The Sun.
London, England, 1841-12-08 00:00:00

gagements, without subjecting himself to unpleasant ani-
madversions." He went on to state that he felt
convinced that they purely and 11014 loved
each other, and that the plaintiff was a model,
both in person and mind, of a being calculated to make
him happy, and urged her, in all her trials to put her
trust in the grace and holy spirit of God. On 11th
February following he again addressed her "My dear
affectionate Sophia." In that letter was the following
passage :—" I hope the affection I feel for you is not
assimilating to idolatry, for I believe you to be the most
honest-hearted, inartificial creature in England ; tell me
your whole heart's desire •, get religious habits ; offer
up your whole soul to God ; I pray to him for our
mutual guidance. If you were a giddy-minded girl, I
should call myself an old blockhead ; but, knowing you
to be what you are, I am convinced that God himself
will approve of our union. Do not be agitated by the
sneers and irony of any, because you have induced an
elderly man of experienced Christian principles to love
you for your own sake--a thousand kisses to you." On
the 24th of the same month he wrote to her, stating that
he should be greatly distressed if he were not permitted
to make some manifestation of his affection for her, and
that in order to do so he had transferred 3001. Con-
sols and 3661. Three-and-a-Half per Cents. into her name ;
that he had preferred adopting this method of making
her independent, in the event of his dying before he
should be enabled to marry her, to leaving her anything
in his will, as in that case his daughters must know of it,
and might look on her with anger." This money it
would appear had been thus invested during the time
he was compelled by decorum to remain in widow-
hood, but it must be manifest =to the Jury
that on his marrying her the money would
again become his own. In another letter written
about the same time he said be had sent her pencils and
drawing apparatus by the Chertsey coach, and expressed
a hope that she would take him as her pupil. The next
letter to which he should draw the attention of the Court
was written on the 2d June, 1838, after the expiration of
the twelve months from his • wife's death. In that
letter in acknowledging the receipt of one from her,
he said, "I took it from the postman at my
own door." "It seemed a cordial to my heart."
" I kissed it all over." " I acknowledge the kind
effulgence of your heart." " I think that the ex-
pression of my love is a conduit to your dear
bosom." "Accept my best affection." The next letter
was 17th August, and begins, "My dearly and truly
beloved Sophia." " You are the last thing in my
evening, and the first thing in my morning thought."
He then went on to say, "We mutually deserve a
union of our hearts and souls; a mutual bond of affection,
not for our present gratification, but to bring our hearts
and minds into such a state of regulated and pious disi-
pline as may be pleasing in the sight of Almighty God."
He then went on to express a wish that she might be-
come a vessel of honour and piety, and thus complete a
seraphic, serene, and angel-like course. A considerable
period had elapsed beyond that which he himself hae fixed
for the performance of his promises, and, as might naturally
have been expected, some uneasiness was expressed by the
young lady and her friends on the subject, and he was
urged to declare explicitly what his intentions were. Ac-
cordingly, in the letter dated September 3, 1838, after
expressing his distress of mind at her letter, demanding
from him a plain " yes" or " no," he states that his state
of health is declining, that his daughters are averse
to his again marrying, that he shall ever regard
her with feelings of amity and friendship. Two
days after that letter he wrote her another, stating
he felt that she was essential to his happiness, and that
he was determined to take her for better for worse, and
containing the following couplet—

" In spite of all my friends can say
My dear Sophia has stolen my heart away."—(Laughter.)
The letter then went on to say that he would arrange
for the sacred ceremony as soon as they should
come to town, and concluded with these words :
" Keep you own secrets, and you will rise as a
phoenix or an angel."—(Loud laughter.) On the 6th
September defendant had seen the plaintiff's mother, and
she had explained to him the sufferings which her daugh-
ter had experienced in consequence of his vacillating
conduct. He then stated to the mother that the marriage
should take place before the expiration of that year.
On the 14th, however, he wrote another letter,
beginning, " My dear Sophia," in which, after making
complaints that he was unwell, that he was
troubled with cramps and spasms all over, that the weather
was cold, and his daughters were ailing, he said, "I am
fighting against hope in my wishes respecting you ; all
I can do will be to improve your finances, and manifest
my affection to you in that way." So that eight days
after declaring that the marriage should be celebrated
before Christmas he wrote a letter declaring entirely off.
In that letter he said, " She had his hearts' best
affections for her welfare, but that it was useless in his
present dethroned state to think of marriage, and they
must submit to what Almighty God had been pleased to
order ;" so that the Jury would perceive he attributed
his refusal to perform his promise to the interference of
the Almighty, instead of to his own vacillation.
On the 16th of September he wrote another
letter begining "My dearly beloved Sophia,"
and stating how great a relief it was to his feelings to re-
ceive her kind and affectionate letter. It then went on
to say, " but with your request to forget you, I cannot
reply ; you are too engrafted on my heart. I love you
as a child, and would succour you as one. Place your
hopes in God and his Son Jesus Christ '." and he then
went on to say that he at one time hoped to have been
happy in the possession of such a casket, and
that he might have been permitted to gather such a pious
nosegay.—(Great laughter.) The next letter was of
the 18th September, 1838, and was in a different strain.
It began, " Miss Sophia Darbon," and expressed his
surprise at the great injustice she was doing him,
and proceeded to say, " Remember the develop-
ments you made to me at the outset of our
intimacy respecting a certain young profligate, who,
you said, was annoying you, and other matters calculated
to excite my sympathy in your behalf." The letter
concluded with saying—"lf you wish the corre-
spondence to cease, cease to reply to this letter." On
the 26th he wrote another letter, and in the interim
appeared to have changed his mind. It began "My
dear Sophia," and stated that he had had some serious
conversation with his daughters on the subject of their
union, and that they were impacifiable, that he thought it
not improbable that one of them might write a letter
to her on the subject, and that should such
an event take place he desired that she would write to
his daughter the reply whieh he enclosed. If that an-
swer should be put in by the Counsel for the defence as
evidence of the conduct of his client, he should have an
opportunity of observing upon it, and charac-
terising such conduct as it deserved. That let-
ter showed that he again endeavoured to re-
vive the hopes of the lady. On the 18th of December
he again sent, and addressed her " My dearly-beloved
Sophia ;" in which, after expressing his unalterable
affection and devotion to her, and desiring her to look up
to heaven, which would consider them as conjunct
devotees to its will, he said, " Take care of your
health and get stoutish, for the marriage state
requires health and strength.—(Roars of laughter.) I
take every pains and care with mine."—(Continued
laughter.) On the Ist of January following, that was
in 1839, he wrote her a letter, beginning "My dear
Sophia," in which, after expressing his desire to live on
terms of friendship with her, he said, " Believe
me, my person is not worth a pin's head ;" and
lie concluded by telling her that, although she seemed
not to care for his age and infirmities, she had better
look up to heavenly things than such an old worthless
trunk as he was.—(Laughter.) The correspondence
continued, and on the 26th of June, 1839, he
again expressed, by letter, his intention of marrying
hr, and he hoped that he should soon arrive
with joyful tidings. On the 15th of April, 1840,
he again wrote a letter, in which he promised to
purchase the ring and the license at the earliest oppor-
tunity. He did purchase the ring at Storey's,reen
in Regent-street ;he did purchase the license,
for for he should put in the affidavit he madekeher in-
tended it ;he applied to a milliner to
for her,
319, Regent-street, where he ordered .
tended wedding clothes, and went
bonnetwithabisms make
to
insteade of
nahnodubtethoahveeedomase itthe
plain-
tiff, and deluding her with false hopes until. three
so.f sheßev as
continued already
whr h
had expired, and in
months for which the license lasted
the month of October, 1840, he wrote to her desiring
to put an end to the connection, and offering to settle an
annuity of 401. a-year on her as a proof of his affection, and
stating that nothing should again tempt him to enter the
marriage noose. This proposal e rejected, and determined
to appeal to a Jury of her country against one who had
stolen her affections, and induced her to believe
that it was his intention to raise her to station
and to wealth. Up to that period, he did
not complain of the tone of Mr. Rosser's letters •,
but he had since written letters which he (Mr. P.)
thought he must be sorry he had put his hand to.
On the 7th of May, 1841, after the plaintiff had
"con-
sulted her legal adviser, he addressed a letter to her,
beg he
beginning,
" You little ingrate ; and after stating
that had received a letter from a lawyer, who
stated that he bad been the friend of herself and family
for years—added, " you never mentioned him to me, and
if this be so it must be another of your sly secretions."
The letter then went on to threaten plaintiff with
an exposure if she persisted in her action, and
to say that, in self-defence, he should be obliged to
say all he knew of Kitchen and the Northumberland
Shades, the Opera Parade, and her being driven one
night from the Northumberland Shades, because the
lodgings were occupied by some other person, and her
paramour, when she had to throw herself upon his pro-
tection, he had to get a post-chaise, and take her home
at twelve o'clock at night. Of the meaning of all this he
(Mr. Platt) was utterly ignorant ; these stories were
fabrications from beginning to end, and he declared that
any insinuations against the character of the plaintiff _
were utterly and completely he had
inflicted Mr. Rosser did.
not seem inclined to heal the wound ad
he wrote
inflicted, for, on the 1 ith of March, 1841,
ray and he
her a letter, stating that—Auld Re
bin Gray thought
Robin Gray's example—that Auld
(Mr. Platt) wished that the defendant tiand ?ollOwed Auld
ut before he did so, he
to provide for a certain person ;
all her intentions of
he should die shortly, and before he did so, lie wished
must be sure that she had given up
would ruin herself.
Pickwieking him, and warning
her money on law or sheh
ware
lier not to spend
of the fangs of
He would recommend her to
_de
in the. result do her
the law ; such proceedings e 1
t her eafrom coming into Court,
dently held out to prevent
0 the 29th March, he wrote
' no credit. That, said th
inquiry. n
would
Counsel, was evi-
and challengingfavourite
,his
house,
ptlriaott,e eell, hveenwtsonolndcesemeoirieertontbhider,
his, adding, that ilia had still
or wished to see her at
gewisehifnagrea:
Old Robin's best wishes for her health and hap-
piness. On the 12th of April, 1841, he wrote that he
had received some rent on her account, and said .he had
• before expressed a !desire to know how her sister was,
but had not been gratified ; so that there were thre.2"
, on the one hand, and wheedling on the other. Proba-
• bly, he said, she would be soon coming to receive be