The Sun.
London, England, 1832-01-21 00:00:00

AN INTERESTING QUESTION.

An interesting question has lately arisen to disturb the
ven and festive lire of the Royal circle at Brighton. Oar
readers will, no doubt, easily recall to their remembrance'
the circumstances of the marriage of his Rapti Highness
the42tuke of Sussex with the late Lady Au;iustit Murray.
appearsit that the children of that marriage, Sir Augustus
D'Este and Miss Ellen D'Este, from a proper and filial
rc-
gard to the memory of their late parent, and a desire also
to be reinstated in the rank and property which have hi-
therto been most unjustly withheld from them, have talc, n
the professional opinion of Dr. Lushington and Mr.
Richards on the circumstances of their mother's marria•ie,
and their own claims to legitimate descent from George 111.
Nine different questions have been proposed to these een-
tltmen, all of them most pertinently b aring upon the
matters we have just stated. The answers are clear and
satisfactory, giving the decided opinions of the two r minent
lawyers whose names we have mentioned, that Sir Au:;ustus
and Miss D'Este are legitimate children, to whom the stain
of bastardy cannot in any case attach; and that they may
and - must succeed to all property, titles, and privileges,
which any child of the Duke of Sussex could in any cir-
cumstances inherit. The question is viewed in two light:,
first, as it is affected by the common law of the land ;
secondly, as it is affected by the Royal Marriage Act. It
is clear to those gentlemen, that according to the com-
mon law of England the marriage of the Duke of Sussex
was the only valid marriage which, under the circum-
r.tances, be could contract. It was given. in evicknce befbre
Parliament on another occasion, that no legal marriage
could be contracred by Protestants at Rome ; and in all
such cases it was held that when the usu tl formalities
of country cannot be observed by Englis'imen, as in
Pagan countries, on board ship, &c., the law always
sanctions and upl4ds all marri iges where the con.
tracting parties shall appear evidently to have, in
good taith, endearment to execute tho most binding
contract possible. The Duke of Sussex and Lady
A. Murray were married at Rome: and it appears eleerly,
from their lett, rs, that they acted under the strong
impression that their marriage was a good and binding
one. The lawyers are equally clear that the Royal Mar-
riage Act does not apply to this case, and, indeed, not to
any marriage out of t,.e kingdom. The Duke of Sussex
is an Ii ish as well as an English Peer, and, likewise, a
Prince of the Blood Royal of Ireland. Ireland had at that
period a separate Legislature and jurisdiction, arid it surely
will not be supposed that an English Parliament could
limit the rights of an Irish subject. The Duke of Sussex
could, therefore, contract a legitimate mart tage with Lady
Augusta Murray as an Irishman, and transmit unimpaired
to his children the property and privileges of his own high
descent.

So the matter now rests ; that it would meet with the
usual kind and generous consideration of an amiable So-
vereign, were it not for the meddling of certain * *
is undoubted, and one of whom seems determined to have
the * * of her origin by the impertinence of
her manners. These people cannot forget that a late
Monarch was ruled by an apothecary and a *
It is said that the rank of Marquis' children was offered to
Sir A. and Miss d'Este—it may easily be guessed at whose
instigation. We need not add that it has been indig-
nantly refused.— Correspondent of the Morn. Chronicle.

DEATH OF MAY, THE ALLEGED BUB/KITE.
—MAY, the convict, who was tried at the Old Bailey
Sessions with Bailor and Wxr.r.taus, and sentenced to
death, which sentence was afterwards commuted to trans.
portation for life, died yesterday morning. The shock
ed from the con-
victs produced upon his wind by the unexpected communioa-
tion of his reprieve is stated to have been the occasion of
vli7i:etsri
al
01bn:e board
sa
annoyances
of the hich w
hulks. whichas
h He w
considerably
ep
exaugmented by the in-
t ea
ri
s removedc
from several
convict ships, but he sank under hie sufferings on hoard
the ship Grampus.