APPENDIX TO CHRONICLE. 



Q65 



willing to suppose that she de- 

 signed such an inii)osition upon 

 the Court ; and by \vhat witnesses 

 was it sui)poited ? — hy two only, 

 who were in open hostility to Sii- 

 Wastel Brisco — persecuting' him 

 with lawsuits, and Indicting his 

 steward for perjury, but pre- 

 vented by the grand jury indig- 

 nantly rejecting the bill. The 

 testimony of such witnesses was 

 of a piece with the allegation 

 upon which tiiey were examined, 

 and was utterly undeserving of 

 credit. Taking the whole of Sir 

 AVastel's income upon the fairest 

 calculation warranted by the 

 proof, tlie learned judge consi- 

 dered it to be 2,6(X)1. per annum, 

 sul)ject, however, to an immense 

 depreciation from the present 

 state of landed property, which 

 was notoriously decreased in va- 

 lue, some farms lieing let at rents 

 reduced ^5 per cent, others pay- 

 ing no rent at all, and others 

 thrown up altogether. It had 

 been said that all this might be 

 temporary ; so miglit the conti- 

 nuance of the present suit ; but 

 the one appeared, at present, as 

 improbable as the other. Sup- 

 posing every thing had been clear 

 in the case, the Court would have 

 been disposed to allow one-fifth 

 of the whole property to Lady 

 lirisco, including her pin-money. 

 This would be quite as much as 

 was necessary for her suitable 

 maintenance in a situation call- 

 ing, as hers did, for retirement 

 and jnudence, and in which she 

 would be expected to have some 

 little regard for the interests of 

 her husband and family. He had 

 to maintain the expenses of the 

 suit, which had been carried to 

 an extent of which the Court 



hoped never to see such another 

 instance; and, as a country gen- 

 tleman, living in liis own county, 

 he had to support the dignity kept 

 up by his ancestors, and had also 

 to maintain his children. These 

 woidd have been considerations 

 to have influenced the Coiirt, had 

 there been no misconduct on the 

 part of Lady T'.risco ; liut she had 

 launched out into expcnditure.s 

 to an enormous amo\mt : there 

 were ordeis for plate, linen, 

 china, horses, a cairiage, &c. and 

 all without a juslilitulion, or any 

 comnuinicaiion wlili tlie unfortu- 

 nate husband, wImj w.'is to pay for 

 tiiem. It had been said, that tliis 

 was done to replace the clothes 

 burnt by Sir Wastel, and this Sir 

 Wastel accounts fur ; but it was 

 certainly a most unfortunate ex- 

 pedient. The cairiage, too, if 

 ordered on the autliority of her 

 father, she should have taken care 

 that lie was responsilde for; but 

 the bill was sent to Sir Wastel, 

 and it di<l not appear that the fa- 

 ther's execTitors had ever been 

 apjilied to on the subject. It was 

 true, it was now said that Lady 

 lirisco was ready to give up the 

 articles in her own possession, 

 but this was but a secondary satis- 

 faction if made, and there was 

 nothing to pi event her converting 

 them into money for herself, if 

 she thought proper. Under all 

 these circumstances, where enor- 

 mous expenses \vere thrown upon 

 the husband in every mode to 

 which female extravagance could 

 apply itself, if the Court did not 

 feel that, by ordering alimony, it 

 was most consulting the protec- 

 tion of the husband, it would 

 hardly be disposed to allow any 

 alimony at all. Under all consi- 



derationsj 



