The republic., 1851-01-03
Jose Tadeo Monagas Francisco Sanchez. Seer,
tary."
Comment is Unnecessary.
am, dear sir, very respectfully, yours.
Ell YQUETENO.
New YoRK, DEC. "a, 1850
From the Boston Transcript.
Fortune Hunting.
BY "a SEXTON OF THE OLD SCHOOL

to the living She firmly believed in the xxx
articles, and fortieth namely: that man is for
tune hunter from his cradle. She often declared
that, sooner than wed a fortune. hunter, she would
die u cruel death-she would die mad she did
in the full possession of her Senses to the last
Her entire estate, consisting of sundry shares in
fancy stocks, two parrots, monkey, silver snuff
box, and paraphernaa she directed to be sold; and
the avails employed for the promotion Of celibacy
among the heathen.
! Yet il was the opinion of those who knew her in
timately that Miss Bungs at heart sufficiently
disposed to enter into the holy state of matrimony
could she have found one pure, disinerested spirit;
but, unfortunately she was fully persuaded that
j every man who smiled upon her and enqured after
her health, was ''after her money" Miss Bungs
was not unwilling TO encourage the impression that
she was an object OF particular regard in certain
quarters, and, if a gentleman picked up her glove
or escorted her across gutter she in the habit
/ OF instituting particular inquiries among her
quaintanccs, in strict confidence of course, in
gard to his moral character; calculating with
sigh, that men were mercenary now. a days, il
difficult to know who could be trusted.
Now, this wrong Miss Bungs By the
English law, if man or n woman pretend falsely
that he she ID married to any person. that person
may libel IN the spiritual court, and obtain an in.
junction OF silence; and this offence, IN the Ian
guage OF the law, s called jacffatOn Of marTidge.
| reason why injunction in of
jGctitdton Of cotrtship should not be allowed; for
serious evils may frequently arise from such un-
authorized pretences.
After grave reflection, am Of opinion, that Miss
Bungs carried her opposition TO fortune hunters,
beyond the bounds OF reason Let us define our
terms The party who marries only for money.
intending from the very commencement TO make
vi 1t, for the selfish qualification of vain vi
cious propensities is fortune hunter of the very
worst kind. But let US not forget, as we go along,
that this field is occupied by huntresses well
by hunters; and that, upon such voyages OF dis
covery, the cap may be set as eiectuay as the
compass
There is another class with whom the degree of
person al attachment which really exists, is fee
BILE to resist the combined influence of selfishness
| aud pride Such also suppose, may be placed in
the category OF fortune hunters. We find illus
traton OF this in the of MIR. Mewins. After
liberal arrangement had been made for the young
lady, by her father, Mr.. Mewins, having taken a
particular fancy to a little brown mare, demanded
that it should be thrown into the argain; and, up
on positive refusal, the match was broken oil.
After couple of years, the parties accidentally
at a country ball-Mr. Mewins was quite willing To
4 renew the engagement--the lady appeared not to
( have the slightest recollection of him. Surely
/ you have forgotten me-" said he -" What
name, '' she inquired" "Mesins," he replied,
81 had the honor oil paying my addresses to you
that name, she reloined, .'who paid his addresses
I 10 my father 8 brown mare"
In matriInony, wealth is, of course. very com
fortng accessory. 1t renders an agreeable part
ncr still more so-and il often goes, not little
way, 10 balance an unequal bargain. Time and
talent may wisely be wasted, in pursuit Of the
philosophers stone, of an unmixed good evil,
this side the grave. Temper may be mistaken,
ar il may changes beauty may fade; but 60, 600,
+ ell managed, will enable the happy ,coman
IL bear up, with tol, rabe complacency, under the
soverest trials of domestic life. What a blessed
thing il is tall back upon, when is compelled
to mourn over the iniirmities of the living or the
absence of the dead! What aolace'
II was therefore wrong in Miss Bungs, to desig-
nate, as fortune hunters those, OF either SEX who
have come to the rational conclusion that money
is essential to the happiness of married life No
man or woman of common sense, who is poor will,
now-a-days, commit the lndiscretion OF falling IN
Lore, unless with some person of ample possessions.
What, then, is to become of the penniiess and the
unpretty! We must adopt the custom OF the an
cient Baby yonians, introduced about 1888, b. C., by
! Ato5sa, the daughter Of Belochus. At certain
season Of the year the most lovely dalnses were
sembled. and put up singly at auction, To be pur-
chased by the Highest bidder. The wealthy swains
/ Of Babylon poured forth their wealth like water,
and rivals settled the question: not by the length of
their rapiers, but of their purses The money, thus
! obtained, became the dowry of those whose per-
suna. attractions were not likely TO obtain them
husbands. They also put up and sold TO the
iotcest bidder, the poor were formerly disposed
OF in our villages. Every unattractive maiden,
! young, old, and OF no particular age, put up
/ at maIiniu,n, and bestowed on him who would
take her with the smallest amount of dowry. 1t is
quite possible that certain lots may have been with
drawn.
! rather prefer this practice to that of the Spar
tans, which prevailed about SS4 Il &. At APP
pointed time the marriage damsels collected
ain a hall perfectly dark; ana the young men were
sent into the apartment, walking evidently neither
by faith nor by sight, but literally feeling their
! way, and thus selected their helpInates This is
in perfect keeping with the principle that love is
! blind
The ancient q ieeks lived and multiplied with
| out marriage. Eusebius, In the preface to his
Cbronicon states that marriage ceremonies were
| fret introduced among them by Cecrops about
| 1854 b &. The Athenians provided by law that
| no unmarried man should be entrusted with pub
lie affairs; and the Laccdemonians passed severe
laws against those who unreasonably deferred their
marriage. Ii Is not easy TO reconcile the general
/ policy of promoting marriages with the statute $
William Ill 1895, by which they were taxed; as
| they were again in 1854
The earliest celebration of marriages in churches
was ordained by Pope Innocent III. A. ID. 1899.
Marriages were forbidden in Lent, A ID. 36I, con
forming, perhaps, to the rule OF abstinence from
flesh.
Fortune hunting has not always been unaccom-
panied with violence. Stealing an heircss was made
felony, by Henry VII, l4s7, and benefit of clergy
denied in such cases by 80 EIz, $50. In the first
year ot George ~, 1870, this offence was made
punishable by transportation. In the reign of viii.
liam Ill, Captain Campbell forcibly married Miss
Wharton, an heros5. The marriage was annued
by act of Parliament, and Sir John Johnston was
hanged Tor abctung. In 1921, two brothers and u
sister, Edward, William, and Frances Wakefield
were tried and convicted Tor the telonious abduc-
ton of Miss Turner, heiress, whose marriage
with Edward Wakefield annulled by act Of
Pariiamens
No species of fortune hunting appears entirely
contemplate as the wretch who marres for mo
ncy inter ding TO employ il, not for the joint com
fort Of the parties, but Tor the payment of his own
arrearages; and who resorts 10 the expedlent OF
marriage, not to obtain wife, but TO avoid Jail.
And the exutatun is pretty universal, when such
n vagaboud falls, himself into the snare which he
had 50 deliberately prepared for another.
In the fifth volume of the Diary of Samuel Pepys,
pages 323 329, and 800, Lord Braybrooke, has re.
corded three letters To Pepys, from ixrraordi
nary scoundrc of this description. The hrst letter
, from this man, Sir Samuel Morand, who seems to
have had some employment in the navy, bears date
saturday, ~ February, l6S6'7." After Gem
municating certain Information, respecting naval
affairs, he proceeds. follows:
81 would have wayted you with this account
myself, but | presume you have, ere this time
heard what an unfortunate and fatal accident has
lately bcitilcn me, of which shall give you an
/, abbreviat
about three weeks or a month since, being in
very great perplexities, and almost distracted ur
want OF moneys my private creditors tormentng
me from morning 70 night, and come VI then
threatening me with a prison, and having no posi-
tive answer from his majesty about the 4 800
which the late Lord Treasurer cutt off from IN,
| pcusion so severely. which left a debt upon I'M,