The Sun.
London, England, 1829-12-26 00:00:00

does not the inevitable conclusion follow, that if

they may not claim tithes, S3IIIC other provision
must be granted from the State to an equal
amount ? In all cases it is admitted that the
labourer is worthy of his hire, and why there
should be any indisposition to pay it to the
Clergymen, we are utterly at a loss to imagine.
With respect to any reduction of the public
burthens, we are left in a great degree mainly
to conjecture. That the Corn and Silk Trades,
the Currency and the Shipping Interest, will be
the subjects of many a weary debate, is to be cal-
culated upon ; that melsures of a permanent and
efficient character may be devised to relieve the
existing pressure, and do justice to all classes,
must be the constant prayer of every lover of his
country.—Morning Post.

LAW INTELLIGENCE.

COURT OF COMMON PLEAS, DEC. 21.
CRBK. CON.-CROFT, BART., V. LYSTER..

This was an action brought by Sir Thomas Croft,
Batt., to recover compensation for the injury inflicted
upon him by the defendant, Colonel Lyster, in
having had criminal conversation with his wife. Mr.
Serjeant WILDE and Mr. THESIGER conducted the
plaintiff's case, the facts of which, as they appeared
in evidence, were these :

Mr. Lateward, a gentleman of fortune, having I I
died some years ago, his widow martied Colonel
Marsac, of the Guards. The plaintiff, Sir Thomas
Croft (son to the late eminent physician of that
name), who belonged to the same regiment, visited
at Colonel Marsac's house, at Cavesham-park, and
there became acquainted with Miss Lateward, Mrs. •
Marsac's only child by her first husband, who suc-
ceeded to her father's fortune, amounting to about
3,0001. a-year. Sir Thomas paid his addresses to
her, and they were favourably receive:!; but the
young lady being at that time a ward in Chancery,
it became necessary that his proposals should .he
submitted to the Lord Chancellor. This was in
1823, when Miss Lateward was only 16 years of
age, and the Lord Chancellor thinking that she was
then too young to be married, desired that the sub-
ject should stand over for a year; at the expiration
of which period, the application to the Lord Chan-
cellor was repeated, when, after having referred it to
the Master, his Lordship was pleased to express his
assent to the match, and the marriage took place to
the satisfaction of all parties, Sir Thomas being then
25 or 26 years of age, and his lady IJ. By deed
of settlement executed by the parties before mar-
riage, Lady Croft's fortune was settled in the fol-
lowing manner :-700/. a-year was settled upon her
husband for life; 5001. a-year until Lady Croft be-
came of age, and 3001. a-year subsequently was di-
rected to be set apart to form an accumulating fund,
as a provision for the child or children of the mar-
riage. This fang was to continue until it amounted •
to 10,000/., should there be only one child ; 15,0001.,
should there be two; and 20,0001. should there be
three : 1801. a-year was also directed to be appro-
priated to the formation of a fund to pay certain
tines upon property held under the Bishop of Lon-
don; and the residue of her fortune, amounting so
long as no reduction of rents took place, to about
1,200/. or 1,300/. a-year, was settled upon Lady
Croft for her life, with power, after her husband's
death, in the event of his dying without issue, to
dispose of the estate as she pleased. If there
should be a son, of course he would inherit it
solely; if only daughters, they would inherit it
jointly. If the lady should, after her hus-
band's death, marry again, then a son by such second
marriage, if there had been none by the first, would
inherit the estate, to the exclusion of daughters by
the first ; and if there should be only daughters by.
the second marriage, they, as_ well as those of the
first marriage, should take it jointly between them.
Immediately after the marriage, Sir Thomas and his
lady took up their abode at the house of his mother,
the Dowager Lady Croft, by the desire of Lady
Croft, and lived together upon terms of mutual af-
fec: ion. In the month of February, 1826, Sir
Thomas had a fit of illness, during which his wife
showed him the most affectionate attention. On
the 3d of June following, Lady Croft gave b;rth to
a daughter. From the moment of her confinement,
her temper, which it would appear had been always
somewhat violent, becathe much more so; but she
endeavoured to conceal it from the observation of
her husband, and no diminution of her affection
took place until the beginning of 1828. Previously
to that period they had been on the Continent to-
gether, and had visited Mussels in 1827. Early in
the month of April, 1828, Sir Thomas was afflicted
With a severe attack of a convulsive disease, in con-
sequence of which it became necessary to go to
Bromley to place himself under the care of Mr.
Scott, a skilful surgeon, residing at that place. Lady
Croft, however (for which no reason was assigned),
refused to accompany her husband, arid he-therefore
went without her. During his illness she went
much to parties, and indulged in the gaieties of
London. The plaintiff's mother, disapproving of
• such conduct, censured her for it, upon which she
delared she would leave the house, and go and live
with her mother at Cavesham. She accordingly
removed to Cavesham, accompanied by her mother-
in-law, and thenceforward resided with Colonel and
Mrs. Marsac. -On her way she wrote one or two
hasty lines on a small scrap of paper, which she had
conveyed to her mother-in-law, as also a more formal
note, written on, the following morning, which the
Dowager Lady Croft received upon her return.
The first was in these words—" Pray for me, for I
never shall forgive myself: it is entirely my own
fault." The other note was to the following
effect :

" Dear Lady Croft,—Oh, I have suffered still more
this night, and shall every night while I am in this state.
You will hear from me on Thursday, God bless you and

my dear husband and child. I hope you did not hear
touch in the night, but I really was delirious. I -say
again I must come back to you."
She subsequently wrote the following letter to a
Mrs. Millingharn

" April 30.

" My dear Mrs. Millingham,—l am much better to-
day, and I trust I shall soon be better still, at least my
medical man says so, but he says that certainly I shall
never be well till my mind is well.. Where does Martin
live? Do you know? For I shall certainly go to him
when I am of age, but not befdre ; so you see I am not
mad, far from it, though Dowager Lady Croft iv kind
enough to send Dr. Tuthill to see me. lam quite glad to
get down amongst these lonely and quiet people, and the
birds and flowers, &c. Good bye, my valued friend, you
must allow me to call you so. Do write and tell me what
the world says."
Whilst she was residing at Cavesham, Sir Astley
Cooper was called in to attend her and found her,
as he stated on his examination to-day, very froward.
She had a disease in the head, which caused a dis
Charge from the nose. She evinced considerable
excitement, and seemed to Sir Astley like a spoiled
child. She said she hated her husband, and dis-
liktd her mother-in-law. " But," said Sir Astley,
" you have a child; will not von return home for
her sake ?" Ito," replied her Ladyship, " the
child is with Sir Thomas, and he is very welcome
to her." Upon one occasion, when Mr. Hanley
handed her a letter from Dowager Lady Croft,written
by a gentlemats of the name of Martin, she opened
it with violence, got up from a sofa on which she
was sitting, tore the letter into the smallest pieces,
flung them on the ground, and stamped her foot
upon them with rage. In September, 1828, Colo-
nel Marsac and his family went to reside some time
at Boulogne, whither Lady Croft accompanied them.
Shortly after their arrival there, they attended a
horse-race; and it was upon that occasion that Lady
Croft first saw the defendant Colonel Lyster.
One of the horses which ran belonged to him.
After the race was over, he was invited by Mr.
and Mrs. Beecher, with whom Lady Croft
was in company, home to dinner. The invita-
tion was accepted, and at dinner Colonel Lyster sat
next Lady Croft, and Mrs. Marsac observed some-
thing in their manner which she complained of to