The Sun.
London, England, 1844-08-09 00:00:00

LAW INTELLIGENCE

COURT
.OF CHANCERY, Aug. 7.
The Lord Chancellor sat to-day in Lincoln's Inn Hall,
for the purpose of bearing any matters that might press,
and also to give juagment in the case of Mr. l)yce
Sombre. The Court, before eleven o'clock, the time at
which it was stated his Lordship would take his seat,
was extremely crowded. Among those present, we no-
ticed the Earl St. Vincent, Mr. Quintin Dick, Mr. Bailie
Cochrane, and several other persons of distinction.

IN TIIE MATTER OF MR. DYCE SOMBRE.

The LORD CHANCELLOR, on taking his seat, pro-
ceeded to give judgment in this case. It had been ar-
gued at great length, and he had given it that attention
which the importance of the subject demanded. It
was a question with respect to which he had
felt much anxiety, not only on account of its in-*
terest to the individual concerned, but as his de-
cision affected the proceedings of the Court below.
Two • questions had been mainly raised on the
present occasion, and very properly argued. The first
question was, whether Mr. D. Sombre was ever of un-
sound mind, and whether the finding of the jury could
be supported by the evidence ; and the second was,
whether, supposing . him to be of unsound mind at
that period, he had since recovered, and was at that
moment able to manage his own affairs. These were the
two main questions. - With respect to the first question,
it was material to advert to it, in consequence of some
observations made by counsel. For this purpose, it
would be necessary to review the previous history of
this gentleman. Ile was of Asiatic origin, with
a mixture of European blood in his veins,
his father being a German, and connected by marriage
with the Begum Somroo. He was brought up in her
zennana, and becanie her favourite. His education was
conducted a few miles from the residence of the
Begum, under the superintendence of a Mr. Fisher,
a chaplain to the East India Company. He lived there
four years, and was during that time intimately con-
versant with European manners, customs, and literature.
He (the Lord Chancellor) had conversed with Mr.
Dyce Sombre, and found that, although he had
hesitation in his manner, he had profited by
the instruction he had received from Mr. -Fisher.
Such was the history of Mr. Dyce Sombre
till he became of mature age, when he was entrusted by
the Begum with the management of her affairs, and on
her death he removed to Calcutta, she having left him I
the whole of her property. Mr. Dyce Sombre came to
Europe in 1838; and after having passed some time in
England he went to the Continent. He returned to
England in 1840, and in that year he married Mrs.
Dyce Sombre and became acquainted with European
society. He must, however, say on the other side, that
it was quite elear that none of the prejudices
existing among Asiatics could give rise to such feel-
ings of jealousy as had been evinced by Mr. Dyce
Sombre. It was not for the Court to say any-
thing with respect to the prudence of the connce-
tion. That was .no question before it ; but soon
after his marriage Mr. Dyce Sombre expressed himself
dissatisfied with Mrs. Dyce Sombre's going out to
parties even attended by her father, if unattended by
himself. He left London alone, and went to Vienna ;
she expected him to return soon, but he did not do so.
She wrote him a letter of the most affectionate character
and that brought him back, and she again accepted
him as her husband. After some time disputes took
place with regard to the education of their children.
It had been agreed that the boys should be educated as
Catholics, and that the girls should receive a Protestant
education. Mr. Dyce Sombre insisted on another form,
which was, that should there be no male descendants,
the girls should be educated in the Cathol,e religion.
This broke off the connection. Mr. Dyce Sombre ex-
pressed himself in the stronge,t terms, and sent a chal-
lenge to Earl St. Vincent, his father-in-law. Tao lays
afterwards he sent a letter expressing his contrition in
the most poignant terms. Shortly after this they w« nt
abroad. They went first to Brussels, and Mrs. Dyce
Sombre became there extremely ill, and continued to be
so for eight weeks, and all that time Mr. Dyes
Sombre behaved with the utmost kindness. He
seemed most devotedly attached to his home. They
returned to London, and went to the Clarendon
Hotel. Up to the month of April Mrs. Dyce Sombre
discovered nothing leading her to suppose that there
was any infirmity of mind in her husband. In the
month of April they
.left, to visit Geneva. His Lord-
ship then went, at considerable length, into the domestic
history of the petitioner, and instanced many circumstances