The Sun.
London, England, 1871-02-17 00:00:00

THE MARQUIS OF LORNE.

A correspondent of the Scotsman writes :—" There are
all sorts of contradictory reports about the Marquis of
Lorne. It is on one hand confidently said that he is
to be immediately raised to the peerage. There is
quite a controversy as to what his title and rank in the
peerage is to be. He cannot, as is the custom in the case
of the eldest sons of peers, be called to the Upper
House by a barony of his father, because the
Duke has only one barony in the peerage of
the United Kingdom, and by that alone he sits
in the House of Lords. It is all guess work, of
course, but it is assumed that he will be either created a
Baron of the United Kingdom, as Lord Inverary, or be
made a Marquis complete by his present title. In the
latter case, he would have precedence of his father in the
House of Lords, unless that anomaly were cured by
making a United Kingdom Peerage of the Dukedom of
Argyll. All this, however, is summarily disposed of by
certain persons, who are equally confident that Lord
Lorne will remain just as he is.

TIIE ROCKET APPARATUS AND THE LATE
GALES.

Captain Nicholas Riddle, of the South Shields Volun-
teer Life Brigade, has written a letter to the Shipping
Gazette, complaining of the disgraceful ignorance that
exists amongst merchant seamen as to the use of the
rocket apparatus. Captain Riddle says four sea-
men were lost at Tynemouth on Friday last,
during the late gale, through not knowing how to
handle it ; and it frequently happens that, out of a crew
of ten or twelve hands, only one iman be found capable of
adjusting the apparatus properly. It is certainly a very
necessary thing that all seamen should have a proper know-
ledge of the mode of working it. Monthly drills are held
both at Tynemouth and at South Shields, and though they
are properly advertised, it rarely happens that we
see the face of a seaman present. Such a state of matters
should not be'permitted to exist. When we see such efforts
being made all over the kingdom, both by lifeboats and
rocket apparatus, for the saving of life, is it not a pity that
these efforts should be partly rendered nugatory through
the carelessness of the seamen themselves ?

MARRIAGE WITH A. DECEASED WIFE'S

SISTER.

A meeting of persons opposed to the legalisation of
marriage with a deceastd wife's sister was held at Willis's
Rooms on Thursday, Earl Percy in the chair.
There were besides on the platform the Earl
of Devon and several other noble lords ; the
Bishops of Gloucester, Winchester, Norwich, Salis-
bury, Lichfield, Oxford, &c., &c., The secretary
announced that many other reverend divines were absent
in consequence of being engaged in an important debate in
Convocation. The Chairman expressed his regret that
the indisposition_ of the Duke of Marlborough placed him
in the position which he held to-day. It was a consider-
able time since the first attempt was made to to bring in a
bill to legalise marriage with a deceased wife's sister,
And he thought the repeated failures to carry that
measure was a proof that it was neither popular nor
needed. It was, he held, contrary to the Holy Scrip-
tures, contrary to the unvarying rule of the Church in all
ages, as well as to common sense and right feeling ; and,
e believed, if such became law, would be productive
of the greatest evil, both morally and socially.
—Earl Beauchamp moved the first resolution, to
the effect that the carrying of such a law would be the
destruction of moral and social purity in all households
where it might operate.—The resolution was seconded by
the Bishop of Chichester, who said if this ill-omened bill
should pass the Lords as it had the Commons it would be
productive of the greatest misery.—The resolution was
carried, as well as others of a like tendency.