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    arrest the delinquent in the sanctuary . Nardoni could hardly be prevented from taking summary vengeance upon the person of his assailant , but the latter pleaded for his life in consideration of the important revelations he could make concerning his accomplices . He was therefore handcuffed and taken before the criminal tribunal to undergo a preliminary examination , from which it resulted that he was a native of Frascati , Domenico Pace by name , a bricklayer by trade ; his statements also served to implicate several individuals , some of whom were immediately captured by the police , whilst others thought proper to abscond .

    A number of persons have since been arrested , and it is rumoured that the death of Nardoni was to have been merely the opening act of a band of conspirators , who had formed a plot for the extermination of the most obnoxious Government agents . Many people , however , shrewdly suspect that the whole affair has been got up by Nardoni himself , to justify him in the arrests of some hundreds of wellknown Liberals , against whom no accusation can be brought , and for whose imprisonment no plausible pretext has been hitherto discovered . Whether the assassin be really a hired agent of political conspirators or an underhand instrument of Government

    vengeance , he is alike worthy of condign punishment . It appears that he is an old offender , having been already in the galleys , to which delectable abode he had a sort of hereditary right , his father having died in confinement there . The most exquisite tortures would certainly fall to to the lot of this criminal , -were he to be punished according to the same scale upon which the offence of five respectable young Romans has just been chastised . They were found guilty of having prepared some ingredients for the construction of Bengal lights ; and , although it was not proved that they had ever let any such fireworks off , or that it was ever their intention to do so , they were

    condemned to twenty years of the galleys ! The very same sentence as that passed upon a scoundrel who stabbed the niece of the chemist Ottoni in her uncle ' s house , the other day , and attempted to rob the premises ! The flagrant injustice of this proceeding has been attempted to be veiled , by laying to the charge of the young men , some of them mere lads , an attempt to subvert public order , and excite the people to revolt . But public feeling is most strongly roused in their favour , and Madame Clarisse , the French milliner , whose son is one of the prisoners , has made an application to the French general in his behalf . It is even said that the French ambassador has already had an interview with his Holiness upon the subject .

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    AN EXTRAORDINARY MARRIAGE CASE . A remarkable case was heard in the House of Lords , on Monday , in the shape of an appeal against a decree of the Court of Session . The question was whether a husband , by refusing to perform the marital duties , by seeing his wife only at meals , without speaking to her , by preventing her from visiting or receiving the visits of her friends and relatives , and by inflicting upon her a series of insults and indignities , without using or threatening violence , or by

    committing adultery , was guilty of such conduct as would by the law of Scotland entitle the wife to a separation and alimony . The Court of Session decided that the wife is entitled to a decree of separation , a mensa et thoro , from her husband , and to a suitable alimony . Against this decision the husband appealed to the House of Lords . The nature and character of this unusually singular case will be the best arrived at by the reader by the perusal of the folio wine extracts from the " Summons of Separation" tried in Scotland . From it wo learn : —

    • ' That , on or about Ihe 8 th day of the month of July , 1843 , Elizabeth Russell , was married to Duncan Campbull Putcrson , residing at Lochgair-house ; the ceremony of their marriage having been celebrated by the Rev . William Evans Hartopp , at St . John ' s Church , Paddington , London ; that thereupon she kept company and society with the said Duncan Campbell Paterson , in house and family , as became a wife to do to her married husband , ko far ns she was permitted by him so to do ; that , notwithstanding the marriage between them , and that by the laws of God and man he whs bound to protect and cherish her , yet , having shaken ofF all regard to his conjugal vows , instead of behaving himself towards her with tenderness and humanity , he has conducted himself towards her in a cruel manner , ko that her life has been rendered a burden to her , and

    might have been endangered if she had continued to live with him ; that his whole conduct towards her has been influenced by a desire to expel her from his house ; that in particular he has never discharged the duties of the marriage-bed or of a husband to a wife , and since about six weeks alter the date of the celebration of the marriage he has ceased to hold any intercourse with her , insomuch that , although lie iv . sideci itv the same house with her , he did not speak to or with her , and withdrew himself entirely fiom her bed , and never entered her apartment , nor held intercourse with her in any way whatever ; and in his whole conduct in regard to her he treated her in the most contemptuous and insolent manner ; and he did so openly in the presence of the domestic servants and others ; that he has not only ceased to associate with her , but lias prevented her acquiring the society

    and friendship of his acquaintances and neighbours , and has also prevented her from making visits to or receiving visits from them , although he was in the habit of making such visits himself , or with his sister ; that the only occasion when she has been permitted to be in his own presence -were at and during the hours of breakfast and dinner , and even thfin he held no converse with her , but treated her with utter silence and contempt , and upon the meals being finished he left the house or retired to his own room , by himself or with his sister , and so secluded himself from the pursuer till next dinner or breakfast hour , when the same scene was again gone through ; and he was also in the practice of taking tea and refreshments in his own room , either alone or with

    his sister , without permitting her to be present ; that he has repeatedly left the house for three or four weeks at a time , or for other shorter periods , and gone to Ireland or elsewhere , leaving her at home without a single farthing wherewith to furnish the necessaries required during his absence ; that , even when at home , he never allowed her money for any purpose whatever ; and that she has been all along , since her marriage , entirely dependent on the bounty of her father , who has been under the necessity of providing her money for various domestic purposes ; that the defender has openly and frequently , both by word and in writing , and inter alia in his letters to her father , avowed that he has

    not , and never had , any affection for her ; that indeed he has an utter and unalterable dislike of her ; and has acknowledged , not only that he ha 3 given ner cause for unhappiness , but also that he is aware that in his house she neither was nor can be happy ; ' that he has declared himself separated from her , and that he never will again return to her ; that , accordingly , following out that declaration , and for the purpose , as it would appear , of making her misery even more felt , he has not only altogether forsaken her society in the house , but has made it a practice openly to walk out or drive with his sister , to whom he has directed all his attentions ; and this he did while he knew that his wife was by herself in bitter solitude , and far from any friends or relations who could in any way contribute to her comfort ; that he

    never once since the marriage has been in church with her , nor on any occasion has he agreed to accompany her there , or allowed her any opportunity of enjoying church ordinances ; that he has prohibited all her relations and friends from visiting her—and , indeed , from entering his house—and has threatened personal violence against all of them who should attempt to do so ; that she , in consequence of these threats , and his utter want of affection , and harsh , undutiful , and cruel conduct towards her , of never having received the treatment of a wife in one respect , and of being exposed to the scorn , contempt , or pity of her own servants , and finding her life altogether made miserable and endangered , felt compelled to quit her husband ' s house , and did so upon the 6 th day of April , 1844 . "

    In conclusion she prayed that she might have full liberty and freedom to live separately from her husband , and that he might be called upon to pay her £ 300 annually byway of alimony . It appeared that Mr . Paterson , who was a man of good family and good connections in Scotland , had , in the early part of 1843 , been in embarrassed circumstances ; and that he had thereupon not only applied to Mr . Russell for , but had obtained assistance to the extent of £ 2000 from him . At

    the same time he had also made overtures ot marriage to the young lady , which having been accepted , the parties were married , a 9 already stated , in the July of the same year . On the 8 th of July , 1813 , the jmrties went to Argyleshire , and soon afterwards the lady began to make complaints of neglect and coldness . On October 2 , 1843 , these complaints had become the subject of correspondence with the father ' s family , and a letter of that date from Mr . Paterson to Mr .

    Russell , contained the following passages : — " I have now done with my sojourn in London ; and I regret to say , without any disparagement to the naturally good and kind dispositions of your daughter , that the occurrences on our journey thither did not at all tend to improve my hopes of happiness , which at best was but a tender plant ; every hour , every incident , every sentence uttered , tended more and more to convince me how entirely unsuited we were to each other ; my depression of spirits continued , and I regret to be obliged to say that I sec not the most remote prospect of any change calculated to restore even a shade of happiness to my mind . It is in vain to talk to me of exertion ; no m in has ever

    struggled harder than I have to overcome the fixed depression of heart and mind which Jiangs upon me ; and if there is any circumstnnce which can aggravate my pain , it is the consciousness that I have removed your daughter from among a widely extended circle of attached relatives and friends into a house of sorrow , where I am aware she neither is nor can be happy . . . . You are of course aware that Francis Russell has been here for a few days , having , as I understood from him , come specially in consequence of the unhappy state in which Elizabeth very justly represented herself to be , and further , to expostulate respecting some portions of my conduct of which she complained . I need

    scarcely tell you that , with the exception of some few remarks , unjustly involving the name of my unoffending sister , he urged all that could be said by a gentleman and a Christian . Would to God my diseased mind were in a state to adopt the suggestions advanced by him , founded as they were upon all that is amiable and good in the performance of Christian duties ; but , alas ! my dear Sir , he knows not the cankerwortn which gnaws my vitals . I regret , however , that Eli / ahcth did not confine herself to the real cause of our unhappiness , which is to bo found exclusively in my fixed and unconquerable depression of spirits , and consequent neglect of those attentions which she has an undoubted right to expect from the man to whom she is united , but which arc quite

    as deficient now as they were previous to our marriage but when , in addition to this very just cause of complaint ! she has thought proper to remove the little privacies of my domestic hearth , and to colour inoffensive and harmless incidents in a manner calculated to disparage me in the eyes of her family , I feel called upon to be most minute in my explanations of these incidents and to revert to trifles which should otherwise have passed unnoticed . . . . I have now only to add the painful announcement , that all my once bright prospects have fled for ever , and that the remaining portion of my life must be one of seclusion and retirement . . . . However you may deplore my unhappy state of mind on account of your daughter , all I ask is , that no unnecessary or unjust aggravation of my conduct may be attributed to me , and that you will deal as lightly as possible with errors which spring from a depressed and wretched heart . "

    On the 20 th of November , 1843 , he again wrote as follows to his father-in-law : — " That there exists now , as at all previous times , an involuntary avoidance and coldness I cannot deny ; everything she says and everything she does is so distasteful to me that I almost imperceptibly shrink from those attentions which may be expected from me . I have declined all invitations , and wish to be left as much to myself as possible , to be permitted to bear my

    sufferings in private ; and did encourage a hope that , though I might be condemned , the acuteness and depth of my mental misery and disappointment might have enlisted some portion of commiseration at the hands of your family , who were witnesses to the same cold avoidance before my marriage which now characterizes my conduct , and which was plainly and so broadly indicated to Elizabeth herself that she must have possessed more than ordinary resolution to encounter that which evidently lay in the path , chosen for her . "

    On the 12 th of December he again wrote to Mr . Russell as follows : — " Any cause of unhappiness she has proceeds from her knowledge of my want of affection for her , and my consequent extreme depression of spirits , and frequent seclusion , not only from her company , but the society of the world , from which I now wish to abstract myself altogether . I am , as I often before observed , miserably unhappy and wretched , and never can be otherwise with her In reply to your pointed question as to what I propose , I can make no response . 1 am miserably unhappy , and can never be otherwise . I only wish to be left in peace and retirement from the world to endure my sorrows . " In answer to some remonstrances from his father-inlaw Mr . Paterson subsequently wrote : —

    " You have very justly , as you say , looked upon me as a man , and not a boy ; but you must be aware that the feelings and passions of a man are more obdurate , more fixed , and unalterable than those of a boy , who can hate to-day and love to-morrow ; and if I had . ever loved or ever breathed affection for your daughter you might justly accuse me of boyish caprice and want of steadiness . But , my dear Sir , you know well that such was not the case , but the very reverse , and I ought , therefore , to be treated with consideration , if I cannot now make feelings for myself and manufacture an attachment to suit my pecuniary views . As to a separation , to which you have more than once alluded , I can only say that we are

    as much separated now as if she were living under the roof of her parents ; we have separate apartments , separate feelings , and , I may add , separate interests—for she declares herself openly against my interests , views , wishes , and intentions , upon all occasions ; separate correspondence—for we know not to whom the other writes , or from whom they hear , and are constantly guilty of writing the same day to the same parties , ignorant alike of the facts or the contents . This , you will admit , is by far a more discreditable separation than if distance were added I openly avow the truth ,

    and declare at once the utter impossibility of my ever again returning to her apartment . There can be no restoration of happiness , which never existed . I never knew a moment , either prior or subsequent to our unfortunate marriage , when there existed a union of thoug ht , feeling , or action ; had there ever been , there might be hope ; but there never was . There is no restitution in my power or sacrifice that I would not willingly make to alleviate your feelings and those of her family for any injury I may have done by the steps to which I have been led by the wretched state of my affairs ; but my heart or feelings I cannot command . "

    A visit having been proposed on the part of Mrs . Paterson ' s brother and sisters , Mr . Paterson wrote as follows to their father : — " I need scarcely add that I feel complimented and obliged by the intention on the part of your ladies to visit me ; and though , at another time , and under other circumstances , it would make me proud and happy to offer them the tribute of my hospitality , I must at present decline receiving any one ; and when you consider the state of aiiairs in this house , independent of other important considerations , you will , I am sure , agree that it is no eligible asylum for three unmarried girls , where there is no actual separation existing . I am sure you will not yourself , on consideration , put me 1 o the P& ' and mortification to which such an unseasonable visit would subject me : I could not , indeed , bear it . "

    In January , 1 S 44 , Mr . Patorson wrote thus to decline a visit Which hnd been proposed by his fatherin-law and some of his family : — ' You , Sir , on your part , have violated all solemn written promises and engagements ; you have not fulfilled the conditions held out to me previous to nay marriage , and upon the faith of which I was induced to accept your daughter . Under these circumstances I musi now tell you , for tho last time , that I will not re-

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    436 ® i ) 0 3 Lt abet * [ Saturday ,

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), Aug. 3, 1850, page 436, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1849/page/4/