New-York daily tribune., 1858-09-08

The dog star RACES just now in England. ThrI
seems To be- general loss of their senses, At ewI
a total derecton of the of propriety, on til
part of distinguished English authors. We Wkl
lish elsewhere an account of most extraordinpI
lawsuit. in which Walter Savage Landor whx
name, if not his writings, is familiar to our reader
was cast in damages to the amount OF thousasi
pounds for series of most extraordinary lbes
against lady. Mrs. Yescombe, lately his parr |
ular and intimate friend, with whom and her hs+
band a clergyman of the English Church, he hs
been for many years on terms of familiar frmt
ship, being in the habit of late years of dining d
their house as often as three days in the week. Ths
wrath of Mr. Walter Savage Landor-who scent
to have on this occasion fully established his title
to his middle name-appears to have originaiedn IN
some difference between him and bis friends as 10
young lady, the daughter of a neighbor whom the
YescOmbes had taken into their family and allowed
to share in the advantages of education enloyedtJ
their children.
For some reason or other, IL does not appear
what they Judged il best that she should sNs
Bath, where all the parties resided and 90 70
Cheltenham. The breach thus made, the author d
the Imaginary Conversations issued pamphs.
under the title of ''Walter Savage Lauder and
the Honorable Mrs. Yesc0mbe," in which be
charged his late intimate friend with having per
lured herself in a lawsuit in which her HUSBAND
was interested, of having purlOined money from
letters, of availing herself of recelpted trades
mans bill though she had not paid the money, and
several other similar frauds To the demand Of the
iad,s solicitor to retract these charges or stand
suit, he replied IN another pamphlet, entitled mi
"LandOr Threatened" abusing the sttorney sni
proposing to have him cudgeed. suit was n
cordingIy brought, but, this time, was settled q
the interference of Mr. Landors friend Forster
late editor Of The London Eraminer WHO per-
suaded Landor TO sign retracton of the charges
and an agreement not to repeat them.
No soOner was the case thus disposed Of nn
the libeler turned from prose to verse, sending~
lady number Of epigrams implying the moa
furious charges, and printing others in booa @I
titled DRY Sticks Fagotted, in which she WI
hbeed under the name of Pestcombe.
AS tncft was no JustIHcdtlOH set up, th' o"si
suggested that the case ought to be arranged wi'I
out trial, but the defendants counsel complainsI
that his client would not agree TO any settlemebl
The only thing attempted in the way OF palliatsl
was an effort not very successful, to draw out f'a
some Of the witnesses that rumors Of charges SD
lar to those Of the defendant had circulated in BsS
and that they did not wholly originate with tho sI
fendsnt. The apology chiefly relied upon vi
however, the defendants great age, he oeiAl
between eighty and ninety, and the fact thsl I
belonged to generation not quite 50 scrupaS'
about decency as the present. Had such e''
been tried in New-York, the counsel wouid \
doubt have set up the defense OF insanity pu' 'n'
plea is less in favor in England than here. LUG ~
tendant may, We think, consider himself yer! 'a..
if he escapes by merely paying damages sncs ~
if any private libel can be, would seem TO Dc A'l
case for a criminal prosecution.