The Sun.
London, England, 1851-08-25 00:00:00

the fact, Biih )p TAYL`II d-claring• hii belief that
‘` Goi never f.rhad to marry our kindred, hut he for

In another c &min we publish the letters addressed
by the illustrious VICTOR Hugo and his noble-
minded son to the journalists of Great Britain, who
presented to M. CHARLES HUGO an address express-
ing their sympathy with him under the unjust im-
prisonment which he is now undergoing in conse-
quence of the sentence passed on him by a
court of (we cannot call it justice, and
will not give it its only proper designation)
—a court, having the power to pass sentences,
and which was but too glad to have the opportunity
of exhibiting their hatred and fear of the
father by committing a fl igrant outrage and a cruel
imprisonment on the son. M. CHARLES HUGO is one
of the most rising political writers of the day, and
as editor of the Evenement he wrote an article against
the punishment of death, and illustrated his argu-
ments by alluding to the horrible circumstances which
had attended, four days previously, the execution of
MONICHARMONT at Chaumont. The family of HUGO
has always been honourably distinguished rot
its opposition to death punishments, and until
the pr. sent miment no Court in France has ever thought
inflicting such a disgrace upon the Great Nation as
to class the guillotine am- ng her permanent institu-
tions, which it was treason to attack. Neither the
Restoration nor the Kingdom of July ever perpetrated
such an absurdity. The Provisional Government
inaugurated their entrance into power by proclaiming
the abolition of capital punishments for political
offences, and it was left to the Ministers of M. LOUIS
NAPOLEON BONAPARTE, the ex-prisoner of Haw, to
declare that the guillotine was, like the "clerical
piny," one of the institutions of the country, and to
punish the father for his eloquent attempts to rescue
freedom of education froth the tyranny of the latter.
by sentencing the son to six mouths' imprisonment
for having dared to argue against the continuance of
the former. CHARLES X. permitted the publication
of Le dernier jour d'un condamni, but President
BONAPARTE orders the prosecution of the author of
the article on the execution of MONTCHARMONT.
Under thesecircumstances, we are rejoiced to find that
the journalists of England determined to present to
M. CHARLES HUGO an address, expressing their in-
dignation at the flagrant outrage which had .been
committed on the rights of journalism
all over the world by his cruel imprison-
ment, their conviction that a ruthless and insane
despotism is striving to substitute " a reign of brute
force for that of reason;" and their hope that the spon-
taneous expression of this sympathy will in some de-
gree lessen the harshness of his vexatious position, and
render less painful the sense of injury which must
accompany a breach of justice, and a miserable, if
not altogether wilful, misunderstanding of the purest
motives.

We rejoice at the presentation of this address, and
we feel grateful to M. VICTOR HUGO and his son for
the manner in which they have met this attempt,
the first, we believe, ever made to establish a
solidarite among liberal journalists all over the world.
The presentation of this address to M. CHARLES
HUGO constitutes a moat important epoch in the
history of journalism. As is well observed by
M. VICTOR 11 uGo—" This manifestation is
more thau a letter adiressed by writers who
are free to a writer who is oppressed, it is a sign oc
the alliance of all the forces of civilization for the at-
tainment of one common object—it is the communion
of two great people in one idea of humanity." We
r joice to find this M. CHARLES Huao so accuratel3
appreciates the motives of those who signed the ad-
dress, when he vl..quen,ly exclaims, "Oh I gentle.
mete, alt who have read your address cannot but per-
ceive in it this double fact—a great people
does homage to a great idea—Phe Engii,t
press holds out the hand of friendship to
the press of France." It is even so, and most
cordially has the hand been accepted even in the
spirit in which it was tendered. M. CHARLES HuGo
thus continues :—" It belongs to you, the most liberal
writers of the freest system of journalism, to take the
iniative in these cordial abhesions of the Press to the
Press. The sovereign liberty of the English press
owes aid and supprt to the expiring liberty
of the French press"—an obligation, the force
of which we acknowledge, and which we
trust that every liberal writer in England
will fearlessly and loyally discharge ; for, as M.
CHARLES HUGO truly observes, " Eeigland and France
form the advance guard of the nations. It would ap-
pear that these two noble people have but one ambi-
tion, that of outstripping each other in the path of
progress. You English," continues M. CHARLES
HUGO, " have given to the world illustrious examples,
Was it not your Brnort who first fought for Greece?
Was it not your WILBERFORCE who first protested
against slavery ? Like the publicists in France,
you unmask barbarism whenever you surprise it
flagrante delicto in the open day of the 19th century.
Is it not from an English voice that has proceeded
that noble cry of indignation against the numberless
iniquities committed in the name, and under the
shadow, of the Church by the infamous King of
NAPLES? Is it not one of your statesmen who has
denounced in the name of the Gospel this executioner-
King, who calls himself the servant of the GOD
Martyr ?" Cordially, most cordially do we re-
ciprocate these sentiments of the " illus-
trious son of an illustrious sire," who
has now the honour—the distinguished honour
—of being thought worth to suffer in the sacred cause
of freedom and humanity, and earnestly do we urge
all the members of the Liberal press in England to
hold out the right band of fellowship and of sympathy
to those of our continental brethren who are now
nobly fighting the battle of freedom, which our
fathers' fathers fought and won. Let us aid and
comfort and support them by every means

in our power, and the holy alliance of free journalists
will be but the prelude to that holy alliance of the
free nations of the world, which for thirty years has
been tbe ardent aspiration of one who has done more,
both by his writings and his sufferings, to vindicate
the cause of the liberty of the press than any living
man—the poet-patriot BbRANGER.

I~FPARTURR 1'.1" IHE ROYAL MAIL STEAMER
AMERICA.— 0.1 Saturday afternoon, at four o'clock, the
Au eric.l, Captain \eil Sinnon. left the Mersey fOr lialifax
art Boston, with the mails to, the United States Canada,
-Newt. u..(ilan,i &c , a fair freight, ant 175 passengers.
RETURN TJCKL•TS FOR THE W
cursion and return tickets are n.,w issued by the Royal West
India Mail Packet Company. Persons can vi•it Madeira or
any of the places incluihd in the West India Mail Packet
scheme, in the company's packets, and if they embark on
board any of the homeward packets within six mo tbs from
the date of issue of their passage tickets a conaiderable savi. g
is effected.

ACCIDENT TO CHARLFS ST. JOHN, E' Q —We learn
with much regret thst the author 4 f the •` Wild Sports and
Natural History of the Highlands" has met with a severe
wound by the accidental discharge of a gun. On Tu?sday
lit-.t, in consequence of the carelessness of an attendant, the
gun went off while his arm was touching the muzzle, and
the charge of shot tore away part of the flesh of his right
arm. Fortunately the bone was not hurt; and as he is doing
well since receiving the injury, we trust it will only occasion
13441 4 kw days' coudnesatuto..litrsrmse Courier.

bad to marry the nearness of our fl-sh." Tb-re are
few who learn that the Bishop had stated in the House
that Bishop TAYLOR had declared that the 18th
chapter of Leviticus contained a determination in ex-
press particulars, of the words near of kin, whereas
it should have bet-n the 21st Leviticus, ii., which bore
a very different meaning, but will say that the follow-
ing passage, although unquestionably severe,
was less than the misquotation merited. Mr.
SLEIGH says :—" Thus, then, it is manifest
that sour representation to their Lordships, that the
passage in question militates against marriage with a
wife's sister, is not merely unsupported by facts, but
wholly irreconcileable with the si,irit and tenor of the
Bishop's declared sentiments on the subject of mar-
riage. Were the statement made by a lay Peer, that
the passage in question from Bishop TAYLOR is as
against marriage with a deceased wife's sister' a most
conclusive one,' I should have been very much sur-
prised at the error into which he had fallen ; but
when made by a spiritual Peer—a Bishop—a scholar
of high order—a logician—l cannot bring myself, on
the one band, to believe it an error; neither, on the
other hand, can I allow myself to pronounce it a wilful
deliberate perversion of the truth by one of the Bishops
of the Church of England. No, I must content my-
self with stating facts, and leave the reader to form
his own judgment." We shall adopt a similar course
but we believe that there are few unprejudiced and
disinterested persons who, after a calm perusal of the
published speech and the letter in reply, will hesitate
as to the verdict he will deliver on the points at issue
between the Prelate and the Barrister.