Star.
London, England, 1826-11-02 00:00:00

PROM MR. HAMILTON TO MR. WELLESLRY.

Naples, August Is, 1823.
MT DIAS SIR did not at all fancy that the purport of our cor-
respondence was to carry on a legal dispute ; but as I saw that that
could be the only result of it, I thought it not worth our while. I
still regret that you should think it derogatory to the character of•
an English Gentleman, for so I must interpret your objection to
apply to the Consul General for information, or on what may con-
cern you for an explanation of anything be may have done, or be
supposed to have done, as unjust to you, or tending unjustly to cri-
minate your character and conduct. And I cannot at all see why
the delicacy of your situation, or the pure dictates of humanity,
which have induced you to take up Mrs. 13ligh's cause, should ope-
rate to prevent your applying to the Consul General, provided you
have no other objection to such communication.
It certainly has given both to Mrs. 11, and myself very great con-
cern to be under the necessity of declining to present at Court a
Lady, who was about to go there under the protection of Mrs.
Long Wellesley. but in such a case I had only to look to the person
in question, not to any other individual. The countenance which
Mr. L. Wellesley may think proper to give to Mrs. Nigh, can in
no way alter or excuse Mrs. HUgh's conduct, and had I acted other-
wise,•' am confident that all the biker Engligh Ladies who propose
to go to Court on Tuesday next, would have staid away ; besides
you must be aware that I cannot present at Own any one whom I
could not admit in.my own house. It is with great reluctance that
I have said thus much, which may appear harsh, but 1 could not
let pass your observations without some kind of reply; and as to-
wards the end of yogis this mogrng, you seem to imply that Mrs.
Hamilton was swe of those who, as you say, fen off from Mrs. Bligh
bs the hour of bw deep distress, I must ask you how could she do
otherwise, 'wombs', as she did, that she had left her husband's house
on the most frivolous pretences, and had avowedly put herself under
your protection, the very person, the prohibition of whose visits by
her husband was oast/ the alleged causes for this unfortunate step?
I hope, therefore, that Mrs. Long Wellesley will do justice to Mrs.
Hamilton's conduct, and that she will allow, both that there has
been no want of charity or liberality on her part. and likewise that
she is not in a situation to require forgiveness.—Yours, very faith-
fully, W. B. HAMILTON.

P. S. I hope there is no occasion for me to assure you or any
other English subject at Naples, that I shall not be wanting in the
performance of my duty whenever I may be called on for inter.
Terence of the Government, or application to the proper authorities,
whereeor and whenever it can be done with propriety, and in the
spirit d the instructions under which I act—namely, to see that
justkliT is done to them, and that every proper assistance is given to
the* in all their lawful proceedings.
Yours, &e.

W. 1L H.

?ROM MR. HAMILTON TO MR. WELLRSLRY.
Pal. Calabk. Aug. 18, 1825.
MY DIA IL War.r.usim—lt is, indeed, high time that our cor-
respondence on this unfortunate subject should terminate, particu-
larly after the words you have thought proper to introduce into
yours of this evening ; but you must allow me to observe, that if
you will refer to mine of tbb morelng, you will see that I did not
say that Mrs. Bligh flew hens bar linsbowl's haw to throw her-
s& upon your protection. beg dpt dr kad kit hrt husband's Wow

and put herself under your protection.atwo facts which, ll ant afraid,
cannot now be disputed. With regard to my expression of frtvo.
knee pretences, t need not tell you how happy it would make both
myself, and all connected with me, if the disclosure oftbe teal cause
should give me occasion to recall my words.
At Y am still anxious to set myself right in Mri: L. Wellesley's
eyes witlerespect to my motive for declining to present Mts. 'Nigh
et Court, I must beg of you to allow me to add, that when I alluded.
in reference to that subject, to her husband's prohibition of your
visits, I ought to have said her husband's threat to prohibit your
sits—a distinction which, of course, could make no difference in my
conduct. In all !may have said in the coursed this our rapid inter-
change of billetuleux, Ibog youwill believe had nothing more in view
than to account for my own conduct. I can have, and have no partial'.
ties, either on the one side or the other. I have uniformly pointed
out to you the way in which you can apply for what you want in
the common course of business, nor can I for the life of me under-
stand why you should object to apply direct to the Commissioner-
General. If I were to attempt to use any authority over him,
whoa, in truth, I have none beyond what may be a matter aeons-
mon courtesy between us, to oblige him to make disclosures which
he could not, or ought not to make, I should be labouring in vain,
or I should be committing an act of injustice. For the last time is
this subject, believe me ever yours, truly,
Hon. W. L. Wellesley, Cap. Vecchia. W. R. HAMILTON. 1
The following promise made by Mr. Wellesley to'
Mrs. Bligh, was found in a Souvenir of .'Nis. Bligh's, at
their late lodgings, at Seymour-place:
" I promise Mrs. Bligh that our separation shall not be permanent,
provided she follows my wishes in going to England.
(Signed) " W. L. W ELLESLEY."
This was supposed to be written about September, 1824.
Copy of a letter in the band-writing of Mrs. Bligh, and addressed
to" Monsieur Long We:lesley, Poste Restante, a Geneva." It
bears the post mark, " Genoa, 17 April."

IThis date must be April, 1824, for it appears by the entries in
Mrs. 1111gh's bails, that she arrived at Florence, October 15, 1823,
and 'eft Florence for Paris on April 11,1824.]

Geneva Albergo, della vista, Friday Morning.
I arrived here late last night, perfectly knocked up, and in conse-
quence have been obliged to remain here to-day, as I really am
very unwell, and I am quite sure, were I to go on without stop-
ping, I should be laid up on the road. I ant quite astonished to
hnd you have not as yet made your appearance at this place. What
am I to conjecture? I met a family on the road who bad left
•6chneideriifs on Monday; and they told me you were still there; I
cannot, and will not believe thi4, as I am quite sure you would not
deceive me, or break your word. It would, indeed, be cruel of you
were you to attempt to deceive me, for I have always placed such
perfect confidence in you, and in what you here told me.tbat it would
be a sad return. I must confess I cannot possibly think what has
occurred to detain you on the road. Surely Pisa can have no charms
to detain yoq. I told you that the plan was to stop there,and also to do
so here, and at Turin. My Goo! if you allow this, you will be I don't
know how long on the road. I cannot say I am flattered. I have done
all that woman can do for you, and you prefer obliging every one but
poor me,who, you must be perfectly certain, is wretched. I left Flo-
rence and hurried on bere,because I knewyou wished it. I have made
no objection whatever to all your plans, and in return I only expected
you would make our separation as short as possible; but alas ! you
prefer amusing yourself on the mad in every town you pass through.
Ah,Wellesley, is this kind of you ? Excuse me for writing thus to
you; but I ant wretched—l am ill—and my thoughts are enough
to distract any one. For Goes sake do not deceive me. I have
never—never done so to you. Pray remember your promises, and
your word of honour. Do not—oh, d• not make me have cause to
be more wretched than lam ! I shall leave this to-morrow morn-
ing; but ere I go, I shall once more endeavour to find out if you
have arrived. What I would give to ice you for a few minutes!
Write to me, pray, and tell me all, and how you are ; I hope and
trust that you are quite recovered. I shall be at Turin on Monday,
and shall leave it next day if I am able; therefore inquire when the
post that leaves this to-morrow will be there ; if you think I cannot
get your letter there, direct it to C.unbray. I have seen no one
here, nor have I been out of the hotel since my arrival. GOD bless
you! and ever believe me with truth, yours, &c. H.
Excuse this scrawl. •

A blothieur Long Wellesley, Poste Restante, a Genoa.

Copy of a Letter in the hand-writing of Mrs. Bligh,
addressed 4, A Mon. Long Wellesley, a L'Hotel St.
Marco, i Livorno." Post mark, Pisa, 23d April.
[The account of defendant's travelling expenses, dated
April 1824, Leghorn, containing entries paid fot
medkines for Mr. L. Wellesley.

Wednesday night, 12 o'clock.
I have just received yours, and I must say I think it very unkind,
and what did not expect tivin you. If I have offended you by re-
turning here, I ant sorry for it. I did so, because I heard, when I got
to Genoa. that you were very ill at Florence, and unable to proceed
on your journey. I immediately determined to return, that I
might be near you. When I gut here, I heard you were quite
well, and at Leghorn, where you had been for ten days, which
surprised me much, as you never told me you had any intention of
going there. On the contrary, you assured me you would make all
the haste in your power to get to Paris. What made you change
your plans I know nor, but I think you ought ro have come on as
you promised me. Excuse me for being so candid as to tell you
this. I left Florence at your request, when I really was very un-
well, and made all the haste in my power to go to Genoa, and I
intended to have proceeded immediately to Turin, but when I
heard you were still at Florence, and ill, I returned. I shall say
no more on this subject, until I know the reason why you went to
ILeghorn; but surely you ought not to treat me so unkindly, and
write me so harsh an epistle, when I think you are to blame. You
must know and allow, it has ever been my wish to please you, and
to shew you I am still the same, I shall obey your order and pro-
ceed to Paris, where I .hall remain in misery until you arrive, and
GOD only knows when that will be ; for it appears to me, that it is
your intention to remain as long as possible on this horrid journey.
You cannet love me, my dearest Wellesley, if you treat me thus,
and stop, in every town you come to, eight or ten days: I knew
this was the plan, and I told you so at Florence. Oh ! have some
compassion for me, and come on, for Gon's sake !—do not drive me
mad with despair !—surely you will make no stay at Genoa now.
lam most wretched and ill. The family who told me you were
ill at Genoa, pitied me, and asked me if they could assist me? I
love you dearly and sincerely, and, therefore, do not—oh ! do not
forsake me! I cannot bear this life much longer. Oh ! come to
me! Write to me again at Turin ! I shall expect you will oblige
me in this request, and tell me when you will be at Paris. Yon
appear to me to wish to please every one but ne. I dare say lam
boring you with this letter, and I fear my requests win not be at-
tended to. Remember your promise to me, and your word of
honour. Nod, Goo bless and protect you, my dearest Wellesley.
For Goo's sake, come 00, and pray, pray, do not stay at Genoa and
Turin ! Write again to me at Turin. Excuse any thing I have
said harsh or unkind in this scrawl. I know not what I write, I
am so miserable. Pray come to me as soon as possible. lam off
this morning for Paris. Adieu, my dearest Wellesley ! Forgive me
if I have offended you, and thew me you dos* by coming on.
You will find a letter for you at Genoa, in the Post-office.
A Mon. Long Wellesley, a L'Hotel St. Marco, I Ileum.
Mr. Sergeant VAucums then put in a deed made by the father of
Mr. Bligh, settling sonic property on hint, and entailing it on the
issue of the marriage.
Mr. ScAacret objected to the admission of this deed as evidence,
as there were no special damages stated in the declaration.
• Chief Justice Beer said, that the only grounds on whith the deed
could be admitted, would be,to shew the affection which the plain-
tiff had for his wife; but as it did not appear that ate deed con-
tained any provision for Mrs. Sigh, it could not be admitted.
A Clerk from Doctors' Commons produced the last
Will of Mrs. Wellesley, in order to prove the amount
of the defendant's property. It appeared that a probate
of the Will had been granted to the defendant. The
personal property of the deceased was sworn to be an=
der 10001. but her real property was encumbered with a
charge 0r50,0001. for the use of the defendant.
This was the plaintiff's case.

Mr. SCARLET? addressed the Jury for the defendant.l
He knew how dangerous it was for an Advocate to offer
an excuse for the violations of morality, and that be,
often incurred opprobrium for lending himself to the as-
sistance of a man who had been guilty of an offence
which was reprobated by society—but there was danger
lest the judgment of the Jury might be warped, by
lending an ear to the evidence on behalf of the plaintiff,.
who having it in his power to make selections, brought
forward only what w,as material to his case, and left out
what might operate in favour of the defendant. He
never heard a more extraordinary opening than that of
his Learned Friend, whose object was something deepe
than mere -compensation for the wounded feelings o.
_ _ _

Mr. Bligh. But he hoped the Jury would disw ss hew I
their minds those extraneous topics relative to die con.
'duct of the defendant towards his wife, introduced by
the Learned Sergeant, obviously with a view of exciting
their prejudice against Mr. Wellesley, and thereby to
swell the damages. Having made these preliminary
remarks, he would now enter into the facts of the case.
It appeared that the defendant had first become ac-
quainted with Mrs. B. on the sth of Junb, at the house
of the British Minister, and that on the 15th, she scam-
' parried him, along with several other persons, on a tour
of pleasure to Mount Vesuvius. Was not the inference
drawn from this the most eetrovagant ever known? -The
plaintiff could not assign any place for the first commis.
sion of the act which he complains of, but on the bosom
of Mount Vesuvius, and that among
foreignera severalDk
personsuoef.
both sexes, nay, in the presence d
The mountain itself must have trembled at such an
act, as that a woman of unbounded affection for her
husband should, in ten days after her first knowledge of
a man, confer upon him the greatest favour that a
woman can bestow, and renounce all her attachment for
her husband ,Could any man believe such an assertion?
If it were true., who could consider that Mr. Bligh had
suffered a serious loss, in being deprived of the affections
of such a woman ? but there was not a tittle of evidence to
support the fact, and in the absence of all testimony, that
part of the charge must be rejected as contemptuous
and frivolous. With regard to the allegations of de-
fendant's getting in at the window, and committing adul,
tery in the plaintiff's house, there was not the least at-
tempt made to connect the print of the feet which were
aiscovered under Mrs. Bligh's window with Mr. Wel-
lesley; it had net even been said that he was suspected
at the time, if he had, the matter ought then to have
been investigated. He was not instructed to deny that
the crime of adultery bad been committed at all ; he
only meant to say, that it had not been committed until
a considerable time after Mts. Bligh had eloped from
her husband, who it was evident was incapable of
performing those duties which are expected from hus-
bands ; for it appeared in evidence, that after the first
year of their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Bligh had always
slept in different beds. Lord Bacon had said, that young
men marry for mistresses, middle aged men for com-
panions, and old men for nurses. It appeared that Mr.
Bligh had married for a nurse. He admitted that the
Jury must find a verdict for the plaintiff; but atto
damages, he could not see with what face the plaintiff
could come into Court, and ask for damages, for the
loss of the affections of a wife, whom he himself seduced,
and aftetwards left alone among officers et Cambray,
at Paris, and several other places, without the protection
of any friend; and lastly, who abused her in such a
violent mariner, that she was obliged to leave his house
in disgust. The Learned Counsel concluded a powerful
and eloquent address, by exptessing his hope that the
Jury, under all the circumstances of the case, would
give but very moderate damages.
The LORD Ciller Jusries, in changing the Jury, ob-
served that Mrs. Bligh had allied herself• to families of
higher distinction than she had been entitled to, and in
consequence thereof, had been for som time unplea-
sandy situated ; nevertheless it appeated from the evi-
dence of Lord Darnley, and several others, that Mr. •
and Mrs. Bligh had been on good terms from the period
of their first marriage until they, had arrived at Naples,
and became acquainted with the defendant. It would, •
he a dangerous doctrine to diminish damages on
account of the little bickerings, which Mr. Edward'
Bligh stated to have occasionally existed between them;
the adulterer ought not to be allowed to take advantage
of such things as may sometimes take place in the hap-
piest families. Mr. Bligh was perfectly right in not
admitting the visits of the defendant at his house, if his
conduct excited his suspicions, and the fait Of Mrs.
Bligh having been walking with the defendant the
evening subsequent to her elopement, in a retired
place, strongly warranted the suspicion of an ittipidliet
intercourse having previously taken place. Yet, if the
Jury were satisfied that Mr. Bligh bad beaten his wife,
as was alleged, they ought to give him'ne more than
one farthing damages, for nothing could justify a man
in doing such an act ; but it was not likely that a
woman of such a violent temper as Mrs. Bligh is repro.
sented to be, would tamely submit to be beaten, with..
out calling the servants to protect her ; or at least
making some noise, and of this there was no evidence.
With regard to the letter of the defendant, representing
her as mad, in his opinion it was a falsehood on the
part of Mr. Wellesley, for Mrs. Bligh was at Paris at
the tint-, and a D Ictor who visited her (alluded to in
the letter) was examined here to-day, and not a single
question was put to him respecting the state of her
mind. It was for the Jury, under all the cireurn.
stances of the case, to decide on the amount of damages,
guided solely by the evidence produced, and uninflu-
enced by the statement of Counsel on either side.
The Jury then retired, and after deliberating for ten
minutes, returned a verdict for the plaintiff—Damages
—Six THOUSAND POUNDS.

The verdict was received b the Dicer, the Judge having ad-
journed the Court whilst the Jury was absent.
The Duke of Wellington, the Earl of Darnley, the Earl of Fife,
and Colonel Lincoln Stanhope, were on the Bench. The Court
was excessively crowded. When the verdict was delivered, a
tumult of applause was heard in the Court.

A Journal of Lyons announces that a house is in a
state of forwardness, to be bulk entirely of cast-iron.
LITRRP3OL) TUESDAY EVENING.—Our Cotton mar-
ket, so far in this week, has been dull. The sales yes-
terday were estimated at 1200 bags, and those of to-day
at .5 to 600 bags. Tuesday, however, being Mancha..
ter market-day, there is always less doing on that day.
It will be in the recollection of our readers, that im-
mediately after the last Summer Assizes we detailed
the proceedings instituted by Major NORTH, of Thur.
land Castle, against one Jackson and his wife (two dis-
carded servants), for having propagated certain slander-
ous reports, and of his having, at the last Lancaster
Assizes, obtained a verdict against them, and indis-
putably proved the falsity of such reports. Subsequently
to that period the whose case bad been laid before Mr.
Pm., Secretary of State for the Rome Department,
and we have now the pleasure of presenting the public
with a copy of a letter from him to Lord DzABY, the
Lord Lieutenant for the county, by which it appears
that the Right Hon. Gentleman's sentiments upon the
subject perfectly coincide with the opinions which were
expressed after the trial: Whitehall, September 30.
Mr 1.011.11-1 have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your
Lordship's letter of the 24th instant, transmitting a detailed account
of the trial Instituted by Ms* North against the propagators of the
slanderous reports reflecting on his character, and of the verdict ob-
, tained in his favour ; and in reply, I have to state that I entirely
acquiesce in your Lordship's view of the case, and im of opinion
that Major North is fully entitled to retain his comndwion, and to
he considered perfectly innocent of the infamous charge which was
preferred against him by Jackson and his wife.—l have the honour
ur be, my Lord, your Lordship's most obedient humble servant,
Earl of Derby, &c. ROBERT PEEL!
kamCniter Gazette, Oct. 4,