The Sun.
London, England, 1837-02-17 00:00:00

MARRIAGES BILL.

Viscount MELBOURNE said that he had to move the
first reading of a Bill to suspend the operation of the
Marriage Act, and the Registration of Births, Deaths,
and Marriages Act, which had passed last Session. The pre-
sent Bill consisted of three clauses, the first of which provided
the postponement of the operation of these Acts for four months
from the Ist of March to the last day of June neat. The Bill was
brought in on those simple grounds of which their Lordships
were aware—the machinery by which the Acts were to be car-
ried into effect, consisted of the Boards of Guardians, and as
there was reason to suspect that a great many more unions
would.be formed by the Ist of July, it was thought better that the
system should be carried into effect at once, and for this
purpose, it was proposed to suspend the operation of the
the Acts until then. The remaining two clauses of the pre-
sent Bill were consequent upon the first, and he would now
move that it be read a first time.

Lord BROUGHAM thought, on the short ground stated
by his Noble Friend, that the operation of the Act alluded to
ought to be postponed ; but he really could not, upon the
short notice he had had, say that the present Bill might not
require a great deal of alteration in its machinery. It had
only been put into his hand about an hour ago, and it would
be necessary to examine it carefully with two former Acts of
considerable length. He should take the earliest opportunity
of comparing them, and.give the present measure all the sup_
port he possibly could.
The Bid was then read a first time. •

The Marquis of LANSDO WNE presented petitions from
a Dissenting Congregation in Hackney, and a Congregation of
Baptists in the-parish of Corsby, Wilts, praying for the total
abolition of Church-rates.

Lord BROUGHAM presented petitions from the Congre-
gations of Dissenters in the county of Norfolk, from Weather_
field, Suffolk, and from Hamilton, praying for the total aboli-
tion of Church-rates. The Noble Lord thought it right to
call the attention of the House to part of the petition
from Hamilton. The petition was signed by a grea
number of persons as highly respectable as any of
his Majesty's subjects could possibly be ; and, although he
entirely approved of the petition generally, yet some of its
language was .so strong, that he was bound to bring it to the
notice of their Lordships. At the same time the petition was
respectful, and he did not think that the strength of its lan-
guage ought to cause the House to reject it. The petitioners,
in speaking with reference to the Est,.blished Church, ex_
pressed their astonishment that it should be so mean, so unjust,
and so obnoxious, as to exact form its poorer brethren a tax
which they consider they were in nowise bound to pay.
The Noble Lord then presented petitions from dissenting con-
gregations in liadleigh, Anglesey. Wincanton, Highgate
Chapel, Huddersfield, Bradford, Marlborough Chapel, Old
Kent-road, Stepney Chapel, Stepney, Earl-street Chapel,
Walwortti, Clapton Chapel, Upper Clapton, a chapel in
Islington, and from the Town-Council of the Borough
of Newport, all praying for the total abolition of Ch'ireh-rates.
The Noble Lord said that all the petitions he had now pre-
sented (and he had a great ninny more to the same effect, but
which he should not detain the House with at present,) joined
in praying for the total abolition of Church-rates without
throwing any portion of them on a general fund.
They also all joined in opinion that matters had better remain
as they at present were-, than that such commutation should take
place. Although most of them were Dissenters, many of them
were Churchmen who joined in the petitions ; and the ground
they took was, that it was unjust to cast upon Dissenters
this tax for the support of a Church of which they
were not members. Not all of them, but some of them, held it
to be contrary to the rights of conscience, and contrary to the
laws of God, that they should be called upon to pay this rate,
and consequently they held it to be illegal, and such as could
not be enforced by the laws of man.
The House then adjourned.