The Sun.
London, England, 1837-09-07 00:00:00

TUE SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 1837.

senters may become legally united by going first to a
poor-house, and then to a police office, and so on.
We do not pretend to recollect what- the precise pro-
cess is, but we know that a Poor-law functionary and
a magistrate can manage the affair, and the delicate
and conscientious Dissenter may become legally united
to his female without entering a church at all. But
arc they content with this? By no means. They
want to be " united" accerdio , to the forms of the Act
of Parliament in that cAse mader and provided, and yet
to havn credit for having been married according to the
forms of the Church. This is the only conclusion
we can draw from the extreme anger which they
manifest at the world being informed of their having
been " united 1' in conformity with the Act of
Gull. IV. If there be in the marriage service of
the Church something repugnant to the principles
and unpleasant to the- feelings- a- Radical Dissen-
ters, how happens it that they are averse from it
b. ing, made known that they have chosen the Act of
Parliament process instead ? What advantage can
it be to them to be classed indiscriminately among
the group of less scrupulous or less delicate per-
sons who do not prefer the offices of the Poor-law
man, or the registrar, to those of the clergyman of
the parish and his clerk ? Is it not very prepos-
terous that, after having striven for a legislative
sanction ~of a new process, because the old religious
service squared not with their philosophy," they
should now murmur, and rail, and spit forth venom
because it is related that they in some cases take ad-
vantage of this new process ? If we had calculated
upon Radical Dissenters being reasonable creatures
we should have expected exactly the reverse of all
this ill humour. We should have anticipated much
thankfulness on their part to all those who should
take pains to record their " united" triumphs, in
pursuance of the Act of Parliament, r.nd through
the assistance of the Poor-law man, and the Magis-
trate, and the Registrar. It seems hut natural that
when any one has striven to accomplish an object,
and has succeeded in it, he should be glad that all
his neighbours and fellow-men are aware that he had
not con:ended for nothing, but was actually in the en-
joyment of all the advantage of that which he had so
long endeavoured to obtain. The Radical Dissenters
are not, however, to be judged- by rules which apply
to the natural and the reasonable. They are far too
" enlightened" to be the one, and far too ill-natured
and tyrannical to be the other. Seeing the very great
objection which they have to the public being made
acquainted with their " unions" under the Act of Par-
liament it is clear that, for some reason or another,
they are ashamed of them. We have so objection to
this, for so we think they ought be ; but who could
have concluded this from the pertinacity with which
they demanded the new law ? There is, as it appears
to us, to be but one rational judgment now upon the
matter, and that is, that they strove against the old law,
and for the new, merely out of a groundless spirit
of discontent, and now they find that what they
have chosen instead is a nasty revolting thing, of
which even they cannot help being ashamed. So
much fur Dissenters' reforms. As for the grand " re-
gistration" by Act of Parliament, whether of births,
deaths, or marriages, we believe that it turns out, like
most Whig schemes, to be a complete failure. It has
enabled Lord John Russell to provide for Lady John
Russell's brother at the public expense ; and, for all
the rest, it turns out to be sheer nonsense. Such a
law was not wanted, and the Ministers, knowing this,
and being well aware that they would not be allowed to
abrogate the existing law, have produced an Act of Par-
liament which is, and must be, ineffective, except in so
far as it enables the LordJohnitussell to provide for his
poor relations. We see handbills put forth from the Re-
gistrar-General's Office (which, indeed, the Registrar is
cautious enough not to sign), soliciting business, much
after the fashion of a quack doctor's advertisement, and
containing a variety of statements not a whit more true
than the statements in such advertisements generally
are. There are very few so foolish as to be taken in
by these silly placards, although they are posted upon
every door of every little Dissenting conventicle in the
country. The Registrar-General has in consequence
nothing to do—which was perhaps intended ; but
there is a Mann in his office, who writes absurd letters
to the Clergy, telling them that they are to do so and
so, without considering that the Clergy are men who
will obey the law, and not the silly mandates, uncour-
.e Judy conveyed, of the Registrar-General's clerk.
We hope that, when Parliament meets, some Member
will move for copies of the correspondence between the
Registrar-General's office and the parochial Clergy of
England. If that correspondence be produced, the
public will see that, in nine cases out of ten,"the Re-
gistrar's clerk demands that which no Act of Parlia-
ment gives him any right to demand, and desires to be
done that which no Act of Parliament empowers him
to desire. As to the registration of deaths, nothing
can be more absurdly vague than the language of the
Act, and, consequently, nothing can be more absurdly
erroneous or defective than the registration will be.
Tie Registrar derives his information, or rather his
misinformation, of the facts which he records from
the undertaker, who thinks it his business to pro.
vide himself with a Registrar's certificate, or from the
Clergyman efficiating at the funeral of the deceased
person, when the undertaker has not brought such a
certifiate to the churchyard. In neither case is there
any pains taken to test the accuracy of the statement
given, and it is perfectly obvious that neither the un•
dertaker nor the Clergyman can be possessed, except
by accident, of a precise knowledge of the facts which
the Registrar is bound to record. The grand check
against the omission of due registration of death is a
penalty upon the Clergyman if he buries without the
Registrar's certificate, or without giving notice to the
Res,i,trar of having buried the body. If the corpse
comes without an accompanying certificate no Clergy-
man likes to suspend the interment, or to offer any such
rude shock to the feelings of sorrowing friends. lie,
therefore, takes the alternative of giving notice to the
Registrar. But what notice can he give ? The law
does not empower him to ascertain the precise age, the
cause of death, &c., which the Registrar ought to re-
cord. All he can say with certainty is, that, on such
a day, he buried a coffin, purporting to contain such
or such a deceased person. And this is the grand
amendment which the new Whig law provides to the
old system !—Morning Post.

A melancholy occurrence took place last week near
the Half Moon public-house, in the (vodatane-road. It
appears that a number of Irishmen and women had been
employed by Mr. Mills, the landlord of the Half Moon,
to assist him in harvesting, and on Tuesday, the labour
being completed, they were paid up their wages. A num-
ber of then' assembled, and were drinking together in the
evening in Mr. Mills's house, and among them were two
men named Michael Hennessy and Patrick Cahell. The
party were very friendly together until about nine o'clock
in the evening, when Hennessy brought in a plate of !meat
for his supper. Cahell cut off a small piece of meat,
and this greatly incensed Hennessy, who became very
violent, and Callen then said, rather than have any
angry feeling, he would buy him another plate of meat,
which he accordingly did. Hennessy, however, who had
been drinking rather freely, would not be pacified, and
made use of most violent langoage, and ultimately ran out
of the house, across the road, taking with him a knife and
fork belonging to Mr. Mills, the landlord, who insisted
upon having his property restored to him, and Cahell, it
appears, went after Hennessy for the purpose of taking the
knife and fork away from him. In a few seconds Cahell
was heard to call out, "he has murdered me." On pro-
ceeding to the spot, he was found on the ground, in an in-
sensible state, and bleeding profusely from a dreadful wound
upon the
head. Near him was found a large hedge-stake,
a most formidable weapon, with which it appears the injury
had been inflicted. The unfortunate man Cahell was re-
moved to the public-louse, where every attention was paid
him, and a ..urgcon pent for, who at once pronounc:d the
injuries he had received to be moi tal. He lingerel until
Thursday evening, in the most dreadful agony, when he
expired. Immediately after the fatal occurrence, Hen-
nessy absconded, and InIC not since been heard of. An in-
quest was held by Mr. Carter, the Coroner, upon the de-
ceased, on Saturday, when the above facts appeared in
evidence, and the Jury, after a short deliberation, returned
a verdict of " Manslaughter against Michael Hennessy."
The local constables have taken active steps to secure the
offender, but ho has hitherto eluded their pursuit.

Lib is like a game at cards : we know the cards
education, and eu-fttil-IP
will beat every one ; but he who plays them carefully will
do more with the ganati at 1;:,',41; then he who throws them
olt
iftusrohfannadtsur;ca,ll
we
have
to
do
is
to
putrr into
manage them WO, !!. t4eady adherence to the dictates of
j;gt z
thext random.t,ards
religion and sound reavou,

MIDDLESEX SESSIONS.

The Court sat yesterday for the purpose of hearing ap-
peas. Several parish appeals relative to the removal and
settlement of paupers, were disposed of, none of which were
of the slightest public interest.
MILLER AGAINST A CONVICTION OY BOYCE COMBE,
ESQ., FOR RECEIVING, AS THE CONDUCTOR OF AN OM-
NIBUS, MORE THAN HIS FARE.—This ettse. arose out of

the numerous complaints that arc constantly made of the
conduct of the drivers and cads of omnibuses• .

The complainant appeared in person, and stated that lie
was a watchmaker. On the night of the 17th of July,
about ten o'clock, he got into one of Chancellor's Chelsea
Omnibuses at the corner of Coventry-street, and proecaded
in it to the turnpike at Mite End. When he alighted he,
finding- he had not got a sixpence about him, gave the con-
ductor a shilling, having previously desired him to give
him Gd. change. The conductor appeared to be trying to find
the 6d. until he got complainant's shilling, and the moment
lie had got the shilling he said " That's right ; you got in at
Chelsea." Witness told him that was a mistake, as he got in
at Coventry-street. The cad then appealed to the driver, who
said, " To be sure, it's all right ; he got in at Chelsea."
Witness, finding he could not get his change, took the num•
ber of the omnibus, 2,330, and the next day applied to a
magistrate for a summons against the conductor, whose
name he obtained from a policeman the next morning.
While waiting at the turnpike-gate to get defendant's
name the same omnibus came up. Tho man who drove
it the previous night was then acting as cad, and it was
driven by the man who acted as cad the night before. The
witness said to the latter, " Do you recollect me ?" and he
said, " Oh, yes ; you're the person that got in at Chelsea
last night ; but rather than have any more bother about it
—there, take your money back again (offering him a shil-
hng), and you may have your ride for nothing." Witness
refused to take the shilling. It was after this that the po-
liceman gave him the defendant's name ; but it appears that
he made a mistake, and gave him the name of the one then
acting as cad instead of that of the man who acted in. that
capacity on the previous night. The defendant was fined
51. by the magistrate. The witness added he was satisfied
now the defendant was not the person he ought to have
summoned, and was sorry he had made a mistake in swear-
ing to him.

Mr. CLARKSON—And you have put the defendant to the
trouble and expense of calling witnesses to prove he was not
the man.

The CHAIRMAN—What if he has ? You could easily
have set him right before the case came here.
Complainant—l was only anxious to perform what I
ceasidcred a duty I owed to the public. The real defen-
dant is here in Court now.

CHAIRMAN—I am not at all surprised at that. I see
box this thing has been managed.
Complainant—The night was so dark that really I could
hardly tell the cad from the driver. They are both here
now, though.

The CHAIRMAN—I think your conduct does you credit.
Complainant--After the treatment I have met with I
am resolved to follow up the case, cost what it may. This
manoeuvre shall not prevent me from punishing the party.
You (the Chairman) are not aware of the difficulty there is
in getting at the names of these fellows.

The CiIIAIRMAN - I am ; I have prosecuted some e':

them. They know me now, and are, if anything, over civil
to me. Another time, Sir, summons the owner of the om-
nibus ; you will find no difficulty in ascertaining his name.
Complainant—l will do so. The case lam determined
shall not rest here.

The CHAIRMAN—We can give no advice here as to your
future proceedings.
The appeal was then allowed, and thus the defendant
will recover the .51., which he was fined by the Magistrates
against whose decision he appealed.
The Court then adjourned.