Star.
London, England, 1822-08-26 00:00:00

GRAHAM HAMILTON.

Few Novels have excited so much interest as Gra-
ham Hamilton, and still fewer are so well calculated
to gratify the public curiosity. Though the produc-
tion of a Lady, it has all the vigour of the most mas•
culine pen,while it loses none of the delicacy and refine-
ment which are pecul;ar to the effusionsof the Fair Sez.
In Blackwood's Magazine we find the following criH
tique on this Work, which, however favourable,
barely does it justice:
" Report attributes Graham Hamilton to a Lady of
noble birth and sigh fashion, who is said to have,
some years since, fait us gnomes in the field of Li-
terature. If this be so, we sincerely congratulate the
fair author upon her imprOvement, though we must
own it is not .greater than we had anticipated as
likely to be produced by experience and maturer re-
flection acting:upon a mind endowed with such powers
is those discoverable in &ma: von, however much
we might in that instance regret their direction and;
application. She has now learned to restrain herezu-
berant imagination within the'bounds of good taste,
equally with respect to story as to style, and to dig-
nify and idealize her • talent for sketching striking
likenesses, by so varying, modifying, and combining
features taken from real life, that, instead- of mere
portraits in fancy drestes, she presents us with histo-
rical pictures.
" Graham Hamilton appears to us to belong to
the class of proper and of good novels. It presents a
spirited 'picture of the manners and follies of the
times, in that portion of society to which the reputed
author (Lady CAROLINE LAMB) may be supposed
most familiar; the characters ale ell drawn, the
story possesses considerable interest, and it has a moral
kept sufficiently in view, without being offensively
obtruded upon the attention at every iement, as has
been done in onse didactic tales, which tend rather
to disgust the reader with their pedantry, than to al-
lure him to improvement."

SUMMER ASSIZES.

LANCASTER, AUGUST es.
SLANDER.—DANSON b. DAMSON.

Mr. STARKEY opened the pleadings.
Mr. ScmccErr regretted that this cause had been
brought into Court, the parties being brothers ; but
the plaintiff was obliged to come before them in or-
der to repel an imputation of having forged his fa.
ther's will. The parties were in respectable business,
and 1T the plaintiff suffered a charge which, if true,
would forfeit his life, he could not hold his station.
The LORD CHIEF &Isms suggested an arrange-
ment between the parties.
Mi. SCARLET? bad no objection, upon the pay-
ment of costs.

Mr. Serjeaut CROSS said his client was a poor man,
and could not afford costs.

ei n

Ralph Webster knows the plaintiff Thomas, and
the defendant, James Danson ; was e.nployed by the
plaintiff during the winter. James, the defendant,
said to witness that the Stone-house world be hi;, but
for his brother and Bob Morris making a fresh will.
Bob Morris is an attorney. Witness heard him say
twenty times that his brother and Web Morris made
a fresh
.will. He did not say for whom.
James Hodson, a weaver, knows the parties; knew
their father, who died about four years ago, .and left
property (lands and houses) in Wigan. The plaintiff
and defendant 'have got some of the lands. They
I have a brother John. About the sth of last Novem-
ber witness asked defendant if he was to build any
more houses upon that croft? He said he did not
know, but he had occasion to make something of it,
for it was all he had left him : his brother Tom and
John item Liverpool had diddled hint out of the re-.
mainder. At his father's funeral they went into a
private parlour with 'torney Morris, and gave him
£6 for altering the will. 'Witness said that was very
wrong, as Thomas had no children, and he had a
large family. Defendant pointed to a house, and
said,-." My father promised I should have that, but
I suppose the £6 paid for that too."
Mr. Serjeant Cause cross-examined.—There are
five brothers. lam sure fie said Tom. I don't know
whether Tom has £4OO a year of his own.
Ann Walnick.—Knows James Danson, who said
to her, "My brother Mat is a d—d rogue. Many a
better man has gone to Lancaster, and been hanged.
What did they do but give 'toraey Morris £6 to alter
'my father's will. They are a pack of d—d rogues
altogether." Thomas and John and Matthew were
the brothers he meant, no one she. At another time
the same discourse wok place. Hs blamed 'his bro-
ther John at Liverpool, and his brother Thomas.
By Mr. Serjeant Caoss.—J. Hodson was present.
Elisabeth Norris heard the defendant say to the
lye= effect.

Cross•'

:eaansined.--The defendant is apt to tab 4

_ lignor..l don't know whialatt kehad,l4lollL.2l7-
James said he wished it wis fettled.
William Webster gave evidence of a slinllar nature.
Defendant said the plaintiff was a d—d thief.
Mr. Serjeant Cftose addressed the Jury, and con'
tended that any words that might have been tattered
were not seriously meant, or had not made any im-
pression unfavourable to the plaintiff. The defendant
authorised him to say, that if he had ever used such
language he must have been drunk, for he had no
recollection of it. If he did say so, he regretted it.
The proper course was, that each should pay his
own costs.
The CHIEFJUSTICE said the question was, whether
they believed the words—,, Tom and John gave 'tor-
ney Morris £6 to alter my father's will," were used
by the defendant, or words to that effect?
Verdict for the plaintiff—Damages, One Fat thing;
Costs, One Farthing.
No cause could afterwards be brought on, in conse-
quence of a rule that the plaintiff, in every number
beyond SO in the list, must have given two days' no-'
tice to the defendant,-to entitle him to call it on on the.
first day. The propriety and validity of such a rule
were strongly questioned. •
The LORD CHIEF JUSTICE said he would take the
subject into consideration, but that this being his first,
coming the Circuit; he would not hastily alter it.