9. BREACH OF PROMISE OF MARRIAGE. In the court of Castle Ruthen, in the Isle of Man, an action was brought by Miss Ritchie, daughter of the late captain Ritchie, of the East India company's naval service, against lieutenant Bluett, of the royal navy, for a breach of promise of marriage. When the father of the plaintiff last left India, he intended to return thither, and therefore did not take that pains in arranging his affairs which he should have done; the consequence was, that his property was wasted by those in whose care he left it; and, at his death, the plaintiff and her brother, found themselves fatherless, and almost pennyless. Captain Ritchie, expecting to leave his children in affluence, had spared no expense in their education; and the plaintiff, in her seventeenth year, found herself excluded by her circumstances from that walk of life, of which her accomplishments qualified her to be an ornament. In November, 1818, the defendant met the plaintiff at the house of his aunt, and an intimacy

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805,598

was formed. He was then a lieutenant in the navy on half-pay; but he had some time previously travelled through the several gradations of a player's life, from a country stroller up to a secondrate performer. From the time of the first intimacy taking place, the defendant was in the practice of engaging Miss Ritchie in parties with his family to various public places. On all those occasions, Miss Ritchie paid for the party; the defendant came to attend the young lady, and received her purse; he attended her home at night, and, on parting, returned it; so that he had all the appearance of a gallant and liberal lover, when in fact he was sucking the last shilling from the unfortu nate and innocent girl, who had too much the feelings of a gentlewoman to regret the money, and too little knowledge of the world to know, that this conduct was any thing extraordinary. This system of plunder continued from the end of December till the 12th of June, at which time he had reduced the young lady's little

property to 130. He was all this time full of love and ardour, vowing eternal fidelity, and had made a promise to marry the plaintiff in September. But, finding this time approaching, he instantly changed his plan, to evade an engagement he never intended to fulfil. The plaintiff, already an excellent performer on the piano-forte, and ready to work for her own support and that of her worthless lover, was persuaded to transport herself to Ireland, to learn music according to the system of Logier, which was then taught there by a man of the name of Bluet. The defendant, in the name of Miss Ritchie's brother, who, from a complaint in his eyes, could not write, carried on a correspondence with Bluet in Dublin; pretended to inquire into Bluet's character; and at length made the plaintiff go to Dublin, and pay one hundred guineas for eighteen months' instruction under that man, for the professed purpose of marrying the defendant, and teaching music for his support. Having arranged all this to his satisfaction, he then calculated that she had better be off early in June, as by that time he would nearly have exhausted her money, and left her barely sufficient to pay her hundred guineas to Bluet. He pursued this disgraceful course, until at length he deserted the plaintiff, and became the fancy man of a prostitute.

Verdict Damages 500l. and all

costs.

12. THE PERUVIAN LOAN.— The Royal Exchange exhibited a scene of extreme confusion, caused by the extensive competition to obtain shares in the Peruvian Loan, which was, for the first time, offered publicly for sale. VOL. LXIV.

The negotiation was conducted with so much secrecy, that few, except the persons immediately concerned, were aware, before Friday, of its existence. On account, however, of the immense profits realized by the two American loans that preceded it, it was no sooner known, than the greatest anxiety prevailed, to become subscribers, and the applications, both personal and by letter, were very numerous at the counting-house of the ostensible contractor, Mr. Thomas Kinder, jun., of Basinghall-street. The only answer returned was, that the contractor, with his brokers and agents, would appear on the exchange on Saturday morning, at 11 o'clock, and dispose of the scrip in the open market. These gentlemen accordingly presented themselves at the hour appointed, and were immediately surrounded by a crowd of brokers and others, desirous to know the contractor's terms, and to come in for the early delivery of the scrip. The confusion and pressure were so great, that nothing for some time could be distinctly heard, and the impression was, that the agents were playing on the eagerness of their customers, and did not in fact declare any price, at which they thought it proper to sell. Meantime different prices were audibly vociferated from various parts of the assemblage; but, as they did not reach the point desired by the agent, he remained silent, and did not close with any of the offers. At length 88 was named, being, as was understood, a premium of 8 per cent on the contract price, made not more than two days before, and was followed by a burst of indignation from the crowd, and the words Shame, shame!"

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"Gross extortion!" resounded on all sides. Even at that price, however (such was the mania for speculating in foreign securities), bidders were to be found; and many of those who were able to bear the extreme pressure, and to approach sufficiently near to the contractor, entered into engagements for taking the scrip in sums varying in amount from 5,000l. to 10,000l. each. Thus encouraged, the contractor, in a few minutes, advanced his price to 89-a notice, which was attended with the same indignant exclamation as before; but he still found adventurers hardy enough to close with his proposals. In consequence, however, of the confusion, not many of those, who were eager to buy, could be supplied; and of numerous and loud applications made to the contractor, few were heard, or, if heard, they were honoured with no answer. At this moment the attention of the crowd was diverted in some degree from the contractor by one of the foreign. brokers, who announced loudly, that, if the contractor would not sell, he was ready to supply them with as much as they wanted, and at a lower price, offering the scrip at 884 and 88, while the contractor either remained mute, or was fixed in his price of 89. This broker sold with much firmness, and to very large amounts. Meantime the crowd having received large accession from the Stock Exchange, increased round the contractor and his agents; and the confusion rose to such a height, that the possibility of transacting business was out of the question. All were excessively indignant at the supposed backwardness of the contractor to take the offers made him; and pressing round him in

a

once more

still greater numbers, he and his agents were forced, by the multitude surrounding them, from the Dutch walk, where the confusion began, to the opposite corner of the exchange, where the Swedish merchants assemble. Here the brokers became so highly exasperated, being still unable to come to terms with the agents, that they forced the whole party off the exchange, out at the north gate, opposite to Bartholomew-lane. They succeeded, however, after a desperate struggle, in re-entering the exchange; and having at length, with some further effort, effected a lodgment on one of the seats, they became visible, if not audible, to the brokers who surrounded them. They were then tumultuously called on to name a price, and one of the agents at last named 90 as the minimum of the contractor. The auditors answered the proposal by liberally bestowing the epithets of "shameful extortion.” Soon afterwards the contractor quitted the exchange, and the hubbub for the most part terminated. He did not succeed in disposing, at the prices before-named, of more than 70,000l. or 80,000l. of the scrip. With the departure of the contractor the mania subsided, and so far were the prices at which he had sold from being maintained, that the scrip was currently offered at 87 and 88, or even lower, many of the purchasers conceiving, probably, that they had made an imprudent bargain, and being anxious to get rid of it again at as little loss as possible.

were

last, three young ladies wounded in the lower part of their bodies, between 6 and half-past 6 o'clock. The first victim of brutality was Mademoiselle Adeline, residing with her relation Madame Briet, No. 15, Rue St. Marc. She was attacked opposite the perfumery warehouse, known by the name of the Cloche d'Or. The wound was nearly an inch broad, and very deep, and appeared to have been made by a sharp instrument of the shape of a grattoir. The second young lady was severely wounded by a sharp instrument, opposite No. 19, Rue Neuve-des-Petits-Champs. The wretch, who committed this crime, was well-dressed, and in black. A third young lady was attacked, whilst turning from the Rue de Richelieu into the Rue St. Honore, on her way home after having dined with an aunt. The wound which she received was so deep and dangerous, that it was found necessary to convey her, in a state of insensibility, into the house of M. Maurisset, engraver to his majesty, where she received every attention from the wife and daughter of that artist. The wound was an inch and a half in depth and an inch in breadth. Professional gentlemen declared, that, if the instrument had penetrated in a more direct line, the crural artery must have been divided, in which case death would have been inevitable.-French Paper.

IRRELIGIOUS ASSOCIATION.---A regular establishment having been formed in Edinburgh, for the propagation of the blasphemous tenets espoused by Carlile and his followers, the sheriff proceeded along with the procurator fiscal, and a small party of police, to the Cordiners'-hall, in the Potter-row, and

surprised a full meeting of "The Edinburgh Free Thinkers' Zeletic Society." The president, a turner, named Wilson, and the two leading members, or rather directors, named Affleck, were apprehended; the rest of the alldience, consisting chiefly of youths and journeymen tradesmen, were allowed to depart, on giving their names and places of residence. Among the group were several children of both sexes. This society met every Sunday for the purpose of discussing philosophical subjects. Among other principles, they denied the divinity of Christ

the utility of prayer---and one of their subjects of discussion was, whether or not there is a Deity. The society had a library, to which all the members contributed, and had access weekly when they met. Among the books were Paine's Age of Reason; Evans's Sketch of all Religions; The Deist, or Moral Philosopher; Carlile's Address to Reformers; Carlile's Address to Republicans; trial of Richard Carlile; trial of Jane Carlile; Queen Mab; Cain, &c.

14. FRENCH CRIM. CON.-PARIS.- Tribunal of Correctional Police. The trial of Madame Barbaud, which began on the 10th, attracted a numerous auditory, among whom were many young and handsome women.

The pretty Madame Barbaud was brought into court and placed in a chair opposite to the registrar. She wore a white bonnet ornamented with roses, and a white veil was thrown over her face. She stated her age to be 26. Her husband, M. Sylvain Barbaud, a cloth merchant, aged 52, was also in court, and sat near his counsel, M. Barthe.

M. Brizons Barneville, the king's

advocate, shortly stated the case. In 1819, Madame Barbaud had been condemned to three months imprisonment for having entered into a criminal correspondence with a physician; the physician himself underwent twelve months imprisonment. M. Barbaud, who had obtained a decree of separation from his wife, now accused her of improper conduct; for, notwithstanding the act of separation, she was still bound to respect her conjugal relations. the present case, it was alleged that the accused had two accomplices in her crime; one was her former paramour, the physicianthe other a student of the age of 17. It was further alleged, that the fruit of the above intercourse was, the birth of two children, who were registered under the fictitious names of Cecile and Philip Albert.

In

The evidence of the first witness, Victoire Bourlier, waiting woman to the accused, was favourable to her mistress. She deposed, that during 15 months that she had waited on Madame Barbaud, that lady had never slept out, except for one night, when she believed she reposed at the house of a lady of her acquaintance. The witness denied, that she had ever said to any person, "that Madame Barbaud had left her doctor, in order to live with a young man of 17, and that she would leave him in his turn to take another."

Mademoiselle Nardeliere deposed, that the former witness made the above declaration to her.

Another servant of the accused, named Chartier, deposed, that her mistress took great interest in a little girl about 18 or 20 months old, which was nursed by a mid

wife in the neighbourhood. She never heard her mistress say that the child was her own. The witness stated, that a person, who called himself the uncle of Madame Barbaud, had attempted to prevail upon her to declare, that her mistress had been pregnant.

This was denied by the individual alluded to.

Garnier, a person in the em◄ ployment of M. Barbaud, deposed, that one evening during the summer of 1820, he saw Madame Barbaud walking in the Champs Elysees, leaning on the arm of a young man. Madame Barbaud appeared to avoid the witness, who perceived, however, that she was far advanced in pregnancy.

This part of the evidence was earnestly contradicted by Madame Barbaud, and gave rise to a warm dispute between the counsel on either side.

The same witness in continuation stated, that having on one occasion visited Madame Grebin, who was an old neighbour of Madame Barbaud, he, at the request of his hostess, accompanied her to the house of a midwife, Rue de Grenelle. The midwife herself desired him to come in, and when he entered, he heard her speak most positively of the accouchement of Madame Barbaud. This statement was corroborated by Madame Grebin. The midwife, however, gave it a formal denial. This woman, named Crette, deposed that she was acquainted with Madame Barbaud, but declared that she had never known that lady to be pregnant, and had never rendered her professional assistance. The witness stated her belief, that the scandalous reports, which had been cireulated respecting Madame Barbaud,