living.; but as neither of the ball. sop.
posed to bise
suffer recoverythe extremity of metitsl toi tine, and is daily
by a clergyman.

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