The Sun.
London, England, 1849-05-03 00:00:00

MARRIAGE BILL.

On the motion for the second reading of the Bill,
Mr. GOULBURN rose to move that it be read a
second time this day six months. The subject, he said,
was surrounded with considerable difficulties. In the
first piece, 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,
heue)—and he could assure his Right Hon. Friend that
he felt the pain not the less, because it placed him in op-
position to his Right lion. 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 50 strongly upon this question, that motives
of this nature ouglat not to influence him in the course
he should adopt.—(llear, 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 was
a question which affected the whole law of prohibited
degrees, and could not be confined to the narrow basis
ou 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 experiiency 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 viho went into
the country to make icy:lilies upon this mutter,
doubtless did so with as 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 (king so they would
thereby promote the cause a morality. Tho researches
of the Commissioners had led them to observe that the
number of marriages of the kind propos€d to be dealt
with by the Bill that had taken place during the last
inouwittihtedanteoaselds,%o,oiovv hsaistterthseaffmecatrerdiagaetsleaostt
widowers years a
30,000. Let the House attentively to the facts ,

adduced in the evidence gathered by the Com-
missioners. Mr. Denham, the incumbent of two
parishe;, the population of which were 10,000,
dcelsred that though the subject had attracted his
attention ; and though he had mixed with all classes,
high and low, he could not point out 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 for 23 years, the popula-
tion of which was 27,000, stated that he bad made
enquiry, and could not discover a single case. The expe-
rience of Dissenting ministers, several of whom he quoted,
prevented the same results. It was said that the prohi-
bition of the marriages referred to would induce concu-
binage; but that to his mind was no reason why
they should legalise incest—(Hear, hear)—because
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 kiag as Henry VIII. were invariably bound to.
Ridley, Dr. Cox, and other great men of that day, were
of the same opinion. The Hon. Gentleman quoted a
number of other authorities in support of that argument,
and moved that the Bill be read a third this day six
months.

(SEP'? arrrnra.)

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUIV.
SIB,--Permit me to state through your columns that
upon tho division on the Clergy Relief Bill, yesterday,
I went by mistake into the wrong lobby, and did not
discover my error until my vote had been taken, when
it NM too late to correct the error.
I intended to vote for the omission of the second part
of the 6th clause.—Your obedient servant,
GEO. THOMPSON.
Waterloo-place, May 3, 1849.

LITERARY INSTITUTION OF THE
lai Srt..
FRIENDS OF POLAND.—(TBIS DAY.)
The 17th annual meeting of the friends of Poland
was held this day, at three o'clock, at the room of the
Association,
m.p ~ in Duke-street,the
chair.
AmongJanees' s , t
hLordose
Dudley
Stuart,
present
there were Lord Beaumont, John Williams, Esq., M.P.,
W. Pinney, Esq., M.P., Captain Townsend, Mr. C. M.
Milnes, M.P., D. Urquhart, Mowatt, Esq.,
M.P., the Rev. Dr. Nurthingham, Mr. Filcher, &c.
Mr. BIRKBECH, the hon. secretary, read the report,
of which the following is an abstract:—
The report commenced by referring to the miscon-
ception of the nature of the affairs and contest in Pusan
which existed at the time- of the last annual meeting—
that the information received from persons of known re-
spectability in the grand duchy, and the official documents
published by the Germans themselves, removed the erro-
neous impression. Reference was made to the de-
bate on Mr. Urquhart's motion in my last, from which
it transpired that the Poles took up arms in anticipa-
tion cf an event declared inevitable a war with
Russia; aed that the acts of barbarity attributed
to the Poles were, in fact, committed by the Ger-
mens, who were the aggressors as is shown by many
official and other documents. It added, the Council
are now in possession of autheatic information cam
pletely disproving the charge of cruelty brought against
the Polcs. As an instance, the body of a person
named Lachner, said to have been mutilated by the
Polish peasantry, had been exhumed, and no such
mutilations appeared. The report then mentioned the
reports of General Williscn, the proclamation of
General Von Colomb, and the protest of a German
Judge of the Supreme Court of Posen, together with
letters of an English lady there resident, and other
documents, proving the breach of faith by the Prus-
sian Government, that the Poles were not aggressors,
and that the best understanding had prevailed between
the Polish peasants and their landlords. It then referred
to the debate on Lord liinnaird'e motien, and the speeches
of Lord Lansdowne and other Peers, which were and are
still uncontroverted.The report stated that the intention of
the Galician nobles to remit all labour payments of rent
had been frustrated for the time by a tumult caused
by the Austrian authorities. It would appear that the
temptation of destoying an unresisting capital is one
which can be withstood by few Austrian generals. The
report went on to give an account of the debate in the
House of Commons, on the annual grant for the Polish
refugees, mentioned a most honourable letter from
several of their number resigning their claims ; the
rums allowed; and that France had last year voted
30.000/. for the relief of the Poles in that country. The
lamented death of the late president, Mr. T. W. Beau-
mont, was strongly dwelt upon, and an account of his
services given to the association, and also of ;the
manner in which the loss is felt and deplored by
Pules. A lucid statement of the income and
expenciiture of the association was made. The mction
of the jEarl of E,glin ton, and the speech with which
it was introduced were stiongly blamed, and the
cond tier, of the Poles both in public and private life fully
justified. The late very favourable accounts from Posen,
where the Poles exercise a forbearance and dignity,
setting at naught German provocation, also the unfortu-
nate occurrences in Gelicia. The report, after referring
to Rnssisan aggressien, concluded by expressing a sanguine
hope that ultimately the great work el constitutional
liberty will be crowned and consolidated by the restora•
tion of the ancient, free, and independent kingdom of
Poland to its place amongst the nations of Europe.
The report was warmly received, and was adopted on
the /notion of the Rev. Mr. Worthington, seconded by
Mr. /dillies, M.P., as also was the following resolu-
tion--
__" That the progress of constitutional freedom in Ger-
many,d the successful struggle and for its preservation in
Linnet:Ty, afford reasonable grounds for entertaining the
belief, that at no distant period the same principles of
government will be re-established throughout ancient
Poland."
Lord Beaumont, Lord Dudley Stuart, and several
other ;gentlemen delivered important and elaborate
speecnee, a full report of which we shall publish to-
morrow.

or some of the other " thousand ills that
A 1-10FBLESS CASE. —An old woman, troubled
was advised by a physician to adopt a
d
is
Having called ono day
sflwteristichhregimen" y
hspe rpst
to, was
as to diet, t, &c.
his
her chance' of safety
shat
and fot Ind his patient rather worse than usual, in cense-
advice not being strictly
was in following the regimen. " Following the regi-
ment, ,Doctor ! Gae wa', Sir, you're surely joking' wi'
me nosy. Follow the regiment (one was about to leave
smheedsiticpupsotsoeldd, offer
ageuteelidea ,o' na,
the tot vn) ! Na, na, it's past my time o' day, Doctor ;
that ct ire might suit young gilpies, hut it 'ill no do for
an ad' t wife o' sixty-seven. If there's use chance for
me but tramping after the sogers, I maun e'en mak' up
my mit id' to the Greyfriars' kirk yard, Doctor."
CAS. E OF ALLEGED POISONING AT BATH.—The
greater ,t excitement prevailed in Bath during the last
week, in consequence of a rumour that a man named
March ant had been poisoned by his wife, who, imme-
diately after his death, had married a person named
Harris, The inquest was held on the body of Merchant
last wd ek, which was adjourned until yesterday, in order
to affot d an opportunity to Mr. Herapath, the celebrated
analyti cal chemist, to test the contents of the stomach of
the des eased. The wife of, the deceased and her present
husban d were arrested,
and also a man named Shalor
and his wife. The wife of Shalor accompanied the wife
of the deceased man, Merchant, to Mr. Bright's shop,
near de e Old-bridge, where she purchased some arsenic
a short time previous to her husband being fatally at-
tacked 4 Mrs. Harris, or, as she was then, Mrs. Merchant,
first of all went to Mr. Bright's shop for the arsenic by
herself ; he refused to supply her with it ; she subse-
quend: ✓ returned with the female prisoner Shalor, and
unforte .nately succeeded in getting it. Mrs. Harris and
Mrs. Sl eater have been very intimate for a long time. It
is said that a quantity of arsenic has been found in the
house < if, the man Harris, which has been placed in the
misted: of the chief officer of police. The inquest was
resume d on Monday, when Mr. Herapath deposed that
he had chemically examined the viscera of the deceased,
and lot nd white arsenic in the contents of the stomach,
in the f ,olid matter of the stomach, in the contents of the
intestin es, the intestines themselves, and in the liver.
Severn' I jars of powder have been found in the houses of
Harris and Shalor. Mr. Herapath undertook to analyse
their cc ntents, and the inquiry was adjourned.
'ism AND FOREIGN BIBLE SoCißTY.—Yester-
day th a anniversary of this institution was held at
Exeter. hall, the Marquis of Cholmondeley presiding.
The ch airman, in opening the proceedings, congratulated
the mei iting on the fact that recent events had removed
many k arriers to the circulation of the Scriptures on the
contime at, and observed that the exemption of this
country from the troubles which afflicted other nations
appe arod to have been ordained of God with a view to
the u lt'lmate evangelisation of the world. The Rev. A.
Brant li•am read the report, from which it appeared that
the eel ire receipts of the year ending March 31, 1849,
arnotin ted to 95,9331. 63. Id. The amount applicable to
the wet 4eral purposes of the society was 52,5741 14s. 3d,,
ig 7,6361. 16s. 33. special contributions in aid or
the exe ended circulation of the Scriptures on the Con•
tinent, and 31,993/. 15E. sd. free contributions from
aueeija ry societies showed an increase in that item of
6951. II: Is. Id. The receipts for Bibles and Testaments
ameuet Led to 43,3581. I is. The issues of the society for
the yes .r amounted to 1,107,518, viz., from the depot at
homer 802,133; from the depots abroad, 305,385. The
total isues of the society now amounted to 21,973,3:5.
The mpenditure during the past year had been 88,831/.
is. 241., and the society was under engagements to the
eater tt of 67,691/. oz. 11d. The Bishop of Norwich
move d the adoption of the report, and expressed his
contili ued confidence in the management of the society,
one e f whose chief hel,?s upon his aftction was its
thorci igh catholicity.—Mr. Plurnptre, M.P., seconded
the na solution, which was carried nem. dic—The second
reset' lion, expressing satisfaction at the proceedings or
the p a st year, was moved by the Rev. H. Stowell, and
secon c 'ed by the Rev. R. lirmieciy.—Other resolutions
in aces ,rdance with the object were proposed and carried
withot opposition.

Luz Tramit, Quebec; Norio, ditto; Eli-
zabet 4 , ditto.