The New York herald., 1870-03-06

By special correspondence from London. dated
on the lstn and 2lst Of February ana published un
| derDeath We have the HERALD report Of the Nor
daunt divorce case suit It's merits demerits, morale
and indecency, with oil lis social complications,
aristocratc and royal The comments OF the ''hard
| nsted" democracy Of Britain on the grand scandal
! are also presented.
| The Mordauut Divorce Cnsc-Great Scandal
In the AristOcrntic Circles Of Eagiand-Inde-
cent Nature Of the Eyidence-The Prince Of
Wales a WiGness-True History of the
| Case.
| LONDON. Feb. 10, 1870
| Some weeks ago mentioned In one OF my letters
| to the HERALD that q divorce case fMordauBt VS..
Mordaunt, Cole Johnstone and Others was pending.
and that would excite the greatest possible interest
| when 1t came TO be heard. The preliminary trial.
involving the sanity OF the lady, has iast come on
The Divorce Court il crowded to the very every
day with Oil the fashionable people OF the land. aud
at our breakfast table each morning We are met
with coumn after column OF the most dis
| gustlng details printed In every newspaper, and
making them no more Ut to be read by young
people than the most indecent books that ever were
printed III Holywen street. There never was l
| care not IN what country, a case which was more
degrading to the nation IN which 1t was tried. Not
only have oil the first families OF the land been
washing the very drtiest linen they have in public,
but Just Lecause those who tnus washing arc
tiled people the rest OF the world focks In crowds
to see the operation. Why the evidence upon such
trial should be printed IN every disgusting detail
cannon imagine. Mea men all the world over,
and rs there traitor among the twelve
Apostles. there must, aud ever WI be, sinners
drunken SINNERS, carnat sinners. and every otner
KIND Of ofrcnder-untii the end OF time. But why
che tnltu
OF such lmpuritie5s
AS your readers may not be induced 10 wade
through the English newspapers in order to obtain
summary OF this will give you the outlines of
It, with which TIN unfortunately well acquainted.
FOR have known all my life the family TO which
Lady Mordaunt belongs. and remember her very
lew years ago. very pretty little gtrl, laughing
and running about like a young deer by the side
OF Ter governess. am not q young man, and have
seen God help me, not little OF the bad side Of
life, as every one must do whose business 1t Is
visit mucn wtth the world In this great city. But
1t makes me sadder than to express TO think
now, in lew saort years. the merry child used TO
know in Pertbshire mas changed into what do not
ike to say nor even to think about. here. then,
Is Il ue and smp.e account Oh this unfortunae Lady,
ana Of her set young life
Is the daughter OF Sir Thomas MOncreine, bar0nct
OF an old iami!y, and owner Of iine ola place in
PeriiShlre, Scotland, ca led MOhcrel1e House. near
| the Bridge OF Earn. which many ot your readers
| must seen when tney visited scotland. STR
! daughters Tue latter are all very good Ooking.
The eldest married 10 the Duke OF Aanot, another
and q third to The Larl OF Dudley, Lady Moraaunt
Is the iourtn daughter. aud Is about as
eSss She maed ss
| to Sir Charles Mordaunt. q wealthy Dironet then
states that TINS nnion took pace wta the consent
OF all parties, but which moi the iact Sir Chare
was very much Ia love Vita ner out sue ola not care
her own, u young man o. fair means. out not 10y
many thousands year as good mdtcn as SIR
Charles Mordaunt But her parents lDsi5ted upon
her marrying the latter. do not mean tnat they
shut ner up and led her upon bread anu water; Dus
fathers and mothers have always the means ot
making their daughters obey them the matter OF
matrinony. Harriet uoncrelfe NOW Lady Nor
! daunp was only eigateen, her mother, Lady Mon
| crene u uaughGer ol the late Earl OF Kinnou was
most worldly minded woman, and had u personal
PRIDE IN getting ner daughters settled in lie.
sne INSISTED on tue marriage taN,ng place, aud it
| did take place. Sir Charles Mordaunt Il young,
s.s nea soorss Alter the rss % lew %onlns
although he kept her IN every possible luxury,
anu denied her nothing, ne teit his wife very
much 10 herself. Her delignt WAS IN balls the opera,
garden pares ana the ike; ali ms pleasure WAS Ia
| yacnling, iox iiuntna, shooting. hsling anu o1ner
She was very good-looKng, vcfy gay, very Thought
| less, very young ana nad more than one constant
| attendant OF the male sex upon her. Ii was the
o.d, old story. Win no Que TO guide or advise her
she overstcpped the bounds OF prudence and
/
! expression-"got talked about"
Her SISTERS lie Ducness O. AtnoI and the Countess
OF dudley, tired 10 advise her. out sue de1ed them.
Her parents attempted TO do the same Du5 only with
| Ike results she became what III tne London slang
| OF the aay IS called "a fast woman" In the iasIi
! lonaDle world there sets" ana sets" some Of
the Brought together by political, others by
| religious, Others Dy family ties. There are need
haray say, good, bad aud indifferent people among
them all. But tuefe Is "fast se.''-a set peop
who iooK upon amusement as the FIRST duty VI iIie
| aud VINO care less Tor what others say or them
! write these lines was manufactured. Lazy
Mordaunt soon became an acknowledged men,
| ber ol TINS ''set.n she drove the nandsomest
| ponies III London, dressed .'faster' tnan any
| lady IN or out OF town laughed ouaer, carad more
the iasest men Of the iastess Set Tne one
| person VINO knew least OF what she did or where
! pltons; sne mad hers. Wnen the season was over
| Ihey went together to Gner magatHcent counIry
mouse, Walton Hai, near Warwick. but even tdere
1t was the Old story over aga'n. Ine house was al
ways fun OF visitors Her ''iast' lady friends ana
her last' admirers of the other sex were there py
the score. S!r Charles only looked TO bis own
| amtsemeutS lie was auscnI two or three months IN
the year for sporting IA scotland or ior nsning IN
! Norway. Lady Mprdaunt got less and less respected
| and more and more talked aoout. IL was the DID,
cid story repeated Dad SHE iail2 God knows. 1t
1t IS not for us judge each otner; but SHOULD be
sorry. indeed TO nave the cvidence against wife,
| sister daughter wncn has been brought up
against this unfortunate lady.
| SIR CHARLES MoRDAUNT.
] Sir Charles suspected nothing for ne knew moth.
| Ing. once or twice he told her that neither Lord
l
twenty -one aud one OF the wilacsl lads London,
SIR Frederick TOMBSTONE, young fellow OF tsen-
ty-four, ana notorious as one OF the greatest TonGs
| ever known "a worn odt man even at tHat early
age, were fit visitors for young married lady 10
| have daily and even twice oay. IN her boudor,
| and TO be seen night after night ut the opera; Dut
she was defiant. matters had got worse and she
| had become more obstinate more careless than
ever OF her good name. On one occasion Sir Charies
! was sp0Ken TO very seriously by his fAtnern-iaw,
who mad overheard by chance. at Whites CLUB tho
most extensive cub in London and the only one 70
wnlcn the Prince OF Wales belongs some JOKING
Iuay Mordannt. Sir Charles questioned ms servants
ana found that the Prince had more IMAM once vis-
tied at his house and bad seen Lady Mordaunt alone
He spoke TO his vile and told her that however nat
tcrmg such visits were they could not but cause her
| to be greatly "talKed aDoutn Lady Mordaunt
| seemed TO have been affected with what Was said,
and ABOUT TINS time found herself 10 pc In Ger,