Star.
London, England, 1826-03-15 00:00:00

CONFIDENCE AND CREDIT. .

The day was dark, the markets dull,
The 'Change was thin, Casettes were full,
And ball the town was breaking;
- The counter-sign or Cash was" step !"
Bankers and Bankrupts shut np shop, '
And honest hearts were aching I. •
When gear the Bench, my tasty 'spied
A faded farm, with hasty stride,
Beneath greera burthen stooping. -
Her name was Credit, and she said
future:- Trade, weisiptily dead.
. Her mether, demmern, drooping !
The smile that she was wont en wear,
Was wither'd by the hand of care,
• Her eyes had lest their lustre ;
Her character was gene. she said,
For basely she had been been betray d,
And nobudy would trust her !
That honest industry had tried
To gain fair Credit for his bride,
And foend the Lady willing,
Put ah! a Fortune-hurter came,
And Speculation was his name,
A flake not worth a shilling !
The villain was on Mischief bent,
He galled both Dad and Mam's consent,
Asadralsen poor Credit smarted ;
Ile Skied her fortune and her (eme—
tic flail a blot upon her name,
And left her broken hearted!
While thus poor Credit seem'd to sigh.
. Her Cousin, Confidence, came by,
(Methinks he must be clever).
I, when he whispeett in her eat,
She (heeled the sigh. she ilsied the teal,
And smiled as *weer as ever!
Btrnsondsey.

LENT ASSIZES.

....-..M.--

• STAFFORD, Shun 13.
*RUCH ell PROMISZ 'Or MAIRRIAGL.

PEAK V. SISDGWOOI›. IISQ•
'['his es* 'ruffled by a Mond special jary, two adze members
of wbids_ boo ties rank of Baronet.
•
Me, ea* ripsn4d the pleadings.
Mr. C AIIiTISELL said, that it gave him great satisfac-
tion to see twelve Gentlemen of that County assembled,
to say, whether the conduct of the defendant was that
of a Gentleman and a man of honour ? The jury knew
the defendant tote a Gentleman of large fortune, in
the neighbourhood of Newcastle-under-Lyrae.—The
plaintiff was the daughter of Mr. Weightuum, a Gen.
tleman residing in Wales. She had married• Mr. Peak,
a mercer, at Newcastle; some years after Mr. Peak
died, his -widow bad carried on the business.—Mr.
Wedgwood, who lived in the neighbourhood, visited
her first husks:rod as a friend, and be had an opportunity
of observing her accomplishments and disposition.
.0n
the death of her atm, the plaintiff went to reside at the
house her aunt had occupiei in Chester, so that she saw
no more of the defendant till the end of 1824 or the be.
ginning of HMS, when she was oft a visit at Leake.
There the defkodast paid his addresses, and made an
offer of risaveiar: She discouraged his advances on
account of dee duparity of their years; she being thirty.
five, and el* defendant over silty. He wrote her seve-
ral letters. (The Learned Counsel read the letters of
the 18th lebruary, HMS, and of the 4th of April in the
same reer). The plaintiff communicated the affair to
efir,, who *Waited of- it, and the defendant
had perntimicur to ',sit her at Che Art. He fell ill
• there; but,. by the kind attention of the plaintiff,
he teccroered, rad went to Parkgate, a watering-place,
from which he Wrote her letters, which were of a
mar* Joke leader description than his first ones. (The
n read the letters of the 27th of No-
'ember said 4th of December). At Parkgate the de-
feldant got much better, and he proposed to make a
setdemvat& SOOL a yeir on the plaintiff, and actually
asked two Gentleman to act as trustees. After that he
met the plaintiff under the roof of her relations, and be
spoke of her as his intended bride; and the last words
he ewer spoke to her conveyed a desire for her to invite
those relations to visit her when she became his wife. So
it was ng to the Bth of December. But it would ap-
pear Chet only sir days alter, he who wished to be
thought a Gentleman wrote the following letter. Now
all/the ludic; ow: feeling must vanish, and every virtuous
mind must be filled with indignation at the conduct of
the defendant.. His letter began— •

46 Mar Msdams,"swireasded.
4* I lave bodidoes~huss several persons, that you are not
=Why Sot Sty fiddles. aid befog-In a precarious state
h tbe reseals whyl estraot eve you my band. I wish
you well, and shall Anti respect you. I have enclosed you a
road usti, witickiflt does set pay you what Is due to you, pray
WOMB sae bq ebs bearer.
17a WE be blbeesoiridi tossedeas Ist stockier by the Now-
code OW*. tam; star liimbmit rare
11"eftDOOOD:'
" P. I.—AIIcensIONRIIEN Mac awe betwesi is."

Could aayihinglre more brutal, and this was to a wo-
man be had- been courting for several months; could
anything beano,* detestable than that he should be
going about asking whether it was probable that this
Lady would bring him an heir to his estate? But he'
must have known it to be false, as she had been the
metier of three children by her first husband, and she
was then only thirty-five. But he was in a condition to
thew that the defendant set up a still more base pre-
tence. They would conceive the feelings of Mrs. Peak,
and the relucta►,ce she would have to diiclose such awl

intuit; bat at length she desired a fa iend to call upon
him, and he then did not persist in his pretences, hut
said that Oa con•idered himself incapable of marrying,
and tbat his surgeon told him he was unfit. Ile admitted
the engagement, and could not deny the bteach. What
was to be said in mitigation— did the defendant mean
to attack Mrs. Peak ? Did he dare to c4ll the suigenu
who was in Stafford under a subpoena? Suppo,e he did
call 1-41/2 tio prove a disgusting detail of his infirmities
anal 'defects, Would this be any palliating of his conduct,
to go 01 deluding this Lady for mouths, and then set
up such an smoke as that. k would be an aggravation.
e defendant was a man tolling in riclica, he was
o: th a hunched thousand pounds. They would look
'to h;s conduct and see whether hi bad not disgraced
1 niself as a man, and he would then ask them to give
such damages as would be a wholesome lesson to men
1;Ice the defendant.
The following letters were put in; they ',tete written
on..rather coat se paper, and each sealed with a wafer :
Park gate, October 5,
AN DWI/ Lan ZELOVID Errr—l lave the plcusal to inform yen
try kAlt is much iu the same state in whkb it was when I left
Chesser. except a af, which I have wavered all the those I have
lulen at Park-gate. 1 hope it will not belong befer I bare thrplesuor
of steins you at Parklike ; and believe meta be, my dearest kitty,
Your affectionate lover,
JOUR WEDG ETAIIKX
Eignall End, Nov. VTOB4
Mr Dian Mir —You forgot to inform mein yours a the 18th
but. tr !slut state your kettle via., in which I thought was an antis. •
sioa on Imo part, which I hope yot will remedy in your next. T
pare tbe ec.;urc to Weitz you that I tvntain in a contelevice Matt,