Star.
London, England, 1827-12-06 00:00:00

stated..that this was an ,actionfor breach ,of. eromistof
marriage.. The defendant pleaded the general. issite.

Mr. Sergeant WILD& stated the ca•e. The Jury had
heard from his Learned Friend ;ghat was.the nature of.
the action which was Pow presented fot their attention*
_ _

and•decision. It was an action by a young woman to
recover eompeosatim. for thettemmynt she had rec:ived
from the person on whom she supposed her future hap.
piness would have depended. In the oriel of such a
case as this, the interests of a plaintiff were mire in-
volved than in any other, and therefore, although he
(the Learned Sergeant) should be sorry to occupy the.-
time of the Court unnecessarily, yet he felt it ith more
than his duty to dwell upon those pointi which he cone
sidered to be material. Actions of this kind were now
unhappily 'very frequent in our Courts'-of Justice, and
it furnished a melancholy proof that men still consis
dared themselves entitled to apart with the feelings of
females by holding out that they would marry them)
and when they had succeeded in gaining their affee-
tions, then deserted them, and left them a prey to their
own disappointed hopes. He was quite sure that in
addressing men' of the standing and 'experience in
i life of which he knew the Jury to be,' 'that the,'
could not fail to know, that of all the injuries which'
could be inflicted on the feelings of a young woman,
that of engaging her affections, and holding out tor.
her a prospect of future happiness and comfort in
the world, and then abandoning her without the;
slightest ground, was the greatest and most vicious,-
And what in these cases added to the distress ot
the unhappy, woman Whose hopes had been so lame..
fellY blasted , was, that she could not come into .st't
Court to seek redress without incteasin; the injury ate'
had already sustained. When, to justify herself, she
was compelled to bring an action at law, she was cera
tarn of h lying her name brought before the-public, and.
pethaps made the subject of much scandal. It most
frequentiy happened that females, injured as the present
plaintiff had been, were women of the best feelings,
and they were those who must shrunk from publicity.
But how were they to seek redress but at the hands of
* Jury ? and unless they allowed a full investigation ot._
the facts, and showed that they themselves had giten
no cause for the conduct of their deceivers, surmises
might arise in the minds of persons which would be
most injurious to their characti-ri. But to women of
fine feeling, one of the greatest injuries that arose au*•
of the infidelity of those in whom they had confided,
was the consequent exposure of circumstances with
which it was natural they would wish the public to be
unacquainted. The plaintiff in the present ease was
the niece of a perm who kept an inn at Ilford, in Es.'
sex, and she bad been in the habit of assisting her uncle
in his business. The defendant was also an innkeeper '
or publican of considerable opulence, and was enabled.
to maintain a most respectable establishment. Indeed, -
an union with a person of his property afforded the•
plaintiff a prospect of every happiness which a person
in her t scion of life could wish for, or expect; and on
the other Rand, her conduct was as irreproachable as
any admirer could require. About June last it hap.
pened that she was on a visit to a friend of the name of
Nutt, in the Mile-end-road, not at any great distance
fr.m where the defendant carried on hi%bu-ine-s.- This
Gei tleassn was a very respectable person in his line,
and was generally admitted into society. He was a
widower, and appeared to be much esteemed by his
acquaintance, among whom were Mr. and Nrs. Nutt,
the -persons at whose house the plaintiff was staying.
Visiting at the house- in this character, he presented
himself to her as a person well worthy of fur men-
tion, and. he paid his -addresses to her honourably.
Mr. and Mn. Nutt were acquainted with his visits,
and approved of them, and he continued to pay every
attention for some time, until at length they mu.,
tually became so attached that they agreed a mirrtiage.
phouldtake place; and as he WAS considered an-ex.
'tremely eligible person for her_ husband, her friends
assented'to their union. Matters hieing proceeded to
thislength, the defendant shewed her a house, to know
if shiapproved Of it, as it was understood that she was
not to live in the house where his business was carried
an, Issahort, he acted in a manner which warsantesi
the best founded expectations that, he meant to marry,
her, when suddenly, without the slighreq exylanation,
his visits were discontinued. For this extraordinary step,
he would assign no reason, bat the plaintiff felt conicious
and certain that nothing in her conduct could justify
the cruel and wanton conduCt of which he hid been
guilty, and she this day challenged him to prove any
behaviour on her part by which she could be considered'
as It:swarthy of becoming his wife. But what answer
could he make to this case ? He had not youth and in:
-discretion to plead ; he was a widower, and had arrived
at that time of life when reason is supposed to itiffuence.
the actions of a man, and when the passions are supposed
to wait on judgment. Such was the defendant, and
such a man offering himself to the attention and affec-
tions of awoman might confidently expect to be accepted.
Such a man did he appear to the plaintiff, and as such he
was accepted; and consequently her ditappointment end
misery would be in proportion to the merits which she be.
lieved him to have possessed. Shortly after he had dig.
continued his visits, Mr. Nutt waited on him to ascertain
his reasons, but could get no answer from him ; bur
his reason soon 'became very apparent, for in the
course of three or four weeks he was married to another
woman. This marriage was either very pretipitate,
or else he must have been paying attentions to .another
while he was supposed to have been bestowing his
affections on the plaintiff. The only duty imposed on'
the Learned Sergeant this day was to prove the premise
of marriage ; and it would then be incumbent on the
defendant to show some reasonable ground for the con•
duct he had pursued. He was, however, confident that
in the result the plaintiff would be entitled to a verdict
in the case which, to support her respectability in life,
she wascoMpelled to submit to the decision of the 3urty
and the Learned Sergeant thought that when they bad
heard the evidence which he should adduce, and. con.
sidered that the plaintiff's honour, happiness, and future
prospects in life, must now depend upon their verdict,
—that when they had heard the cool unit cling manic
in which the defendant had destrted he&, they would
think it was a case calling for very heavy damages.
But whkever amount they should think proper to give
would never compensate the unfortunate plaintiff- for
the mental agony which his wanton and unmanly ben
halfiour had produced: He exhorted the Jury,ahat as
they might have daughters or sisters of their cost
is
who might be injured by such men as this .' 1
bad been, to protect them by the amount of dintao
Which they would now give, by*t meatli fatnithing
an example to those who might; kherwise be incli,aed
AO trifle with the best 'feelings in a woman's nature.
With these remarks he would' leave the case its the'
bands of the Jury, not doubting but that they would'
Act in such a meaner as the justice of are case appearmt.
to them to dictate. 4 . • •
• Mrs. Hannah Nutt—l am acquaint*,
a and have known her from a baby,
• ndint yery.well, having, been P
iaa Of twelve years, or more,, The

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of Ate case akiwas#l,
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iinteld with the plaiOt
reby. I atfojsme.the
acquainterwith 116*
plaintiff's age W4a,