A verbai offer of marriage is sufficient whereon to grouud an action for breach of promise of marriage. The conduct of the suitor, subsequent to the breaking off the engagement, would weigh with the jury m estimating damages. An action may be commenced although the gentleman is not married. The length of time which must elapse before action, must be reasonable. A lapse of three years or even half that time, without any attempt by the gentleman to renew the acquaintance, would lessen the damages very considerably - perhaps do away with all chance of success, unless the delay could be satisfacto-ily explained The mode of proceeding is by an action at law. For this an attorney must be retained, who will manage the whole affair to its termination.

2048. Before legal proceedings arc commenced, a letter should be written to the gentleman by the father or brother of the lady, requesting him to fulfil his engagement. A copy of thier letter should be kept, and it had better be delivered by some person who can prove that he did so, and that the copy is correct: he should make a memorandum of any remarks or conversation.

2049. We give an extract or two from the law authorities: they will, we have no doubt, be perused by our fair readers with great attention, and some satisfaction. "A man, who was paying particular attentions to a young girl, was asked by the father of the latter, after one of his visits, what his intentions were, and he replied, I have pledged my honour to marry the girl in a month after Christmas;' and it was held that this declaration to the father, who had a right to make the inquiry, and to receive a true and correct answer, taken in connexion with the visits to the house, and the conduct of the young people towards each other, was sufficient evidence of a promise of marriage."

2050. "The common law does not altogether discountenance long engagements to be married. If parties are young, and circumstances exist, showing that the period during which they had agreed to remain single was not unreasonably long, the contract is binding upon them; but if they are advanced in years and the marriage is appointed to take place at a remote and unreasonably long period of time, the contract would be voidable, at the option of either of the parties, as being in restrain of matrimony. If no time is fixed and agreed upon for the performance of the contract, it is in contemplation of law a contract to marry within a reasonable period after request. Either of the parties, therefore, after the making of such a contract, may call upon the other to fulfil the engagement; and in case of refusal, or a neglect so to do on the part of the latter within a reasonable time after the request made, the party bo calling upon the other for a fulfilment of the engagement, may treat the betrothment as at an end, and bring an action for damages for a breach of the engagement. If both parties lie by for an unreasonable period, and neither renew the contract from time to time by their conduct or actions, or call upon one another to carry it into execution, the engagement will be deemed to be abandoned by mutual consent, and the parties will be free to marry whom they please."

2051. "The Roman law very properly considered the term of two years amply sufficient for the duration of a betrothment; and if a man who had engaged to marry a girl did not think fit to celebrate the nuptial within two years from the date of the engagement, the girl was released from the contract"