The Sun.
London, England, 1851-02-17 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

SIR,—In your paper of to-day I perceive you are an advo-
cate for the measure about to be brought in to permit a person
marrying a brother's wife; this cannot affect me in any
way, but I most cordially agree to it, and the object of my
writing to you is to show the power of your advocacy to all
the other prohibitions in connexion with the same thing, for
there are several such hung up in our Church. Now they
are about to legislate on the principle the minor prohibitions
seem to be lost sight of, because many of the latter are per-
fectly ridiculous; certainly the whole ought to be considered
at once, because if the law with regard to a wife's sister is
acceded to, the same thing will apply as to a woman
marrying her husband's brother. A friend of mine applied
to marry his deceased wife's niece : it is equally prohibited, and
they were obliged to go where they were not known to
get married. This case is much stronger than the wife's
sister, being no alliance at all, and what trouble and difficulty
it would prevent if the whole of these matters were now
legislated of and got rid of. All the papers ought to at once
expose the present system, because there appears a strong
feeling to pass a law to permit marriage with a wife's sister,
that being the nearest in alliance. Certainly it would be
folly in the extreme to continue the other prohibitions.
I am, Sir, &e.,

JOHN HUTCHENS.

Devonport-terrace Plymouth, Feb. 15th, 1851.
P.S.—I should think the Commission appointed to con-
sider the question with regard to the marriage with a wife's
sister cannot have thought of the other laws of prohibition of
consanguinity.

[ADVERTISEMENT.]—The Observer Journal.—
The extensive publication of the Observer commences by
Mr. Clement, junior, at No. 170, Strand, at Four o'clock
Sunday mornings, in time to be forwarded by all the early
Sunday morning railways and steamers. Price of the Ob-
server (forty folio columns), Sixpence. A Monday Edition,
best adapted a for the country and abroad, is regularly pub-
lished at Four o'clock Monday afternoons. Two of the
gentlemen who have so successfully conducted the Observer
for the last 37 years, still continue at the helm, namely, Mr.
Clement and Mr. Doxat.

UNCLAIMED DIVIDENDS..--It appears from a return
issued on the order of the House of Commons, on Saturday,
that on the sth Janne' y last the dividends due and not de-
manded at the Bank amounted to 876,7391.
THE SUSPECTED MUEDEIL OF A FEMALE AT
CAMBERWELL—On Saturday Mr. W. Carter, coroner for
surrey, resumed and concluded an inquest on the body of a
female, named Eleanor Davey, 63 years of age, at the Marl.
borough Arms, South-street, Camberwell. At the present
inquiry no new facts were elicited, except with respect to the
evidence of Mr. Flower, the surgeon, who at the previous
inquiry considered that the body of the deceased must have
been placed there by some one else. Now, on the resumed
inquest, he deposed that the deceased woman must, in his
opinion, have been labouring under some mental delusion,
and whilst in that condition got upon a chair, placed her
foot on the corner of the mantel shelf, which giving way,
precipitated her with grelt violence into the mysterious posi-
tion in which the police found her. Other evidence was
given, and the coroner summed up, and remarked on the'
mysterious nature of the case. The jury returned a unani-
mous verdict, " That the deceased was found dead,. with her
neck dislocated, and with marks of violence on various parts
of her person, but how she came by such injuries ' they had
not sufficient proof."