The Sun.
London, England, 1859-02-18 00:00:00

TILE NAVY.

When people ask for an alteration of an import-
ant law they ought to be prepared to show some
serious and important grievance. This ought to be
shown, then, in the case of the proposed change in
the Marriage Law, and the proposers of the change
profess to prove this, and talk a great deal about it.
They are all but lachrymose indeed; they spsak of
domestic hardship, blighted affections, the world
made a blank, hope cut off, happiness poisoned at
the root, and no resource left to a man but religion
and the thought of a future state. This is Parlia-
mentary poetry, and it professes to be a description
of a respectable widower who wants to marry his
deceased wife's sister, and is not allowed to do so by
the law. Now, we are not devoid of feeling, and
we wish to approach this subject with respectful
delicacy ; yet, we must frankly confess we are eon-
s'derally puzzled to know what to think of this
grievance. In the first place, Our respectable
widower can marry any other woman in the world
that he likes except this one ; at least, the law does
not prevent him. We allow that this does not
settle the question altogetlnor, still it is a considera-
tion when we are about to take out our handker-
chiefs. It deserves a preliminary passing thought
that the whole feminine world, with all its charms,
graces, merits, and accomplishments, is, with one
exception, open to the disconsolate gentleman. His
choice cannot be said to be stinted. He is not abso-
lutely smothered, and has a little room to breathe in
and refresh himself. " Oh, but this is nothing,"
says the Parliamentary sentimentalist ; "he has
set his affections on one woman ; no other woman
in the world is anything at all to thiS disconsolate
gentleman, ' and lie is reduced to desperation, un-
less he is allowed to marry his deceased wife's
sister."
Well, then. this is the grievance, and we only
want to know what sort of grievance it is, and not
to let the warmth of our feelings supersede all
cool and reasonable examination. This gentle-
man, then, has, of course, up to the very point
of his lamented wife's decease, entertained no af-
fection for the so flatteringly singled out sister-in-
law—that is to say, no other than sisterly affection.
He has taken pleasure in her society and conrersa-
tion, and admired her general character; but, of
course, as our disconsolate widower was always a
person of unexceptionable principles and strict pro-
priety—of course, we say, this being the case, he
has not had, up to the lamented moment referred
to, any other class of feelings for the one ultimately
singled out from the whole feminine world. We
may go a little further even, and say that this state
of mind continues for some time—we will not say
how long, for these are delic ate questions—but for
sonic time after that lamentable event ; he does not,
of course, immediately enter upon other relations to
the lady ; we will not think it of him for a mo-
ment : he is occupied, of course, with the absorbing
claims of the past, with the sweet pains of memory,
with the melancholy yet soothing retrospect of the
virtues, the amiable temper, and the many engaging
qualities of the departed. Well, then we have
landed our unexceptionable widower upon, we will
say, a year, or, if that is too long, a proper reason-
able date from his late wife's decease, and at this
moment he is proved to have nothing like an at-
tachment to the future chosen sister-in-law. But
now he begins to look about him ; he wants ano-
ther wife to take care of his children, or to fill up
the void in his own affections. He has the feminine
world at large before him to choose from ; he also
knows that the Marriage Law of his country prohi-
bits the choice of the deceased wife's sister. With
this law before him, he begins now—not having
the Smallest attachment to that lady up to this mo-
ment--to form an attachment for her. It is not as
if he had been gradually' and insensibly entrapped
by circumstances into an attachment, which, when
the time came, he was forbidden to satisfy ; but;
this being specially the kind of feeling which lie has
not entertained, and from which the respectability.
of his principles has excluded him, he comes will,
his mind and affections free to the choice of a sceen
wife, and, in that impartial state of his feelings,
forms deliberately a fresh attachmentuiiii
doesatllit's
of the Marriage Law of his country.
at an age when the first impetus of the passions is
generally considered to be spent, and when reason
and reflection have had time for growth.
hen,but, it. is, it is
rievance. tls not a
r a 11 he
irs o
t overwhelming nature that de-
mands the upset of everything opposed to it, and
the total change of the law as it is, provided a clear
case of general expediency can be made out in
favour of that law. Everybody must be prepared
to make some little sacrifice for the incalculable
benefit which he derives from society,, and, if the
good of society requires some restrictions upon
marriage, he cannot expect the whole of society to
give way to him, and throw down all its safeguards
simply in order to rescue him out of an awkward-
ness which he has brought upon himself, and which
he might, by a little proper self-control, have
avoided. We know that people bring forward
other arguments in favour of a change of this law ;
they talk about the poorer classes and say it is
wanted for them. This is all nonsense, and those
who talk in this style know that it is nonsenso ;
they know perfectly well that labourers have as
wide a choice among women of their own class as
any other section of the community, and that it is
not necessity; but inclination, that governs their
choice in these matters. They know perfectly
well that the real motive for the change of the law
is the grievance which we have mentioned—that of
a gentlemen who has formed this exceptional and
irregular attachment, and thinks it very hard that
the law interferes with it. The question then is,
whether the Marriage Law ought to give way for
such a grievance as this, and the decision of that
question depends upon the general advantages ot,
the existing Marriage Law. 'We think, for ocu::p
d not
that those advantages are very great.
111 Vi ‘''ocat-
enlarge upon them ; Lord John Rus
ing a change in the existing law,
h to the general rule Every man of sense must see th m
the enormous social
and family benefits which atttacakes
wife's
sisters
by which a man at marriage
as his own. •
Moreover, if the barrier between the husband
and the wife's sister is a grievance, the new pro-
posed
law itself admits the tolerableness and reason-
ableness of the grievances, because it deliberately
leaves standing other grievances exactly like it.
Cannot a man fall in: love with his wife's niece as
well as with his wife's sister ? Quite as easily, and

The Severn, EO, sailing frigate, which is to be -
converted into a screw steamer at Chatham dock-
yard,-is ordered to be lengthened 60 feet.
The line-of-battle ship Rodney, 90, ordered to
Chathini- for the purpose of being altered into a
screw steamer, will, on her arrival from Ports-
mouth remain at the Nore until the Trafalgar, 120,
which has been cut down at Chatham to a 91-gun
screw line-of-battle steamer, is uiidocked, when the
Rodnev-will go into the fourth dock.
The -Nankin, 50, Commodore lion. K. Stewart,
has been taken under the shears at Chatham dock-
yard, and had all her masts taken out preparatory
to being paid off. Her cvew consists of some of the
finest men in her Majesty's service.
Her.-Majesty's screw steam transport Himalaya
Commander John Seccombe, at Portsmouth, bud

her crew-paid down and granted leave ashore yes-
terday. She will take out a mail to the Cape, and
on disembarking there the troops she conveys from
Portsmouth will embark the 45th Regiment, now
doing duty in that colony, and return with them
direct to Shithead. The undermentioned are the
names of the officers of the 2d battalion of the 13th
Regiment (Prince Albert's Light Infantry), who
will embark in the Himalaya at Portsmouth, on the
23d inst. ;—Lieut.-Colonel A. Horne ; Captains Vi .
11. Kerr, C. P. Cobbe, N. IL B. Vardou, W. IL
Griinston, J. C. Clarke, and G. H. Cobham ;
tenants R. N.lClayton, T. T. Gould, J. C. Conning-
ton, J. J. P. Pox, F.. L. England, and A.C. Wyneu;
Ensi,gns W. Moffatt, L. P. Jenkins, A. F. Cun-
ningham, A. Brooks, A. MeG. Denney, H. K.
Fenwick, and R. S. Clarke ; Lieut.-Adjutant J.
Bond ; Paymaster 11. Lee Carter ; Quartermaster J.
Landry ; Surgeon W. G. Trowsdell, M.D. ; Assistant
ditto, N. L. Gray and Stewart; four ladies, and six
children.

The Rhadamanthus paddlewheel steam transport,
Master Commander F. R. Sturdee, has arrived at
Sheerness from Woolwich with supernumeraries
from the Fisgard. She received on board seamen
volunteers from the Wellesley, the Cressy, and the
"Waterloo, for the Algiers, 91 guns, and. the St.
Jean d'Acre, 101 guns, screw steamships now com-
missioned at Portsmouth. A telegraphic message
has arrived, informing the authorities that no more
seamen are to be entered for the latter ship, she
having her full complement, who have volunteered
for her. The Rhadamanthus left Sheerness early
yesterday morning.
• An Admiralty order has arrived at Sheerness to
pay down the crew of the flagship Waterloo on the
28th inst. The Queen Charlotte will be commis-
sioned on the Ist of March as flagship, and the
officers and crew of the 'Waterloo are to be turned
over to the Monarch until the Queen Charlotte is
ready to receive them. The Waterloo's guns,
munitions of war, and stores of all descriptions are
being returned to their respective departments.
On Wednesday a court-martial assembled on
board the flagship Waterloo, at Sheerness, to try
Lieutenant Robert J. Stotherd, borne on the books
of the Cornwallis for service in the Ruby gunboat.
The Lords of the Admiralty directed that an inquiry
should be instituted by court-martial, to try the
said Lieutenant Robert J. Stotherd for having run
into the brig Stella, on the morning of the 21st of
January, last, while the said brii was riding at
anchor in the river Humber. Ihe case for the
prosecution lasted nearly six hours. Captain E.
P. Halsted, of the Cressy, was President. Lieut.
Stoth,,rd in his defence pleaded that in consequence
of 11w helm being altered without his knowledge,
and the speed of the vessel thereby impeded, he
erred in his judgment as to the steam vessel
Ruby having sufficient speed to go round the
brig. Stella, which he considered she would
have done, had the holm not been altered.
He put in a number of very good certificates
and threw himself on the favourable considera-
tion of the Court. The Court sat in consultation
more than an hour and a half, and Mr. Hayward,
the Judge-Advocate, then read the sentence. The
Court was of opinion that sufficient care had not
been taken and judgment used, and sentenced Lieut.
It. J. Stotherd to be dismissed from the command
of the Ruby gunboat. The Court also expressed a
very strong cpinion that had Lieut. Stotherd been
properly assisted by the gunner, Henry Hayes, the
collision might have been avoided.
The fbllowing appointments have been made :
Commodore Edgell, to the Retribution, vice Booker ;
George Willes to the Chesapeake, as flag captain
to Rear-Admiral Hope, C. 13., Commander-in-Chief
on the East India and China station, vice Edgell.
Lieut. R. llemer was yesterday promoted to the
Reserved List of Commanders, vice Burrnister.