The Sun.
London, England, 1849-05-04 00:00:00

BANK OF ENGLAND.
(From this night's Gazette.)
An Account, pursuant to the Act 7th and Bth of Victoria, cap. 32,f0r
the Week ending on Saturday, the 28th day of April, 1849.
ISSUE DEPLETNENT.

Notes issued• • •• .• •• 27,602,255

£27,602,265

Government debt • • 11,015,100
Other securities . • 2,984,000
Gold coin and bullion 13,278,716
Silver bullion • • • • . • 323,569

nefit of the poor, and &cause the majority of the pop u
lation needing education were Roman Catholics, tr`a.S
particular system of education had been introduced, i
I
being impossible in any other way to effect the object n
view. Ha was not prepared to say that, after trying the
experiment for so long a time, they had at length sac;
ceeded in producing a definite and perfect system adapted,
in every respect to the peculiar circumstances of the'
country; but their experience had at least taught them
this, that it was in the highest degree injudicious to
make separate grants for religious instruction in various
creeds. The introduction of that principle into their
present system would only end in setting priest against
clergyman and bigot against bigot, and instead of pro-
ducing an exclusive benefit to a class, as would be confi-
dently expected, it would not be productive of good to any-
Notwithstanding tho views of the Right Rev. Prelate
he (the Marquis of Lansdowne) thought it would bo
most conducive to the welfare of society in Ireland, to
continue the system of education introduced there six-
teen years ago, and supported by successive Govern-
ments, which had gone on increasing in usefulness„
extending benefit after benefit, and attracting not only'
many good Protestants, but the Presbyterian body of
the north of Ireland, who would not be disposed now
to take advice of the Right Reverend Prelate, or to
withdraw the assent which they had given originally to
that 5:, stem.—(Hear, hear.) Those schools which had
been denounced as Catholic were in no other sense Ca-
tholic than their being so attended, and as for the read-
ing of the Scriptures being excluded, the Right Rey-
Prelate, who spoke second, had clearly shown their Lord-
ships that the exclusion was only confined to certain
hours set apart for studies of a temporal nature, and
therefore strictly proper. He only wished there was as
much scriptural instruction to be met with in many
English cottages, where, though the Scriptures were not
excluded, practically they were not taught. Every Pro-
testant in Ireland, who wished his children to be edu-
cated in the Protestant faith, might receive an education
of that kind if he obese, and Its would not go further
into the details of the question than to repeat what he
had before stated, that he could hold out no hope of the
reconsideration of a system which had hitherto marked
out its object with satisfaction and efficiency.—(Hear.)
The subject then dropped, and on the motion of the
NOBLE MARQUIS, immediately after the conclusion of
his speech, their Lordships adjourned, at Twenty Minutes
before Nine o'clock.

HOUSE OF COMMONS, May 3.
MARRIAGE BILL.
On the motion for the second reading of this Bill,
Mr. GOULBURN rose to move that it be read st
second time this day six months. The subject, he said,
was surrounded with considerable difficulties. In the
first place, it was most painful to him to find himself op-
posed in a question of degree and obligation to many
persons, for whose station and standing he entertained
the highest respect, and to whose opinon under ordinary
circumstances he should be most ready to bow—(Hear,
hear)—and ho could assure his Right Hon. Friend that
he felt the pain not the less, because it placed him in op-
position to his Right Hon. Friend.—(Hear, hear.) It
was painful also to him to resist the wishes of
many who had violated the law in ignorance, but
he felt so strongly upon this question, that motives
of this nature ought not to influence him in the course
he should adopt.—(Hear, hear.) It was a question ex-
tremely difficult to deal with in Parliament, as it involved
a Divine command conveyed to them through Holy
Writ, which ought to be reserved for an assembly of
divines and learned men to discuss and de-
termine in retirement.—(Hear, hear.) It watt
a question which affected the whole law of prohibited
degrees, and could not be confined to the narrow basis
on which his Right Hon. Friend had restricted it.---
(Cries of " Hear, hear.") It was impossible to con-
fine the relaxation of the law to the particular
limits contemplated by this Bill. The question
for the House to consider was rather the degrees of affi-
nity within which marriages were at present limited,
with the view to the expediency of confining marriages
to simple cases of consanguinity. It was said that in-
quiry had demonstrated that the marriages now prohi-
bited by the law were the happiest, and they claimed to
have proved this by facts. But persons who went into
the country to make inquiries upon this matter,
doubtless did so with a bias on their minds.
The heart of man possessed more or less of
evil; but was it right to pander to that vice, and was it
a rational argument to say that by doing so they would
thereby promote the cause of morality? The researches
of the Commissioners had led them to observe that the
number of marriages of the kind proposed to be dealt
with by the Bill that had taken place during the last
years amounted to 15,000—that the marriages of
widowers with deceased wives' sisters affected at least
30,000. Let the House listen attentively to the facts
adduced in the evidence gathered by the Cons-
missioners. Mr. Denham, the incumbent of tv •
parishes, the population of which were 10,000 s
declared that though the subject had attracted his
attention, and though he had mixed with all classes,
high and low, he could not point cut any particular
cases. The Hon. Gentleman quoted the evidence of
other clergymen in support of this view, and argued
from them that the number of marriages without the pro'
hibited degree were, considering the large amount of the
population, extremely small in number; and the Rev. Mr.
Tyler, the rector of St. Giles's for 23 years, the popula-
tion of which was 27,000, stated that he bad made
Inquiry, and could not discover a single case. The expo'
rience of Dissenting ministers, several of whom he que_ t
ed,
presented the same results. It was said that the prohi-
bition of the marriages referred to would induce conca-
Waage; but that to his mind was no reason why
they should legalise incest—(Hear, hear)—beeause
marriages of this description were opposed to Divine
law ; and even if they were not there were
moral reasons why they should not be legalised.
During ancient times, when men had opportunities of
forming a better knowledge of the law of God, coming
as it did fresh from his hands, than at the present day,
when, indeed, their stock of modern knowledge
could not fail to increase, though not of
Divine law, no doubt existed as to the
interpretation of the meaning of the law, and surely no
doubt could exist at the present day, when they could
only judge after thousands of years had passed away.
(hear, hear.) When Henry VIII. wished to marry
his wife's sister, the King got one of his courtiers
to write to Cranmer to ask his opinion upon
the matter, and whether such a marriage would be con-
trary to the law of God. In reply, he said the King
could not marry otherwise than as laid down by
the law of God, which he said prohibited such
a marriage. This opinion was given by Cran-
mer, in days when the will of Kings—especially
such a king as Henry VIII., were invariably bowed to.
Ridley; Dr. Cox, and other great men of that day, were
of the same opinion. The Hon. Gentleman quoted
number of other authorities in support of that argument.
The Right Honourable Gentleman then referred to the
evidence given on the subject by the Right Rev. Dr.
Wiseman, which was unfavourable to a relaxation in the
present law, and proceeded to show that by the Levitical
law a marriage with a deceased wife's sister was strictly?'
forbidden. The uniform judgment of the Church of
England had always been, from its foundation to the pre-
sent hour, against any such alteration as now proposed,
and he (Mr.;Goulburn) contended, that a more fatal step
to the prse° of families, or more calculated to endanger
public morale, could not be taken, than the abrogation of
the existing prohibitions in the marriage law. As to
what had been advanced in the course of such arguments
on the subject, that it was desirable, even for the sake of
the deceased wife's children to allow such
marriage, he contended that when a man mar-
ried the sister of his deceased wife, such a marriage
must lead to the most painful discord in the family, and
produce results calculated to promote anything but the
happiness of those concerned. Besides, nine-tenths of
the clergy were opposed to it, not only from conviction,
but because they felt themselves bound by the canon law
to resist any such relaxation as now proposed. The
Right Hon. Gentleman, however, who proposed the Bill,
sought to get over the last difficulty by making it optional
with the clergy to perform it or not, just as they pleased.
His (Mr. Goulburn's) Right Hon. Friend did not knout
how to deal with the case, as regarded clergymen; and he,
therefore, proposed that it should be left optional with
them to do so or not, just as they pleased. But would that
remedy the evil which he (Mr. Goulburn) anticipated?
The effect of that must be, that one law would exist for
those whom clergymen consented to marry, and another
for those that contented themselves by going to the office
of the register. If the clergymen refused to per-
form such marriages, and in nine cases out of ten they
would so refuse, the people would then go to the office
of the register; and what must be the effect of such as
practice becoming general on the minds of the great
body of the people? He implored them not to touch a
subject on which the feelings of the people of England
were so much engaged, and, above all things, not to show
them they were willing to relax those laws which fenced
round the institution of marriage. _

Lord BRACKLEY would give his vote most cordially
that this Bill should be read a second time.--(Hear.)
Mr. HAGGITT said that, both upon theological and
social grounds, the argument in support of this measure
was most unsatisfactory. The effect of passing this Jaw
would be to place the Church and State in an antagonistic
position. Many clergymen were of opinion that these
marriages were incestuous, and the legalising of these
marriages would place them in a most painful posi-
tion; and he hoped that Gentlemen would well consider
this point before sanctioning the measure. He thought
pure and high-minded women, upon the death of their
husband!, would not go to reside in the houses of their
brother-in-law, if there was a doubt upon this subject.
Instead of lowering their laws to an inferior standard
of morality, they ought rather to elevate their standard
if possible. The question now was, whether laxity or
strict obedience should, in futwre, guide the law of Eng-
land. In deciding, they should remember that the one
was only the principle of human folly, and the other of
eternal truth.—(hear.)
M. r. AIONCKTON MILNES said, the proposition
which the Hon. Gentleman had put before the House
was, whether this question was to be decided upon theo-
logical grounds? The religious opinions upon this
subject were not so clear and palpable as to
be a certain guide. If the religious ground
taken by the opponents of the measure had
been so palpable as they assumed it was, it might
have been thought impossible that any member of the.
Church of England could have signed a petition in its
favour, whereas they bad numerous petitions, not only
signed by the laity, but by the clergy of the Church. Ds
himself had presented one that night from his own bo-
rough, which was signed by the vicar, a man of great
piety, and a political opponent of his own. He believed,
therefore, that both upon religious and moral grounds it
was most desirable that this Bill should receive the assent
of the House. lie feared that if it did not, an impas-
sion would go abroad that the higher classes were disre-
gardful of the interests and feelings of the middle and
lower classes. With respect to the alleged immorality
which would flow from it, he believed that it would pre-
vent muchof VstOillicit intercourse which 1101 Y took