The Sun.
London, England, 1849-06-23 00:00:00

vail on the subject, not only among the community
in general, but within the pale of the Church of Eng-
land itself—aye, even among the very Bishops and
ministers of that Church—clearly and unequivocally
prove that there is no Divine enactment by which
such marriages are either expressly or impliedly
forbidden. The 18th verse of the 18th chapter of
Leviticus manifestly does not apply; on the contrary,
the very limitation to the period of the wife's life-
time :—" Neither shalt thou take a wife to her sister
to vex her . . . besides the other in her life-
time ;" and the reason, assigned " to vex her" (the
wife), plainly shows that there could be no valid
objection to such a marriage after the death of the
first wife, the only obstacle being thereby re-
moved. It must not be forgotten that poly-
gamy was sanctioned under the Mosaic law.
Many just and godly men are shown to have had a
plurality of wives. The very Patriarch himself, even
ISRAEL, had not only two wives, but those wives were
sisters—and it was against the inconvenience and
domestic bickerings that might naturally arise from
placing sisters in such relation t 3 each other that the
mandate was framed. There was, to use the language
of some of the many petitions to Parliament on the
subject, " no consanguinity or kindred between the
parties to make such marriages undesirable in a phy-
sical point of view," the social comfort and conve-
nience of the parties were alone consulted.
The Hon. Member for the University of Dublin,
argued that the prohibition did not rest on the 18th
verse merely, but that it turned on the 6th verse,
which forbade intercourse with near of kin—and
the same line of argument was followed by the Right
Hon. Gentleman the Member for the University of
Oxford. Both insisted that the relationship by mar-
riage was as close and binding, and as much within
the scope of that law, as that by birth. Mr. GLAD-
STONE more especially declared that " it was demon-
strable from the letter of the chapter, that the wife's
sister was near of kin to her sister's husband," and
consequently that " the prohibition in the 6th verse
was an absolute and positive prohibition of the mar-
riages which it is now proposed to sanction." Now
we are quite prepared to join issue with
the Right Honourable and Learned Gentle-
man on this point. He will not, we suppose,
venture to assert that there is any nearer relationship
between a man and his wife's sister than there is
between a woman and her husband's brother. In-
deed, according to the commonly received notions of
mankind, any connexion between the latter has been
regarded with greater repugnance, and as more ob-
jectionable than if it occurred between the former.
If a man be kin to his wife's sister within the mean-
ing of the 6th verse, is not a woman also kin to her
husband's brother in like manner ? But we find, under
the Jewish law, that a man was expressly ordered to
marry his brother's widow, " to raise up seed to his
brother," and this merely " that the inheritance might
not pass to a stranger." Can it, then, for a mo-
ment be supposed, that the DEITY would com-
mand that which was wrong per se, and
absolutely forbidden by the Divine law, for any
peculiarly worldly purpose ? Certainly not. No
instance can be adduced where that which was con-
trary to nature was directed. There can, therefore,
be no such relationship in the sight of GOD between
persons so connected to forbid their marriage. We
concur most fully in the observation that the House
of Commons is not the place to discuss the meaning
of texts; neither is it a fitting topic for the columns
of a public journal. But by whom has the discussion
been rendered necessary ? By these who claim to
control the consciences of their fellow-men, and to
compel all to take the same views of religious matters
which they themselves entertain. If the majority
could bind the minority in such a matter, fare-
well to all toleration. No diversity of opinion
could be sanctioned. The entire community
should be contented to kneel before the same
altar, to receive the same doctrines, and to fol-
low the same forms—Dissent would be annihilated,
All should bow to the will of Parliament, and be-
come members of the State Church. Englishmen
will not, however, readily surrender the civil and
religious freedom for which their fathers bled, nor
will they suffer a vestige of intolerance to remain a
stain and a disgrace to the statute-book, to gratify
Ithe prejudices of any man or body of men.
The existing law imposes an unwise and impolitic
restriction, and it must be speedily and for ever
Abolished.

ullE FRENCH REPUBLIC.

We have received the Paris papers of yesterday.
A meeting of the Council of State was held on
Thursday, at which a formal protest against the state
of siege was read and deposited.
The Courrier Francais, the organ of M. LEON
FAUCHER, is exceedingly wrath with Generals LA-
MORICIERE and BEDEAU, and with M. DE BEAUMONT,
for re-organizing the Dufaure Parliamentary Club.
It is probable that M. DUFAURE and his friends will
quit the Ministry, in which case they would be
enabled, with the assistance of General CAVAIGNAC
t andr his Opposition, followers,
possess almost the monopoly of talent in the
powerful to organize
not
tary for its talents (it
a
Assembly), but for its numbers also.
The funeral of Madame CAVAIGNAC, the mother of
the General, took place yesterday morning, at eight
o'clock, at the Church of St. Roch.
Madame MAREAST the wife of M. ARMAND MAR-
EAST, the late President of the Assembly, died of the
cholera on Thursday.
The Moniteur publishes the following despatches,
which have been received by the Government from
General OtriaxNoT

" Villa Santucci, June 11.
" Monsieur le Ministre,—lt is proper that I should tender
you a special account of an event to which the enemy at-
tached great importance, but the result of which, on the con-
trary, is favourable to us. you know that, in the early part
of May, a bridge was established on the Tiber, at the an-
chorage of San Palo. This operation took place nearly at
the same time as the occupation of the church of San Palo.
We almost simultaneously became masters of the Porte
Molle, and our moveable columns being thus able to commu-
nicate with each other by the left bank made the investment
of Rome complete. The Romans imagined that sending a
few fire-boats during the night would suffice to burn the
bridge. Towards midnight one was sent off by some men,
who brought it to the heights of San Palo, and there aban-
doned it to the current: ro the principal boat were lashed
three others filled with powder, and other incendiary sub-
stances. The approach of this mass in combustion was soon
signalised. Two guns fired by us changed the direction, and
thanks to the floating-cable, which traverses the river longi-
tudinally, the burning boat was driven as a wreck to the
right bank. In a few instants the others were sunk. No
accident resulted from this attempt. The want of success
will, I hope, serve to prevent the Romans from making
another. I cannot speak too highly of the tr ops and seamen
of the flotilla. Their vigilance and energetic courage, and
the'simultaneous action of their efforts, powerfully contra
buted to preserve the bridge.
(Signed)

" OUDINOT DE REGGIO."

Then follow a dispatch announcing that he had
again endeavoured to negotiate, and then his letter to
the President of the Roman National Assembly, which
we published two days since, and then comes the
following dispatch : . _

" Villa Pamfili, June 13,

" Monsieur le Alinistre,—You will see by my dispatch of
last evening that I made a last appeal to conciliation. It
has not been listened to. I send herewith the journal of
the besieging operations on the 11th, 12th, and 13th. As
soon as we shall obtain results, I will hasten to communicate
them to you as rapidly as communications by sea shall per-
mit. " I am, &c.,
(Signed) " ()MINOT DE REGGIO."
JOURNAL OF THE SIEGE.
"From the 10th to the 11th June.—During the night we
debouched from the left side of San Pancrazio to make a
second parallel. This trench was prolonged towards the
bottom of the valley to the extent of 140 metres. The open-
ing which existed yesterday in the communication on the
left of the road that passes in front of the church of San Van-
crazio was closed during the night. The wall by the side of
the road was pierced, and thus the lower part of the commu-
nication was joined to the upper part, which unites
Villa Corsini to the summit of the wall. All the new
trenches were made to their full width in the course of the
day. At the centre, the covert way from the place d'armes
was carried, on the right, to the battery which is to destroy
the bastion No. 7, and it is made to rest upon the ruins of
two houses lately destroyed by the enemy. At this point
we are 120 metres from the wall. On the right we have
carried the double sap towards the escarpments which com-
mand the valley of the Tiber, above the Borta Portese ; and
to-night we shall return towards the front of the attack to
go beyond a covert way which will start from the ruined
houses above mentioned. The battery No. 5, which is to
serve also as a breaching battery against the bastion No. 7,
has been begun by the engineers. At daylight it was
covered, and the platforms and powder magazines were
completed in the course of the day. The works at battery
No. 4 have been carried on without any interruption from
the enemy. Batteries 1 and 2 have received and answered a
fire from the fortress without experiencing any loss.
"From the 11th to the 12th.-011 the left of the attacks
the second parallel has been prolonged several metres. At
the centre has been formed 192 metres of the parallel on the
right of the battery No. 5. and in advance of that of No. 4,
which is to oppose the bastion of No. 6. This work has
been well done, notwithstanding the fire of the fortress went
over the men employed at it, and three of them were
wounded. During the night, contrary to the practice
hitherto, the fire was kept up ; and at half-past six this
morning the enemy made a sortie upon battery No. 5. He
came to the border of the trench, and placed himself in
ambush, on the right of the battery, in some ruined houses
and behind a broken wall. After half-an-hour's struggle
the enemy abandoned his enterprise. On retiring he had
to sustain a brisk fire of musketry from the Grenadier com-
pany of the 36th and si company of Voltigeurs, led by