The Sun.
London, England, 1863-07-30 00:00:00

The St, Briavel's Re-Marriage Case.

In 1855, the Rev. A. Lush, curate of Greywell, Hants,
prevailed upon a couple, who had been married at an Inde-
pendent chapel fourteen months before, to be re-married by
him ; the parties being described in the banns, and in the
register, as a bachelor and a spinster respectively.
For this offence against the law he was committed for
trial at the Winchester assizes; but, in tho interim he
thought it proper to confess his error, and the prosecution
was abandoned. In his apology, he acknowledged the
validity of marriages performed either in dissenting chapels
or before Superintendant Registrars, and also that they
were " binding in the sight of the Church."

Another clergyman, who has either forgotten these facts,
or who is determined to brave the penalties of the law, has,
it would seem, just committed a similar offence.
On the 21st of June, a young couple were married at the
Independent chapel, Monmouth, the man being an Episco-
palian, and the woman a Baptist. Eight day after, the
vicar of St. Briavel's, Coleford, the Rev. H. Walmesley,
re-married them; describing the man in the register as a
bachelor, and the woman as a spinster, and entering the
woman's maiden name.

The Government having been questioned by Sir Morton
Peto, whether they intended to prosecute the offender under
the 4th of Geo. IV. c. 76, s. 29, Mr. Bruce, the Under So-
cretary of State, has replied that--

" He did not think that the conduct of the vicar in ques-
tion was such as to make him liable to prosecution for
felony under the Act 4 George IV., c. 76. Either the first
marriage was valid or it was net. If it was valid, then all
that wr.s done was superfluous, and could not be the subject
of prosecution. If the first marriage was invalid, then
everything was properly done. It was clear the conduct of
the vicar was not an offence against the law. It might be
an offence against good taste and good feeling, and as such
to be condemned."

In this answer Mr. Bruce has either avoided the question
put to him—which was, whether Mr. Walmesley would be
prosecuted for the false entries made in the register—or he
is wrong in his view of the law. For Mr. Walmesley has
clearly violated the 29th section of the act referred to,
which adjudges any one to be guilty of felony who know-
ingly makes a false entry in a parish
.register; F eeing that
he has registered the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Huila as
that of a bachelor and spinster, he at the time knowing that
they were legally man and wife.

He cannot even shelter himself behind the provision of an
act of Parliament passed since the occurrence, of the Grey-
well case, and passed for the purpose of meeting the views
of High Church clergymen, who are shocked at the idea of
contracting a marriage without any religious service. For
the 12th section of the Marriage Act passed on the 29th of
July, 185 G, provides, that if the parties to any marriage
contracted at a registry office shall desire to add the reli-
gious ceremony of the body to which they belong, they may
present themselves to a minister of that body for the pur-
pose. But it is expressly provided, that the Superinten-
dent Registrar's certificate of marriage must be produced,
and "nothing in the reading or celebration of such service
shall be held to supersede or invalidate any marriage so pre-
viously contracted, nor shall such reading or celebration be
enterd as a marriage among the marriages in the parish
registry."

As to the off-hand official assertion, that if the first
marriage was valid, " everything that happened subse-
quently was null," it may satisfy Churchmen, but it will
not satisfy Nonconformists, who are the best judges as to
the mischievousness of such proceedings as those of the
vicer of St. Briavel's. With much difficulty they have suc-
ceeded in securing the right to celebrate their marriages in
their own places of worship, instead of in those of the Es-
tablishment. They know by experience how assiduously
Churchmen try to prevent persons availing themselves of
that right. Is it likely, therefore, that they will quietly
allow a public functionary, who is bound to respect and
uphold the law, to break the law for the purpose of casting
contempt on Nonconformist marriages, and producing the
impression on unthinking people that they are neither
sanctioned by the legislature, nor can be followed by the
blessing of Heaven

Fortunately, what the Government declines to do may
be done by others ; and, without wishing for any resort to
vindictive proceedings, we hope that this case will be vigo-
rously dealt with by the Committee of Dissenting Deputies,
who did good service by their proceedings against Mr.
Lush in 1856. It is more than a matter of feeling which is
involved ; for the greatest practical evils may arise if the
clergy of the Establishment are allowed with impunity to
make delusive entries in our parish registries.—(From the
forthcoming volume of the Liberator.)

Mr, Gladstone's Chance of Becoming Leader

of the House of Commons.

Mr. Gladstone's management of the House of Commons
closely resembles the Irishman taking his pig to market
than any other kind of leadership. The want of sympathy
between him and his audience shows itself very strikingly.
He cannot bring himself to understand an Englishman's
aversion to crooked ways, either intellectual or moral. His
performance upon the night on which the Exhibition build-
ing was disposed of has left behind it, in the minds of num-
bers of men, doubts of his political honesty which it will
take years to efface. Yet it was a blunder which a genuinely
dishonest man would never have committed. A man who
had been accustomed to practise upon the credulity of his
follow-men might not have been afraid to induce an assem-
bly to purchase a bit of land which was heavily encum-
bered, by the assurance that the title was clear from all
encumbrance; but he would not expose his own trick to his
mortified dupes within a fortnight of its success. It was
eminently the proceeding of a man who had every desire to
be honest, but who had so crooked and warped his own
mind that he had become unable to discern whether a given
course of conduct was or was not likely to offend other men's
moral perceptions. All these defects intensify each other
in the minds of those whom they affect. A very large mass
of the House of Commons are offended by the extreme
superciliousness of manner with which Mr. Gladstone treats
every opposition that threatens to be formidable. He treats
the house as though he seemed in all good faith to believe
that his supercilious objurgations are gentle and dignified
remonstrances. His perceptions upon this subject are so
strangely blunt, that it is difficult to shake off the impres-
sion that he learnt his present style of speaking in some
previous state of sxistence, when he was in the habit of ad-
dressing other Gladstones formed like unto himself. It
would seem that these wonderful beings decidedly liked
being snubbed in the tone in which the usher of a country
school rebukes his little boys, and found that an abundant
garnish of unnecessary words was rather an assistance to
them than otherwise in comprehending the statement of
simple matters of fact. But there is no immediate proba-
bility that an English assembly will attain to this height
either of tolerance or of perception, A considerable num-
ber in the House of Commons again bear a grudge against
him for the harshness with which his legislation has been
directed against their class interests. These, however, are
grounds of dislike which men do not care to avow very
openly ; and possibly they would gradually wear away if
they were not supported by others more respectable. But
they add no little intensity to the vigilance with which his
sins against direct and straightforward dealing are detected,
and to the force with which they are denounced. Just as
Lord Palmerston's popularity of manner makes men very
kind to the virtues of his policy, the schoolmaster tone that
has become a second nature to Mr. Gladstone prevents even
his professed supporters from affecting the slightest blind-
ness to his many political failures.—Saturday Review.

6CULLERS' MATCH }OR £2oo.—The exciting
sculiers' mutch for £lOO aside, between Robert
Chambers, champion of the Thames and Tyne, and Robert
Cooper, was decided on the Tyne on Tuesday evening, in
the presence of a large muster of spectators. The lace was
rowed in outrigged boats, the distance being from the high
Level-bridge to a boat, moored off Waterson's Gate, about
one mile. A vast deal of interest was centred in this
contest from the well-known speed of the champion, and
the fine rowing power displayed by Cooper in his late racen
on the Thames with Everson ; while the hollow manner _
:which he defeated Tagg in a mile race on the same day in
which he boat Everson induced his friends to back him
freely at the odds of six and seven to four,
upon Chambers. At the appointed time they littilijec;arrwoocwrheeediaceff,
to their stations, Cooper, who won
taking the north side. A very even
at the end of 100 yards Cooper was leaheiy.
finally won by
and maintaining his position througering
the champion's
startdt.he wbt:assheaffueactleedn,gatnhd,
nearly three boats' lengths,
colours on his own favourite water.
CHESTRAS, growls a
THE MAJORITY OF OUR
thus low
ttlealnedvehoarvefegeol.t.
Reviewer,e cponeltrs shtesnorf; menand whowhe
when
scrapeth they
.afansdtihdlieouvisaStateuardmaayny
their pay;as a tailor has no ardent passion
feel-
ing for music as such--as have scraped rand
eb
satisfied.lnsh_tihisgTe thtleeyd
have quantity,li
for trousers in theTahbesytraecatli, atnhdemasegirvoecse,r, caarntisftese,,l,nhoutSetnhteiy-
moat for sugar.
are mechantes, and the result is just what might be looked
for.
M, ALEXANDRE DUMAS has written a new
piece, "L'Ami des Femmes," which will be played in
Faris at the GYranase,