Star.
London, England, 1819-07-15 00:00:00

equalled by the generosity of your eieelient brother."'

A short extract from a letter from Brighton was
also read, in which the defendant addressed the plain-
tiff in the character of " husband."

The letters having been gone through,
Mr. Eteynold's examination was continued. Plain-
tiff answered these letters. She visited at the house of
defendant's father. The wedding was fixed for last
Christmas, but it did not take place. In the course
of last February, witness noticed a great alteration
in defendant's attentions to plaintiff, whoshortly after
requested him to call upon defendant, and ascer-
tain his intentions with respect to her. Witness called
early in March, and defendant repeated his attach-
ment to plaintiff, but in the latter end of the same
month he declared he would not marry her, (here
witness repeated defendant's expressions, as to plain-
tiff's' not being a girl of character, &c as stated by
Counsel); defendant added that plaintiff allowed of
the addresses of another, while she seemed attached
to him. Witness, though irritated at those observa-
tions, endeavoured to conceal his feelings from de-
fendant.—Cross-examined. He had heard defendant
talk about his losses, but not when he declared, in
the beginning of March, his intention of marrying
plaintiff. The last conversation was at witness's bar.
Defendant was not then intoxicated, nor did witness
ever sat him so. The result of this conversation was,
that, witness ordered defendant out of his house;
before his departure he offered to fight witness'. Wit-
ness never said he would make the old man (meaning
defendant's father) bleed. He never considered Miss
Spericer as a bar-maid, nor did he ever say that he
could not afford•to keep two bar-maids. Something
was said about Miss Spencer being out-asked at a
church in Leicestershire. He heard that defendant'
*ad inquired about it, and found that this was not the
fact. lie saw both the license and the wedding ring.

He had no further conversations with the plaintiff or
defendant on this subject.
Mr. Charlton proved the issuing of the license for
the marriage of plaintiff and defendant, it was dated
28th November, 1818.

Here the plamnff's case dosed.
Mr. Serjeant COPLEY addressed the Jury for de-
fendant. He commenced by expressing his happi-
ness at having to address so respectable a Jury, and
one so fully capable of giving this question the most
minute and impartial consideration. What justice
required they would no doubt perform, still measu-
ring that justice with the temperance which a case of
this description required. Cases of this kind did not
always bear in evidence the appearances they assume
from the ingenuity and talents of Counsel, nor could
they be laid before a Jury exactly as they occurred be.
tween the parties :there being no means of proving the
different transactions which took place between the
parties. It was impossible to bring before a Jury the
matters which might influence the minds of persons
situated as plaintiff and defendant had been, or which
might have operated to prevent defendant from fulfil-
ling his promise. The Jury would, no doubt, give de-
fendant every benefit arising from such a situation.
—His client was a very young man, who had lately
embarked in the precariotir profession of the law,
and it would be for the Jury to consider whether
they would eve such damages against him as woull
blast his prospects and crush his first entrance into
life. Plaintiff was attached to the young lady; whose
situation appeared to be that of bar-maid at the Bell,
yet he pursued his suit with sincerity. It was not
attempted to be urged that lie was merely playing
with her feelings, on the contrary, he acted with
truth and candour throughout the whole of tfie pro-
ceedings. The father of-Mr. Cole was averse to his
son's forming such a connection, and naturally so,
as Miss Spencer had no fortune. The defendant's
hesitation to fulfil his engagement arose first from
the remonstrances of his father, and, secondly, from
some sdvere losses which he had sustained from the
deficiency of the produce of some mines in which he
was concerned. Next came the conductof the lady's
brother-in-law. The defendant smarting under the
impression that the plaintiff was receiving the ad-
dresses of another, while she seemed to be his only,
had remained for several hours drinktug in Mr. Rey-
nolds's house, previps to the conversation at the bar,
anfi considering the irritation cf his feelings, it was
not to be wondered at that in the heat of passion he
had used un;ustifiable language. Defendant knew a
verdict would be given against him; he never inten-
ded to asperse the character of Miss Spencer, or any
of her family. The Jury would also recollect that it
was plaintiff's brother-in-law, who first made public
those expressions which were so much dwelt upon in
this case, for the purpose of increasing the amount of
dama3es. Ile should not further trouble the Jury,
it would be for them to state what, under all circum-1
Aances, the amount of damages to which plaintiff''
was entitled.

The Came JUSTICE summed up at considerable
length. Having gone over the evidence for the plain-
tiff, he observed, that the defence set up was, first,
the remonstrances of defendant's father, of which
there was no proof ; and secondly, the losses sus-
tained by him ; added to which, came the dreadful
imputations as to the brother-ir.•law, of which there
was not even an attempt at proof. The plaintiff was
a young Lady respectably educamd, and of unim-
peached character, and it would be for the Jury to
decide, under all these circumstances, what was the,
amount of damages to which the conduct of defen-
dant subjected him.
The Jury, after a consideration of a few moments,'
and without retiring, found a verdict for the plaintiff,
--Damages, Five Huiedred Pounds.
The Court was greatly crowded, and when the
verdict was announced, a considerable manifestation
of applause took place, which the Officers found
some difficulty in repressing.
The plaintiff and her sister were present during
the trial, immediately behind their Counsel.

SHERIFF'S COURT, SURREY.
BREACH OF PROMISE OP Ai A 11.1:IA GF-
_ GIBBS C. PACKwoot), WIDOW.

The defendant having permitted judgment to go
by default, a Jury of the County of Surrey assem-
bled before the Sheriff to assess the slamages which
the plaintiff bad sustained.
Mr. BARRY, for the plainziff, stated the ease. His
client was, he said, a farmer, and had been a pub-
lican, both of which stations in society he filled with
great credit to himself. His circumstances were so
comfortable, that he began to look about for a wife,
and was indifferent as to the weight of her purse, so
that she possessed those qualities, without which the
matrimonial state was liable to become worse than
any other warfare His age had attained that sea-
son when " the hey-day in the blood is tame, 'tis
humble, and waits upon the judgment;' and his eye
no longer rested upon those extrinsic beauties which
too frequently threw the judgment into mean capti-
vity. Directed by a mind so constituted, it would
have been improbable that he should select a girl for
his companion. His habits were too much in the
honest and sincere John Bull style to admit of the
folly of sentiment in the most important event of
mans life. Conscious that be must look for happi-
ness in congeniality of soul, he cast a glance at the
, widow of a worthy citizen in London, who seemed
to him, from the fullness of her years, her person,
and her understanding, to be well adapted, either to
the task of obedience or authority which men alter-
nately bestowed upon their wives, as temper or occa-
sion dictated. She was the widow of one whom
every man had reason to bless at least mate a day—
after shaving himself; the widow of the celebrated
Packwood, who had proved that he had thonght her
worthy of his choice, by leaving her, in his last will
and testament, 4.400 per annum. The annuity was,
the Learned Counsel repeated, by no means a pro-
minent object, although to be sure it was by no
means an objection ; for his client sensibly considered,
that in the marriage state It was desirable that the
sense of inferiority, which the want of fortune
usually inspired, should not exist, obligation being a
feeling rather remote from love. About four years
lago the plaintiff and defendant first saw each other.
They were delighted. The widow's eye was lighted
up with unusual brilliancy. The plaintiff felt its
power ; it was an intellectual eye—not one of that
bold and irregular motion which claimed familiarity
with a stranger, but conveying an expression of per-
manent and undivided attachment to the object on

a

whom it was fixed with a constant gaze. Language
soon burst forth; declarations of never-failing affec-
don were reciprocally made, and the widow Pack-
wood, who had already been so happy in a husband,
consented to try the experiment a second time, and
pledged herself to become the wife of Mr. Gibbs;
but unfortunately for the client of the Learned Coun-
sel, her name, though now changed, was not Gibbs.
It ought to be Gibbs, for she had' made a promise in
the face of HzavEN ; it ought to be Gibbs, for the
recording angel had written it down, and no tear,
except that of scalding repentance, could ever obli-
terate the impression. It ought to be Gibbs, for
Gibbs had fixed his heart upon the expectation, and
nothing could recompence him for the injury he had
sustained. The widow was one of the most extraor-
dinary widows that ever came into a Court of Jus-
tice. It would appear that she delighted in entrap-
ping and disappointing men ; for but a little before
she became acquainted with his client, another suitor
had presented himself, and been promised her hand.
A short acquaintance, however, satisfied the Lady,
and she turned off her admire!, who applied to the
benevolent power of the law, which never faded in
healing the wounds inHictesl either by man or woman,
and gave him a considerable recompence in damage,.
The Lady was now the pronerty of another, but the
happy couple were separated by mutual consent, not
cn account of any defect in the temper of either, but
because she was economically inclined, while he was
rather munificent. The Jnry world, it was to be
hoped, give by their verdict, a warning to all wi•
dows. Several letters, which were stated to have
been written by the defendant to the plaintiff, were
put in and read, in order to show the breach of pro-
mise ; and several witnesses were examined.
Mr. ABBOT, the Under Sheriff, summed up the
evidence, and the Jury., after some consultation, re-
turned a verdict for the plaintiff—Damages ED.

OLD BAILEY SESSIONS, JULY 15.

Mary and Sarah Beck were chirged with stealing
OM 19s. and a silver watch, &c. from the person of
Willism L avalade.

William Lavalade met the prisoners at a house in
Swan-yard, on the 9Th of May. Ile described the
property which he had about him.. Ile was Passing
through the Strand, when Mcry Beck. who was crand-
ing at a door, accosted him, and after some prelimi-
nary civilities, induced him to walk in. Witness was
then introducid to the sister, Sarah Beck ; being in-
vited by the Ladies to treat them with sometlii:g to
drink, witness complied, and drawing a pound note
from the cluster of notes, Sarah Beck'went out and
procured lull a pint of gin, very honourably return-,
ing the change. Witness, beipg drowsy from sitting
up all the preceding night, laid his head on the table,
and went to sleep. Witness awoke and misied the
prisoners ; not at first suspecting the loss of his pro-,
perty, walked out ; but wishing to look at his watch,
found it wanting, and instantly discovered that hel
had been robbed of the whole of his notes alco.

Tunler, the officer, was applied to by Lavalade on
Sunday, the Pth of May, but did not apprehend
either of them till the 17th. They were searched,
but nothing found upon them. The season why he
did nut go to the house of the prisoners sooner was,
because the complainant did not at first know the
house or the street where he had been robbed.

The prisoners put in a written defence, which pro-
tested that they had never seen the prosecutor ; it de-
scribed a variety of mistakes made by the prosecutor
at the time of apprehension ; it charged Turner with
bein,g a trading witness, who pretended to be a
stock broker, while in reality he kept a poor little
coffee-shop, and made up his income by offering his
testimony on convenient occasions.

The Comum: SERJEA NT addressed the Jury. •He
thought the evidence did not corroborate the charge ;
at the first meeting, the prisoners behaved with per-
fect honesty in returning the change ; they had not
left their residence ; there was none of the property
found upon them ; above all, the prosecutor did not
know the place where he had been robbed.—The Jury
acquitted the prisoners.
Henry Axes, a wretched young child, under ten
years of age, was indicted for stealing a silver castor
top, the property of Jchn Hyde, Esq. The article
Was found in the cap of the prisoner, when pursued
from the house of the prosecutor.
The prisoner cried bitterly, admitted his guilt, and
said that his father, who was a plasterer, had turned
him out of doors. He was found Guilty, and the
Court said an exertion should be made to save him
from destruction, by sending him to the Penitentiary.
Robert Webb, Joseph Brtckhill, and David Barrett,
were indicted for' stealing, on the 9th of June last, a
watch, chain, &c. from the shop of William GriiEn.
The Jury acquitted Barrett, but found Webb and
Brickhill Guilty.—The Court told Brickhill he must
expect to leave the country for life. He was well
known in the Court.