The Sun.
London, England, 1861-05-15 00:00:00

CLAIMANTS AGAINST THE STATE OF OUDH

In reply to Mr. TORRENS,
Sir C. WOOD said that he had not yet received an
answer to a communication to the Governor-General, and
therefore could not give the hon. member the information
he required.
MARRIAGE LAW (IRELAND).
Sir H. CAIRNS, in moving for a select committee to
inquire into the law of marriage in Ireland, said that his
motion was not brought forward in consequence of
the recent celebrated trial in Ireland, for last
year there were numerous petitions from Ireland
praying for an amendment of the marriage law in that coup •
try, and except for certain circumstances he would have
brought the subject forward before. It had been objected
to any act in regard to Ireland on the subject that legis-
lation should include the three component parts of the
kingdom. He thought, however, that such objection was
more plausible than just, for when they considered the
marriage and the common law of Scotland, and the tenacity
with which the inhabitants of that country adhered to that
law, he thought it would be impracticable to introduce a
more comprehensivemeasure in regard to wasg law of
the kingdom genet ally. At present there undue delay,
want of proper authentication, and other defects in the
existing marriage law in Ireland which required to be reme-
died. In 1844 the law of England was introduced into Ire-
land in reference to marriage,the effect of which was that mar-
riages in some cases were solemnised without any religious
services. Having adverted to the operation of the mixed
marriage, certain hardships under which Protestant dolicsis-
senters laboured in Ireland, he said the Roman Cath
also had ground for complaint, for although in some casea
they have greater license in regard to contracting
marriages than other religious bodies, at the same
time they laboured under some disabilities. It
was therefore most desirable that the present law should
remain on the statute book. With regard to Roman Catho-
lics, he proposed the clergymen of that body should, in re-
gard to mixed marriages, be placed in the same position as
clergymen of other denominations, providing that they
were similarly placed in giving those marriages due
publicity.
Mr. -WHITESIDE seconded the motion. He said that
the object of the common law was to give the greatest pub-
licity to marriages ; and in allusion to this publicity, he be-
lieved it was Chaucer who said, in respect to a marriage
solemnised at the church according to the old custom—
" She was the discreetest of women alive,
Husbands at the church door she had five,"
(Laughter.) He believed that their departure from
common law was not always attended with ad-
vantage. The Roman Catholics in Ireland, though
constituting a large majority of the inhabitants
of that country, were in a worse position in
respect to the marriage laws than the Jews, who
were infinitesimally. smaller, or the Quakers, who
were rapidly diminishing. He thought that in this
respect the Roman Catholics should hate the same privi-
leges conferred on them as were enjoyed by the Church of
Scotland ; but at the same time, if they had any reason-
able demands, he considered they should be heard with
deference.
Mr. SCULLY, who had the following amendment on the
paper :—" That an ,humble address- be presented to her
Majesty, praying that she would be graciously pleased to
issue ,t Royal Commission;to inquire into the marriage laws
of England, of Ireland, and of Scotland, respectively," said
that he did not intend his amendment in a hostile but a
friendly spirit towards the motion of the honourable
and learned gentleman (Sir H. Cairns). He thought
it would be impossible to legislate on the subject this
session, and he thought, under the circumstances,
it would not
imstubeteeadvisable to go into the whole question.
If the marriage law of Ireland could be legislated
one immediately, he would offer no objection ; but consi-
tdehering the number of Irish committees sittin4 at
eNi'oualndylead to n
addition
epracticable
I
of
the of
these
Secretary for Ireland gave him an assurance that he
w ce
ou Id agree to an attempt to legislate on the subject this
hs
ss s
heion
nd
Ee
fLhLi
his
saidhe n it a
n was a
Rmv,DeonuNtvl.d afford him any assistance and withdrawpoMse the motion r Alseanrnoted friend his
einridietnhteiomn
member
boper-
for, Belfast, and he was glad to find that it was not the in-
tention of his hon. frien
amendment, the member for Cork to press his
The motion was agreed to.
PLACES OF WORSHIP (IRELAND) BILL.
Mr. M. MALINS obtained 1
enable religious congregations ineave to bring in a bill to
Ireland to obtain sites for
places of worship.
WOOLWICH DOCKYARD.
Mr. ANGERSTEIN moved for a copy of
the officers of Woolwich Dockyard, and othe f principal
officers of the Admiralty, on the errors, relerred to in the
18th
clause of the WAN head of the report of the AoYal