The Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1860-08-25 00:00:00

DIVORCES FOR THE MILLION.

Tri "marry in haste and repent at leisure" used
to be a common Prirettenot unfrequently realised
in experience. People may, and pr4l.lily do; still
get married with as much haste as of yore, but so
far as repentance goes, nowadays, we spurn the
idea of taking it leitairely. We have, indeed, no
occasion for itj since it is about as easy to get a
diCrol-Ce di d Marriage license: The marriage tie
was wont to be considered sicredi and indis-
soluble save by the supreme court in the
kingdom, and then only for the gravest of all
reasons, after the most deliberate and search
into investigation, and under limitations and
difficulties which i-ed6r6d the process unin-
viting, and little . likely to be abused. tilt
that was found to be too slow for this fast age;
and every facility is now afforded to those, who
may have repented of their matrimonial bargain
to back out of it as speedily as they may desire.
Couples still get Wedded nothinally for life, but
the formula had better be reformed and adapted
to the age: Let the .N+Ords "until death do you
part" be altered shghtly,'land read " Until the
Divorce Court do you separate." To the words
" what heaven' hath joined' let not man put
asunder," we must add--,, save under the order
of Sir CRESSWELL CRESSWELL, or the judge
of the Divorce Court." Consistency demands
this. Why sh oiild..it net . 150 done.? Does
any one grumble about its profanity
the House of Commons, whose sittings are
regularly opened .by prayer and a formal declara-
tion-of its belief in -.all
.the doctrines of our holy
religion,—can it be accused of profanity ? Has
not the principle of the Divorce Court been
approved of by that E;hristiiiii assembly ? Nay,
more ; has not that House all bitt passed rt 4 act
adding to the facilities of 'that court, and for
extending the benefits it is so well calculated to
Confer -upon that large part (Sf the community
who have heed so foolish as think it necessary to
get married ? 'Who talks. about these courts
being destructive of the authority of the Church,
or iii opposition to the opinions of learned and
right reverend doctors Is not this
an age of progress, and if some people will adhere
to antiquated institutions and dogmas, must we
not, however reluctantly, leave them unheeded
behind us ? Why call matrimony a state of
" holy wedlock ? " If not altogether a matter-of-
money, ought it not
.to be viewed generally as a
mere connubial contract,. Which, like any other
human arrangement, ought to be set aside when
the proper civil judge is. satisfied that the party .
petitioning has made out a good case? In this
busy age, when people travel by steam, speak by
lightning, and revolutionise so many kingdoms
per annum, all as a matter of course, why, there
is no leisure for courtship, and if in the hurry
to get a Wife or a husband, one should •make a
mistake, is it to be tolerated that one should not
have immediate release, or be kept waiting for it
even for a few months ? We are. undoubtedly
getting on very fast towards a perfect, adaptation
of the Divorce Court
,to meet every emergency
with the utmost possible despatch; and by-and-
bye we may expect to have attained such a degree
of perfection in granting an instant discharge
from the fetters of wedlock, that verylstobably
it may come to be a question Whether it 'be worth
the trouble and expense of going through the
old-fashioned marriage ceremony. at all'; and
every man and woman in the; country shall be at
perfect liberty to act in this matter as may, for
the time being, seem right and proper in their
own eyes. Is not this the land of glorious liberty ?
And shall we submit to be fettered in our social
demeancyar by any tie or consideration whatever,

beyond *hat may be demanded by the exigencies
of •the passing moment
rf any one is So far behind the age as not to
have known the crying necessity that existed for
the recent enlargement of the powers of the
Divorce Court, he ought to be ashamed of him-
self. Here are a few facts which cannot fail to
convince the most obtuse and obstinate. In the
first place, the former state of the law required
that no dissolution of marriage should be granted
except by a,full court, consisting of three judges,
of whom the Judge-Ordinary should be one, the
other two being selected from the Lord Chan-
cellor, and the chiefs of the three courts of common
law. This arrangement was adopted under the
foolish idea that it was necessary to provide some
safeguard against collusion and connivance. put
there was great difficulty in constituting a full
court; and couples were getting impatient for
freedom—so, last year, to expedite business, all
the puisne judges were made members of the
court. ^till it was impossible to do justice to the
crowds of petitioners who clamoured to have their
shackles broken. Much advantage in point of des-
patch is anticipated from the new arrangement, by
which it is to be left to the Judge Ordinary alone
to dispose of these divorce cases. The urgency
of the case may be inferred from the fact that
under the former plan the court had never been
able to dissolve more than nineteen marriages at
one sitting! How slow, and what a hardship
was thus being inflicted upon the three hundred
petitioners whose cases were waiting to be dis-
posed of at this miserable rate ! Why, the un-
fortunate three hundredth petitioner must, at this
rate, have had to wait at least a month, if not
much more, before emancipation ! The idea of so
thoroughly sifting a case as to ascertain that
there'exists no understanding between the parties, -
is of course out of the qnestion,—especially where
the respondent does not appear to oppose the
petitioner, and a great proportion of the cases are
of this nature. Such an investigation would take
too much time, and the other cases wouldsnever
be got through. t esides, after all, if the parties
chiefly interested are pleased, what does it matter
to prevent their wishes being gratified ' Then
again the imperative demand for the establish-
ment of such convenient. courts, may be demon-
, strated by a cursory glance at the last • five-and-
twenty years, and the insufferable inefficiency of
the old as compared with the new system 'During
twenty-three long years prior to 1857, there had
been only some three hundred and thirty attempts
to procure divorce, or at the rate of about fourteen
per annum. That was under the old plan. How
has the new one worked ? Why, in one short year,

1858, there were no less than three hundred and

twenty petitions presented , for dissolution of
marriage and judicial separation ; that is to say,
nearly as many cases in one brief twelvemonth,
under the new system, as had occurred for nearly
a quarter of a century under the former process.
Can anyone fail to see the vast improvement P
But even this is nothing to what we yet must
reach. It is an established maxim, that as you
increase the facilities, you will increase the
demand. The opening of the doors of the divorce
coutt so much wider, must add universally to the
number of applicants, and thus greatly enlarge
the libertiei of the lieges. Why not boldly carry
out the .system to its full extent at once, and
establish County Divorce Courts ? Or perhaps
the marriage system might be advantageously
placed upon the same easy footing as' he licensing
system under the new Refreshment Houses Act.
It would make the machinery so- completely
available to the whole population,. that we might
expect to hear no more of dothestic misery and
matrimonial heartburnings. Doubtless it will
come to that ; bat it seems we must be content
to take these reforms by instalments. Let us be
truly thankful for the last, and pray earnestly
fur the next.
The ohanges to be wrought rita the blessings
conferred on society generally by a fultblewn
system of cheap divorces are too numerous to be
particularised. There may be some little ince'',
-'!•enienes too ; but what of that ? We must be.
We hate tten hitherto perhaps too much
accustomed to think of a gentiernEtn or lady once
married, as married for life ; and the ttstal saluta-
tion of " how-d'ye-do" is naturally and gracefUlly
followed by, and how is Mr. or Mrs. So-and-so"
—the husband or wife, as the case may be. Ere
long this won't clo; however, when perhaps one's
friend has, in consequence Of something that
happened over night, applied for -and obtained
a divorce in the morning. " Still married to the
same party, eh ?" or " Who are you married to
*ill then suitably take the place of, or, at
all events, precede, the rresent old-fashioned form
of courtesy. Matrimony will then be an agree-
able " flirtation galopade" in. the quadrille of
life, of which " change partners" will form one of
the greatest charms. The mode in which this
pastime is go'ne' through was clearly pointed out,
the other night, by the host; member for Maryle-
bone--Mr. JAMES. It was a lamentable though
common mistake, said that enlightened legislator,
to suppose that we ought to attempt to prevent
the adaltcrer marrying the adulteress ; when a
matt had seduced a married woman, he made the
amends in his power (honourable man !) by
marrying ha taw she had been divorced ! This
was one of the ways in which he conceived the
Divorce Courts conferred a great benefit. on the

free.

public. How grateful married people must fee]

to Mr. JAMES und the Divorce Courts. Who
! shall say that this has been a "barren" session ?
11tiS it noti iit its dying moments, witnessed the
enactment at a; tiew Divorce 1 ill, possessing the
good qualities we helve to; Other im-
portant measures have, very prdptrif been dropped
or pushed aside. Observe the laudable ieal and
determination of the Attorney-General in hurry-
ing through its second reading, committing it,
aild having it reported again to the House all in
one evening; 'the loss of the Bankruptcy Court
Amendment Bill Way gencially 'considered a most
grievous affliction to the interests of trade and
commerce. But see how judiciously the wottnded
feelings of the country have been healed by the
adroit and determined manner in which has been
saved from the general wreck of the session that
invaluable legislative boon, the Divorce Courts
Amendment Act. What a blessing to the country
is a Liberal Administration, adorned by each a
wise and learned Attorney-General! •

THE NEW FINANCIAL ARRANGEMENTS

OF FRANCE.

. :

The following is a translation of an analytical
statement, in the Patrie of Thureday last, re-
garding the falling off in the French Customs
returns, during the last seven months, ending

31st July last
It results from the official table of the customs,
that the duties received on imports, produced
for
rst
July 18x9,
8t179,5uwma50fi170,6,25055,0,00000f. For the first
f. Their amount
haveseven
yieldedmonths
7o 9,f7tBh7e, 0
ofa. ,
whilst year 1h
iB6O, these duties
t they reached
112,7
year.
112,762,000 f. for the corresponding period of the
preceding
This deficiency, we all know, is the temporary
consequence of the great economic reform which
has been inaugurated in France. The applica-
tion of the new commercial system is of too
recent a date to permit of its beneficial effects
being manifested in any important increase in
the consumption of primary substances, and of
goods on which the duty has been taken if..
The following are; the , principal articles ' of
merchandise, of which the quantities imported
show a comparative increase over.the 'figures for
the corresponding month of July, 1859 :—CoffQe,
cocoa, augers, the produce of our colonies, cattle,

wools, fresh and salt meats, oil, wines, brandies,
spirits called 3 /6 (the worst qualities), woods for
cabinet-making, arachides, linseed, oils from
olives and from oil-producing seeds, peeled flax
and tow, threads of linen and flax, raw tallow,
and hogs' lard, zinc of first fusion, linen and
hempen cloths.
The amount of exports, as compared with those
for 1859, yields results satisfactory only as
respects the following articles .—Machines and
mechanism, refined sugar, liqueurs, linen and
cotton thread, linen cloths, cotton cloths, woollen
stuffs, silk fabrics, glass and crystal, porcelain,
sea salt and salt from the salt pits, oxen and
bulls, cows, calves, and heifers. The outgoings of
the other articles composing our exports have
either diminished or are maintaining their accus-
tomed proportions.

During the month of July, there have been
entered 413,434 hectogrammes (the tenth part of
a kilogramme) of silver in bars, or in coin ; and
we have received 1,017,947 hectogs. In the
same month of 1859, there were exported 815,538
hectogs. of this metal, against 1,924,920 hectogs.
for the corresponding month of last year. The
imports of gold in bars, or coin, amounts in all to
183,690 hectogs. In July 1839, they amounted
to 317,323 hectogs. The exports of gold have
fallen from 117,034, to 106,723 hectogs.
With the exception of cereals, of coffee, of
French and foreign sugars, of pure copper and of
first fusion, of salt from the salt pans and mineral
salts, and of brimstone,. the stocks of merchan-
dise in bonded warehouses (entrep6ts) are below
those of last year at the end of July.
The amount of the consumption-tax paid upon
French and foreign salts, delivered in July, for
home consumption, is 2,939,000 fr., in the.room of
679,000 fr. in 1859..

According to the comparative movement of
navigation from Ist January to 31st July, 1859,
as contrasted with the corresponding period in
1860, the number of tons entered inwards, has
this year fallen from 2,322,882 to 2,233,236. The
amount of tonnage entered outwards has fallen
fiOm 1,872,817 to 1,644,540.

FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE

FRANCE.
FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.}
PARIS, Friday, August 24, IS6O.

Having regard to the present prospects of the King
and Kingdom of Naples, one is quite prepared for the
information that the negotiations which MM. Manna
and Winspeare were charged to conduct at Turin, for
an alliance between Naples and Piedmont, have finally
and conclusively terminated, and that M. Manna has
returned to Naples to report his want of success. From
Naples news continues to be received of the same con-
fused and deplorably unsatisfactory character as ever.
"The King is furious," writes one of the inhabitants
to a friend in Turin, " againsthis army, on which he finds
he can by no means depend ; and the officers are giving
in their resignations, with the view of going either into
Sicily, or coming to this country. The soldiers are
deserting in great numbers, and those who remain don't
hesitate to declare that they don't wish to fight against
the Italians. Notwithstanding all this, however, the
government intends to make a great stand in the capital,
where the elifo of the army is collected." It is also
said that General Pianelli has exacted a new oath of
fidelity to the Constitution, and has allowed all those to
leave the service who do not wish to take it. "In the
midst of all the contradictory statements which are
made in the different despatches from this city," writes
another correspondent, "it is quite certain that Naples
is at this moment in a state of extreme agitation.
Foreigners, and the members of the upper classes, are
emigrating en masse; the major part of the establish-
ments of the opulent tradesmen in Toledo are closed ;
commerce is literally at a stand. still; and in order to
prevent a regular break up of busziness (da,(ic'e), it has
been found necessary in all cases to give time for the
payment of bills that fall duo. The council of ministers
sits en permanence, and anxiety is general."
There is a report that Garibaldi had a conference
with M. Villamarina, on board a Sardinian vessel, in the
Bay of Naples ; for which purpose he is said to have
paid a. second visit to Naples ; but I understand that it
is quite incorrect, as is also of course the stor:a of Baron
Talleyrand having made a representation to M. de
' Cavour on the subject.
As to the Count d'Aquila, and the cause of his extml-
sion, there is still a considerable degree of mystee-y,
which is' by no means easy to penetrate. A number of
injurious rumours have been circulated on the subject
with the connivance of the Ministry. The friends of the
Prince assert that they are all calumnies—the Count in
their opinion, has never conspired against anybody
in his life, and he has declared as much himself
in the protest which be has forwarded to the
Government. What the Prince was perhaps contem-
plating, was a reaction, but in the liberal and
' Italian sense, against the Annexioniste, whom he was
beguiling : and what he probably coveted was a
regency, but with the assent of the King, and with a
view to the establishment of his authority on a surer
basis ; at least, this is what his friends give out was the
case, and it is in keeping with the terms of his letter to
the King, which is now published, and in which he con-
cludes as fellows—" I must be permitted to write these
lines to attest my innocence, and to protest before your
Majesty, before the nation, and before the entire world,
that I have not deserved the treatment which bas been
inflicted upon me, and that I had a right to expect quite
another kind of recompense."
Accordirg to the latest news, received here last night,
the Minister of War has formed corps of observation at
Pouz"zoles, at Pausilippo, at Portico, and Terre del Greco,
with the object of rendering impossible any disembar-
kation of Garibaldians in the Gulf of Naples itself. It
is also stated that it bed been proposed to the King to
fix his residence at Gaeta, but that he had refused to do
so in the most positive mariner, declaring that had no
wish whatever to leave Naples. The fact of the inhabi-
tanfs of Potenza, in the province of Basilicata, having
organised a previsional government, is not confirmed--
but neither is it contradicted. A correspondent of the
Petrie, who writes from Naples on the 18th inst., says
that it is now certain that treasou had its share in the
abortive attempt by the Veloce, to cut out the
Monarca from under the guns of Castellamare. It
appears from this writer's account of the affair, that
the captain of the Monarca, a gentleman of the name of
Vaccae who is an Annexionist candidate of the electoral
committees which were lately dissolved, had arranged
with them a prate for permitting his vessel to be taken
possession, of by the crew of the Veloce ; but that, as
good luck would have it, abed been superseded in his
command the previous evening, mid fifty men had been
put on board of the Monarca in place of the six, to
whom the charge of the vessel when in harbour was usually
entrusted. He says that Vacca has since sent in his
resignation and has disappeared. The same writer, in
allading to the expulsion of Count Aquila, states that
the principal charge against him rests on the fact of the
discovery by the police of twenty-two chests of arms at
the custom-House without any address, which chests, he
remarks, were supposed to have been intended for the
Insurrectionary Committee, who had entered into
arrangements with different English houses for the pur-
pose, and were left at the custom-house until an oppor-
tunity occurred for their being made available. He also
mentions that the returned emigrants have been annoy-
ing the Sitig a good deal lately by going about declaring
their refusal of the amnesty. " The King," they say,
"ilab amnestied us, but we will not be amnestied," and he
winds up by saying that a beggar who cried " Viva el
Re," the other day on receiving alms, from his Majesty,
was poignarded on the spot.
There are rumours of an _insurrectionary reaction
having broken out in Sicily, but I do not attach much
credit to them. Coolnel Bixio is said tohave caused several
of the insurgents to be shot. The cause of the move-
ment is alleged to be due to the feelings of jealousy
which are caused by the course which has been followed
of placing all the chief offices of trust and emolument
in the hand of volunteers, which even M. Depretis
great weight and influence cannot counteract.
The accounts of Garibaldi's movements continue to
be contradictory ; but I doubt not we shall now very
shortly, have all the contradictions cleared up. There
appears to be a very confident feeling entertained both
by the Garibaldians themselves, and by the Piedmontese,
that if the events which are now so rapidly hastening
the downfall of the Neapolitan dynasty, should result in
bringing on
~ war between Sardinia and Austria,
•
the victor ,of soiforino and of Magenta will, somehow
or other, find an excuse for coming to the aid of the
former.
Letters from Rome state that the Pope still refuses to
recognise the appointment by the French Government
of the Abbe Moret, as Bishop of Vannes, which shows
that the rapproehenzent between the Emneror and his
Holiness, in spiritual matters at all events, is by no
means so complete as is sought to be represented in
some quarters.

There seems to be no end to the number of pamph-
lets on the two great subjects of Italy and the East, but
there is only one, " Naples and Piedmont " which
engages any considerable amount of attention, and that
arises not so much from its literary merits, which are
small, as from its being regarded as a Muratist mani-
festo emanating from interested parties'.
The Government is only half satisfied with the result
of the eleetioris. ' The official list has not gone down so
generally as was hoped, and it is remarked that an

enormous number of the electors have abstained from
voting. In certain districts of Brittany the shortness of
the notice given of the day on which the election was
to take place--in some cases three days—is greatly
complained of. A number of the mayors have been
elected, notwithstanding the prohibition to the contrary
but only a few of them have refused to accept tlif
nomination.

Prince Napoleon and his wife have returned from
Switzerland, and proceeded to Cherbourg. It appears
that His Royal Highness is not to be allowed to pre-
side at the Council of Ministers in the absence of the
Emperor, and that Marshal Vaillant is to exercise these
functions as Governor and Imperial Prince.
The Emperor and Empress left St. Cloud yesterday
morning at 3 o'clock. There was no fuss previous to
their departure, and the train started for the south a
few minutes after the arrival of the Imperial
party at the station. It is the " Tage," not M. Tage,
as I was made to say in one of my recent
letter, which is to replace the Evlau, which has come
from Naples to form part of the escorting squadron, of
which the famous steel-plated frigate La Gloire is to
form one, the Emperor being anxious to avail himself
of so favourable an opportunity of testing her speedy
and nautical qualifications.
In the cause celebre of the Marquis de Vilette, to,
which I some time ago alluded, the Tribunal of
Clermont has given judgment in favour of the Bishop,
but of course there will be an appeal. 1 shall endeavour
to let you have some further particulars.

There was a little animation visible on the Bourse
yesterday, which was displayed chiefly in form of
Rentes, which showed a considerable tendency towards
improvement.

LATEST NEWS.

(BY BRITISH AND IRISH IkIAI3;iETIC TELEGRAPH.)

FRANCE.

PARIS, Aug. 24.

The -lloniteur contains a decree ordering the
establishment of a port at Thonon, on Lake
Leman, and the improvement of the already'
existing port of Eoian, on the same lake.
The news published in some of the German
papers that the Emperor _Napoleon has proposed
a congress for the settlement of the affairs of
Italy is totally unfounded.
M. Millon polled 19,000 votes, against 7,000
by the Government candidate, at the election at
Nancy for the Corps Legislatif.

THE FRENCH FUNDS.

PARIS, August 24, 3.40 p.m.

Although the Bourse has been active, yester-
day's improved quotations have been firmly
maintained. Rentes close 68f. Lie., or same as

yesterday.

NAPLES.

NAPLES, Aug. 21.

The Royal Intendant of Potenza is at the head
of the insurreetion in the Province of Basilicata.
Four thousand Calabrian insurgants reinforced
the Garibaldians during their attack on the town
of Reggio. The chiefs of the National Guard of
Naples have tendered their resignation on account
of the foreign battalion not having been dis-
banded.

AUSTRIA.

VIENNA, August 24.

For several days the ministers have been sit-
ting in council almost without interruption, as
before the end of the month they will be sum-
moned by the Council of the Empire to pro-
nounce a categorical decision on the political
re-organisation of the monarchy. Fears are
entertained that the Government may grant but
insufficient means of reform, in which case the
Hungarian delegates have firmly resolved upon
immediately quitting the Council of the Empire.
Hungary has till now being perfectly tranquil,
in expectation of the result of the deliberations
of the Council of the Empire, but should the
hopes of the Liberal party be disappointed,
refusal of the payment of the taxes may be
expected in Hungary. Many Hungarian refugees
staying in Wallachia, are engaged in spreading
revolutionary propaganda. In addition to other
military measures of precaution, the Government
has already assembled fifteen cavalry regiment&
under the command of General Benedek.

PARIS, August 24.

Prince Metternich leaves Paris to-day. It is
asserted that he has failed to obtain any assurance
that France would not interfere in the event of a
renewal of the war.

A Vienna. letter states that a special messenger
had arrived there from Rome, bringing an auto-
graph letter from the Pope to the Emperor
Francis Joseph.

AUSTRIA AND PRUSSIA.

BERLIN, August 24.

Notwithstanding that during the conference at
Tceplitz an understanding was in principle
brought about on all pending questions, it is cer-
tain that the realisation. of th© alliance between
Austria and Prussia will entirely depend upon the
political reforms which are to be effected in Aus-
tria. The Prince Regent expressly declared to the
Emperor that Austria, since 1850, had been com-
mitting a positive infraction of the Federal Act,
which distinctly states that all tho states of the
German Confederation shall receive a Constitu-
tion on the representative system, and that until
Austria enters upon the path of constitutional
reform. there can be no hope of a real and dura-
ble alliance.

MONTENEGRO.

TRIESTE, August 24.

The new Prince of Montenegro has deprived
the Bishop of Montenegro of office, on account of
his having, at the burial of the late Prince
Danielo, left the funeral procession before the con-
clusion of the ceremony. The Bishop alleged a
sudden indisposition as an excise. Nikizzi
refused however to accept this exult:lei and ordered
The prelate to quit the country immediately.
the Russian Consul intervened in his behalf, as
the bishop reported to be the chief of the
Russian party. The great agitation prevailing
in Montenegro is especially caused by the
struggle between the French and Russian par-
ties who divide the country.