The Sun.
London, England, 1858-07-26 00:00:00

EVENING, JULY 23, 1.. g 58,

judge for himself. That believing, as he did
that Scripture sanctioned these marriages, it was
a grievance of which the people might justly com-
plain, that the law of the land was not in har-
mony with the revealed law of GOD ; that no
social evils resulted in countries where such mar-
riages are common ; that, in contradiction to what
had been said, the feeling of the country teas in
favour of these marriages—the petitions were but
300 with 10,000 signatures against the bill, and
1,047 with 125,539 signatures in its favour;
while the marriages of this description through-
out the country were very numerous. Such an
amount of religion, morality, and common sense
from a Bishop HARRY of EXETER could not stand.
What ! pretend to say that Scripture sanc-
tioned what canons (the bishops' proper
Bible) pronounced incestuous ! as good say "I care
not for the Church, if the law of Goa sanctions
anything !" Why, if a clergyman, ,not in a
privileged place, had dared to say so, a "faithful
bishop would call him to account for such words,"
and should the bill pass, a faithful minister would
be compelled to refuse a person named under it
" the Sacrament which was NECESSARY for his
salvation," and here the successor of the Apostles,
in his very apostolic place is the British House
of Lords, and stimulated by apostolic wrath, or
by the holy refreshments purchased by his truly
apostolic income, dashed " the wretched bill"
upon the floor ! Poor Bill. No wonder it was
lost by 22 to 46.
The episcopal anathemas finished, Lord OVER-
STONE blandly endeavoured to soothe the irate old
man, and to avert his curse ; but all in vain, the
malediction of EXETER was on the bill, and the
weighty remarks of the great currency Lord could
not remove it. Lord GAGE, the venerable Lord
LYNDHURST, Lord WODEHOUSE, Lord GRANVILLE,
all joined the Bishop of RIPON and Lord OVER-
STONE in defending the Bill, and in urging its
necessity ; but Evangelical bigotry, High Church
superstition, and possibly, in some few instances,
the hope of saving Noble Lords and their sisters-
' in-law from imaginary temptations, prevailed, and
the Bill is lost for the session.

We can but regret it. Lord DERBY is undoing
iu the Lords all that the better half of his Cabinet
would do for him in the Commons. These con-
flicts with the Commons and the people, especially
the ecclesiastical ones, are very ill advised. They
make rancorous enemies. Levying of Church-
rates and forbidding to marry will do L)rd DERBY
immense practical harm. Concession on such
points would not hurt his Church in the least,
while they would do much to detach Dissenters
from the Whigs. Churchmen dare not forsake
him. He should paralyse Dissenters' opposition
by con ceJing their just demands. They are strong
in the boroughs, and nothing galls them more than
to be fettered by the Canons, and to be taxed by
she uiliciais of tht &Lail:shod Church.

- The foolish perversity of the Peers not only
injures the present Government, but damages the 1
House of Lords. The people see that the House
is worse than useless. They can pass measures
required by the intelligence and liberal religious i
sentiments of the age through the House of Com-
mons, but no sooner do they get to the House of
Lards than the measures are met and stopped by
all the ignorance or bigotry of the middle ages.
ft takes years to batter down this oligarchical
stupidity and pride ; the Lords are, however,
simply obstructives ; they cannot ultimately hinder
the prevalence of truth. To what end, then,
Main this hereditary mud-bank, this bar to the'
noble stream of progress. A. channel has always
to be forced through it in each separate case—
why not dredge the bank iu the new 11,4sform Bill
once for all, and make it easy for the QUERN'S and
country's Government to be carried on.

1, &TEST NEWS.

THE TWO SICILIES.
SENTENCE OF THE PRISONERS AT
SALERNO.

SALERNO, JULY 20.

The Grand Criminal Court of Salerno resumed
its sittings last Friday, July 16. Only two advo-
cates for the defence spoke, and the business of
the day was suspended shortly before 12 o'clock.
The first who addressed the Court was Signor
Petrelli, in a bare enumeration of facts with the
proofs of their truth—good of its kind. There
was no room for the display of eloquence. With
regard to La Francesca, who followed, he mani-
fested some courage, as he had done through-
out. He spoke much of the crew of the Cagliari,
but on so delicate a subject ho was not allowed
to dwell, and the President soon silenced
him. A very strong discussion ensued between the
President and La Francesca as to whether sentences
in criminal cases should be made to depend on pre-
sumption or probability, or on certainty ; the Pre-
sident maintaining the former, the advocate the
latter. La Francesca concluded a very energetic
and eloquent speech by urging the judges to unite
justice with mercy—an interest and regard for
humanity with respect for the law.
On Saturday, July 17, the Court again re•
slimed its sittings, and Carelli, with eloquence
and courage not inferior to that of Tajani and
La Francesca, combated part by part the written
and the oral accusations, which in many re-
spects contradict one another. He did not hesi-
tate to lavish encomiums on the dead as well as
on the living and the present, who formed
the nucleus of the attempt of the last year, and
without fear made a public acknowledgment of
sympathy, affection, and admiration for him who
sustained the principal part in this cause—th A is,
Nicotera. He reminded the judges of the respon-
sibility that would weigh upon them if one single
drop of blood were Shed, and of the indignation
which the country would feel at it. In short, Ta-
jani, La Francesca, and Carelli have throughout
shown an example of civil courage which is worthy
of all admiration, and which merits from Italians
generally the expression of their high honour and
esteem. Yesterday's sitting concluded with a
short, almost a maiden speech from the young and
rising advocate, De Mea.

The sentence was given last night at 10 o'clock
It is as follows :

Death,—Nicotera (Neapolitan), Santandrea (Ro-
mAgnano), Gagliani (Milanese), G:ordano, Val-
letta, Martino, and La Sala (Neapolitans).
Twenty-five years in irons.—G-. Poggi,—Poggi,
Rotta, and other foreigners.
Sentenced to the Ergastolo.—Nine.
Many set at liberty.
Just time to send off my letter to Naples to meet
the steamer.

Punishment of death suspended.
A quarantine of 10 days was put the other day
upon all vessels coming from Malta and Marseilles,
in consequence of the existence of the plague at
Tanis. It is now practically taken off.
The sfeqmlllip 13.3.nthr, with the aud
China mails, arrived at Marseilles yesterday (Sun-
day, the 25th of July), at 1 p.m. The mails left
for London at 4 p.m.
The Panther would be in quarantine until 5 a.m.
on the 27th.
Advices from Constantinople of the 17th inst.
announce that the Minister of Police, Mehemet
Pasha, has been sent to Candia on a special mis-
sion by his Government. The Minister is provided
with fresh instructions. We lEarn, however, that
tranquillity has been restored at Canes.
TRIES CE, JULY 25.
News from Alexandria of the 18th states that the
Christians had been insulted and menaced in that
city, but that the aggressors had been immediately
arrested.

A garrison of 8,000 men and the energetic mea-
antes adopted had completely dissipated any fear
of serious danger.
The disturbances among the mountaineers of
Syria still continued.

BERNE, JULY 24.
The Federal Assembly has just elected the Pre-
sident of the Federal Council for 1859.

M. Frey Herose wag returned, having received
70 votes against 63 given for M. Staempfli. M.
Kusel was chosen Vice-President of the Federal
Connell, also for the year 1859.