The Express.
London, England, 1850-03-07 00:00:00

THE SCOTCH BILLS.

reasons why such marriages M that should not take place.
They told him it was contrary le the law of Ood for • ma to
marry his own eater. He mot that One
hell of the human nee did
know
had been is the habit
from the beginning of time Si marrying their owe slam.
What was the reason that in all the states ef Swope there
wera laws that • men should Dot Mm
bie owa ideate ? He
taw two great reseone—one a physical, lad the other • morel
reason. Mt, phydcal reason they all knew, and the allusion
to it wee tenant. Bat there was another--a moral rellol%.
If be wanted to point out a relation which wee more affect
I *mate and more pure the any other, he should point to
the nation of brother and sister. There was • Undue=
about it because they were of different saes ; dare
wee all the gentleness of woman, and all the kindness
of men, without the cloy which carnal feeling produced.
To alter this relation by any legislative meats would be ea
iejury. (Hear, hear.) Should this bill pus, it was impos-
sible for the wife to retain the sane feeling, towards her
sisters. At present all jealousy, bar, and anxiety were im-
p wedge ; once bent down the barrier, and they would ba-
con's of hourly occurrence. In coeclusion, he contended
that the great considered= which the house should have in
view wee, whether the propmed change would improve the
condition et that important institution, the family. (Hear,

hear.)
Mr. SPOONER, though he agreed that the house ought
not to diocese theological questions. could net consent to
argue this queeticn apart from what was written in the re-
vealed law of God, and he contended that their restrictions
could not be maintained unless they were founded upon that
law, or were required for the social comfort of the large
mass of the people. Ile was thoroughly convinced that, by
the law of God, these marriegn were not forbidden, and
long ezperienee is dense masses of the population had shown
him that the existing law was a source of grams immorality
sad great cruelty. He cordially supported the bill.
Mr. IL PALMER said Mr. Roebuck had rested his oppo-
sition to the bill on axial arguments of irresistible force;
hut it was sot possible to nerd the law of God as irrelevant
to this discussion, and, in his judgment, by that law thins
marinate were plain'y forbidden. The pervading principle
of the cede which had been adopted in this country, because
it was found in the divine law, was to throw a strong protec-
tion around the domestic relations in cases of affinity. as
well as consanguinity; it was necessary to the sanctity
of those relations that • wife should look upon her sister
after marriage as she had done before. He dissented from
Herbert's doctrine, that so long as the church of Eng-
land was not interfered with, everybody else might do as he
pleased, which would open a doer t o enormities amongst pe-
culiar sects of Christians. The principle of toleration was
not to interfere with religious convictions, nor subject men,
on religious grounds, to civil disabilities; but the legislature
must form its own judgment as to the moral tendency of
restriction for the modal good of the community, and act
upon It, as in the ease of the obsetvaace of Sunday. To
argue that moral evil attended the present law was begging
the whole question. Violations of • law could not prove its
immorality. It had been said that England was almost the
only country in which then marriages might not be contracted
but, bokiag at the contrast between other countries and
this, in respect to morality in general, he was far from think-
ing it afforded a reason for our imitating their laxity. In the
words of Milton, he would eay," Let not England forget her
privilege of teaching othi r nations the way of
Mr. M. MILNES said that when he found a notenre
like the premise so ably opposed, he was inclined to leek
narrowly into the grounds on which that opposition rested,
and the arguments by which it was supported. Ho ad.
mitted the truth of the family picture so ably drawn by the
hon. and learned member for Sheffield, but the argument
of the hon. end learned gentleman would apply equally to
first cousins, for that relationship carried with it all theme
biasing/ and all that happiness to which the hon. gentleman
allude.{. (Hoar.) But as the legislature of this country
had allowed marriage between first cousins, he saw
no reason why it should not allow it with the wife's
si-ter. These seemed to him to be perhaps stronger '
rifted for admitting marriage with the wife's sister,
foe the relationship of consanguinity was undoubted•
lv more binding than that of 'Sony. (Hear, hear.)
The hon. and learned member for Sheffield wee b rand to
show to what degree he would limit the family relation in
this country. In legislating at the present time on this sub
ject they were but following the impulse of the national
wilL (Hear, hear.) He did not mean by that any pressure
from without, bat the inthence of public opinion. The law
of this country in this matter had been violated by good
citizens and by honest and moral men. (Hear, hoer.) The
hon. and learned centlentan who spoke last said that was no
ground for changing the law, nor did it prove that it was a
bad law. But when they found good men violating this
law without losing their position in society or being consi-
dered immoral men—when they found such persons iireeking
the law, not from the force of had passions, but on
the ground that the law of morals allowed them
to break it, he maintained it was a rood primu
facie ease for altering that law. (Hear, hear.)
-Why had a change in the law beta sugiested ? It was be-
cause • large number of pains had violated the law. Did
not the fact that these persons came before the legislature,
whilst other., who bad violated it with respect to nearer de.
geese, did not, show that than was a differencs between the
two ones ? (Hear, hear.) These marriages to • k place In'
the very highest quarters ander the throne, and then a deo
mend was made for the altgraion o' the low. Where were
the leaders of the opposition to this measure then ? Where
were the bishops ? They all owed these marriages to be made
legal on the condition that they should he considered'
illegal ever after. (Hear.) With respect to the number of
these marriages, his experience was that the marriages with a
wife's sister wee.- very numerous parocularly en the agricul-
tural districts, where the immediate supply of wives was
not very great. (Laughter.) With regard to the labouriog
and poorer class, be had no doubt this measure would do a
great deal of good, and prevent a great deal of loan and
irregular conduct. (Hear.) Lot them do what they would
by legialation, their people would consider such marriages as
morally and religiously permitted. Would they be less in-
elided to contract them row after the discussions which had
taken pine in that house? (Hear, hear.) If they had
2,000 marriages of this kind now, they would have
4,000 this time ten years. (Hear, hear.) The people
of England were not inclined to violate the law, but
they did not look upon these marriages es wrong. It they
adhered to this law, they would increase the number of ille.
itimate children in th.s country. That would be a great evil
'and a great inconvenience, and one that, it possible, should
not be suffered to increase.
Lord MAHON said, that when a bill similar to the
present was first introduced by his noble friend Lord Ell o-
men, he felt hound to oppose it after the most serious con-
sideration. lie had read all the evidence on the subject
which had been brouget to light since then, and he felt
bound to say that he still entertained strong, and Le might
my insuperable, objections to the measure. (Hear.) In
the first place he rather thought that the divine law
was opposed to these marriages; but admitting that the
divine law allowed them, he called rn the house to pause,
before they admitted • principle which was of so
much importance to the family relations, and to
society in general in this country. (Hear, hear.)
He thought that it would introduce the greatest disturbance
amongst families where peace row prevailed. The question
not only affected the higher and lower classes—the middle
class of this country bad also • deep interest in it. (Hear.)
In the cue of illness and by the be I side, he thought that
the passing of the present measure would beget suspicion on
the part of the wife, and impose increased delicacy on the
part cf the sister. There was another consideration, that the
wife, when dying, might extract • promise from the husband
that he would marry one of her sisters after her death ; and
the husband, in obedience to that promise, might marry his
wife's sister, although he felt no affection for her.
Mr. COCKBURN said it seemed now to be pretty generally
admitted that this 'object could be approached without refer-
ring to any supposed prohibition arising frets the divine
law. (" No, no," and hear, hear) That prohibition was the
pest argument formerly relied on by the opponents of the
inenenn, but he would show in • very short time
that that argument was now virtually abandoned by
them all, except by the boa. and learned member
fint Plymouth, who still stuck to tho scripture text. In the
first place, the hon. and learned member for Abingdon ad-
mitted that that point was doubtful He said that the
question must be discussed on social and moral groun Is, and
that the religions ground was so doubtful that it should be
settled by the church of England. Bat it was impossible
that this matter could be settled by the church of England;
the various authorities of which differed amongst themselves
on the subject. (Hear.) The church of England bad quite
enough to settle at the present time, without involving
itself in • distention like the present. Two centu-
ries had now elapsed, and tkey had a great
question referred to a lay tribunal for adjudication
which question it might wall be supposed the church would
have settled long ago. Oa this subject the bishops were not
unanimous, and the clergy differed to • considerable extent.
But supposing that the church was unanimous, how could it
settle a question of this kind for the dissenters, who, as a
body, held an oainion the other way ? (Hear, hear.) But
if the matter was so doubtful that a synod of the church
was required to settle it, that was a reason why they
should not interfere with the liberty of human ac-
tion—why they should not interfere where human
illations and human happiness were concerned. (Hear.)
The lea. and learned member for Oxford could not help
admitting that the ti it was soh st Lim, and that the autho-
rity of the Hebrew church was against him. The only text
of scripture which related to the subject prohibited the hus-
band from marrying his wile's sister during the life of the
wife. It was dear that this prohibition did not apply
le the marriage of the wife's sister after the wile
we. dead. On the contrary, the rule of interpretation for a
[ibitory law was, that whatever was not pro-
'Tilted by the express terms of that law was admissible.
(Hear, hear.) But his hon. rind learned friend in the
recesses of his recondite learning, found an obscure meet of
'whom he would venture to say nobody in that house had
ever heard, who he amid differed from the established Jewish
church as to the validity of these marriages. And his hon.
and learned friend who was well known to be a high church-
raan,seemed to place reliance on the opinions of this obscure
sect is opposition tothe establisbedchurch of the Hebrews. His
hon. friend had asserted that the morality of England stood
higher than that of any other country; and yet, notwith-
standing, he told them in the same breath that such
was the abandonment of all principle that hus-
bands would seduce the sisters of their who, and
thus prove themselves lost to entry feeling of domestic
truth and S Iclity. (Hear, hear.) But there was still more
than that, for there was • calumny uttered against the uni-
versal women of Ragland, who were slandered by the
assertion that the slaters of the wives of Englishmen would
thus readily submit themselves to • polluted embrace.
(near, hear.) It wee a libel on the fathers, mothers.
wives, and sultan of Busload. (11w, hear.) He begged
to ask a rotation. Those marriages prevailed to a vev.
great extent throughout the civilised world. They wdlb
!mind to Prevail In every country in Harem with the ex-
ception of Loglind ; and they also prevailed universally is

In reply to Kr. Foie's,
The LORD.ADVOCATH sall that the Scotch bills to
he introdraid in the ptweet seen= were similar to those
which were introduced la►t year and esfem d to a select

oneneittre.
1111811 GRIND JURIES AND MEDICAL
CHAES.
la repy to Mr. O'FLABIITT,
Sir W. SOMERVILLE said the bill relation to rand
juries in Ireland would be laid as the table in • few days,
sad that it wan his intention to introduce • bill is the pre-
pest .... ion, and on u early • day as potable, on the subject
of the Iri.h 'medical charities.
SALVAGE ON THE COAST OF CLARE.
Mr. S 'AFFORD salami whether the Solicitor-Oeneral
for Ireland had received any eonanunieation retain to •
slain for mange to whiat some fishermen on the coast of
Clare were entitled, for • .visa g the ergo of • vessel lost oa
that coast? He understood that only 1601. were forthcom-
ing eat of .3001.„ the proceeds of the sale.
Mr. lIATCHELL said the facts were not wetly u they
had been orpreeenred. A thoher vowel bid been wrecked
on the saki is the county of Clare. The cargo had bees
add for 5121.; and the fl-hermen, with respect to whom the
Yea. gentleman had spokes. write the @deem But, in
order to attend to the eau°, and s: cure the crown duties,
It was found seceasary to replay shout 200 men for • period
of three weeks. Tb• wages of taws peravas, in addition te
the hire of hosts sod chairs, anevinted to 160 1, and the soot
of adentiammente and the marshal's eapentee ware 171. ode.
dosaL The disharmsnents altopther wee. 2.501., white, '
sleds/Mil from 5001., the proceeds the sale, left a balsam
1111 1301., and that sum war at rresint n the hands of the
Mast. and weed be distributed so fairly that no injary
treed be dose to any pylon, and so jut ground of com-
plaint would ni-t. (Near.)
Mr. STAFFORD premised to mon for the papers con-
sisted with the tssolieetion.
OFFICIAL SALARIES.

Colonel surnioni.;.;earfiwilora of the Trea-
sury whether any reduction had been, or was intended to be
made, in official Waits? and is putting this question he
said kr alluded ely to the salary of the Lord Chief
Justice of the Court of Queen's Beach. ( liner, hear )
Mr. HATTER observed that if the hon. member would
put his qu.stion on the paper i: would be answered.
Colonel SIB rimar promised to have it :nerved on the
paper to- morrow.
MISR FISHERIES LILL.
The second reading of this bill was postponed to the 10th
of April.
CIVIL BILL BOROUGHS (IRELAND) BILL.
Mee PAGAN ceagental to withdraw this bill, which stood
tea the paper Me • second reeling, es he understood the go-
vrinment intended to introtuce • bid this simian to cot-
stelidate the laws retain to cis is bi.l bonnets in Ireland.
The ball was, by leave, withdrawn.
AFFIRMATION BILL.
This bill was re a a ',coed time upon the understanding
that the diseussion of it would take plat.. at • future stage.
LIFE POLICIES OF ASSURANCE (No. 2) BILL.
The ne.tioa fa going into committee oat this bell was post-
poned to Weelasedey Mat.
MARRIAGES BILL—ADJOURNED DEBATE.
Oa the muss that the Marriages Bill be tow read a
semen time.
Mr. HOPE resumed the adjourned &bete by stet ing that
be should have heritated to address the house afar the ad-
mirable, the welharpied, and the irrefraphie speeches
dekverA against the bail epos the last day, were -a not
amnion that he was is poesersion of nun^ important
statistics whisk it was desirable to have read. He admitted
that marriage with a drown wife's sister was not soft4rent
• vio erica of the prohibited degrees as marrimte with a
mime or an aunt; but then the was all he would admit.
A society, vole:dozily ritablished is the metropolis, had been
making inquiries on this subject, and the report they had
published, though it was unofficial, was invert belts' entitled
to a. much credit as the report of the young barristers,
&signet A commissioners, who had been sent out
to make iavestigatiocs is favour of the Marriage Bill.
and who bad embodied the result In • blue book.
The returns ascertained by the &witty in question
show,d that in contain districts of England no fewer than
269 marri.ges had taken plies within the prohibited O-
gren. Of these, 173 were with • wife's sister. 41 with a
brother's wife, 6 with an aunt, 19 with Wren, 16 with step-
mother., I with uncle's wives, and 11 with wives' nieces.
These retains had been ebtained from 231 peroci.ial clergy.
men resident in London, Liverpool, Leicester, and some of
the agricultural districts. They laid bare a strange state of
facts. In one ease, a peeress h.d beta married
to her husband's nephew; in another, • keine-
sant-general in the army had married • lady,
she died, and he marriA her aunt; the suet died,
and he married another ws mac, that woman died! and he
married her niece. (Laughter. ) A demi man at Bristol had
made • return of • man who hat married his wits's
daughter. A nephew had married his aunt,
at Cheltenham. A man of property living at Hall is the
year 1503, had married in summon a deughter,,lter mother,
and a second daughter. A isomer had married his
brothers widow ar d then had an incestuous intrigee with
her daughur. A pithiicaa, who woe a fair specimen of the
middle class, had ma • d hi. niece. In Sua a • shop-
keeper had married ha br ether's niece. In Gloucestershire
• man in the higher ranks of life had manied his halt-
brother's daughter. In Shrewsbury, • manufacturer hsd
murischhis brother's widow. Elsewhere • large farmer had
married bit father's wife; and the clergyman of the parish,
&nerving CA car, added the', with this exception he
knew nothing against the man's moral charater.
They must come to this had they been going
on the wrong tack for three centuries, and were they
now to change it ? These marriages were permitted
abroad, in Roman catholic countries where the disabilities
were mon numerous than here, but where they were got
over by dinensations. They were common in Spain, the
aristocracy of which once gnat country prided themselves ea
the purity of thin blood. And they were purer is blood
than any nation in the worli, but they were warped in
body and debased in intellect. The hon. gentleman con-
chmed by roadies an extract from an article in a Mencheeter
newspaper, strongly condemnatory of the proposed measure,
describing it as one which would be no boon to the operatives
than, and aileeeng that the reason assigned for it, that the
wife's sister might extend care to the children, did not apply
to the manufacturing districts, inasmuch as the labour of all
was rujeired in the factories to support the family.
Mr. S. HERBERT at mitted that there were great social
objectless which might he urged ; but he thought they were
homed to take the balance of good sad of evil and, however
dißcult it might be, by • nice adjustment of that balance
to decide on which side the advantage predomi-
nated. Now, as he understood the bill, there
ens the most corded avoidance of in any way attacking the
right and privileges of the chinch of Engl.nd. Last year,
his sisht boa. June, with gnat impoticy, includrd in his
hal clauses which no clergyman of the church of England
ought to be tailed upon to obey. At the same time, he did
not so interfere with the church of Scotland; but in this bill
those dairies were onsitte 1, and he confessed he was glad to
see the principle admitted that the civil power should not
legislate wit.. respect either to matters of faith or
matters of discipline. Other religious bodies had no
law of their own which restricted them from contracting
marriages of this description, but in the place of that the
civil law stepped in, and ter ricted them from marriages which
their conseieures did sot condemn. Socially speaking, if it
were made out that morality would be in danger by penile
the bill of his right Coo. friend, that would be • satiese.
tory reason for rejecting the bill, and for maintaining eves
the religious disabilities of certain denominations, because
the helmet of evil would be so great that they should be
satisfied to pat up with the knew evil. But it had
sot been shown that there would be each • disregard of
morality arising from this measure that it was at once to put
• stop to any legielation oh the subject. la order that re-
Vgious denominations who had ao ecclesiastical objection to
each maniacs might be allowed, as a civil rite, to contract
them. He thought there was a reeriction on religious
bodies, not in &Lion with the church, which amounted to a
religious disability. On that ground he thuught himself
justified en supporting the bid. But in the case of the church
of England, ha numb- re had its own law to guide them.
Me. ROLM:CI( said Le had heard throughout that die-
euen .n, eqestan,ly 'Neale to the law of GA, as if it were
something din. rent knees the law of Ware. He took it
that the law of God snare what they liked to cousins it
to mean. Prejudem and letting caused sham to tithe & cer-
tain view, and that they ailed the law of God. Take the
chapter a Levi seas in which the prohibited degrees were
stated, and they "(sad fled in it phrases which oil would
construe am way and another another way ; and who was
to distinguish whether th 6th or the 7th verse was the
law of God ? T.ke the whole of the chapter; it was made
for a special purpose and • peculiar people, and could not
apply to each • can as %Lie. He put it ands altogether.
Suppose no law eiiited on the watt r, what would they
Sneak if they were about to lay down a role foe the geld-
&act of the people la this matter? The rule laid down by
the bps. member was as dangerous • rule aa he ever heard ;
be said he drew • distinction between members of
the church of Englio.d, end those who did not
belong to the church of England. Those who did
not to, long to the church of England might marry who.
they pleased. I Mr. S. Herbert : No,] It amounted to that.
Supyuse, and lie loathe case without wishing to excite levity
on the matter, suppose • mace wished to mane his own
mother, that can would come within the rale Ind down by
the bon. member. Now he thought, without appealing to
anything that was galled the law of nature, they could find

THE EXPRESS, THURSDAY EVENING, MARCH 7, 1850.

Opt Holed Elea of America. (Hear, hear.) The bon.
learwad ~miens for Plymouth and Oxford
lellk AM MINIMS ea the suppeskins that the
of MOM itonateisi SIMS addmed ler the par-
poss.,' Notaftel_liolbeleglintore of this eseatry the mew
(drabs
Weed by Nl* example ; bet it wee sot so.
(NM" beer.) The maws! wee used to show that thew
mmeleHla having for many years existed in highly civilised
eesatrlier the evils resulting from them were neither nu-
llities" new dangerous. If they looked to the protestant
eanletnn of Switzerland and the worth of Germany, where
peelissisodem prevailed as extensively as in England, they
would lad that the standard of monlity there wee as high as
here .netwithstaading the sanction of sash marriages.
(Hear, !scar.) These marriages wen necessity for more
remona than one; and the strongest reason was that they
could not purest these. However, greet benefit must
recall from them, particularly to children left unprotected
by du death of their mother. (Hear, hear.) Who, he would
ask, could be a fitter person to take the real mother's place,
and protect end watch over her children, then
that mothee's sister ? (Heat' hear.) Or whom would
the dying mother sooner entrust with such a charge
than her own sister? (Hear, hear.) It bed been said, on
the other hand, that these marriages were sot frequent. Now
he could not see how a young female could reside in a house
with a young widower, and between whom there existed
no ties of consanguinity, without being open to a certain
amount of observation and meson. (Hear, hear.) lie
asked any hon. member, if left to himself, whether • father,
• husband, er • brother, would he desire that his daughter
or sister (as the case might be) should live on terms of
intimate Intercourse with the husband of the deceased
sister, or if she could live on such terms of intercourse free
of unsure ? (Hear, hear.) It was all very well for the
hon. and learned member for Sheffield to have drawn
the picture he did, which wee so truly felicitous
and poetical: but they could not control the in-
stincts of human nature by human legislation. He assured
the house that should they decide on defeating the bill, they
would be legislating on the assumption of evils, which, so
far from being proved to exist, experience practically demon-
strated did not exist. (Hear, hear.) The practice of the
ancients regarding marriage had also been referred to. Why
the ancient pagans, who knew nothing of divine law, prohi-
bited certain marriages which they did not want the light
of divine law to wrist them in, as their common instincts
pointed out the injury likely to result from such. Of course
such marriages as a brother end sister and the like, where
the result was certain to be a deterioration of the human
species should be, cud even were, most wisely in-
terdictei. (Haar, hem.) But there was no instinct
of our nature which reprobated or repudiated
such marriages as the bill before the home contem-
plated—(hmar, hear)—and though legislation should forbid
it, society would look on it as an attempt to produce an crti-
ficiel feeling which nature did not plant in the human mind.
(Hear, hear.) The bill, if paved into law, would not com-
pel parties standing in the relation of brother-In-law and
sister-in-11w to contract such merrieges. (lieu, hear.) It
was left open as a matter of conscience, particularly to those
classes not of the church party, who might be, and were of
opinion, that they could miter conscientiously into such mar-
riages, and who repudiated such interference with the humatt
affections. (Hear, hear.)
11r. SHELL slid his objections to the measure were
of an entirely axial nature. Let him inquire what would
be the effect of the present bill, if it should pass into law,
upon the wife, upon the husband, and up ) I the prospective
bride, whose pathway to the altar ley across her sister's
grave. An amiable married women at present received her
unmarried sister with open arms, and cherished her with a
truthful end trustful love. She watched over her interests
with a are almost maternal. No obscure suspicion came
near her; and though she should pass heun, and days, and
weeks in the society of hie husband, yet upon her
pure and warm affection not a doubt or con-
jecture was permitted to fall. But if the bill
before the house should become law ; if the
wife should be taught to look upon her father and mother's
daughter as the heir to her bed, her feelings must under-
go a material and incurious alteration. The worst of all
domestic feelings would till her soul, and take possession
of her entire being. (Hear, hear.) " Trifles light as air"
would acquire than proverbial confirmation, and innocent
familiarity be construed into guilty intercourse. (Hear.)
Every look would be interpreted into a glann—every touch
into • pressure—until the fancy would be haunted and the
Imagination filled and pursued by the darkest and most
unendurable of domestic feelings. So much for the wife.
The husband—a good man—at present regarded the sister of
his wee with a purely fraternal feeling. His intercourse with
her was unsullied by even an unholy desire or wish. But if
he should be taught to look upon, as en ohj et of probable
poseesaion, the woman with whom he would be pieced in
patients proximity, he (Mr. Shell) leered very taught. change
of moral temperament would follow. He would next come
to the sister of the wire. She at present looked on the hus-
band of her sister as her protector and friend, for whom she
entertained a moral affection, but no impassioned desire.
But if she should be taught to look upon him as her cones-
gency, or regard him as • vested remainder, under the
auspices of the bill of his honourable and learned
friend, and to press no the pillow on which her
mister's check should be coldly laid; if she should
be taught to aliments the nuptial garment a ith the &breed,
then he feared the spirit of wickedness would take pervasion
of her heart. and • wide 11 Li would be thrown open for
coteugal 6i.,:alation. (Hear, hear.) Ile feared the character
of her intercourse with her sister's husband :would be
changed, and that, instead of c titertainieg Mich moral feel-
ings and sentiments towards him, she would have reeoerse
to all ordinary soereu of were trey attraction to enchain the
mind and resale °. of the husband. (Hear, hear.) She
would study every attitude and p. stun, every look end
action, to iieluence by that veer of factitious endearment
which women, as it were, instinctively put us, to obtain an in-
oence and ascendancy over the mind of the husband. (Hear.) '
These considerations induced him (Mr. Shill) to Melte*
that the measure was most unadvisable. (Hear, hear.) If
the bill of his hon. end leaned friend should pale into law
where would it stop ? (Hear, hear.) At which of the de-
grees in the list of prohibition would his hon. and learned ,
hind pause (Hear, hear.) If a man were to marry his
wife's sister, might he not as well marry his wife's daughter i
(Hear, hear.) Although no amount of prejudice or passion
would induce him (Mr. Sheil) to do a wrong to any men or
class of men, yet be would not wantonly run counter to the
religious feelings of the country far the sake of an innovation
which broke down some of the morel fences that now
protected our homes, and to which Calvinistic and austere
Scotland, catholic and dispensing Ireland, and the great
majority of the people of England—half catholic and half
protestant, though entirely catholic on that question—de-
dared themselves decidedly opposed. (Loud cheers.)
Mr. ANSTEY, amid loud cries of "divide," supported
the second reading cf the bill, and declared that every clause
of it should have his warmest support. (Cries of " Divide.")
Mr. COBDEN said he had watched the tendency of the
present measure for several years, out of doors as well as in
that house, and he should say that the treat pressure put
upon the country to resist it originated in a religious, or
rather an ecclesiastical, feeling. He spoke with the fullest
conviction of the truth of his assertions when he said the
main element of resistance had emanated from a party in the
church, not numerous but influential, which weuld carry
them back to ancient forms and genuflexions, which they
would have pus for Christianity—(" no, no")—and which,
as part of their policy, would, revive as much as pm-
idble, the sanctioe of the ancient mons of Rome,
with a view to give them, as far as pos-
sible, the cogency of scriptural authority. ("No, no.")
There bad been a great deal of confusion in the minds of
persons, which of late had been much cleared away by the
useful process of discussien in that house. What he wished
to enforce on the minds of hon. gentlemen opposed to
this bill was, that they bad not the Bible for authority in
opposing this measure. (Hear, hear.) Were the question
submitted to him (Mr. Cobden) for decision, unlearned as he
was in these matters, in a professional sense, he would be
inclined to adopt the ',practice of the ancient Jews. Some
years since Dr. Adler, the chief rabbi, when examined as a
witness as to the construction of the text in Leviticus—he
believed the 17th verse of the 18th chapter—he interpreted
it as did at present the supporters of the bill, and
even declared such marriages as most laudable,
particularly where youthful and unprotected children
were to be cared and provided for. (Hear, hear.)
Notwithstanding the observation of the hon. end learned
member for Sheffield, he said that they could not but regard
this as a question involving civil and religious liberty. He
contended that the course taken in opposition to this bill
was a violation of religious liberty. Many hon. members
who were connected with the Baptist and Independent sects
would bear him out in the assertion, that these religious
bodies were unanimous in favour of the bill. Dr. Adler, the
chief rabbi, might be • widower, and might wish to marry
the sister of his deceased wife—his religious convictions
would sanction that union, fur it war one which not only
the canons of his church unctiened, but actually prescribed
and encouraged. Yet Dr. Adler might be prohibited by
the law of this country from following the dictates
of his conscience, because, forsooth, this house chose
to put • different interpretation upon the Levitical
law to that which the Hebrew people themselves had
always done. Whether they did or did not pale this
measure, it was impossible for them to prevent these
marriages taking place. Those who were rich would go
to Deamark, or some other country, where the marriage
was recognised; and those who were poor would be,
as • matter of course, married when they elated that
there was no disability against it. Public opinion was
altogether spinet the law, end he mentioned that they
could hold no public meeting in this country in support of
it. Certain hon. members in their opposition to this bill,
had thrown out the most calumnious insinuations against
the women as well as the men of this country. (Hear, hear.)
They were libelling their fellow countrywomen ; they were
libelling themselves in the arguments which they had used.
Their arguments amounted to this : that all their boasted
if par-
liament, end tohati act
uto wthereo
morality was, after all, but the result of an act of par-
hamostrepealdedep,tetheeend people would
Forwodld
be disposed to f
ywhom,oung
boys
e nnasked,d
g7wirlser,ebthateyfor going
womeno
ato
passed
the
ilaleastit:lrare:veoyeue-Ngdgoil:tefnu,rl
jiloouedvdgentrewnfothr.iewhwhihdoeodwile"hrs—eenadmdevesenancihedhodbhads: yee that
no.f
tisane" Thew were persons who sought to make choice
Of a wife for the holiest and beet of purposes namely, as a
substitute for the mother of their children. (Hear, hear.)
Unless they could adduce better arguments than had been
already advanced in opposition to this measure, he would
feel himself fully justified in repenting that the law, as it
stood, was a violation of conscience and an invasion of
religious liberty, which this country would not long tolerate.
(Hear, hear.) In the blue book which he held in his had
he found recorded the fact that a wits, upon her death-bed,
enrreunded by her family, made a request to her sister to
become the mother to her children, and implored her
husband, if it was consistent with his own &clime,
to marry her before any other person. The hon. sad

funned member for Sheffield said that the highest vela-
wee that which existed between brother and sister,
audit pared the present bill they would place unholy
sualrlethene upon euehirelatlonship. He utterly denied it.
Mr. OOULBURN said that haying already stated fully
his dietitian to the musses itself, ha did not feel called
on to detain the house at any length. But when the hon.
gentleman who loot addressed the house took upon himself
to assert that those who opposed the bill had abandoned the
religious grounds of the question, he (Mr. Geelburn) suet
give to that assertion a most unqualified denial as utterly at
variant* with the facts of the case. Tim» had been
no abandonment of those pricciples on which the
measure was from the first °prised. lie still main-
eased the opinion that the law of Leviticus was the ground
as which those marriages were prohibited as being con-
, Mary to the law of Gad. The hon. gentleman the member
It the West Riding said that that was only the opinion of a
party, and said so in terms which be (Mr. Goul bare) would
net repeat. Now, his extensive kaowledge of the clergy of
this country enabled him to say that the general feeling
throughout all members of the clerical profession was hos-
tile to this bill. He maintained Alt if they c 'monied the
I law of Leviticus by any of these principles which were
applicable to human law, they could not avoid coming
to the conclusion that the law of Leviticus prohibited
each marriages. The hon. gentleman said also that they
gelled only on the Bible, and refused to look to what had
been the practice at various times. He d. fled the hon. gen-
tleman to show Irm in the Bible an instance after the pro-
mulgation of that law of a man heeler married hi. deceased
wife's sister. He would not take the doctrine laid down by
Dr. Adler because the Jews of modern days bed corrupted
the Levitical law, and had introduced tradition in preference
to it, and because those hest able to define tie law, and who
had studied it in the original language, did not concur in that
doctrine. They might, no deal); by act of par-
liament, declare these marriages to be lawful, hut as long
u man was allowed the secrets* of private judgment--.o
long as they were bound by the obligations of conscience,
so long would their feelings continue to be influenced
by the consciousness of either right or wrong. These
marriage., wet n if permitted, would ultimately give occasion
to feelings of remorse the mast bitter to than who have
been tempted by their leg lation to commit an act of
which their eonscienes disapproved. He would mention
but one cue that had lately come to his knnwledee, which
would Nerve as an illustration of his remarks. A met, in
person became a widower early in life, end minded within
the prohibited degrees of kindred. At a later pi rind of
their union, when they had children of their marriage,
they. bath became an dissatisfied so their conscience for
having committed this breach of the law, that they felt
themselves under the obligation of eeparaing from each
other, la order that they might no longer live in a state of
concAinage. If they passed this m-a.ure into law they
would find themselves forced to go some steps further, by
furnishing groat facilities for divorce. It would inevitably
lead to further legislatioa. Suppose the case of two
brothers married to two sisters—there being no ob•
jection to the marriage. One of the brothers and one of the
sisters die. In such a position who, he would ask, if a
family were left in each C44C, could be so natural a guardian
to the children of the turviving brother as the aunt, or who
so likely to take a natural interest in the childrin of the de-
ceased hrother as the uncle ? But supposing the survivors
to marry, what would be their position ? According to the
bill of his right hen. friend, their merrier° would be legal,
as a man right marry his wife's sister; but according to
another law it would he file, al, which said that a man must
not marry his brother's wife. If this bill pa sett, he believed
it would nee,euitate further legislation; and on the ground
that it was at varianco with the law of Gad, he most
zealously °mused it.
Mr. S. WORTLEY having briefly replied.
The house divided, when there appeared :
For the second reading of the bill .... 132
Auenst it l3O-52
The bill was than read a second time, and ordered to be
committed on Wednesday ntxt.
Mr. F. MAULE rive notice that he would, in committee,
cove a clause to omit SCASIId from the operation of the
euure.
STAMP DUTY ON NEWSPAPERS.

On the motion of Mr. SCIIOLEFIRLD, an cstimste was
ordered of the ennuis! 'spume of collecting the stamp duty
on newspap.rs, stating the number and wages of persons
employed at Somerset hnitse, and in Edinburgh and Man-
chester, in stsniping the paper; the ann.isl cost of ma-
chinery, and the expense of clerks, including those who
rveire the money for stsnip=.
It being then bli u'elocx, the house adjouruA.

PARLIAMENTARY BUSINESS FOR TIIIS

EVKNING.

HOUSE OF LORDS.

SECOND Raanixos. Hartley's Divorce, and Sunday
Tra,tiou Prevcntion
Commrrrrn.—Ressoval of OW:nations in Corn Trade
(Scotland) Bill (No. 2).
Rrronr or ANENDMEWES.—Party Precestions (Iralan)
Hill. (The Lord President)
NOTICES OF NOTIONS ON ORDERS OF
THE DAY.

The Duke of WELLES OTON, as regards the foregoing
bill, to more • clause pieventing say pasun appearing in
arms in Ireland out of his house.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.
NOTICES OF QUESTIONS,
EvISCOTAI., S C. REvENUEiCoM,II,StoN. Mr. DEEDES,
to mak the first lord of the treasury, whether it is the inten-
tion of the government to bring forward, this session, any
bill founded on the repeat of the Epi-corl and Capitalar
Rev now Commission.
PUBLIC SIBHORP, to ask whether
such appniutments as bare been nude, or may be made,
since the last session of parliament, will be sublet to such
reductions in their &missies and ulicwancas es mu he recom
moodect by parliament, ant especially the etc:-.t appoint-
ment of the Lord Chief Justice of the Queen's 11. nett ; and
whether 101.,1 Campbell acc.-pts the same salary as Lord
Denman did, viz_ , 8,0001. per annum, instead of 10,0031.,
a, the set of parliament greats.
THE ELE,:rive Fuesciftsx.—Lori N(-GENT to ask
Sir De L- ey Evans whether he may be ut.der..ced as en-
gaging himself, is any event, to press forward to a discussion
and division, on the earliest open day atter the Easter re-
ars', the measure which he postponed on Tuesday evening
, last, respecting an :tanning of the rleoties franchise.
NOTICES OF MOTIONS.
I.r O'F. or Alersch.—To Mr. Pugh, for three weeks;
ill-h alth.
Ethers,' I:NioN.-7311r. I'. SCROPE, to submit • motion
on the state of this union.
THE Ilea.t.or.—Mr. 11. BERKELEY, Bill to protect the
parliamentary ;electors of Or,st Britain and Inland from
undue influence, by the use (tithe ballot.
NEF.TINui IN (NU utilE4, &c.—Mr. WOOD, Bill to pre-
vent the bolding of vestry or ether meetings in churches,
ani f r regniatioo the appointment of vestry desks.
RELIEF OF THE POOL—Mr. ADAIIL, 11:11 to provide
for the more equitable distribution of the charge foe the
relief of the poor in certain erica and tomes.
Duettists OF CORNWALL AND LANCASTER.—Mr. TEE-
LAWNY, to move for the appointment of a committee of
inquiry into the managoucert of the affairs of theso duchies,
lo orate to are, vain to what EMMA the public are entitled to
claim an interest therein.
Tan /LOYAL NAVY.—Mt. various returns, IS TO
number, eapense tonnage, &c., of the various ships sad
seeser in ordinary mad commission; expenses of dock-
yards, &c.
l'uoa Lew Ustoss (Eachesn).—Sir 1). NORHETS,
retains of Cnt. sr. a and valuation of each.
Pont Or NEWeest WAWN, retorts respecting.
ELECTORAL DIvI,IONS (IRELAND, &C.).-11r. lIAMIL-
TON, Morns respecting, in cootioustion of paper of last
session. N 0.193; and Ch it return relative to Suitors' k's.
Fund (Ireland), presented 21st July, 1549, be printed.
GOLD COAST.—Mr. 111;h18, address for topics or
tracts of the correspoodeuce that has taken pl tee between
the government of D. circuit and the British government
respecting the purchase of the settlement belonging to Den-
mark on the Gold Coast.
Ecrenhisit en CHURCH (WALE:).—Mr. J. WILLIAMS,
to move for returns on this subject.
Sescuote (ScuTLANl9.—ViscOnnt MELO U ND. to submit
a motion to the house for the retorts and extension of the
school establishment of Scotland.
Smoot Ftmus.—Mr. BAINES, BM to mate better
provision for the contributions of unions and parishes in
school districts, to the common funds or the respective dis-
tricts.
VALUATION (IRELAND).—Sit R. FERGUSON, returns
ea this subject, in continuation of paper of last session,
No. 407.
CIIISIIN• Row WITTAL.—Lard 1).
%latches respecting the cue of this person.
ORDERS OF TGE DAY.
SECOND READING.--Charitable Tr..slonllComtniteef;
Estates Leasing (Ireland) ; Judemente (Ireland); Rec,istrar
of Metropolitan Carriages; Titles of Reli ions Congregations
(Bcot'and) ; Bills. Report: Ways and Means.
NOTICES OF MOTION ON ORDER OF THE DAT.
ESTATES LEAEING (IRELAND) BILL—Sir It. FERGU-
SON, to move amendments.

STUART, de•

KIDDERMINSTER ELECTlON.—hlretillltt to the act
11 et 12 Viet., esp. 93, to amend the law for the trial of elec-
tion petitions, notice is here'i given that a select committee
to try and determine the matter of the petition comp Lining
of an undue election and return fur the borough of Kidder-
minster, will be chosen by the general committee of elections
on Monday, the 15'h day of April neat, at three o'clock in
the afternoon, in (A) committee room of the House of C
MO( e. All per ice interested are hereby err. rally directed
to attend the said general committee of elections, by them-
selves, their counsel, ur agents, at the time and place above
mentioned.—J.ll. Y. livaaau, Chairman.—llouse of Com-
mon', dated this nth day of March, lh.lo.

lIE LIsTON TFATIIfuNIAL. List evening a meet-
ing of the noblemen, gentlemen and members of the medical
and surgical profeioion, subscrihers to Um fund for providing
a suitable memorial to the lace eminent surgeon, J. Liston,
Efei , taok lilac.. at No. 32, Old Burlington Street. The
Marquis of Anglesey presided, and the report of the commit
tee was unanimously adopted, in which they stated that the
funds subscribed were not aullici ntly large to enable them
to complete the original design of erulting a colossal statue
to the memory of Mr. Lliroa, as well as founding a gold
medal to he called the ListenlllNhi, and annually preset.' .1
to the University College, London. To carry out these sug-
g. scions, a sum 011,4001. would ho required, while the sub-
scriptions mounted only to 7iol. They, thirefore, advised
the adoption of the recommendation to found a gold medal,
and also suggested the execution of four marble busts, one to
he presented to the Royal College of Surgeoth, a second to the
University College of Landon, n third to the Royal In firmary
of Edinburgh, and the fourth to the family of the late Mr.
Liston.

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