The Sun. — London, England, 1850-03-06 00:00:00

Cbtrli Ntation SUN OFFICE, Seven o' Clock. IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT . (THIS DAY.) HOUSE OF COMMONS. The SPEAKER took the Chair shortly after Twelve o'clock. Mr. SCHOLEFIELD presented several petitions from Birmingham in favour of the repeal of the stamp and advertisement duty; and also a petition from the at tendants at Carr's-late Chapel, Birmingham, in favour of the Marriage Bill. Mr. Alderman SIDNEY presented petitions from Stafford in favour of the Marriage Bill. Mr. HENLEY presented petitions from Oxfordshire in favour of the establishment of county financial boards. Sir THOMAS BIRCH presented a petition from Liverpool in favour of the Marriage Bill. Mr. 0. DUNCOMBE'presented petitions from places in Yorkshire against the Bill. Mr. BUSFIELD presented petitions from placea in Lancashire in favour of th© Bill. Mr. FORBES presented a petition from Stirlingshire in favour of protection to agriculture. Sir R. INGLIS presented petitions from various parts of Oxfordshire against the Marriage Bill. Mr. WILSON PATTEN presented petitions in favour of county boards from different parts of Lan cashire. Mr. FREWEN presented similar petitions from places in Sussex. Mr. STAFFORD presented a petition from Limerick against the Fisheries Bill. Mr. HOPE presented several petitions from Gloucester and Worcester against the Marriage Bill. Mr. ROUNDELL PALMER presented similar peti tions from Norwich and cther places. Mr. S. WORTLEY presented several petitions in fa ♦our of the Marriage Bill. Mr. SANDERS presented petitions from Wakefield and other places against the Marriage Bill. LANDLORD AND TENANT BILL. Colonel SIBTIIORP gate notice of his intention, on the motion for the second reading of the Landlord and Tenant Bill, to move that the Bill ho read a second time that day six months. OCCUPIERS OF LAND—COUNTY RATES. Sir IL HALFORD gave notice of his intention, on the 12th of the prelent month; to move for leave to bring in a Bill to relieve !ha occupiers and tenants of land, not being.the owners thereof, from the county rags. IRISH CHURCH. Mr. ROEBUCK gave notice of his intention, on as early a day as possible after the Easter recess, to call the attention of the House to the state of the Irish Church. The dropped orders of the day and notices of motion were then re-appointed. HEALTH OF TOWNS (SCOTLAND). The LORD ADVOCATE, after a few observations from Mr. Forbes, obtained leave to bring in a Bill for the improvement of the health of .towns in Scotland. Tte Noble Lord also obtained leave to bring in Bills for the better paving of towns in Scotland, and f.:r the regulation of their police. In answer to a qsestion from Mr. O'FLAHERTY, Sir W. SOMEitVILLE stated that it was his in tention to introduce very shortly a Bill for the better re gulation of fiscal affairs in counties in Ireland ; and also a Medical Charity Bill. REDUCTION OF OFFICIAL SALARIES. Colonel SIBTHORY wished to know from the Go vernment whether the reductions which a Committee of the House had recommended in the salaries of official officers of the Government had been carried out in re spect of the appointments which had been made during the past year? In putting this question, he made espe cial reference to the recent appointment of the Lord Chief Justice of the Queen's Bench. Mr. HAYTER replied, that if the Hon. and Gallant Member would put his question upon the paper, the Government would have no objection to answer it. Colonel SIBTHORP—Then I give notice that I will repeat the question again to-morrow. IRISH FISHERIES BILL. Mr. lIAYTER urged the Hon. Member for Youghal (Mr. Anstey) to postpone the consideration of this Bill until after Easter, because as it would involve a consider able expenditure of public money if carried out, it was desirable that the Chancellor of the Exchequer should be present when the discussion re:pelting it came on. Mr. ANSTRY agreed to postpone the Bill until the 10. h of April. Mr. CONOLLY presented several petitions from Ire land against the Bill, and gave notice that when it next came on he should move that the further consideration of it be adjourned fur a year.—(Laughter.) AFFIRMATION BILL. This Bill was read a second time pro forma. LIFE POLICIES OF ASSURANCE. _ The second reading of this Bill was postponed until this day week. MARRIAGE BILL—ADJOURNED DEBATE. Mr. S. WORTLEY presented petitions from Preston, Salford, and other places in Lancashire, in favour of this Bill. The adjourned debate was resumed by Mr. HOPE, who opposed the measure on the ground that it was not justified either by divine or moral law. Every one must admit that the degree of wife's sister was not so flagrant a case cf violation of the prohibited degree as a marriage with a niece or aunt, and j et the case made out for the one class proved an equally strong case for the other. The returns which the Right Hon. Gentleman the Member for Bute read in support of his Bill were made up by an irresponsible society in London, but ho had in his possession returns which had been collected by a number of young barris ters', and in which he placed muchenore reliance, because they could have had no interest in deciding the case one way or the other. These returns, too, which were chiefly from the agricultural districts, embraced parishes of small populations, where the clergymen were well oonversant with the situation and history of his congre gation, and of course the best able to give information upon the subject. Now, he found from these returns that within a given space of time, no less than 269 mar riages had been solemnised within the prohibited de grees cf affinity ; 102 were with a wife's sister; 46 with a brother's widow; 6 with an own niece; 19 with an aunt; and S 9 cases in all within the degrees other than a wife's sister. It might be urged that these eighty-nine cases occurred in the lower grades of society; but tho returns them selves showed that it was not se. Many of them were taken from the higher and middle ranks of society. The first case he had extracted from the returns was that of a titled lady who married her former husband's nephew. The next was a Lieutenant-General in the army, who married a lady, then married that lady's aunt, and afterwards feat lady's sister. In another case, which occurred at Bristol, a m ars moving in a respectable sphere of life, married his wife's illegitimate daughter; while in another case, a farmer had married his step-mother. These were no doubt painful details, but it was necessary to give them, be cause they proved a case in favour of the other degrees equally as strong as that of a wife's sister.—(llear.) Tne lion. Alemb€,r then read letters from the clergymen of the pariah of Keetiah Town ; St. Leonard's, Shore ditch; St. Paul's, Knightsbridge; Margaret's, Mr minster; St. Marylebene ; Christ's Church, Broadway; St. Mark's, Old-street, City-road, and other places in London, with the vie» of showing that not more than one of the cases of marriage which it was now sought to legalize had come to the knowledge of those clergymen in their respective parishes, and in many of them there was no suca case. The case, too, cf the poor man he thought had fallen to the ground. As to the case of the poor, ho would read a few extracts from the letters of clergymen on the subject. The first was from the senior curate of Bethnal-green, in which he said, " I have not heard of any instance among the poor of this parish cf a poor man having mar ried his deceased wife's sister."—(hear, hear.) Thera was another clergyman who had entered deeply into the subject—a clergyman of two parishes in the city of Wor cester, containing a population of 19,000 sou's—and he said," I have never beard of any such mar• riages among the poor in my parish. Inched, I may sifely affirm, there seems to be a very strong feeling against them. • * I have come to the opinion that marriage with a deceased wife's sister seems se contrary to reason:that it never enters their Leads. * I fear there is more of crime and incest arising from the crowded cottages of the poor than from any other cause." If, then, those marriages were lawful let them be tsnc,ioned by Parliament, but if they were unlawful let the House not set a trap to catch people in a them.—(Cheers.) Ho would re in read an extract from a letter of a clergyma n in a parish which was no toriously the most demoralised England—he meanttrct the parish of Devonport—a clergyman who had been five and-a-half years in that parish. Ho s aid, I have heard clergymen of the longest standing i n this place say that when the person sent round to collect opinions in favour of the proposed Bill came here he did not call on those best able to supply information, but was con tent to take the vague opinions of one who had no fixed cure or appointment." The petitions in favour of this Bill, as was well known, had been very adroitly ma nu factured.—(llear, hear.) Scarcely any clergyman in a place which was known to be against the Bill had been asked to sign those petitions; and copies of the circular letter which had been sent round had in many places with which he was acquainted—viz., in Kent:Northurnberland, and other places—been sedulously forwarded to the churchwardens cf the parish, and not the clergymen. With respect to Dr. Hook's lhtter, some fnv years ago the influence of Dr. Hock in the t own of Leeds was absolutely despotic. Now, among the p e titi ons p resen t e d by him (Mr. Hope) to t h e H ouse t hi s very day against this Bill, oee of th em was a petition s 7 ened by thirty-six of Dr. Hook' s clergyme —(Loud cheer:.) In a printed pamphlet which Dr. hook had published, palage—"Certain (!c,;rees of he (Mr. Hope) found this cansaeguieity are among the inipeCiiments to marriage, both by the law of nature and by the rev ea l e d word cf God, and those degr ees, as designed by the Church, are expressed in a table drawn up ey ,, Arelibishop P ar k er , i n 1563, and set forth by authority. That was the opini o n of the Vicar of Leeds.— (Hear, hear.) Dr. Houk then went on to say—" The law of England has declared that marriage may henceforth be regarded as a civil contract ; but tho Church is net silent, and she affirms that the word of God instructs us oth erwise, and that marriage is a religious contract." Ho went on to say—" Of course all Church men must now adhere to their principles, that marriage is a reliions contract, and rnmt be solemnized by t he Church." He (Mr. Hop) trust_d ' if a second edition of the Blne•Book w as pu b lished by the. Hon. Gentleman (Mr. S. Wortley), thos e o pi n i ons o f D r . Hook would be given in an appendix a little more fully.—(Hear.) The first place at which meetings were held, ho found from the Leeds Mercury, was at Huddersfield, where the attendance was numerous. The next was is the ► Ramsden-street Chapel, in Leeds. Another was held at York, where the attendance was both numerous and re spectable.—(Hear, hear, and laughter.) At all these meetings Mr. Sley was present in the character of chief lecturer. The next meeting was at Dewsbury, where the meeting was not so numerous as was desirable, greatly to the disappointment of the projectors no doubt. Mr. Sley had endeavoured to hold a meeting at Liver- pool, but it proved a total failure.—(Hear, hear.) The Honourable Gentleman then read a series of communi cations from Wakefield and other places, stating the opinions of writers, principally clergymen in the manu facturing districts, that the law as it now stood was no oppression on the lower orders. He then went on to say, that it was only a mistake to sup pose that the law of England was different in principle from that of every other country. Under all law it was necessary to restrain licentiousness, and every individual must give up some portion of his liberty for the common weal, and under the English law the re straints against marriage were so few that they amounted to no oppression whatever. The Church had declared that the law of marriage was founded on the 18th chap ter of Leviticus, and there it was expressly de clared that marriages between certain degrees of con sanguinity were prohibited.—(ll6 an hear.) This case it should be remembered could not stand alone. If they allowed the transgression of the law in one [instance, how were they to prevent the progress being carried still further? If they allowed the marriage with the sister of a deceased wife, what would prevent the mar riages with aunts, nieces, and other relatives?—(Hear, hear.) And should permission for such marriages as those bo granted, to what degree of impurity in the na tional character might they not descend?—(Bear, hear.) They must stand upon one ground or another; they must say that England, f a. the last three centuries, had gone on a wrong track, and must place her for the future on a similar relation as Prussia, or they must place a restric tion on unions which were contrary to Scripture, a re striction which might be burdensome to the consciences of some, but which was necessary for the good of all. In England they had never lead those prohibitions on the marriages of the nobility which existed in other countries, where a nobleman was not permitted to marry a lady who might be his aunt, or his neice, or his wife's sister, if she could not produce the requisite number of quartering!. Such was the case in Spain, and in what state were the Spanish no bility now he would ask? Their proudest boast had been their ancient Christian blood untainted by any Moorish mixture, and to preserve this they had prohibition s on the marriages of their nobility, and look at their state now—dwarfed, dissolute, and demoralized. But in hitherto Christian England they had had no such prohibition. He (Mr. Hope) had been glad to find that in the Bill of this year there had been inserted one clause which he rejuiced to see, for every wrong thing prevented was a gain to morality, and that was the pro hibition against marriages with a niece. The Right HUD. Gentleman, however, in one of the motives be bad assigned for the bringing forward this measure had shown lameetible ignorance, and that was that the amount of these marriage.; among the poor called for some provi sion from the Legislature. He could show, from an ex tract from a Manchester paper which he would read to them, that this s as not the case—that the poorer classes in that part of the country at least showed no desire for any such marriaaer, and that their circumstances did not lead them to desire such unions; and he hoped that moral England never would submit to have them legalized. Mr. SIDNEY HERBERT said that he wished to address a few words to the House in explanation of the reasons which would determine his vote upon the present measure, and in coming to the concluion which he had done he must say that it was upon different grounds to any which he had yet heard assignel, and grounds to which differed very materially from the opi nions of many friends fur whose judgment he entertained the very highest respect. He (Jr. Herbert) had presented a petition against the Bill, numerously s•gned by the clergy of the diocese in which the county ho represented was situated, and he observed this differ ence in this petition to those presented by persons of the same class, that it rested net upon religious, but upon social grounds. He rejoiced to see that that dis tinction existed, because he thought they were not justified in arguing the question solely upon religious grounds ; and if he could find a good social argument advanced in this discussion, that was the argument upon which he (Mr. Herbert) should rely. It had been held from time immemorial by the Church of England that these marriages were unlawful, and he for one would give his cordial assent to her right of denouncing them. But in the House of Commons, which was not a convocation or a council, they had no right as well as no competency to discuss nice theological questions. As he had said before, if there were any social arguments to this measure, it was upon those that the opposition to it should bo grounded, and upon those only. And between the adoption or the rejection of the mea sure the House was bound to take the balance of good and the balance of evil, and to decide in which Leal° the advantage or disadvantage lay. In the pre sent Bill ho was glad to perceive that everything had been avoided at all likely to interfere with the Church cf England. In his Bill of last year his Right Honourable Friend had, be thought, with great impolicy, included in his Bill clauses withdrawing clergymen who offended against this Bill from the authority of the Church of England. With another Church, which was in part connected with the State, the Right Honourable Gentleman had not dared to interfere ; with that Church only, which was entirely tied up by tho State, and was wholly in its halide, had ho meddlei. So far as the Church of England was concerned, it was loft untouched by the operation of the Bill, and he re joiced to find that the broad principle of the measure would not interfere either with the laws which that Church, or any religious body, had laid down for its government. Other religious bodies, who had no laws or canons which restricted them from con tracting marriages of this description, were clearly subject to a religious disability by the civil law as it now stood. If, socially speaking, it could be made out that morality would be endangered by the Bill of his Right Hon. Friend, there would certainly be a good rea son for maintaining this religious disability; but it had not been so established, at least so far as he had understood the arguments. He felt, as marriage was a civil right, that they were bound to make it co-extensive with the opinions and conditions of the people, and on that ground he had come to the conclu sion to support the Bill.—(Hear.) Mr. ROEBUCK thought the question ought to be divested of all considerations as to whether these mar riages were prohibited by the New Testament, for there was no part of it which was net in turn received or re jected by different persons. He looked at the question simply as a legislator, with the view of laying down a rule for the guidance of the people in the matter. He differed with the Right Honourable Gentleman (Mr. Sidney Herbert) that a broad distinction ought to be drawn between tho Church of England and persons who did not agree %hie it. Now the reasons which had induced men in all civilized countries to prohibit marriages with a sister, were first the physical, and secondly the moral evils which resulted :rem the nature of the intercourse. In regard to the present Bill, the physical reasons did not apply, but the moral reasons did, and they could not be overlooked in discussing this question. He thought if these marriages were legalized that exalted feeling of esteem and confi dence which was reposed in a sister-in-law by the near tics of relationship would no longer exist, nod that jealousies and dislikes would bo introduced into families where now nothing of the kind was felt or thought of. But it the Right Honourable Gentleman passed this was he so ignorant of human nature, so blind to the realities of life, as not to know that, in spite of herself, the wife could not have the same kindly feeling for her own sister which the existing state ot the law encouraged? At present sympathy subsisted between the sist3rs that render jealousies almost impos sible, but break down the barrier which the law bad raised, every day and every hour would witness the occurrence of jealous bickeriugs and miserable disputes in family relations, which now multi pl:el all the kindly feelings of our nature.— (Hear, hear.) Could the supporters of the Bill show any instances or ground for believing that there was a balance of evils in this case? Let him take the other side of the question, and see what the benefits of the Bill would be ? As the world was constituted. the oc casional marriage of A, B, or C with his wife's sister, was a matter of little importance. It could not justify the passing of a Bill like this. It was not as if a man were placed upon a desert with his wire and her sister, be ciuse there if the wife died, the desire to continue the race of man might justify a Marriage with the sister.— (Hear, hear, and a laugh.) But there was no such want in this country, and when the benefits likely to arise from the passing of the Bill were put against us dangers, the comparison was immeasurably in favour of continuing the existing prohibition. It was natural, he readily admitted, that an aunt should have a lively affection for her sister's children, and a desire to attend them, to care for them, and watch over them; but he did think they would not increase that desire by making her the wif e . —(H ear .) J ust t h e con t ra ry, b ecause the feelings of the aunt were stifled in the new passions ot the stepmother. She has now children of her own, perhaps, and all the affections of the aunt were lost in the Ic:clings of the wife, and i nstea d o f i ncreas i ng t h e h a ppiness of her life, and making her a more powerful and efficient protector of her sister's children, the utmost that could he done to diminish her kindness for them favour i t. bad been accomplished.—(Cheers.) Ther e f ore upon the very same groun ds that were urged oppose mischiev ous in fav o i o i f e thedidßillhohto tthoughti believe t t ha h t is a dut m y to plan than this Bill could possibly b e devised fur converting the kind anal fond aunt into the jealous stepmother.—(Hear.) With regard to the religious pert of the question, he agreed with the_ Right flon g t c t debate. — (Hear, masers u Gentlemanaht (Hear, hear.) Let those whose religious feelings or opinions 1 ant in favour cf these ma rria g es legislate fur themselves and marry as they thought proper; but before he could give his sanction to a Bill ( f this nature it must be shown to him that it would not prove a jealous feelings cf evil in giving rise to painful and feelings between married and unmarried sisters — it must be shown to him that the old law would break up the harmony of the most important of all our institutions, namely, that of iarailiee—(Hear, hear)—and because he felt that this Bill was a direct attack upon that institution, and fraught with danger and evil t) the entire social system, he felt bound to record his vote against it.— (Cheers.) Mr. SPOONER was afraid, afar the able and eloquent speech of the Hon. and Learned Gentleman, ho should not be able to secure the attention of the House; but be thought itjto behis duty to protest against the doc trine laid down by the Right Hon. Gentleman the Mem ber for Wilts, and seconded by the lion. and Learned Gentleman who had just sat down, that the Word of God ought not to be mixed up with this question. Ho admitted there would be inconveniences arising from this Bill to a small class of the population; but he called upon the House to remember how many were living in a state of concubinage. lle was convinced, from a long and intimate acquaintance with dense populetions in the manuracturing districts, whose houses wese so crowded, and where society was so large and dense that: the state of concubinage which was produced by the present law of marriage was such as to horrify and greatly dis tress any man of right feeling and right mind. Then was that immorality occasioned by the present law or by the law if God? They must attribute it to the imper fection of human law—a law which took upon itself a power which it had no right te assume, in his humble judgment. Giving to this subject the best con sideration he could, he was thoroughly convinced that by the Word of Gcd such marriages were not forbidden. He (Mr. Spooner) contended that the Hon. Member (Mr. Hope) had not quoted Dr. Hook's letter fairly, inasmuch as Dr. Hook had expressly used the term "consangui nity," and nct the term " affinity," upon the former if which words- the whole of Dr. Hook's argument turned. Because then he thought that the Bill brought in by his sight Hon. Friend was not contrary to the law of God —because he thought that the restrictions which it sought to remove were altogether unnecessary—because he thought that the law as it now stood was instrumental in the production of a great bass of evil among the lower classes—because the removal of the restriction which this Bill proposed would be the in strument of great benefit, he would give his honest hearty and earnest support to the second reading of this Bill.—(Cheers) • - Mr. ROUNDELL. PALMER said that no one could deny the power, ability, and 'research which had been displayed in the speech of hit Right Hon. Friend the promoter cf the Bill. That speech was fraught with in dustry and talent. ft was full of tte intellectual power which he at all times possessed, and which he could at all times exert, but it had failed to convince him that his arguments were sound, or that the change would be desir able.: The speech of the Hon. Member for Warwickshire, who had just sat down, had also been distinguished by the happy adaptation of its arguments and the peculiar felicity of its expression —(Hear, hear)—but he must beg to dissent altogether fcom the doctrine that the marriages which it was the object of this Bill to render legal were not opposed to the law of God. But, for a moment setting aside all considerations of this nature, what would be the case supposing the spirit of this Bill to be carried out—what would be the case in all our domestic relations? Why, that a road would be opened for other evils which the projectors cf the Bill seemed to have overlooked.—(Haar, hear.) If the marriage with the sister of a deceased wife was to be permitted, why also should not the marriage cf a wife with the husband of a deceased wife be permitted?— (Hear, hear, and cheers.) Yet this was a point which had t een left altogether out of the discussion .—(Hear, hear.) Then, as respected the point which had been so much dwelt upon both by the mover of the Bill, and also by the Honourable Member for Warwickshire, the latter Gentleman had relied upon a difference between the reading of the text in the chapter of Leviticus and the marginal reading, and although he had spoken of contemptible Hebrew scholars, it should be recollected that the marginal readings were usually considered as the more correct readings of the two, and surely he would not attempt to say that those translators of the Bible, by whom the marginal readings were affixed, were contemptible Hebrew scholars. They expounded the text, and were, moreover, the compilers of the canons of 1603, iu which those marriages were prohibited. He now came to the speech of a Right Honourable Friend cf his whose opinions he had always been accus tomed to receive with the deepest respect; but when the Hon. Member for Wilts (Mr. Sidney Herbert) stated that no religious feeling was to be allowed to interfere with the law of marriage, and that, as an alteration ha) been already made, if Dissenters did not interfere with the usual routine of the Church, that no impediment ought to be placed in the way either of those or of other parties who in this matter agree, with them, tie must totally differ from hit:a—(Hear, ear hear.) History sufficiently showed that marriages between brother and sister were not uncommon, and that were the licence was allowed that licence was invariably used. Now, would the House, because it was shown that such marriages had frequently taken place, be justified in passing a measure for the legalizing of them? Certainly not. It was the privilege of that House to regulate what belonged to the order and good government of society, to form a conscientious judgment of the moral tendency of any institutions which might exist or might be pro posed to the House, and to act upon their convictions. There were many persons in this country who enter tained lax opinions upon the due observance cf the Sabbath, and almost as lax as those held upon the Con tinent, yet had the House ever legislated upon the opinions of a few individuals, and ought it to do so in this matter? As to the argument which had been advanced on the immoral tendency of this law of prohi bition, it was just as sensible to say that the law of theft was chargeable with all the robberies which took place, as to say that this law was the cause of immora lity. Some gentleman had advanced the argument of comparison for the wives, and for the children who had been the offspring of these marriages; for his own part, looking at his own feelings only, he should be quite content to replace those women who had fallen from virtue, and the children who had lost their right of inheri tance by such marriages, but this was not a matter in which private feelings alone should have the direction. I The last argument on which he should touch was, that England was the only country in which such marriages were prohibited, and that it was inconvenient to differ from other countries in this respect. He was so far from thinking that the manners of other countries ought to form an, example; for this country, that he was disposed to attribute the difference which he saw in the morals of this and other countries to the levity which prevailed abroad upon these points. In conclusion, upon this point, he should use the words cf Milton, though for a far different purpose to what that author had applied them—" Let not England forget her privilege of teach ing other nations the way to live."—(Cheers.) Mr. M. MILNES thought that the grounds of argument which had been advanced upon this Bill were scarcely of a sufficiently extensively theoretical nature, as the subject was capable of. The Hon. Gentleman the Member for Sheffield had certainly painted, in his own peculiar manner, the tender and domestic relations of the family affections, and the importance of extending, if possible, those relations. He (Mr. Milnes) was disposed to insist much upon the evil of the marriage of first cousins which was not forbidden by the English Church, but was most positively and strongly prohi bited by the Roman Catholic Church, and unless he could be shown that the relation between a man and his sister-in-law was more tender than that of cousins he could not see any objection to removing the prohibition. He thought that when they looked abroad and saw that this law had been deliberately broken by good citizens and honest men—broker, too, without any loos of public estimation—this of itself was enough to furnish a prima facie evidence of the necessity of some altera tion in the law. Bat this measure had only be, n brought fsrward when these marriages had spread to the highest ranks. If a foreigner had been in the gallery the other night, when the Hoe. Gentleman the Member for Ox ferd taeoured them with his views on this subject, he would not have fancied that there was a law on the statut:-book declaring these u arriages, up to a certain day, to be legal; but it was net fair for days or hours to prevent the legalization of marriages. Having ale mated the principle, and laid the foundation for legislating on the subject, they could not now assume the grounds of high morality and treat this question as if it now came Lefore them for the first time.—(Hear, hear.) A special grievance had been distinctly brought before them, and they were bound to consider whether there were sufficient grounds to justify their legis lating upon it.—(Haar, hear.) Now the people of this country were not averse to these marriages, and while he could not believe that the passing of this Bill was likely to give rise to those evils and dangers which the Honourable and Learned Member for Sheffield shadowed forth, ,he was bound to support the measure, as he had no doubt whatever that it would confer great and lasting benefits upon the community at large. He was, however, satisfied of this, that whatever might be the legislation of the House, those marriages would still continue. A feeling would grow in the country that a large majority of the House were favour able to them—that men if station and importance be lieved the law ought to he altered, and the people would become gradually habituated to them.—(Hear.) And therefore it was that he asked the House to pass the Bill now rather than wait till the pressure from without. —(Hear, hear.) If they had 2,000 of these marriages now they would have 4,000 of them in ten yi ars hence. The people if England were not accustomed to evade the law of the land. A man who did an unlawful thing was invariably shunned by his neighbour; but in regard to these marriages, although, to a certain extent, they were a violation of the law, that feeling did not prevail, and hence they were not only tolerated but encouraged. Why, then, continue a law which bad inflicted egt misery Inedchildren upon h ldr en h t huantd were eds e legitimateT fam in v. l c e hhad illy eof morality? Pass this Bill, and he believed they would be doing what was right; but refuse it, and they would inflict a grievous wrong upon a large body of the community. He implored Hon. Members, who were members of the Church to acquiesce in this Bill. Some cases of mar riage of this kind had come within his own knowledge among the higher classes, and there were many others among the middle classes of society, all of whom thought they were justifiable in contracting these marriages. And that being so, he would not presume to set his own individual opinion against those of the persons in the higher and middle classes who had contracted such marriages. . LordMAHON must say, after the fullest considera art uhul utter trtephdtr the ue p hg o el h s as a wto l et hi ooaeffl House marriage s iasrßr intercourse iiaggsheht should f l- odfanif without I ma ' tu r i sip s : n rs e — f n ( r tton, that he had a strong and insuperable objection to e du T ni h n e g y c a ou vi l e d l n en ct t e t the , re'y heari n ter . ? infraction of the social feelings which existed among the people. He thought the intercourse between a married woman and her sister, and between a man and his sister ir.-law, receive the greatest interruption and dis tarbance from such a measure as was now proposed.— (Hear, Lear.) He did think also that they were to look not merely to ;I'LL; that intercourse might be in a period of health, but also what it might be whilst the wife was on a bed of sickness. Th ere was no period when a w ife required more t arnestly the society of as unmarried sister than when she was laid on a bed of sickness ; and yet that w as the very period when, under this Bill, that society given, d e t l h i n a a t ny the in rendering ir. But thare was a nother consideration unmarriedwou would b e sister leas least might commonly have e feelings connected with this Bill. lie could not but apprehend that if this Bill were to pass it might happen that many married women, moved either b y a leeling of affection towards hor children or by a tender regard for THE SUN, LONDON, WED:NESDAY EVENING, her husband, might ex set from her husband a promise that he would contract a subsequent marriage after her death with some one of her sistars; but it might happen that the husband might have concieved an attachment for another sister. He (Lord Mahon) did think that marriages where there was affection only on one side could not fail to be prc dactive cf unhappiness; and such requests so ready by a wife to her husband, even though they might ba un common, would produce the greatest struggle in the mind of the husband, between the sanctity cf a promise exacted and made under such circumstances on the one hand, and the feeling of affection on the ether. Ile thought if the House passed th:s Bill it would have still furtLerconcessions in the same direction urged upon it If the state of the law was to remain in the same posi-. tion as that which it held before Lord Lyndhurst's Act, he must say that he should not be at all satisfied with it, but feeling that an amendment or improvement upon that state of things could possibly be made by an altera tion of the present law, he should on this and on all futere occasions give his strenuous opposition to this Mr. COCKBURN said, that after the observations which he had made to the House on the subject, it might seem almost superfluous to make any further re marks upon the Bill before the House, but its opponents on the other side had so entirely altered their position, and had taken up such new grounds, that he trusted the House would for awhile Lear with him.—(Hear, hear ) During the former debates upon this Bill those ho had opposed it had, in the first instance, taken their stand upon the express declaration of the revealed will of God, but as the discussion advanced that ground ha I been tacitly abandoned, and no one but the Honourable and Learned Member for Plymouth (Mr. Bounden Palmer) had even ventured again to bring it forwardl That question had been effectually disposed of.—(" Hear, hear," from Mr. Palmer.) Ho would show it in a few moments by a rapid review of the arguments that had been used in previous debates.—(Hear, hear.) The Hon. and Learned Member for Abingdon (Sir F. Thesiger) had said that the matter ought to be set tled by the Church of England. But how could thst be ? The Bishops themselves were quite divided amongst themselves, and the ordinary clergy were altogether indisposed to a common conclusion.—(Hear, hear., But even supposing the Church to be of one mind, which, as he had just said, it was not, its community did not in clude all England, and the Dissenters, almost to a man, if he might judge by the petitions on the table, were una nimous in favour cf the Bill.—(Hear, hear.) In what way, then, could they treat this, bat as a question of so cial and domestic policy—as one affecting the nearest and dearest of domestic ties?—(Hear, hear.) It was a recognised rile that whatever was not prohibited by the Divine law was allowed and permitted, and there was no prohibition in the text of the Scriptures against the marriage of a man with the sister of a a deceased wile.—(Hear, hear.) It weer true that the Hon. and Learned Member for Plymouth had discovered in the deep recesses cf his recondite learning that some obscure Hebrew sect, of Ai ho m he would venture to say tharnot twelve mea in that House had ever heard, had made out our present int irpret ition of the text of Leviticus. But such a statement aas altogether without authority. Now then 0 e Learned Gentleman says that we are not bound by the Hebrew law but the Christian dispensa tion. Well conceding that, in what pelt of the New Testament did they find these marriages prohibited? And yet this point had been brought under the attention of the divine Author, and not a word of prohibition had been uttered by him. And now for the moral and social ground which had been brought forward. It bad been said that the:e was a possibility of the wife's sister becoming a prey to the seductions cf the husband, and the wife's jealous feelings being aroused, and thus the peace of the domestic hearth being disturbed ; aLd yet these same Gentlemen vaunted the morality of England as being so much superior to that of other countries, while they thus reasoned on the pissibdity of the women of England so easily forgetin„,.. all their feelings of honour in such a manner as this. Why, agair, if the wife felt jealous, would not she very easily get rid of her sister? On that side they contended that these marriages were necessary for many reasons—for none stronger than that when a mother, lying on her death-Led and about to leave a young family behind her, whom would she so readily choose as her own sister? The Learned Member for Sheffield admitted this, bat he said that if they allowed this Bill to pass the feelings of the aunt would in many cases be merged into that of a stepmother. He (Mr. Cockburn) did not believe that. He doubted if it were possible for a young unmarried female to live in the most familiar intercourse with a young widower without occasioning some remarks and censure from the world ; and would any Member of that House be ready to put any of their daughters and sisters in that condition? That House could not create the feeling of brother and sister where it did not exist, nor could they legislate to prevent the rise and growth of those feelings which were natural to every man. Within the period since the passing of the law in 1835, which they now sought to abrogate, as many as 1,500 of these marriages had taken place within a very limited district, and if they were not legalized the con sequence would be endless litigation with respect to the rights of inheritance. Experience showed thatl none of the evils alleged to arise from marriages with a deceased wife's sister had any exist ence, and he thought it ;would be absurd to attempt by , any legislative measure to put fetters upon those pea :ions and feelings which concerned the happiness of mankind. Our own experience, as well as that derived from other countries, clearly showed that such a measure as the present might be adopted without the slightest fear as to the eonse• quences, either religious or moral, and on that ground, as well as for the other reasons he had mentioned, he should give it his suppot t. Mr. SLIEIL said he did not know whether his Hon. and Learned Friend (Mr. Cockburn) was a member of the Es tablished Church, but from the speech he had delivered ho should conjecture that ho was " a Christian unattached." —(Laughter.) If he (Mr. Shell) were a member of that Church, he should have treated its canons which pro hibited marriages within certain degrees of affinity with more profound regard and deference than that manifested by the Honourable and Learned Gentle man.—(Hear, hear.) He did not intend to enter upon what he called the dogmatical part of the question, that having been amply dealt with by the Hoc. and Learned Members for Abingdon and Oxford, and would simply inquire what the effect would be, if this Bill were passed, upon the wife of the husband, and on the prospective bride whose path to the altar would be across her sister's grave. The wife received her sister with open arms, cherished for her a truthful and a beautiful love, and watched over her interests with a care almost paternal, and though she might pass hours, days, and weeks with her hus band, yet not a doubt, not a conjecture was permitted to cross her mind as to her sister's chastity. But if the wife enter tained any doubt or suspicion, and with a view to °W any impressions which watched e ver y f e ature and m as i c g e h r t tain be t the a tr e u e th u o p r on fals h i e ty r, movement of her sister, it was inevitable that her feel ings would undergo a powerful alteration.—(hear, hear.) The worst of all passions, jealousy, would twee possession cf her feelings, and every glance and look of the husband would be interpreted. So much for the wife. Now fur the husband, who is • ,good man. The only regard which he now enter tains for his wif,'s sister was a sentiment purely pla tonic, unsullied by an unholy wish ; but if ha were taught by his Honourable and Learned Friend the Member for Bute, to look and a chan g e wou ld b e i °e wife's proximity,t e sister.rup a t u r SherP upon her as an ob ject of probable pos essior, the wo man w ill b a producedplaced passed n e in to P —(Cheers.) lie now looks up to her sister's husband as her protector, her friend, f o r in tehre t i h moralus whom she enter tuns a moral respcct, but no impassioned friendship or love; but if she be taught to look upon him as her contingency—or, he might almost say, if she be taught to believe that she has vested remainder, under the auspices of so astute a lawyer as the Honourable and Learned Member for Bute, in the pillow on which her sister's cheek will be coldly and lifelessly laid—or if she learn to associate her wedding garment with her sister'sshroud—he was afraid t h e s• 'e of pus_ wickedness would take possession of her breast, and a wide field would be opened to her future conjugal specu lation.—(Hear, hear.) He was afraid the character of her intercourse with her husband's sister would be en tirely changed, and instead of entertaining high moral feelings and sentiments towards him, she would have re , course to all ordinary sources of womanly attraction to enchain the mind and passions of the husband.-- (Cheers.) She would study every attitude and gesture, every look and action which woman could so readily, nay, almost instinctively, assume in accomplishin g her ends to obtain an influenee over the husband.—(Cheers.) These considerations inducod him to think that the measure was unsdvisable.—(Cheers.) If his Hon. and Learned Friend's Bill raised, where was it to stop 7 (Hear, .hear)—where could they limit the :prohibited degrees 7—where would the Hon. and Learned Gentle man pause 7—(Hear, hear.) If a man marries his wife's sister, why not marry his wife's daughter ?—(Cheers.) Where was the limit to be fixed.—(Hear, hear.) le e had promised not to touch upon the dogmatical part of the question, and thus far he had fulfilled his pledge; but he might still venture to state thus much, without departing from the regulation he had laid down for him self, namely, that the religious feeling of the vast majt thy of the people of the three counties aas against this measure. The woman of England— the wives and daughters of England, who were the best judges upon a subject in which their own happiness and) that of man was involved —were against this measure.—(Cheere.) The vast majority of the clergy of the Established Chunch, ho believed, es ere against the measure.—(Cheers.) The people of Scotland were against this measure. The Lord-Advocate had told them, had used the forcible expression that the Bill was abhorrent to the people of Scotland, and as for the people of Ireland, he could take upon himself to say that they were against it.—(Hear, hear, and choers.) Tie Catholic clergy of Ireland did not desire that their dispensing powers should be extended to the consecration of nuptials from which the Irish people shrink with shame.— (Cheers.) Although no amount of prejudice or passion would induce him to do wrong to any man or any set of men, yet he would not run counter to the religious feeling of the country for the sake of an inno vation which breaks down some moral defence that now protects our homes, and against which Cal vinistic and austere Scotland—Catholic and dispensing Ireland—and the majority of the people c f England— half Protestant and half Catholic, though wholly Ca- tholic upon this question —were decidedly opposed. Mr. ANSTEY wished the Honourable and Learned Gentleman had altogether avoided tho dogmatical part of the question, because he could not agree with the opinion which the Hon. and Learned Gentleman had sat down with. He supported the Bill, and ridiculed the idea of a wife's sister ever resorting to the assassination of the wife fur the purpose of enjoying the husband. MARCH 6, 1850 effectual checks upon a force which must always be injurious to the cause of truth and social order. "I am further directed to assure your Lordship that the most active exertions are being used to dis cover the perpetrators of time outrages, which have naturally - created so much alarm in the county ( f Down, and that no effort will be wanting on the part of his Excellency for the suppression of crime in that district. "I have the honour to be, my Lord, "Your Lordship's obAient, humble servant, " T. N. REDINGTON. "The Most Noble the Marqui3 of Londonderry." STATE OF TRADE. (From the Manchester Guardian of this day.) MANCHESTER, TUESDAY.—In 30's, 40's, and 50's mule twist, suitable for Indian consumption, the market is very steady, prices being well sus tained by the adequacy of the demand to take up the production, as it becomes disengaged. But the continental merchants are at least as much indis posed for business as they were last week. The letters received to-day, from Germany, show that, although stocks are exceedingly moderate, there is yet a sufficient supply, below the cost of what might now be imported, to prevent the giving of fur ther orders, of any magnitude, in the present unsettled condition of the Manchester market. The conse quence is, that we have had a very dull day in reeled water twist ; and, though there is little alteration in the quotations, still the buyers are able to make their limited purchases, for assortment, on slightly lower terms, than they could have done a week ago. The turn of prices in warps and cops, of medium counts, for home consumption, is also some what in favour of the buyers, who, however, are but little inclined to operate. It is found, however, that the diminished production of low numbers for home manu factures: has imparted to them a degree of firmness not oissrvable some few days back. The fall in prices has led to a somewhat increased call for printing cloths, for 40-inch shirtings above the lower reeds, sad also for 34 and 3G-inch shirtings. Long cloths, T cloths, and domestics, however, continue to be neg lected. The lessened production of these articles has not, as yet, in any degree stimulated demand. Altogether, the transactions of the day have been on a very restricted scale ; and a good deal of irregu - larity has been experienced in prices. ROCIIDALE, MONDAY.—We have had a rather quiet market to-day in flannels, with little or no change in prices. In the wool market there has been little doing, and prices have been stationary. MACCLESFIELD, TUESDAY.—We have no alteration to notice in the market since our last. Manufacturers continue to effect sales of goods freely, but there is some little complaint of prices not being up to the mark, as compared with the raw material. Old stocks are fast working out; and higher prices will have to be paid, or production will have to be lessened. This applies also to the thrown silk trade. The brt,kers' circulars, just issued, all concur in prices being very firm for good and useful silks. HUDDERSFIELD, TUESDAY.—Our market has been brisker than ever, the stock continuing low, and being in fact at present lower than ever before known. The Cloth Hall looks quite deserted, and the manu facturers are working for orders only. HALIFAX, SATURDAY.—Everything remains pretty much in the quiet condition noted in our last report, which might, with truth, he repeated, word for word, as respects this day's business in the Piece Hall, and also as respects both the yarn and the wool markets. LEEDS, TUESDAY.—There has not been much done in the market to-day, and the cloth trade generally is not quite so brisk, buyers not being disposed to give the advanced prices asked. There is a fair business doing in the warehouses, chiefly by shippers. If this Bill passed, what would be the practical effect ? In Ireland and Scotland those marriages would not be solemnized more frequently than at present, inasmuch as the people in those parts of the kingdom looked upon them with repugnance.—(" Divide, divide.") But it would be otherwise in England. For these reasons, and because he thought it was a question of religious liberty, he would support the Bill. Mr. COi3DEN had watched the tenderey of this question for several years, and he thought the agitation out of doors had arisen from ecclesiastical and religious feeling, and had mainly been confit el to the Church of Eegland.—(No, no.) Ha repeated it, that the main element in the opposition to this measure had originated with a party in the Church of England, who sought to carry us back to ancient time', and to re vive obso!ete forms in the Church. There was a party who Lad taken part in those discussions who contended that they had scriptural authority against those marriages. He would have this question discussed apart from biblical authority.—(ilear, hear.) Tire lion. Gentlemen (Mr. Sheil), wanting facts and argu ments, fell on the religious argument. Ho said the people of Scotland aid Ireland were opposed to those marriages; but ho (sir. Cobden) contended the Bill did not compel the people of Scotland and Ireland to recog nise the validity of those marriages. He submitted that the Jews had never put the construction that had been contended for on the verse in Leviticus which had been introduced into this debate. If they abandoned this principle they would incur nothing less than a violation of religious liberty. He said therefore they would, if they opposed this Bill, be violating the first principle of civil and religious liberty. —(Hear, hear.) Why, the Baptists and Independents unanimously regarded this as a matter of religious liberty.—(Hear, hear.) The Hon. Gentleman relied upon the Levitical law. They should take the opinion of Dr. Adler, ;the head of the Jewish persuasion. If au did not take ;the opinion; of Dr. Adler, they would take an opinion which was totally opposed to that of all those by whom he was placed in his present posi tion.—(Hear.) Had they forgotten the petition which was presented by the Noble Lord the Member for London, which was signed by perhaps the most influential body of men that had ever attached their signatures ; o such a document?—(Cries of "Hear, hear.") Oae Honourable Member had reprobated the tedtions which had been presented for the Bill, and stated that those meetings had been got up for the purpose of excitement; but had they heard of any meetings on the other side? None such had been held; and the fact had been over and over again proved that the not holding of those meetings had shown that there was no public feel ing whatever out cf doors on this subjeot.—(clear.) The Hon. and Learned Gentleman the Member for Sheffield had, in beautiful language, told them that the passing of this Bill would be a desccraion of the holy and disinterested affection which now existed between brother and sister, but he found from that blue book that, in numerous instances, the dying wife had re quest =d that her husband should choose her sister as the guardian for her children, and when the lion. and Learned Member for Dungarvon talked of walking over a wife's grave to the eltar, it was simply stating that which was a manifest error.—(flcar, hear.) Whae were they legislating for ?—not for those who were in the heyday of passion, but for the widower whose first care was to provide for his mother. less children. And who could provide for them, who could so care for them as the sister of a deceased wife—who so likely to inherit her virtues and to care for her children?—(Hear, hear.) The religious portion of the question had been abandoned—(Cries of " Hear, hear" and "No, no")—and it must be abandoned— (Hear, hear)—and they had, therefore, no ground to go upon—at least in that House—but the social and political grounds.—(Cries of "Hear, hear.") Upon the principle of those grounds alone could they decide it; and if they did net assume those grounds, what value could they put upon the representations of the Dissenters and the petitions E f the women of E gland?—(Hear, hear.) Ii they refused to grant this Bill, then would every woman be degraded, and hence forth no woman would ever attach her name to a peti tion to that House.—([fear, hear.) The refusal of this motion would be an invasion of the religious and civil liberty of the people, and on that account he should give his stcenueus support to the Bill. Mr. GOULBURN Eaid ho felt bound to give his strong and most earnest denial to the proposition, which was so absolutely contrary to the facts of the case, that religious considerations ought to be excluded from the consideration of the question. Ile still adhered to the opinion which he had formerly expressed, that the law cf Leviticus clearly prohibited marriage with a deceased wife's sister. This prohibition had been main tained by all who had administered the Levitical law. At the period of the Reformation, those who translated the Bible, and cleared away some of the rearietions which previously existed, continued to retain the re striction as to such marriages. If the Bill were baked, he felt convinced that it would not carry into fa milies that peace and comfort which some Members had mentioned, but, on the contrary, he theught that mar riages of this description would give rise to the greatest evils, and that in whatever way the Legislature might in terfere, people would still continue to abide by the Di vine law according to their own conscientious convictions. Believing these marriages to be at variance with the law f God, he would give this Bill his most zealous oppo sition. Mr. S. 'WORTLEY having shortly replied, strangers were ordered to withdraw, and the House divided, when there appeared-- For the second reading of the Bill ... 182 Against it ... ... 130 Majority fur the second reading ... --52 The Bill was then read a second time, and ordered to be committed on 'Wednesday next. The other orders cf the day were then disposed of, and the House adjourned at Six o'clock. SPORTING INTELLIGENCE. BETTING AT MANCHESTER—TUESDAY. NORTHAMPTONSHIRE STAKES.-6 to 1 agst Harriott (t), 13 to 2 agst Osterley, 13 to 1 agst For shill, 15 to 1 agst Belus (t), 15 1 agst Velox, 20 to 1 agst Priestess. METROPOLITAN lIANDICAP.-5 to 1 agst Cheerful, 16 to 1 agst Snowstorm, 16 to 1 agst Dough, 25 to 1 agst Testator, 25 to 1 agst Inheritress. CHESTER CUP.-13 to 1 agst Glauca, 100 to 6 agst Miss Ann, 18 to 1 agat Ellerdale, 18 to 1 agst Peep-o'- Day Boy, 20 to 1 agat Roland, 20 to 1 agst Fuglcm2n, 23 to 1 agst Whim colt, 25 to 1 agst CossLek, 300 to 10 agst John Cosser (t and af:erwards offered), 40 to 1 agst The Flea, 40 to 1 agst Woodlark, 45 to 1 agst Harriott. DERBY.-7 to 1 agat Ghillie Callum, 7to 1 agst Bo lingbroke, 13 to 1 agst The Nigger, 14 to 1 agst Vol tigeur, 16 to 1 agst Italian, 25 to 1 agst Mildew (t), 25 to 1 agst Cyprus (t), 40 to 1 agst Penang. Very little betting. BRIDGNORTH STEEPLE CHASES.—TUESDAY. Handicap Sweepstakes of 15 soya. each, 10 ft, with 50 added; the second to EZTC his stake. Four miles (10 Subs., 4 of whom pay 5 sovs. each.) Mr. 011iver's Trust-me-Not, aged, lOst 121 b (Mason) 1 Mr.Hughes'sMissCollingwood, aged, 103t101h( Hughes) 2 Lord Lurgan's Sobriety, aged, lost 81b (Yagee) 3 Mr. Vevers's Vengeance, aged, lOst 31b (Waller) 4 Free Ihnd:eap (Hurdle Race) of 5 toys. each, and 40 -dded • the second to save his stake. Two wile!. Mr. Phillips's Tallyho, aged, lOst filb...(Braddeley) 1 Mr. llabbs's Lucy Neal, agerl, lOst 51b (Taylor) 2 Mr. aikes's Small Beer, aged, 10it 51b (R. Sly, jun.) 3 Mr. C. llughes's Rebecca, 5 yrs, lOst filb (llugte , ) fell. The fillowirg also ran :—Mr. Lister's Wharftlide M tid, aged, lOst 9:h—Mr. Vevers's Volatile,'s yrs, lOst alb (Walker)—Mr. Edwards's Mind-your-Dwu-business, aged, 10it (Frisby)—and Mr. Lawrence's Amelia, 3 yrs, Bst (Lavirence). The Hunt Steeple Chase Stakes of 3 sows. each, and 20 added. Three miles. Mr. Page's fby Jurecd, 5 yrs, list 1 llb ...(Huges) 1 Mr. Br2itliwaite's Middleton, 5 yrs, llst 1118 . (Owner) 2 Mr. Ree's Tom Bowling, aged, 12st 71b (Davenport) fell. IRELAND.' STATE OF TILE COUNrY OF DOWN. DUBLIN, TUESDAY EVENING.—The Marquis of Londonderry has felt it to be his duty to bring the state of the county of Down, and the charac ter of some of the proceedings which have aided in producing that state, officially under the notice of the L - ard-Lieutenant, and in the course of a long letter addressed to his Excellency, the Noble Marquis refers at considerable length to the various meetings held in the north, glancing at the resolutions adopted thereat, and commenting on the speeches delivered on the occasion by the Pres byterian and Catholic clergymen. Lord Clarendon's reply is as follows : " Dublin Castle,:March 1. _ _ "My Lard,—l am directed by the Lord-Lieu tenant to acknowledge the receipt of your Lordship's letter. His Excellency has observed with much re gret that the public mind in the county of Down has of late been agitated upon questions con nected with the relations of landlord and tenant, and the agrarian outrages have recently , increased in that generally peaceable and tranquil district. The Lord-Lieutenant cannot but feel surprised that a county hitherto considered the most favourably circumstanced, and the inhabitants of which were re garded as the most contented in Ireland, and where there appeared to have existed between the proprietary , and tenantry that mutual confidence which is so essen tial to the prosperity of each, should , at the p resen t mo ment, be the scene of angry discussion which can never lead to a satisfactory settlement of any differences which may exist between owners and occupiers. The Lord-Lieutenant has read with pain the speeches which have been reported to h ave b een delivered at some of the meetings referred to by your Lordship, and his Excellency sincerely laments that those, who, by their position, may be considered c a p a bl e o f g i v i ng a direction to the feelings and opinions of their hearers, should have permitted themselves to advocate principles which are subversive of property and order ; but the . Lord-Lieutenant f ee l s assure d t h at your Lord ship !III), on refl ec ti on , concur w i th his Excellency in opi9ion that he would not be justified in calling the attention of the cleneral Assembly, or any other go vernment body of the Eiesbyterians, to such secular matters. " On more than ono occasion the Lord-Lieutenant has had , to reg re t th e use o f l anguage by m i n isters of the Gospel of different persuasions in this country w hen taking part in proceedings unconnected with their duties, but experience has proved to him that the good example of the great majority of the clergy of all churches in Ireland, and the disapproba tion with which they view the violent interference of clergymen in secular rcatters, operate as the mo't JENNY LIND. Mr. Barnum, the proprietor of the American Mu scum at New York, has addressed the following cir cular to the American journals : _ _ " American Museum, Feb. 19, 1850. "In regard to the engagement of Mdlle. Jenny Lind for America, I beg to state that I have this day rati fied the engagement made by my agent with this dis - tinguished vocalist. It is true that in engaging Mdlle. Lind, and the musical associates whom she has selected to accompany her, viz., the distinguished composer and pianist, M. Julius Benedict end Signor Giovani Beletti, the celebrated and famous Italian barytone of the Italian Opera, of London and Paris, my agent, to secure such talent, went beyond the amount I had anticipated paying, but after all, the sums to be paid these persons, great as they may appear, are not so much as Miss Lind has been in the habit of receiving for her services alone, nor do Messrs. Benedict and Beletti receive fume me more than their distinguished services are at this moment commanding in London. Perhaps I may not make any money by this affair.; but I assure you that if I knew I should not realise a farthing profit, I would ratify the agreement, so anxious am I that the United States should be visited by a lady whose extraordinary vocal powers have never been even approached by any other human being, and whose cha racter is charity, simplicity, and goodness personified. It is well known that Jenny Lind has never received less than 4001. or 2,000 dolls. per night for her own services, either in Manchester, Liverpool, Dublin, Glasgow, or E linburgh ; in short, in all the places she sang ; and that she fre quently received 6001., or 3,000 dolls. per night. My agent saw an offer to her of 6,000/., or 30,000 dolls., to sing twelve nights in England, which she declined. Also an enormous offer for the grand concerts at the Imperial Court of Russia, an offer nearly double that of my own, which she for reasons also declined; she was offered 1, 9 001., or 6,000 dolls., to sing in one con cert, to be given at the Great World Convention of Arts and Manufactures in llyde-park, London, in 1851. It was further intimated to her from Queen Victoria that her services would be desired in a con templated grand sacred festival, to be given about the same period in Westminster Abbey, where the tickets will be held from 25 dolls. to 100 dolls. each, both of these last offers she was induced to de cline, in consequence of her desire to visit America, as proposed by my agent. Miss Lind has numerous better offers than the one she has accepted from me, bat she has a great anxiety to visit America. She speaks of this country and its institutions in the highest terms of rapture and praise ; and, as money is by no means the greatest inducement that can be laid before her, has determined to visit us. In her engagements with me (which includ e s Havana as well as the United States), she expressly reserves for herself the right to sing for and give charitable con certs whenever she may think proper. Since her debitt in England she has given to the poor, from her own private purse, more than the whole amount which I have engaged to give her, and the proceeds of concerts for chari table purposes in Great Britain, where she has sang gratuitously, have realised more than ten times that amount. During the last eight months she has been singing entirely and gratuitously for chari table purposes, and is now founding a benevolent institution in Stockholm, her native city, at a cost of 350,000 dolls. A visit from such a woman, who regards her high artistic powers as a gift from Heaven ' for the amelioration of affliction and distress, and whose every thought and deed is philanthropy, I feel per suaded will prove a blessing to America, as she has to every country she has visited, and I feel every confi dence that my countrymen and women will join me heartily in saying, God bless her " LAW INTELLIGENCE. HOUSE CF LORDS, March 5. THE DUKE OF EOXBUP.GHE V. EAIFISAY AND OTHERS. In this case the arguments had not been concluded when the House rose, and the further hearing was adjourned to Thursday. ROLLS' COURT, March 5. SOLOMONS V. LAING. This case having been already reported by this journal, is familiar as to its facts to our readers. The question raised was whether the directors of a railway line had been justified in applying the funds of the company to other objects than the objects specified in their Act of incorporation, and in making calls upon the shareholders for that limited object. The plain tiff applied, under these circumstances, to the court for relief against the directors, and for an injunction to restrain this misapplication of the general fund. To this bill the defendant, the representative of the railway company, had demurred. Mr. Malins and Mr. Bovill were the counsel for the defendant ; Mr. Turner and Mr. Cole for the plaintiff. The MASTER of the ItoLLs, in giving his judgment, said there had been cases cited by counsel which might have effect upon his ultimate decision. Into those cases he certainly should look, and if those cases should induce him to alter his opinion, the case might be mentioned on Friday again, when his Lordship would state if his impression were altered. His Lord ship reviewed the facts of the case, and after remark ing that directors of a company thus incorporated had no right to divert the funds of the subscribers to the projected line of railway to any purpose but those purposes strictly authorised by the Act of in- corporation, overruled the demurrer. The cause to be mentioned on Friday. CAPITAL PUNISIIMENTS (COLONIES).--It appears from returns moved for by Mr. Ewart, for the purpose of ascertaining how far crimes for which capital punish. mint have been abolished in this country, are still capi tally punished in the colonies, in addition to the critncs of murder and arson, attacks with intent to murder, rape, robbery from the person with stabbing, burglary with intent to murder, assaults of a nameless nature, and wihully casting away any vessel whereby lifa is lost, are severally punished capitally. In several of the co lonies, however, those crimes only are punishable with death which aro so in this country. IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT• HOUSE OF COMMONS, March 5. NEW MEMBER. Culootl licmuLY, the new Member for Canterburl• to{,k the oaths and his seat. The Hon. and Givia lS Merabr introduced by his Learned Bro ther Sir Juhr. Itueairy, the Solicitor-General, and Mr. Ord. PETITIONS. A great umber of petitions were presented agaihat Sunday late ur in the Post-office. Colonel FREEST UN presented a pttition from t he inhaLitants of the t own an d b o rough of Weymouth and Me.icouile Regis a ga i ns t S un d a y labour in the Pow off es thrcugbout the United Kingdom. CONDITION OF THE WORKING CLASSES (Continued from our Third Edition of last night.) d Mr. TRELAWNY opp ra— ke osed the motion. 11. h ad as high a respect f o r th e working classes as an Y in the House, but he could not agree to a motion li the present, whi c h was calculated to mislead them- Ho thought the Honourable Gentleman, b y l ee own Showing, had proved that it would ," hopeless and d e l us i ve t o a ttempt to reran,' the evils of which h e complained bY any legislative interference, and his request amounted in factte asking Parliament to give the working classes for!d' thought.—(Hear, hear.) Believing t h e motion w ow ,' not accomplish the obj ec t which the Hon. Gentlem an ba" in view, he felt bound to give it his decided opposition. Sir G. GREY complimented the Honourable Gebrl; tleman upon the sincerity and temper which le had shown in bringing f o rward the motion. tc' however, doubted whether it was practicable to aril: out the plan which the lion. Gentleman propounded, be:: Nod ene,v he did net know precisely what the plan was. it was important 'hut the information should be em: lected, as the Honourable Member wished, though , 13°1 ; exactly in the manner which the Honourable Memb er proposed. The appointment of a Commission 11.34 a Standing Committee of the House would only lead to Parliament being overwhelmed with a teat number of reports relative to a distress, the most iraP, Dr u tent causes of which were already well known, but whle." he did not think it was in the power of any legislaivu_ enactment to remove. Many private mem be ate bad attemetA, by their exertions, to mitig w the distress, and so much was being done of a practical nature to improve the condition of the working classes, that there was less ne cessity now than there might have been fortethis merly for the adoption of such a plan as - His lion. Friend had endeavoured to draw the line bt: tween improving the condition of the working clasW, apart from political changes. He (Sir to Grey) did not know how it was possible he draw such a distinction. Under these circumstances (Sir G. Grey) really hoped his lion. Friend would 0 .: press his motion on the House, otherwise he (Sir Ge° Grey) should be reluctantly compelled to oppose it. believe Mr. SOTHERON said he could not but elie/ that the proposition of the Honourable Meta ber (Mr. Sidney), however benevolent in its cel: caption, would end in general disappointener t He hoped that the Ilen. Member would not be lea terred by the ill-success of his present motion, but WO persevere in his benevolent intentions. Ik e Mr. HUME thought that the objects sough t by• Hon. Gentleman would be much better attained by Pr; vete associatie n than by a Committee of the House, ° r i d Government officer. Upstairs, 1 in the library, b e vvott ... find reports of the association, which was set o n foot .1,„ Sir Thomas Barnard, which would give him inf ormation of the best manner in which tu proceed. fi r hle Mr. M. MILNES trusted that his Ilen c " g : Friend who had brought forward the questiond would not be deterred from bringing it forward again n a d , again, and urging it upon the Government, nowithsta,c, meting the reception it had with that night. lie trwt the Government would take up the subject upon an early occasion. Mr. 11. HERBERT—As ti e subject Lai been 1/3 : 1 -' 1 ; tinned he trusted th a t th e Government would ere something with resp ec t t o sav i ngs ' banks, t mild and that they awaken the public m i n d to the fact t hat in were not responsible for the defalcations that the the p G ar e t t i T e r d n ‘ r v n h e e nt h o e u d gh le t st to s. d e o these establishments. lio thought, however, To te impresdon that they had got the security of the Govern m " u m cli Pt b h e i t ng ment. - o t Mr. CAMPBELL said that if they were to We l the reen commission for the purposes contexplatEd by 1 " - to be • Member for Shrewsbury, it ought, in his opinwi l t,i l of a raid one. Thu experience they had hitherto a h le to to remune-the unpaid commissions was not, he though*, fevourab n a belief in their efficacy. During the past auto ° t ee most magnificent inquiry had been instituted in e r tors social condition of the working-classes by the conetlbae of the Morning Chronicle, the result Of that i n quiry osi ing been not only the collecitoe of a vast body of of a valuable information, but also the resuscitation 10 social movement. Now, he believed that no such rent them, under could ever be obtained from the labours of unpaid CO of th e missiouers, and he could not, therefete approve .asta motion which hal been submitted for their cow' Lion by the lion. Member for Shrewsbury. ° oleo. Mr. STANFORD said that he could see no obj t i°ll s to the appointment of unpaid commissioners to e . re , information upon the subjects to which the ferred. There could be no doubt but that if a tints Member of the House were hereafter to introduce a, 90 , sure for improving the condition of the working e' s ' t ee he would derive very material support fro ° , of fact, that his proposal had received the sanett?, n ho ut such commissioners. Indeed, he believed that v° , l s 0 0$ that support a measure of that description that possibly succeed, from a want of a sufficiently str°l3,foes terest on the part of Hon. Members in such clu es 'bicb He had observed with regret the little attention w able A the House had that evening paid to the very h a c , bite and able statement of the Hon. Gentleman ember enotioicto brought forward that motion. If the Hon- be should think proper to pre s s th e motion to a division, (Mr. Stanford) should certainly vote in its fav our. tura Lord R. GROSVENOR said he felt bound to re r for his best tha n ks t o hi s H on . Friend the leter abe wit Shrewsbury for having undertaken Cie un availing to he had performed that evening. Ile did net ocu list charge the House or the G overu ment with a n Y, P lelie f hard-heartedness, but he should say that in ashis were the oftener th e su ff er i ngs o f th e working cls" brought under their notice the better. r. SLANEY said he felt that, under all the stances of the case, he should not be doing justice plies cause which he advocated if he were to press his k W had to a division. But he hoped that the s ubject ",, e the ir brought forward under their notice would sink u int cno i. minds, and that they would give to it their bestn,_9o, deration. The present condition of the working told loudly called for some step for the attainment of t od be he had in view; and he trusted that such a steP r 0 g btu taken by her Majesty's Government. Tbanl,epart- Right lion. Friend the Secretary for the Home or in ment and other lion. Members, fir the kind r n e r nt yob' hich they had alluded to his exertions upon jest, he begged leave to withdraw his motion. circtlol:o - The motion was accenclngliwitladrawn. THE PARLIAMENTARY Fr ascalo;,, bi , Lord J. RUSSELL sa id h e w i s hed to s ubmit fes ter Hon. and Gallant Friend the Member for e gt fras - bl° that(Sir i D lo o sh L o a h e l y d • I p i: o v i a t n o s o ) ' n , e vi t i b ie r th th e e r it would not be s uv n , iell stood next on the notice paper, P in ve h e i n s name , for tn7ro troductionof chise in this country. A motion of a soraew hat s oi ling character had been brought forward the other e a 1 ,0 by his Hon. Friend the Member for Montrose, s i3 n ill for then und.agone cosideralle discussion; an d a l ed vas the enlargement oft he number of voters in Ire . 3 „ s Li' t n th am e still before the House. Under these eireinust3ll',-t iv hoped that his Hon. and Gallant Friend would 11 ' sist in bringing forward his motion that evening' 003 ent might be inopportune for the discussion Sir DE LACY EVANS said that, as th e , l33 ,„ e tion , o f that , oat he should not bring it forward upon that occasi.e..nio t he he i wished to give notice that be would submit it t o s I ouse on an early day after the passing °f mentary Voters (Ireland) Bill. y.,, 17 E0 POSTAL COMMUNICATION 85 1 - -- Mr. MACKINNON presented a petition if co y of LONDON AND PARIS. L . on the London, praying that an investigation merchants, traders, and other inhabitants of th 4 o s ce pl ight tilL oto ecu into the present mode of postal communication urobinte, London and Paris; and a petition from the f t s, e to the traders, and other inhabitants of Manchfir pew same effect. He wished to observe that. 1 S imil ar i Th e tiers had already been presented from w e rpoe c i Co w Hon. Member then proceeded to move for a lea st el l ,: mittec to ascertain the most expeditious am' ' 1 , 00 d 0 " pensive mode of portal communication betweend a ecel e. and . Paris. The advantages of facilitating 111) 00 ° .1 that tn he e t hnaeteciomn not un dilateie a t i o u r p i o w n . e r t e h s a o t upnoiivnetr.s al l i ,r 3t e snit te e o n t ti b e il ho had first been directed to the subject by I Stile hettl °°- h had seen, to the effect that in the early part et !' b ,. Os of,January last an express sent from PArolo,,,doou- Pis at half-past eight _o a g r ne, in about eight hours . That 1 Times newspafer, had reached London, thrones(' Jeq ex press P o d hoc` been print d e and circulated in London at tbys - a on the following morning, while the letters so or ba mail from Paris, through-,Calais,the Ole h e Os o'clock ' in the eveneilligtftsoOortilto at s ~ lorli- ell a not been circulated in London until four 0 '-', nd e lars e d next b afternoon; so that about eight hours had ,: j• thew the receipt of th ' ' ' b u ., 12 5e vi b il i; CI privabe Lc, the Times and the receipt of the letter .r hat pli , 0 In former times it had Leal custonairY t ,. pri/ 4 „,' s information should take precedence e' o f tbine t ',, information ; but it appeared that state , e ,gol a state that in moving for that was at present completely altered. Jie u_v be bs o core witt b e l e aro t ir o , not the slightest intention of throwing 9 0 7 ~, belie l t .. cur Post-cffice authorities; on the contrary, P . id bo be t.° that nothing could be more ~ : aii,, f actorY, ter managed, than our Post-office depurtmen'ot grat'el'o was sure that it would be a source of verY.g r co bad tithe cation to the country to find that a Comon' t .bethe r tw o l appointed for the purpose of ascertaining " f t he , lots c id be present communication between the cap I r i c icee .. to greatest and most civilized nations in the vv ° _, pove` 0 accelerated. It was true that the rcuto ffoli- .1 ,, iv: la cer , Calais was the mode of communication form e r ' 'bad been between Paris and London. 'Plat, howeive; w as r p 06 owing to the fact, that with sailing vesse ls 1 te anr t)° ,ho But s oa rho easier to reach Calais than Boulogne. t ba d be , yot had since come into operation; und whall33`l. to or co!: oat va, result ? Why, he found that hile in the2 oro pole the les) than 38,000 passengers had gene 11,,,„ne, in. to Calais, and only 11,000 from Dover to Boulogne' gotwoo year 1847, as many as 78,000 passengrfeisthougb,t tbo Boulogne, and only 16,000 to Ca!ais. lie i v en w ro of the tithe prefeence which lal in that Y b2en& go al tho public route by Boulogne was a Pr e _ oo et t I , to of its superiority. Since the coname7.,.,' .fLonnAerras year 1848, the English Mails were sent fl;_-::l a i s tor no t Dover, from Dover to Calais, and from ti ' lon ged by co its and Paris. By that line the journey was Pr e d iffereo less thaa 6$ miles; and these 6$ miles made a