The Sun.
London, England, 1849-12-21 00:00:00

FRIDAY EVENING,

the inhabitants of the city, and ii likewise ex-
tremely unwholesome ; and the gad monopoly. The
ear,dida•es, and ii,any o' the eh etors took the most
i Oral vi w of the que,tion, and adopted resolutions tie-
cordirg!y. Tae notrinstion of the following. genii. men
to sere as C.,rtmolCounri'tnen. Kim took place. viz.:—
Mrserr. Wright. Kifb-e, tleyward, I),nf. rd, Christie,
Thempkon, lie kur, Jutsum, •Vile, aid *Buiroughs.
Tro show of littic's being in favour of the first ci;ht, a
pill wes demanded.

BASSISHAW WARD RETURNS Fenn MEMBERS.—Mr.
James declined ihe h(mour of again serving av Common
Councilman. The following gentlemen were proposed,
viz, M. sirs. Bretton, Lister, Wilson, and liardvkick.
It is not expec ed that any uthir candidate will come
forward; should' sco be the case the abovenatn, d g n.
tleoien will be the tepre eiitatives 4 f the ward.
Those marked thus are new candidater.

CHILDREN'S CHRISTMAS BOOKS.

LEILA; or, The Island.• By Ann Fraser Tytler
Fourth Edition.
LEILA. IN ENGLAND.

MARY AND FLORENCE; or, Grave and Gay

Ninth Edition:
MARY AND FLORENCE AT SIXTEEN.

Miss Tytler's works have all seen many editions,
and they still retain their prominent po,ition among
the very beat of children's books. Even Miss Edw.,-
worth's writings are less interesting, and less quali-
fied to benefit their youthful readers, than are
the delightful histories of Leila and Mary
and Florence. It is said that a really good
child's book is interesting to readers of all
ages, and such is certainl3 the case with these
charming volumes. Many a three-volumed novel
is found on perusal less attractive in style, and less
enthralling in interest, (than these outwardly
unpretending. but actually beautiful works. "Leila ;
or, the Island" relat, a the history of a shipwrecked
family—a young chill, Lei a, her father, and old
nurse, the sole survivors of a shipwreck, who
live, like Robinson Crusoe, on a desert island. The
theme affords abundant rcom for romantic and in-
structive episodes. " Leila in England" has for its
heroine the same guileless, affectionate, and really
child like Leila—not even Dickens has portrayed
a more charming and natural child. Leila comes from
her desert island totally unacquainted with the realities
of life. The most common-place incidents are to her a
matter of marvel, and her mistakes are of the most
ludicrous kind possible. A touching episode in this
history of Leila is the introduction of a dumb girl,
who not born dumb, but thus afflicted in consequence
of some accident, ultimately recovers the power of
speech in's moment of terror. These volumes, and
those of " Mary and Florence," are crowded with
incidents, and filled with natural conversations.
An air of actuality pervades them, always an attrac-
tive feature to young readers. Beyond this they are
so admirably, because so imperceptibly imbued with
the holy precepts of Christianity, applied to the every-
day incidents of life, that for this reason especially
every well-wisher of the young will gladly see these
delightful volumes in youthful hands. They are
books to be read not once but continually, and always
with new pleasure, and perhaps with lasting benefit.

MARRIAGE WITH A DECEASED

WIFE'S SISTER.

It will be remembered that a Commission was
lately issued to sift the evidence for and against an
alteration prayed for in the law of marriage. 'The
public has been waiting with anxiety for some :time
past to learn what progress was made, and the Corn
missioner* have now issued their First Report, with
minutes of evidence, appepdix, and very copious
index.

As the subject will again be broached early in the
next session of Parliament, it is desirable to refer to
the Report, and also to lay before the public such
parts of the evidence as hear the most pointedly on
the question at issue. The friends of the anxiously
expectant petitioners, together with the petitioners
themselves, will now redouble their exertions, tinder
a confident hope that their labours will speedily be
crowned with success.

The Commissioners commence their First Report
by directing attention to the question of marriages
within the prohibited degrees of affinity, and to the
law affecting such marriages• They then proceed to
observe—

" That they do not conceireit necessary, in discharge
of the duty entrusted to them, to attempt to en.et into
any examination of the law c.r practice, in reap, ct to
such marriages in the early ages of Christianity. Ia
reference to this it may be sufficient to state, that for
several centuries marriages Within certain degrees of
affinity were prohibited by the Church, but that by the
authority of- the' Pope dispensations were granted,
though to what extent and in what eases we do net in-
quire. In England we apprehend that this was the
state of the law up to the time of King Henry VIII.,
and marriages within the present prohibited degrees of
affinity were null and void, unless dispensations had been
first obtained."

" The question, whether marriages within the present
prohibited degrees of affinity were permitted by the li.vt
of God, was the subject of much discussion when King
Henry VIII. sought to be relieved from his mateings
with Queen Katharine. This marriage was pronounced
null and void by Archbishop Cranmer. From that
period the Ecclesiastical Courts dealt with these mar-
riage,,, at fast by pronouncing them null and void; not-
withstanding one or both of the parties might be dead
when the suit wee sought to be commenced. Butin the
time of Junes I. the courts of common law inteileted,
and prohibited the spiritual courts from proceeding to
pronounce them null and void after the death of one of
the parties. Hence all these marriages came to be icalli d
voidable marriages, in contradistinction to those 'which
were void, as in the case of a marriage wherei there
was a first husband or wife living at the time Of the
second Marriage ;or where one of the parties 3t-as a
lunatic at the time of celebrating a marriage. Mar-
riages, therefore, within the prohibited degrees were
only voidable; and if they were not pronounced nil! and
void by the competent ecclesiastical tribunals duripg the
lives of both putties, their validity cou'd not be after-
wards questioned, nor the legitimacy of the children be
impeached." i
" This state of the law continued unaltered iri Eng-
land until the year 1835, when the statute .5 !and 6
William IV., chap. 54 (commonly called Lord Lynd-
burst's Act) passed. The effect of that statute Ivan to
prohibit the Ecclesiastical Courts from ent.rtainiag any
suit for the purpose of pronouncing null and void mar-
riages within he prohibited degrees of affinity, celebrate d
before the passing of the Act; and all such marriages
celebrated after the passing of the Act wore declared by
it to be null and void."

The Commissioners proceed to observe—
" That they find from a mass of evidence, that mar-
rioges of this kind are permitted by dispensation or
otherwise in nearly all the continental states of Enrepe."
In some cases in the Roman Catholic Church they
are prohibited as matter of discipline, but such pro.
hibition may be and is dispensed with by the .Pope ;
and upon this principle—" that the Church, and not
the law -of God, has imposed the prohibition, and
therefore that the Church for fitting reasons rimy dis-
pense with it."
Regarding the law on this subject in the United
States of America, it cannot be better illustrateld than
by quoting the following pusage from the late 'Alr.
Justice Story :
"In many, and indeed in most of the AmericantStates,
marriages between a man and the sister of his tformer
deceased wife are not only decreed in a civil sense law-
tul, but are deemed in a moral, religious, and Christian
sense lawful, and exceedingly praiseworthy. In some
few of the States the English rule is adopted. Nothing
is more common in almost all tke States of America than
second marriages of this sort; and so far front being
doubtful as to their moral tendency, they are in America
deemed the very best sort of marriages. In my IN hole
life (says the !etc Judge), I never heard the slightest
suggestion against them, founded on moral or dbmestic
considerations."

Such, then, is a brief history of the prohibitions
attached by human authority to marriage with a de-
ceased wife's sister. It will b© observed Oat the
church which was the first to institute them, and
which still maintains them over great part of Europe,
claims no Divine authority for its command, but
gives it as a matter of discipline only, voidable by a
dispensation from the Pope, or where, from distance,
resort could not be had to Rome, then by othrs em-
powered by him to hear the " fitting reasons.",

MUNIFICENT DONATIONS AND BEQUESTS.--rAbollt
two years ago William Long, Esq., of Queen-street,
Cheapside, transferred to the trustees of‘ the Society for
the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts the
sums of 19,4001. in the Three per Cent. Consols, 10,8001.
in the Three-and-a-Quarter per Cents., and 3,000/.
Bank Stock, subject to toe life interest of himself and of
Mrs. Fowler, his sister, and to certain life annuitants
for small sums, amounting altogether to about 150/.
Mrs. Long and Mrs. Fowler both departed this life in
the month of January last, and sufficient to cover the
small annuities having been retained in hand, the so-
ciety, therefore, has come into possession of Mr. Long's
munificent donation, which, at the present prices of the
stocks noted, will amount to upwards of 30,000/. In
addition to this splendid donation, Mrs. Fowler, by her
will, bequeathed the sum of 5501. to the same society;
to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals,
5501.; to the School for the Indigent Blind. 550/.; to the
City of London National School, 5501 ; and to the Hoine,
Missionary Society, 550/.
BREAD-STREET WARD.—A meeting took place in
_this ward on We,dnesday last, for the purpose of paying
a well merited tribute of respect to Thomas Corney,
Esq., for his long and valuable services to the ward as
its deputy ar.d trt asurer of its schools. The inhabitants
have caused his portrait to be taken by J. P. Knight,
E-q., X.A. (who has produced an admirable laciness),
and it is now placed in the board-room of the school-
house, London-wall, where it was exhibited on Wednes-
day in the presence of Mr. Alderman Musgrove and a
few friends assetnblt din honour of the occasion. The
children of the schools (SO in number) were admitted,
and afterwards partook of a substantial dinner provided
for them in the board-room. The worthy alderman, in
an excellent speech, passed a well-deserved encomium
on the integrity and character of Mr. Deputy Corney,
and then addressed the children, pointing out the ad-
vantage of the education they were receiving, and which,
aided by industry and perseverance, might place them in
elevated positions. • -