these last disturbances, the police were unable to
apprehend a single offender. They were sent for in some
cases, and arrived in the neighbourhood where the
attacks had been made, but too late to get more than an
indication of the direction in which the rioters had
gone. An investigation into this affair has been
entered into at Stockport and not yet terminated.

At the Hertford Assizes, a case of Breach of Promise
of Marriage was tried on the 13th. The parties were
Emma Louisa Oldaker, the daughter of a publican at
Harpenden, who was the plaintiff; and the defendant
was a farmer, who was said to have considerable
expectations, living in the same neighbourhood. It
appeared that the defendant had been in the habit of
going to the house of the plaintiff's father to "smoke
his cigar," and he commenced paying attention to the
plaintiff in 1848, and from that period a considerable
intimacy sprung up between them, and at length, with
the consent of the plaintiff's parents, the wedding-day
was fixed for the 15th February, 1851. A few days
before the 15th, the defendant sent the following letter
to the plaintiff:—"My dear Emma,—I am very sorry
I said to you what I did this morning, but I cannot
make it convenient to marry now.—Yours truly,
GEORGE DAVIS." And a very short time after this he
married another young woman. It appeared that on
the evening of the same day the letter was sent, the
defendant went to the house of the plaintiff's father,
when a regular scene took place; and the defendant
was represented to have fainted away in the bed-room
of the plaintiff, there being a suggestion that he was
a little the worse for liquor at the time. In the course
of the case it was stated that after the defendant sent
the letter referred to, a second letter was sent by him
renewing his promise; but this letter was not produced,
and there was some evidence to show, that after the
original letter, the parents of the plaintiff appeared to
consider the match as broken off. On behalf of the
defendant, it was contended that the match had been
broken off with the consent of both parties, and that
the plaintiff, in point of fact, had not sustained any
injury, and was not entitled to damages. The jury
returned a verdict for the defendant.

On the same day another Breach of Promise case
was tried at Lincoln. The plaintiff, Miss Hoff, who is
about 40 years of age, keeps a grocer's and draper's
shop at Holbeach; and the defendant, Mr. Savage, is a
landowner and opulent farmer in the neighbourhood,
55 years of age. Damages were laid at 2,000/. As the
defendant and the brother of the plantiff were travelling
together, the family having been intimate for years,
an acquaintance was commenced; but shortly after the
lady attempted to break it off, on the ground that she
had mistaken her own feelings, and that she did not
intend to marry. This was at the end of 1848. Several
letters were exchanged, not particularly overcharged
with expressions indicative of the tender passion, and
eventually the defendant was accepted. The plaintiff's
brother borrowed 300/. from the defendant, and the
plaintiff gave a note for it, as the brother had advanced
her the means of fixing in business. Afterwards the
defendant wished for the marriage to be put off for
twelve months (as his brother objected to it) until the
objection of his brother could be overcome. As he had
suggested that the business should be sold, and attempts
had been made to dispose of it, the defendant offered
to maintain the plaintiff until he could marry her.
This she refused. After this time the defendant got
cool, and as he got cool the lady got proportionably
anxious that the engagement should be fulfilled.
Ultimately the defendant commenced his action for the
300/. and interest, and then the lady commenced her
action for breach of promise by way of set off. For the
defence it was contended that the defendant had been
released from the obligation; that the letters plainly
made out that there was no affection in the matter, but
the transaction was one purely and solely of business;
and that the action would not have been brought had
not the defendant become plaintiff in another action to
recover the lent money. Baron Alderson, in summing
up, remarked that probably there was not much affection
in the matter; but the lady was induced to believe
that she was to be made the wife of a respectable
Lincolnshire yeoman, and undoubtedly she was entitled
to remuneration for the lost position; for it was in
evidence that the defendant had promised to marry the
plaintiff, and settle 200/. yearly upon her. The jury
returned a verdict for the plaintiff—damages, 600/.

Dreadful Election Riots have taken place in Ireland.
At Belfast, on the 13th, there was a desperate affray
between the Protestants and Romanists. It appears
from the accounts that the Romanists first attacked the
house of one Ball, a Protestant, and that three persons
were shot in the fray. As it was feared that there
would be retaliation, a party of the Constabulary were
stationed in the excited quarter, and they maintained
order and calm till about the time the people left work
at the factories; but as soon as the people left the
factories, the two parties came into collision at so many
points that the police could not restrain them, and at
last there was a desperate and general conflict. The
principal scene of action was between College Square
North, and Barrack Street. For nearly an hour a fight
continued almost without intermission, notwithstanding
all the efforts of the small body of Constabulary present
to restore order. The two parties successively assailed
each other, and retired, according to the fortunes of the
fight, or as either were driven off by the police. The
attack was not confined to the persons of their adversaries.
They began to wreck the houses on either side
of the street, each party assailing those in which the
families of the opposite party resided. Fire arms were
now in requisition; and many of the combatants, some
from the street and others from the houses, kept up a
continual volley from muskets and large pistols, which
gave the spectator the idea of a town being sacked. A
lad of sixteen years of age, named Henderson, received
one ball through his breast and another through his
wrist. He was taken to the hospital in a dying state.
Respectably dressed women were seen supplying the
combatants with huge paving-stones and brickbats,
which they carried from the rear of their houses in
baskets, in their aprons, and in crocks, to the
streetfront; and while the stones were flying and balls
whizzing above their heads, young girls were breaking
the larger brickbats into more handy missiles for the
use of the rioters. One woman was seen at a window
signalling to the Romanist party beneath when to
advance or when to retire, as she perceived the
motions of the police. Meantime, information was
sent to the Mayor, Mr. S.G. Fenton, who arrived
shortly after nine o'clock, and read the Riot Act,
ordering the people to disperse. Mr. W.S. Tracy, R.M.,
was also present, issuing orders. About the same time,
in consequence of an application forwarded to the
barracks, a troop of Dragoons, and two companies of
the Forty-sixth Foot made their appearance on the
ground, and rapidly cleared the streets in every direction.

At Cork, during the polling, on the 12th, violent
disturbances took place. At the polling-booths in the
Lee Ward, so great was the rioting and interference by
the mob with the voters, that the booths had to be
closed early in the day, and the polling suspended; and
notwithstanding the presence of a large force of
Constabulary and military, voters were maltreated, stones
were falling on all sides, and the greatest rioting
prevailed. In the course of the day the houses and
shops of many, supposed to be adverse to the popular
candidates, were assaulted and the windows smashed.
Several respectable citizens were attacked and beaten in
the most cowardly manner.

At Limerick, the populace were still more outrageous.
At the nomination, on the 12th, there was a mob of
twenty thousand persons. The court was opened at
half-past ten o'clock, when the candidates and their
friends were admitted to the galleries. To depict the
scene would at this moment be impossible. Benches,
bars, and seats, were torn up by the mob in the Liberal
interest, and hurled with tremendous violence at
Mr. Russell and his friends, several of whom were cut
and wounded. A man was flung from the gallery, and
spiked on the rails beneath. Not one word could be
heard from either proposers or seconders, and the
candidates at either side were not allowed to speak a
word. In the evening the windows of every Roman
Catholic in Limerick who promised to support Mr.