The Sun.
London, England, 1847-03-30 00:00:00

postpone till to-night, in order that the true claims of
the ancient nobility of Scotland for a certificate of their
titles might be established. It was truly stated that
in this matter he had no personal concern; but
he ought to state that in cases where the Eng-
lish nobility had to act on their privilege,
before they did so act they had to go before the Lord
Chancellor and prove their right to the title. In Ire-
land there was a similar security, but in Scotland there
was no such advantage, for at the election of a Peer of
Scotland an individual had nothing to do but to state
himself to have a right to the tide he claimed to be at
once allowed to vote. He must now draw tho atten-
tion of the House to a matter personal to himselt.
lie had been represented in a Scotch paper as
having brought on a conversation respecting him-
self. Now the person of whom ha complained was the
representative of Lord Colville of Ochiltree, while he was
Colville of Kilross, and he would put it to the House
whether he had not endeavoured to the utmost of his
power to place the House in the right position with re-
spect to this matter, and he should, therefore, now
restrict himself simply to the terms of the motion of
which he had given notice.
Lord CAMPBELL thought their Lordships were
very much indebted to the Noble Lord who had brought
this matter before them, for it was not one in wh ch
the Scottish nobility alone were interested, but
the tradespeople also, who were often defrauded,
in consequence of the facility which existed of usurping
the titles and privileges of the Scotch nobility. He
hoped that it would be prosecuted to the utmost that
the evil might be put down, and that the Noble Lord
(Colvile) would continue to give it his attention, and
after getting his returns would move for a Select Com-
mittee.

Lord BROUGHAM agreed that that was the proper
course; but he hoped that the attention of the Select
Committee would be directed to the resolutions which
affected this subject, and were brought into their Lord-
ships House in 1832. Why, a mere mendicant might
go into Holyrood House, and on the mere claim could
vote and influence important questions. So that
actually it became a matter interesting the Legislature.
The Earl of ROSEBERY agreed that the law was
defective in the respect mentioned by his Noble and
Learned Friend (Campbell), and he trusted that, if the
matter went into Committee, it would be remedied.
:BIRTHS, DEATHS, AND MARRIAGES BILL.
Lord BROUGHAM presented a petition from a number
of parish clerks and schoolmasters against the Births,
Deaths, and Marriages Bill.
EDUCATION.
Earl RADNOR presented a petition against the Go-
vernment scheme of education.
Lord MONTEAGLE presented a petition from New-
port Pagnall against the Government scheme of educa-
tion; he only presented it in order to express how far
he dissented from it. He would take that opportunity
of giving notice that he would, after the Easter recess,
bring the question of emigration before the attention of
their Lordships.

CRIMINAL LAW.
Lord BROUGHAM moved that the Archbishop of
Dublin be added to the Committee on Criminal Law.
THE LAW OF MARRIAGE.
Lord GOUT presented a number of petitions from
Bristol, Cheltenham, and various other places, against
the law prohibiting marriage with a deceased wife's
sister. The petition was signed by many Dissenting
ministers and medical gentlemen, who all bore testimony
to the contusion created in families by the present law.
Lord BROUGHAM presented a petition signed by
42 attornies and 2 barristers of the city of Bath upon
the same subject, complaining of the uncertainty which
hung over the law as it at present stood. He begged,
however, to state his opinion that there was no uncer-
tainty hanging over the law at present, for, by an Act
carried through their Lordships' House by Lord
Denman in 1835, such marriages were declared null and
void, without being declared void by the ecclesiastical
law, as was required by the statutes of Henry VIII.
They add the fact, that a great number of marriages
had been contracted since 1835 on the speculation that
the general principle of these marriages would be made
valid ; and they wished, above all, to know whether
the innocent children were to be legitimate or not. He
thought, therefore, that there was a sufficient reason why
the general principle should be opened up, for it was but
natural that parents should desire to place their children
nnder the protection of those who were the nearest re-
lations to them, and there was, therefore, sufficient
reason for a full investigation of the whole question.
Lord CAMPBELL did not rise with a view to ex-
press any opinion upon the subject, for upon that his
mouth was closed by the result of a recent trial in the
provinces. Upon the death of his wife he married
her sister, and while that woman was still alive
he left her and married a third wife. He
was indicted for bigamy, and the defence put
in was that that marriage was void, because the
second ceremony had been celebrated between him and
the sister of his deceased wife. The cause thus raised
the question, and it had been brought by writ
of error before their Lordship's House ; there-
fore, he thought that that was enough for
their Lordships refusing to give any opinion at pre-
sent upon the question. He would be very sorry to see
the law upon this subject, the marriage of a man with
his decewed wife's sister, altered, for the law which had
been instituted against incest affected affinity as well as
consanguinity.
Lord BROUGHAM was very sorry that he had not
been made aware of this case coming on before he ex-
pressed his mind, but still he would hear counsel upon
the case, and if he saw reason, no doubt he would change
his opinion.
ADJOURNMENT OF TILE lIOUSE.—THE NEW