and in it the lady's fortune was stated to be 168,000
francs (£7000), £5000 of which she was entitled to under
the marriage settlement of her parents, and to the
remaining £2000 under the will of her father. Of this
sum 7000 francs only was to go "into community," and
by the sixth article the wife was to have the disposition
of the separate property after the expiration of the
"partnership," as it was termed in the contract, meaning
after the death of the husband or wife. The
marriage was solemnised according to the English form
in the ambassador's chapel at Paris; and it was intended
that another ceremony should have taken place a few
days afterwards, by which the parties would have entered
into a civil contract of marriage according to the French
law. Before the time however fixed for the second
ceremony, Mr. Este heard something relating to his
wife which caused him to refuse entering into the civil
contract, and the parties, who had, in fact, never lived
together, agreed to live separate. In 1845 Mrs. Este
made her will, and she died in 1850. By her will she
devised amongst other things her interest under her
parent's settlement and her father's will to her son, the
present plaintiff, who had filed this bill against the
trustees to enforce payment of the £2000 secured under
the will. There was another suit it was stated respecting
the £5000. The husband, however, contended that
he was entitled to the exclusion of the son, that the
marriage was valid, but that the contract in France was
invalid, and that therefore the property of the wife
became his on her death. The Master of the Rolls, in
giving judgment, said he considered the marriage valid,
and that the contract so far as it related to English
property was valid also. There was no law to prevent
persons agreeing that after marriage their property
should be regulated according to the laws of France or
Spain, or any other country, though it might be singular
that they should so determine. Here the circumstances
explained why they so acted. Holding the contract to
be valid, then came the question of construction, and
according to the evidence which had been laid before
the court of the French law, it appeared that the wife
was entitled to dispose by will of her separate estate.
He should therefore make a declaration that the plaintiff
was entitled.

A Coroner's inquest, held on the 24th on the body
of an old lady, Mrs. Mary Madget, disclosed a melancholy
history. She was 72 years of age, the widow of an extensive
American cotton-planter, whose history was of a singular
character. This lady, who was highly connected, her
grandfather being a viscount, eloped with her husband
at the age of 18, and they shortly afterwards set sail in
one of his vessels for America, where he owned several
cotton plantations, and large estates in Pennsylvania and
South Carolina. At the time they started for America,
Europe was involved in war, and while on their
outward-bound voyage they were seized by a French privateer,
which carried them into Brest, whence, after being
detained for some time prisoners, they effected their
escape to England. After a short stay in England, they
again set sail for America, and were again captured by
the French, but before their vessel could be conveyed
into port, both vessels were recaptured and taken to
New York. Mrs. Madget and her husband then settled
down in South Carolina, where they lived in the greatest
luxury and comfort till the outbreak of the revolution
preceding the American war, when, according to
documents found in deceased's room, her husband was
massacred, she herself was cruelly beaten until left for
dead, and their whole property was confiscated. After
several months' illness, she succeeded in getting on board
a British vessel which conveyed her back to her native
country after twenty years' absence, Upon landing in
England she was unable to discover any of her relatives,
and was reduced to the lowest depths of poverty. She
then applied to the government for compensation, but in
consequence of her being unable to sustain her claims,
through the absence of the original deeds, her prayer for
redress was not complied with. Still, however, several of
the nobility, from a conviction of the justice of her demands
upon government, and sympathising with her fate and
that of her husband, occasionally contributed towards
her wants. At length she found out some of her
relatives who granted her a small allowance, which, with
what she obtained from other quarters, enabled her to
sustain life, until her body and mind sank under the
pressure of accumulated misfortunes, and, one morning,
she was found dead in her room.

At the Southwark Police Court the 25th inst. John
Finigin was charged with Cruelly Beating his Wife.
The complainant, a middle-aged woman, whose
features were much disfigured, said she had been married
to the prisoner about four years, and had two
children by him. They resided in Chapel-court, High-
street, Southwark, and until within these last twelve
months they lived very comfortable. On the previous
day he went out to work, and between twelve and one
that morning he returned home drunk, and
immediately commenced abusing her. She, however, took
no notice of him, but placed before him his supper,
and sat down. He then abused her again, and struck
her a violent blow across the face with the back of his
hand, which caused blood to flow. She then attempted
to make her escape by the door, but he jumped up and
locked it. He then knocked her down, and kicked her
over the head and body until she became insensible.
Had not some of the lodgers called the police she believed
he would have murdered her. Mr. Combe: Has your
husband ever beat you before? Complainant: Oh,
yes, sir, frequently; but I did not like to complain,
as I thought he would alter. The defendant said:
I am a paste-board maker, and hard work it is. I
worked late last night, and when I returned home and
had my supper she commenced abusing me, saying that
I kept company with prostitutes, and had been to the
theatre with one. That so exasperated me that I
hardly know what I did. The complainant denied
abusing or exasperating her husband. On Monday she
dressed herself to go to the theatre with him, when he
suddenly changed his mind and refused to take her,
stating that she was not fine enough for him, and there
were other women better looking. She merely told
him she did not want to quarrel, when he knocked her
down and beat her in that cruel manner. She could
not get away from him as he locked the door. Her face
was scratched, both eyes blackened, and her thighs and
body were covered with bruises. The prisoner here said
that he was quite willing to allow her a separate
maintenance if the charge was withdrawn. Mr. Combe:
What, after you have nearly murdered her? No, you
must suffer six months' hard labour in the House of
Correction before you can talk of that. Prisoner: I
hope you will not send me there, your worship. What
will become of my children? Mr. Combe: You are a
worthless cowardly fellow, and I sentence you to six
months' hard labour. Your wife and children will be
taken care of.

NARRATIVE OF ACCIDENT AND
DISASTER.

A TERRIBLE Railway Accident has taken place in
Wales. The Taff Vale Railway has a branch from
Merthyr to Dowlais. More than a mile of this is an
inclined plane, rising 400 feet in that distance. This is
worked by a stationary engine. On the 28th ult. the
officials neglected to attach the rope to the mid-day
passenger train before starting it. It consequently
dashed down the incline with prodigiously increasing
velocity as it neared the bottom. The guard leapt off
the break soon after the carriages commenced their
descent, and was uninjured. None of the passengers
were, however, enabled thus to escape, as they were all
locked in the compartments, and their shrieks while
passing along the bridges over the roads near the town
were most appalling. The branch joins on to the main
line at the bottom of the incline by a sharp curve. The
train abandoned the rails at this spot, leapt clear up
into the air a great height, the carriages separating into
shreds, the passengers being thrown out, and, with the
debris of the train, falling like a shower into the Taff
river and on the adjoining cinder tips. Notwithstanding
this extraordinary violence, some of the passengers were
enabled to walk away comparatively unhurt; others are
much injured, and two women were fatally injured—
one having her back broken, and the other a fracture of