The Sun.
London, England, 1855-04-26 00:00:00

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of nature, he would only say that he must express his
utter disbelief in an universal law of nature on this
point, which had only been revealed to the Scotch.
(Laughter.) This law of nature was not written in the
hearts of continental nations, nor of Protestants, nor
of Roman Catholics. (Hear.) The next objection was
that these marriages were opposed to the canon law of
the Church ; but he thought a cursory examination of
those laws would convince them that other prohibitions
therein contained were not now regarded. (Hear, hear.)
Dismissing the question of the prohibition of the statute
law, the hon. gentleman proceeded to offer some re-
marks on the general subject in a social point of view,
which he said appeared to him to assume the form of
mere individual taste and sentiment. (Hear.) Having
replied to several of the objections which had been urged
against the measure, he concluded by expressing his cor-
dial concurrence in its object and his support to the
second reading of the bill.
Mr. NAPIER believed the proposed change in the
law was regarded with abhorrence and disgust by a
large proportion of the community of all classes. Why
was Scotland exempted if it were not in consequence of
the extreme repugnance which that nation felt to the mea•
sure ? Why, then, was it intended to foist it upon Ire-
land, where the feeling was equally strong ? (Hear.) The
hon. and learned gentleman contended at some length
that marriage with a deceased wife's sister was not per-
missible amongst the Jews, as had been urged ; and
then went on to view the question as being parallel with
the prohibition contained in Scripture of marriage with
a brother's wife, in support of which he adduced the
authority of several ecclesiastical and theological writers.
And yet, he continued, the house was called upon to set
at naught all these opinions, the canons of the Church,
and the feelings of a large majority of the people, for what ?
Simply to gratify the wishes and the sensual desires of a
few persons with whom the present state of the law was
found to interfere. (Hear, hear.) There were indeed
some restrictions with regard to marriages which they
might remove, but they could not abolish a restriction
like this without incurring the dangerous responsibility
of introducing into our social system an element which
would be fatal, as it developed itself, as it undoubtedly
would, to the sanctity of domestic relations and domestic
happiness. (Hear, hear.) He therefore begged the
house to pause before it took so serious a step. (Hear.)
Mr. M. MILNES condemned the terms in which the
hon. and learned gentleman who had just sat down had
referred to those persons who, feeling moral and
religious obligations as strongly as the honourable
member did, nevertheless considered that they were
at least not transgressing the law of God in contracting
these marriages. He contended that it was wrong to
oppose any particular deductions of their own
from Scriptural passages on questions like these to the
very strong feeling manifested by the people of
this country, which be affirmed was the case. He
put it to the house to say whether, had the moral sense of
the people of this country, about which so much had
been said, been offended by marriages of this kind when
they were permissible, they would have availed them-
selves of the unrestricted opportunity of contracting
them to such an extent as they did in that day ? (Hear.)
On the other hand, however, things were changed, and
such unions were no longer allowable by law. Yet,
under these circumstances, he found the national voice
raised against the existing legal prohibition ; whilst large
numbers of the clergy were appealing to members of that
house to support the proposed bill, in order to enable
them to enforce the observance of the ordinary rules of
decency and morality with which the present absence of
legalisation of these marriages had seriously interfered.
(Hear.) There were powerful arguments to his mind in
favour of the measure, independently of those which had
been so well urged by other hon. members, and he
should therefore give the second reading of the bill his
sincere support. (Hear, hear.).

Mr. K.SEYMER contended that this movement
was not intended, as he had seen it stated, for the
advantage of the poor, who but for agitation in more in•
fluential quarters might have gone on marrying the
sisters of their deceased wives without any legal in-
terference. He affirmed that all the arguments
of a social character tended to support the pro-
priety of maintaining the present state of the law,
and then went on to argue at considerable length that the
proposed bill was simply an act to relieve all those who
had acted contrary to the law of the land from
the consequences of their indiscretion ; and that if intro-
duced and legalised all the social relations of life would
be completely disturbed, and the happy intercourse sub-
sisting between relatives quite interrupted. (Hear, hear.)
He should most decidedly oppose the measure. (Hear.)
Mr. T. CHAMBERS said no doubt the house would
admit he was making a fair proposition when he asked
them to allow him to set the eloquence of his right hon.
and learned friend (the Attorney-General) on the one
side against that of the hon. and learned gentleman op-
posite (Mr. Napier), on the other, and leave the ques-
tions as to the existing evil of the present state of the
lzw as brought forward by the former, and the supposed
evils which would result from its alteration, as main-
tained by the other a'-together in abeyance, whilst he
addressed himself exclusively to the religious bearing
of the subject. This, the hon. gentleman remarked,
was in his opinion the only proper light in which it
ought to be examined, because if the existing law was
not justified by being based on a religious foundation.
it had no right in the statute book. (Hear, bear.) He
accordingly briefly expressed his views on this
point, as offering no impediment whatever to
marriage with a deceased wife's sister. He then glanced
at the social objections which had been urged
against the measure, but he held that those
were merely minor considerations. (Hear.) As t. 4 the
arguments that an alteration of the law would conduce to
deteriorate the purity of the connubial state, and that it
was socially undesirable, he thought they were value-
less, as the questions involved would adjust themselves
according to the particular circumstances of different
cases. On these grounds he should support the bill.
Mr. WHITESIDE next rose, and iu a few. forcible
remarks opposed the measure.
It being now a quarter to 6 o'clock, the debate was
adjourned.
AFFIRMATIONS (SCOTLAND) BILL.

This bill was read a third time and passed.
Some other business on the paper being disposed of,
the house adjourned.

ARMY BEFORE SEBASTOPOL COM-
MITTEE.

(Continued from eur first impression of yesterday.)
EXAMINATION OF THE DUKE OF
NEWCASTLE.
Sir. J. Pakington—Your grace stated yesterday that
no exception was taken by any high military authority
to the expedition to the Crimea. Can you inform me
whether there was any objection on the part of any one
to the strength of the army sent there ?
Duke of Newcastle—There was not.
Sir J. Pakington—Will your grace inform me what
arrangements were made by the Government for recruit-
ing the army in the East ? There was no reserve I pre-
sume ?

Duke of Newcastle—lt is a mistake to suppose there
was not a reserve. After the expedition sailed for the
East there remained behind Sir Geo. Cathcart'e divi-
sion, comprising some 6,000 or 7,000 men, which was a
reserve ; and when that was despatched, there still
remained a reserve of about 10,000 men, whic:i was sent
out to reinforce the army immediately after the battle of
Inkerman. Of course, in other respects the militia was
looked to to recruit the army, and it was embodied im-
mediately after the new act was passed.
Examination continued—When it was known that the
army must winter in the Crimea no time was lost in
giving orders to the contractors for the supply of huts,
nor was there any delay in their being shipped after
steamers were procured for the purpose. The first cargo
left this country about the latter end of November or
the beginning of December.
By Mr. Drummond—The expedition to the East was
determined on oe. the 19th of February last year, and, as
I have already stated, it was always contemplated that
in case any engagement with the Russians in Turkey
did not prove successful, that some offensive opera-
tions in the Crimea would ensue. Instructions
were sent out to the ambassadors at St. Petersburg and
Constantinople to endeavour to obtain some information
relative to the strength of the defences of Sebastopol,
the resources of the country, and the disposition of the
inhabitants ; but, as I have before said, no information
of the kind could be obtained. I have no hesitation in
giving an unqualified denial to the statement that
an offer through Admiral Dundas was made to
the Government to supply any such information.
If any offer of this kind was made to the Ambassador it
was his duty to have intimated that to the Government.
but no intimation of the sort was received from him,
It may turn out, however, if any proposition of this
nature was really made to Lord Stratford, that it was
in fact one of those chimerical schemes, so many of
which have been laid before the Government—sent for
instance as a plan of taking Sebastopol by means of
balloons. (Laughter.)
The noble duke, on the subject of small arms, said
that he had ordered 20,000 minie rifles to be made at
Birmingham, but in consequence of the delay that took
place in furnishing them he was obliged to order 20,000
to be made at Liege, which were supplied, and the
making of which prevented an order from the Russian
Government for 100,000 of the same weapons being fur-
nished.
In reply to Colonel Lindsay, his grace stated that the
recruiting, though carried on by the Horse Guards, came
under his cognisance as War Minister. He had frequent
communications with Lord Hardinge and other officers
on the subject, and they were strongly opposed to the
increase of the bounty. He himself was in favcur of
increasing it, but he yielded to their opinions as
being, be conceived, more competent judges, though be
afterwards regretted that the bounty had not been raised
at an earlier period than it was. The militia were never
under him, though he wished to have that done, but
was overruled ; he was also in favour of allowing the
disembodied militia to enlist into the line without being
called upon to pay back the bounty, and he considered
the probibitiou against militiamen volunteering into the
l"n" ought to have been taken off sooner.
t 0 I,n, reference,
a
no Ztriii-Lne—teard, said, from August to October there were
1 tinny were antletrairt7 held,
though very important opera-
not usual to hole tinle going on in the Crimea. It was
year, as most of the CabinetC meetings at that time of the
y.
prorogation of Parliamentmet Ministers left town after the
By Col. Lindsa
September eo operationuetg the whole of August and
quire the presence in town eorfe going on that would are-
quire
the Cabinet Ministers.
On a question put by Mr.
ard, as to whether his
grace badlrehde remonstraneeasY
of the staff
thegracea 'rooms as
n t
wYas cleared.
appointments in the Crimea,
said he made no
When it was again opened, his
official objection to those appointments but he had
spoken about some of them to Lord Harding_, express,