The Sun.
London, England, 1870-11-21 00:00:00

BREACHES OF PROMISE.

In the action for breach of promise of marriage
which Miss Clarkson, who obtained from the
jury a verdict for £750, brought against Mr.
Eisenburg, an application was made to the Court of
Queen's Bench for a new trial, with a view to reduce the
damages. The chief topic relied upon in mitigation was
that the letters of the lady shewed that there was no great
wound to the feelings. The Court took that view, and
suggested a reduction of the damages to £5OO, which being
agreed to the rule was discharged.
In the Bail Court the case of Middleton v. M`Graw
was heard. The defendant pleaded the usual pleas. The
plaintiff was a woman about 37 years of age, and the
daughter of a travelling marionette theatre proprietor.
The defendant was a widower with several children. He
was between 50 and 60 years of age, and superin-
tendent of the Maidenhead police.—The plaintiff's
case was that when they were performing at
Maidenhead the defendant became enamoured of
her on account of her great likeness to his late wife
and he made her an offer, which she accepted. Things
went on satisfactorily for some time, the defendant visit-
ing the plaintiff at Slough, Twickenham, and other
places. At the latter place the daughter came with him,
and in the course of the visit plaintiff expressed her sus;
picion that the defendant was given to intoxication.
After their return home plaintiff received a letter from
the daughter complaining of the charge she had brought
against her father, and intimating that the match
would be broken off ; and in fact the plaintiff heard
no more from the defendant. In September last
the defendant married a widow with nine children who at
the time of the marriage carried on the business of a gun-
smith. In cross-examination the plaintiff stated the defen-
dant gave her a wedding ring, but she denied that she
stipulated he should not be out after nine o'clock at night
after they were married, or any other stipulation of any
kind. For the defence it was contended that plaintiff
had exonerated the defendant from his promise by
the extraordinary stipulations she endeavoured to
force, viz., that he should not be out after nine o'clock
at night ; that he should settle all his furniture
on her ; that he should send his grandchild, who was
living with him, home to her parents; that he should.
Place his imbecile child in an asylum, and that his
daughter should go out to service. In the course of the
defendant's case it transpired that the family of defen-
dant ndmbered fifteen children, and that his
income was 30s. per week. The jury returned a verdict
for the plaintiff—damages, £2O.

The death is announced of Sir James Clerk, Bart.,
at the age of 58. He was born in 1812, and was Captain-
Commandant of the 3rd Mid-Lothian Rifles. He was
married, in 1851, to a daughter of Major-General M.
Henderson, C.B.
THE STAR AND GARTER HOTEL COMPANY.—The
Master of the Rolls had before him a petition by a share-
holder and creditors for an order to wind up this company
compulsorily. The case was adjourned till Friday next
to afford an opportunity to the shareholders to hold a
meeting for the purpose of adopting a resolution
as to the best mode of winding up the company's affairs.
Sir R. Baggallay, Mr. Jessel, and Mr. Dryden were
counsel in the case.

The result of the recent examination of law
students is announced. The Council of Legal Education
have awarded to Mr. J. G. Cockin, Lincoln's-inn, a stu-
dentship of 50 guineas per annum for three years ; to Mr.
S. W. Brice, Inner Temple, an exhibition of 25 guineas
per annum for three years ; to Mr. W. B. Rowlands,
Gray's-inn, a certificate of honour of the first class ; and
ordinary certificates to a number of others.

The Saturday Review thinks Earl Granville has accu-
rately represented the wishes of the nation. If Russia
can fairly ask for a modification of the Treaty of Paris, by
all means let us do all in our power to meet her legiti-
mate demands. Let us honestly examine every fact, and
do justice to the spirit and self-respect of a great nation.
Let us not bring on war simply by asserting that we aro
ready for war. If Russia is willing now to withdraw from
ber pretensions, every one here would wish that she should
see a loophole of escape for doing so. We have no wish for
a war with Russia. We abhor all war ; we wish Russia'to
become great and rich and free ; to aid us in
the civilization of Asia, to have her fair share of power in
the world. There was never, even during the Crimean
War, any real animosity on the part of England towards
Russia. We have lent her vast sums of money; we are
interested in her commerce ; we prosper through her
prosperity. It will only be through such a provocation
as Prince Gortschakoff has offered that England could
be made to go to war with Russia. But if Russia is
bent at all hazards on driving England to war, she will
find England perfectly alive to what her honour demands.
It has been said that England ought to have protected
France against Germany, because France was England'
ally in the Crimean War. This view is, we think, alto-
gether unsound. If France, in a matter totally uncon-
nected with the Crimean War, chooses to play the part of
a wanton aggressor, she must alone bear the penalty, as
she alone hoped to reap the profit of her misconduct. But
when Russia claims the right to set aside the Treaty of
Paris, and to make the efforts of England and France
alike barren and null, then England has to think of her
old ally. We owe it to France not to suffer the slightest
infraction of the Treaty of Paris until she as well as our-
selves is in a position to consider, in a . manner worthy
of her, what new arrangement shall be made.
France is powerless now, but we are not ; and
we must do all we can for France, no less than
for ourselves, in combating these novel pretensions of
Russia. The first thing we have got to do, if we can,
is to ensure that Russia shall withdraw her preposterous
claim to decide for herself when she shall pronounce a
treaty, concluded by all the Great Powers, no longer
binding on her. The next thing we have to do is to let
her understand that, although we, for our part, shall be
quite ready to discuss at a convenient time what modifica-
tions should be made in the Treaty of Paris to meet the
legitimate demands of Russia, we will not listen to any
proposal for discussing such modifications until France
can join in the discussion. Adhering firmly to these two
bases of our conduct, we shall either maintain peace with.
honour, or enter on war with an absolute conviction of
being wholly in the right ; and we are glad to say that
everything she ws that Lord Granville may be trusted to
adhere to them as firmly as we could wish.

A DOMESTIC lIERCULES, New Farce, by
1--X_Martin Becher, at Eleven o'clock THIS EVENING,Nov. 21.
—THEATRE ROYAL DRURY-LANE.