The Sun.
London, England, 1844-03-05 00:00:00

Was some proposal of marriage between Mr. Cassidy and Miss
Bellin ; but I apprehend it was broken off in consequence of
something which happened at Paris. The newspapers of this
country took a good deal of notice of the transaction at Paris.
On my return from Paris, I had some encounter with the
defendant upon the subject of an article in the Age, relative
to that transaction. I was introduced to him by Captain
M'Grath. After I had been to the Age office, we adjourned
to a private room in a tavern in the Strand, and I remon-
strated with Mr. Holt on the article he had published, and
wished him to hear my version of the matter, and if he be-
lieved it, to act accordingly. I did not ask Mr. Holt to
spare my wife. I have no recollection of it ; but I in-
tended to ask him to spare the feelings of my
wife and family, and not give publicity to a
gross falsehood in connexion with that affair. Nothing ap-
peared for two Sundays. He did spare my wife, but he did
not spare me, for he took my money from me. He did not
' spare my pocket for an hour. He refrained for two Sundays,
but commenced attacking me again on the third, because I
did not complete the whole sum I had promised to pay him.
The defendant expressed his entire belief in my statement,
and consented to spare the feelings of Lady William. I felt
grateful to him, even upon such hard terms as I obtained. I
swear that I do not recollect shaking him by the hand, and
declaring that I should feel eternal friendship for him. I will
not swear that I did not make use of the expression. I re-
member once dining with Mr. Holt after the transaction.
Mr. Holt came into the Hotel Fricour one day, when, I
was dining there ; and I believe we dined together, and a
gentleman named Gompertz was also there. I have no recol-
lection of taking wine with the defendant, but I will not
swear I did not. I remember, upon one occasion, Mr. Holt
told me that he could not, all at once, in one article, give
my version of the affair, but that he would let her (Lady
Paget) down easily. When it was agreed that this article
should appear, I undertook to take some copies of
the paper, and I was to give the defendant thirty-five
pounds. I think that Captain M'Grath was a party to the
arrangement ; but I will not swear to the fact. I went into
Mr. Holt's room when he was alone, and gave him 51., and,
on two successive Fridays, I gave him 101., as the money was
required on that day on which the paper was made up. A
great many papers were sent to my house, and I will not
swear there were not 5/. worth. These papers were to con-
tain the new version of the affair. I will not swear that
copies of the paper were not sent on the second Sunday. I
did not mean to say that I agreed to take Si. worth of papers,
but it was arranged that a large number should be sent to
me, for distribution among my friends. I gave him 5/. on
one occasion, and 101. on two other occasions, and I was to
have given 10/. more, but refused to do so. I don't recollect
whether, on the second occasion, the money was paid in one
note or two, but, to the best of my belief, it was not gold. I
cannot recollect whether I paid gold or notes on the second
occasion.
Mr. Wonnswoßnl.—Do I understand your Lordship, in
your present situation, to say you cannot re ether
you paid the money in notes or gold?
Lord W. Paget—Although I am a very and
have not many ten-pound. notes, I cannot recollect whether
I paid with a ten-pound note or not.
Re-examined—Although I may have been in company
with the gentlemen I have mentioned, Mr. Hay and Mr.
Fisk, lam quite sure that I never told them that I had
planted Winter under the sofa, in order to make a false charge
against Lord Cardigan. I told the whole story to many of
my friends. The transaction in Paris took place four years
ago, and it had nothing to do with the action between me
and Lord Cardigan. Lady Paget was to be spared from hav-
ing her name mixed up with what was called the Bellew af-
fair. The defendant said he was satisfied that my version
of the affair was the true one. After he had said this he
remarked that Miss Bellew was to give him 50/., and al-
though he knew I was a poor man, still I should not
like to see him lose his newspaper, which was his bread, and
he then asked what I would give him. I told him I would
try and borrow 501. for him. He said he-would not be hard
upon me, and if I have him 301. he would do the best he
could for me. pon the occasion of my making the
second payment, I said, I hope you will allow me to make it
in three payments, and lie replied, Willingly. When I gave
him the second payment, I promised to make up the 301. in
four payments. By the advice of a friend I discontinued
making the payments, and ever since I have been made the
subject 'of .attacks that have almost driven me to self-de-
struction. I hold the rank of post-captain in the Royal
Navy. Mr. Wordsworth, the counsel for the defendant, was
thejunior counsel for me in the action against Lord Cardigan.
Mr. .1. Rose, attorney for the prosecutor, proved the pur-
chase of the paper containing. the libel.
Cross-examined—Witness is an attorney, and acts as clerk
to Mr. Bebb, an attorney, whose name appears in the bill.
I knew the man Winter. I saw him last Tuesday, when the
action was tried, but I have not seen him since. I assisted.
to conduct the case in the Common Pleas. I have not made
any search for Winter since the trial. He was examined
before the grand jury in support of this indictment.
Mr. W. H. Watts, a reporter, was then called for the
purpose of giving a definition of the meaning intended to be
conveyed by the slang term " plant," which he described as
applying to the case of a party entrapping persons into a
position to have the appearance of guilt, either to substan-
tiate a charge, or to extort money upon a false accusation.
The Clerk of the Court then read the words considered
libellous by Lord Paget, which are as follow :
" Tun LORDS CARDIGAN AND W. PAGET.—Without any
desire to prejudice this case, which Lord W. Paget says lie
intends to bring before a legal tribunal of the country, we
think it our duty to state what other people say. There are
very few persons in society who do not believe the whole
af6ir was got up for a specific occasion, and consider that it,
has been neither more nor less than a plant.'
" We have heard it roundly asserted that a clerk of Mr.
Hamer, the notorious lawyer (Lord William Paget's friend'
at Andover, Paris, and other places), was placed under a
sofa at his Lordship's residence when the Earl of Cardigan
called there—we have heard that notwithstanding all that did
not transpire there is evidence! to maintain that it did! We •
have heard that there is not the shadow of a pretext, not-
withstanding all which may be sworn to the contrary, to sub-
stantiate one tittle of damages '—and we have heard that it
is the intention of the Earl of Cardigan to indict the whole
party for a conspiracy. We can only say that if his Lort4-
ship has sufficient grounds to frame this indictment upon, and
that if found, he can transport the party implicated in any
such conspiracy, lie will be doing society at large the greatest
possible benefit
" In the absence, however, of all actual knowledge, what-
ever may be our suspicions, we at present only give the above
as on dits, and only say (if?) a word in which there is said to
be much virtue."

Mr. CLAnKsoN said this was the case for the prosecution.
Mr. Wonnswonnt asked whether the Learned Counsel
did not intend to call Mr. Bebb, and the person Winter, both
whose names were on the back of the bill.

Mr. CLAnKsos said he did not intend to call Mr. Bebb, and
he should certainly not call Winter as his evidence had been
already diobelieved by a Jury.
Mr. WiuuNs complained of the course that was adopted,
and said that if Lord W. Paget were really anxious to have
the whole matter investigated,b the testimony of Winter
would be very material. _

The RECORDER said that the counsel for the prosecution
was not bound to call every witness whose name appeared on
the back of the bill ; and where witness's evidence had been
already discredited by a jury, he thought that he exercised
a proper discretion in not calling him.
Mr. WORDSWORTII then addressed the jury for the defendant,
and said, the question they had to consider was, whether a
paragraph which appeared in the Age, a newspaper published
by Holt, was libellous or not. The Learned Counsel for the
plaintiff' had stated that Lord William Paget was a most un-
fortunate man. He was truly an unfortunate man to have
been placed in the position in which he had lately
appeared before the public. He was compelled to
come into a court of justice for the purpose of
instituting: an inquiry into the circumstances which
imputed infidelity to Lady 'William Paget, his wife,
and the-mother of several children. He (Mr. Wordsworth)
had no doubt but the late trial between Lord William Paget
and the Earl of Cardigan would be fresh in the memory of
the jury. The alleged libel went to state that the placing of
the witness Winter under the sofa was "a plant," a defi-
nition which was liable to various constructions, and
did not appear to him (Mr. Wordsworth) to be libellous.
It also stated that it was the Earl of Cardigan's intention to
indict "the whole party for conspiracy." 'The alleged libel was
nothing more than a series of remarks on a mere topic of the
day ; it mentioned no name; the words might apply to a
great number of respectable individuals. The paragraph
contained nothing more than an account of certain topics
current at the time of their publication, a mere inuendo, and
could riot, therefore, be considered libellous. He denied that
the paragraph was intended to convey to the public the idea
that an action then- pending against the Earl of Cardigan,
was to extort moneyfrom that nobleman. He was instructed
to say that no such intention existed in the mind of the
writer of the paragraph.
The RECORDER ia summing up observed, that it had for-
merly been held that it was for the Judge to decide whether
the article which formed the subject of the indictment was a
libel or not, and upon proof of publication the jury were
bound to return a verdict of guilty. He had always been op-
posed to this view of the law, because he felt that it was the
proper province of the jury to decide whether an alleged libel
was so an fact; and a statute had since been passed which
carried out that view, and the jury were now the parties
called upon to say whether an article which formed the
subject of indictment, was a libel or not. The jury
would, therefore, look at the paragraph now in question,
and upon a careful consideration of all the statements em-
braced in it, they would say what was the fair inference to
be drawn from it, and whether it should be construed as
malicious and defamatory of Lord W. Paget. If the inuendos
ascribed to the article in question could fairly be taken as
conveyed by it, he apprehended there could be very little
doubt that it was a most libellous attack upon his Lordship;
and the chiefground for their attention was, whether it was
merely a statement of supposed facts, or whether it was pub-
lished with a malicious intention to injure the character of
Lord William Paget. With, reference to the proceedings
adopted by Lord William Paget, to obtain evidence of his
wife's misconduct, his Lordship observed that whatever opi-
nion might be entertained as to the character of that pro-
ceeding, it was perfectly legal, and any gentleman who might
entertain suspicion of the infidelity of his wife was justified
in resorting to such a step to obtain the necessary legal evi-
dence, and it would not form any ground for accusing him
of a scheme to make up a case for the purpose of extorting
money. His Lordship then went through the whole of the
evidence, and concluded by leaving the case in the hands of
the jury.
The jury, after a short deliberation, returned a verdict of
Guilty. -
The RECORDER said-he understood the defendant was al-
' ready undergoing a sentence of imprisonment.
Mr. DOANE said he was, and for an offence of the same
description.
The RECORDER then said he should remand the defendant
to the same custody from whence he came, and he would
confer with the Judges upon the subject of the sentence. I
he were to pass a fresh sentence upon him at that time, it
would have the effect of removing him from the custody in
which he then was.
The defendant was then removed in custody.

THE WEATHER.-THE HIGH TIDE -Until twelve
o'clock on Sunday night the atmosphere was cloudless, the
moon shining brilliantly, the temperature at 42 degrees, and
the wind S.W. ; before five o'clock yesterday morning a re-
markable change took place, the wind had veered round to the
N.E., the mercury descended to 34 degrees, the atmosphere
beaame,liazy mid humid, which was followed by a heavy but
very cOld rain; which continued without intermission till after
seven o'clock in the evening. The day throughout was cheer-
less and gloomy, while the temperature, up to one o'clock,
stood at no higler. than 35 degrees, with the wind E.N.E.
About three o'eloek a slight change took place, the wind
having shifted to the'westward; although it blew more vio-
lently than in the morning, .yet_it became wanner, the mer-
cury ascending. to 47 degrees, but slightly declined as the
evening advanced; the wind again becoming easterly. About
three o'clock the river again overflowed its banks in various
places, but more slightly than on Sunday.
CONSTITUENCY OF ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND.—kin
Saturday a Parliamantaly paper was issued, giving a good
deal of information respecting the registered electors of Eng-
land, Wales, and Scotland, showing the increase in 1849-3,
as compared with 1839-40. It appears that the grand total
of. registered electors for Great Britain, in 1842; was 941,782
and that, in 1839, the total was 907,903. In Scotland the
total was in the same period 85,244, and 82,531, making to-
gether a total increase in 1842-3, and compared with 1839-40,
of 33,394 electors.