The Sun.
London, England, 1857-06-26 00:00:00

THE DIVORCE BILL.

The following is a copy of the Bishop of Exeter's
Protest against the third reading of the Divorce
and Matrimonial Causes Bill.

" Dissentient,—Because the bill authorises the inter'
marriage of the adulterous parties, but does not
relieve the clergy from the legal obligation of note'
brating matrimony in such cases with the ofilee
of the church. Yet that office expressly dec!arsB
that holy matrimony, instituted by God in the Woo
of man's innocency, signifies' the mystical unioo
between Christ and His Church, whereas adultery is eon'
stantly spoken of in holy Scripture as symbolising apes-
tacy from that Church and the violation of that blessed
union, In contempt of this sacred truth the bill not only
sanctions the marriage of parties whose ability to marry
is 'ounded on their being adulterers, but it compels thal
clergy to marry them in profanation of the most saccia
words of Scripture, and with perversion of the most solemn
truths of the Gospel. For, even if the use of theoffice could
be t Aerated in the marriage of adulterous parties wile
are repentant of their adultery, yet no security is 'Ol3
or can be given by any statute that the parties concern
are really penitent ; and yet those parties have by
their adultery incurred the Church sentence of °scour
munication, which, if duly pronounced, would render;
them incapable of being married with the rites ('
the Church. If the circumstances of the times Pre'
vent the due exercise of the Church's discipline, Y,e.
the least that might be expected from a Chile'
tian Legislature iS that it be careful to protect the State
from the guilt of countenancing such fearful profaneneal
and to respect the conscientious feelings of all faithful
churchmen, who cannot but be shocked by such wanton
trifling with the gravest spiritual matters ; and ese,,
cially of the clergy, who, if the bill shall finally pass,
107,
not be ableto perform what belongs to their office withoo°
violating their sense of duty to God, and cannot refuse
to perform it without incurring the heavy penalties of hi"
man law. The enactment is the more grievous because
there already exists a mode of contracting mat':
mony between such parties, which not only leafs:
the rights and sanctions of the church unviolated, but
would also relieve the parties themselvea, if truly, Perii-
tent and sensitive of their own degradation, from th°
anguish and misery which they must feel in repeating
vows to God which they have already broken, and; hear
ii
ing pronounced over them the curse of God against all
who have, as they already have, ' put asunder those
whom God has joined together.' iOH. ExEnclt:

Madame Ugalde, premiere chanteuse of the rail°
Opera Consigns, has arrived in Loudon.
THE ART TREASURES EXHIBITION.—The admissions
on Wednesday were : By season ticket, 1,961 ; on. Par
merit, 7,814 ; -total, 9,775.
THE RECENT EXTRAORDINARY CASE OF ASSAULT Al
BIRMINGHAM.—At the Quarter Sessions at Birmingham"
Mr. Edward Henry Collis, solicitor (who had been on
the previous day found guilty of an assault on Mr.
R. I'. Hodgson, solicitor, and late mayor of the town),
appeared in court to receive his judgment. The 111
corder sentenced the defendant to pay a fine of 501. an:
to be imprisoned until the same was paid. The penal*
was paid immediately.
NEWSPAPERS TO THE EAST INDlES.—Arrangenleuti
have been entered into with the Government of Judi*
under which, all newspapers- posted in the United Sink'
dom, addressed to places within the territory of the East
India Company, and properly prep Aid, wi'l be delivered
in India without any further charge. In like manner'
newspapers from India addressed to the United King;
dom, if duly prepaid in India, will be delivers. 7
without charge in this country. The rates °'
postage upon a single Newspaper will be
, 3d. when sent via Marseilles ; id. when sent via South'
ampton. In consenting to this arrangement, however/
the Government -of India have required, as a conditioot _
that the above rates of postage shall bo limited to news'
papers not exceeding four ounces in weight ; a news:
paper, therefore, weighing above four ounces and lic"'
exceeding eight ounces will, on the Ist July and thence'
I forward, be chargeable with double single rate, and s°,
on, an additional rate being charged for each additional
four ounces or fraction of four ounces which the news"
paper may weigh.—By command of the Postmaster'
General, R. HILL, Secretary.
SUDDEN DEATH.—Yesterday Mr. Baker resumed the
inquiry into the cause of the death of Mary Winikerh
who died suddenly after breakfast in a lodging-house a
t
Finsbury, having ueen released from prison the previous
day. The husband bf the deceased bad purchased meet;
and other articles for breakfast, and the circumstance of
his baying insured his wife's life for 500/
_ gave rise to
suspicion, which made it necessary to have a post snot-
tern exatninwion. It was proved that death was caused
by diseaSe of the heart, and a verdict was given of "Died
by the visitation of God."
EXTENSIVE FlRE.—Yest.rday morning a fire broke
out in the premises of Mr. Alderman Rose, oil and
varnish-warehouseman, Upper Thames-street, City. The
flames spread rapidly ; but the engines having soon
been brought into play, the fire was subdued in about
three hours ; but not before considerable loss was BO'
tamped. Mr. Aldine:li n:uatnt
tphßeerosstoeintnawel ai
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3:upper
hpwaaarpstpiitoi3ysfuetrticeda.pbeudiidwi

A MAN CRUSHED TO DZATlL—Yesterday Wi
Lemon, aged'sB, a carriage-cl-auer, while attempting tc)
pass between some carriages near the Paddington term,"
nus while they were being shunted, was caught %vitt/
fearful violence between the- buffers. With a groan be
fell to the ground a lifeless corpse, the supposition being,
as in all such cases, that the whole of the internal orgaild
must have been eornpl_tely crushed.
Ma. DOUGLAS JERSOID.—A. concert, in aid of the
fund now raising for the relief of the family of the late
Mr. Douglas Jerrold, will take place to-morrow evening,
at St. Martin's-hall. The names of those who have 150
lunteered to assist are abundantly sufficient to ensure
full attendance. They are as follows :—Madame New
vello, Mr. and Mrs. T. German Reed, Herr Ernst, NO'
Albert Smith, Mr. and Mrs. Weiss, Mr. F. Robsoef
Signor Bottesini, Mr. Osborne, Miss Mary Keeley, IVliell
Dolby, and Mr. Sims Reeves. Mr. Benedict Nell!
conduct.