The Sun.
London, England, 1855-05-10 00:00:00

BILL.

This bill went through committee, and was ordered
to be reported to-morrow.
MARRIAGE LAW AMENDMENT BILL.

Sir W. HEATHCOTE resumed the adjouromtnt of
the debate on the second reading of this bill. He "aid
that the law at present existing with respect to mar-
riage might be considerably Unproved, and that the
course that had been pursued in Germany might perhaps
be adopted ; but he was afraid that the present bill was,
to say the least of it, a short-sighted legislation. He
believed that the verses in Leviticus might be construed
both for and against this bill. If, however, there was
any doubt upon the subject, he thought that doubt
should be given in favour of the law as it at present
stood.
Mr. PHINN objected to the proposition made by the
right hon. baronet. He totally objected to the argu-
ment that those who supported the present bill were
opposed to settled legislation. He believed that the law
as it at present existed was totally against the edicts
given by Holy Writ. Could it be doubted, looking at
that holy work, that kings and princes who were
living in polygamy had been looked upon with spe-
cial favour. (Hear, hear.) He believed that, looking
at scripture generally, no man could find any
authority for disputing the provisions of the present bill.
He thought the passages in Leviticus and Deuteronomy
were rather in favour than against the present bill.
Years ago the law upon the subject of marriage was
looked to in a very different light to that in which it
was viewed at present. Formerly the different pro-
!sionis of every church were looked to ; that was not
:lon case at present. Marriage was now not
It ."?leaiastical law, but a common question. (Henn)
to had been said that this bill bad been brought forw .rd
lowero otthe upper classes. His opinion was that the
than theses
ssuffered more by the present marriage law
sent bill
house
and that the adoption of the pre-
the house
wool!ffect the best results. Ho hoped Oat
the biliast_aulagii:: its assent to the second readinrz of
country that the
x:0::::: h
Mr. R. PAlliwel.gree izan nia7niteYsta:n the
hoeulsubject. to the
that the present bin, it g
.t there could be no doubt
the foundations of ed, would touch not onl
itself, because it emu', but those of Christendom
urf:egsret:s house to
revise the decision that hadA
the
not learned divines, who,
great
come to by those
ot to be
adopted the Thirty-nine deliberatl,)u,
It was said that such divines as ersuranefr
considered, because at the time they lived n
under the domination of Henry VIII but they Were
course that Cranmer bad pursued be forgotten, %uhlde,thi,e
was asked to give his assent to the marriage of the King
with Anne Boleyn. (Hear, hear.) He looked with
considerable alarm upon any measure that was
to reverse the decision of ages, and, to pot aside the
laws of morality which had been adopted by their an-
(*store- (Hear, hear,) Milton had thought and written
upon this subject, and his opinions were entitled, as
"re also those of Melancthon, to the greatest consi:!e.
ration, and they were totally averse to that which was
proposed by the present bill. (Hear, hear.) He asked
thEnegtudsev to
ioteree with a bill which made that legal in
• •
Mr. 11- old be monstrous in Scotland. (Hen? )
bill, and in doin Supported the second reading of the
hon. and learned member
lle believed that if the i r!-
designated the arguments of the
for Plymouth (Mr. B. Palmer)
as unsound and artificial.
sent bill was not
passed,tu
house would abet a cow se
%Nut ea noting of morality 1
of persecution which Wwas