The Sun.
London, England, 1859-02-10 00:00:00

LIBEL.

This was an action brought by Mr. Charles
Richardson, solicitor, carrying on his profession in
the city of London, and conjointly by his wife,
Mrs. Constance Rebecca Richardson, to recover
compensation in damages against the defendants,
Dr. Granville and wife, for slanderous expressions
and imputations alleged to have been published by
Mrs. Granville, to the prejudice of Mrs. Richard-
son.

The defendants pleaded not guilty.
Mr. Sergeant Shee and Mr. Simmonds appeared
for the plaintiffs; and Mr. Edwin James and Mr.
Macnamara conducted the case for the defendants.

- -------
Mr. Sergeant Shee stated the case, from which
it appeared that the action was brought, not so
much to recover damages as for the purpose
of vindicating Mrs. Richardson's character
from certain alleged slanderous imputations
cast upon it by Mrs. Granville. Mrs. Richard-
son, it appeared, is a lady of large fortune, and
resides with her husband in Bruton-street, and she
was professionally attended by Dr. Granville for a
painful and dangerous illness with which she be-
came afflicted. In the course of her illness it was
deemed advisable that she should be seen as fre-
quently as possible by Dr. Granville, and in order
to facilitate that object, it was arranged that she
should take lodgings and reside in his house, in
Curzon-street, May-fair. She accordingly took
up her abode there. The two families had been
long on terms of close intimacy and friendship,
and were in the habit of travelling, and of visiting
Germany together; and the imputations com-
plained of were contained in a letter written
by Mrs. Granville to the Rev. Dr. Jeston, an
acquaintance, at Vissengen. in Bavaria, where both
families generally passed the autumn. The im-
putations complained of had also the effect of ques-
tioning Dr. Granville's professional honour and
morality as a man. The alleged libel was pub-
lished in 1856; but it was retracted, and a letter
was written by Dr. Granville to the plaintiffs,
in which he vindicated his own honour by solemnly
denying the truth of the rumours circulated to his
prejudice, and that of Mrs. Richardson, by Mrs.
Granville. In that letter he declared that the im-
putations were wholly unmerited and unfounded.
The imputations were retracted by Mrs. Granville,
but were subsequently repeated ; and after in-
effectual efforts to settle the case by arbitration,
the questions in issue now came on for trial.
Lord Campbell, on the conclusion of Mr. Sergeant
Shee's address, inquired what was the precise ques-
tion in issue for the consideration of the jury.
Mr. Edwin James replied that the letter relied
upon was not a libel, and that he was prepared to
show that it was not even intended to be one.

The letter of Di.. Granville above referred to, in
which he declared there was no foundation or truth
for the imputations, was put in and read, and a
voluminous correspondence between him, Mr. and
Mrs. Richardson, and other parties on the subject,
was also put in and read.

Mr. Sergeant Shee and Mr. James having ad-
dressed the jury on behalf of their respective
clients,

Lord Campbell summed up the evidence, and the
jury returned a verdict for the plaintiffs, with
damages 40s.
. _

There was a cross action, in which the plaintiffs
in the above became defendants, and Dr. Granville
and wife became plaintiffs, but it was not proceeded
with, the record having been withdrawn.