The Sun.
London, England, 1850-02-27 00:00:00

ARRIVALS THIS WEEK.

Wheat. Barley. Oats.
Qrs. Qrs. Qrs. Qrs. Sacks.
English •• 1,220 4,690 6,530 6,990 4,510
5c0tch........
Irish ••
Foreign . • 1,140

Malt. I Flour.

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

(THIS DAY.)

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

The SPEAKER took the Chair at Twelve o'clock.

The second reading of the Athy, Castlecomer, and
Kilkenny Road Bill was postponed till this day fortnight.

SECOND READINGS.

The two followirg Bills were read a second time and
Irdered to be committed:—

Copper Miners' Company (England.)
Licensed Victuallers' ai.d General Fire and Life Assu-
rance Company (No. 2).
PETITIONS.

Several petitions were presented against Sunday
labour in the Post-office.

Mr. SPOONER presented a petition from Warwick
praying for the estabishmont of county financial boards.
Mr. BROTHERTON presented a petition i❑ lavour
of the Marriage Bill.
Mr. C. LUSIIINGTON presented petitions from
various metropolitan parishes praying for the repeal of
the window-tax.

Mr. HARRIS presented a petition from Leicester in
favour of die Marriage Bill.
Sir H. H. INGLIS presented several petitions against
the Marriage Bill, one of them being iron, trio Dean told
Chapter of Exeter, and another from the clergy of the
diocese of Canternury ; also a petition praying for the
abolition of Sunday latour in the Post•office.
Mr. HOME DRUMMOND presented a petition to the
same effect.

Mr. REYNOLDS presented a petition from Dublin
praying for a revision of the Irish Customs Acts in
favour of distillers; also three petitions playing for the
abolition of the duty on paper from Dundalk, Cork, and
Dublin.

Mr. HEYWORTH presented similar petitions.
Mr. VETO presented several petitions in favour of the
Marriage Bill.
Mr. ADA IR presented a petition from Cambridge
praying for the repeal of the taxes on knowledge.
Mr. RICE presented a petition from Dover praying
for the establishment of county financial boards.
Sir G. STRICKLAND presented a petition in favour
of the Marriage Bill.
Mr. R. PALMER presented two petitions against
Sunday labour in the Post-office.
Mr. GOULBURN presented a petition from the
University of Cambridge against the Marriage Bill.
Mr. MOODY presented two petitions, one praying
for the abolition of Sunday labour in the Post-office,
and the other pi aying for the extension of County
Courts.

Colonel THOMPSON presented a petition from
Bradford, praying the House to pass a Ten Hours' Bill.
Mr. HEADLAM presented several petitions in favour
of the Marriage Bill.
Sir GEORGE PECHELL presented a petition from
Brighton in favour of the Bill.
Mr. MACKINNON presented a petition from Leam-
ington to the same effect.
Mr..WODEHOUSE gave notice that to-morrow he
should put a question to the Right Hon. the President of
the Board of Trade relative to the exports of manu-
factures in 1800 and 1801, and the imports of corn in
the year of scarcity, 1795.
MARRIAGES BILL

Mr. STUART WORTLEY, after presenting a large
number of petitions in favour of this Bill, proceeded to
move its second reading. The object of the Bill was to
legalise marriage with a deceased wife's sister, but as it
had so recently been under the consideration of the
House, he did not feel it necessary to go over the
grounds which he had already stated in its
tavour. He could not, however, help expressing
his regret that he had met with so much
opposition, particularly from his Right Hon. Friend the
Member for the University of Cambridge, and at being
now menaced with the opposition of Sir F. Thesiger;
but notwithstanding that opposition it was his deter-
mination, backed as he was by large and influential
bodies out of doors, to persevere with the measure.—
(Hear, hear.) The Bill now before the House was
almost similar to the one he had the honour of introduc-
ing last session, with this exception, that it did not sanc-
tion a marriage with the niece of a deceased wile, but in
making that alteration he had not yielded from convic-
tion, but rather in deference to the feelings and wishes
of some of his supporters. Actuated by a similar motive
he had so altered the Bill as not to make it compulsory
on a clergyman to solemnize these marriages, leaving
the clergy of the Church of England to follow the dis-
cipline of their church, but while he made this conces-
sion to the feelings of the Church, it should be remem-
bered that the canons subscribed to by the clergy on
being ordained contained no prohibition to solemnize
marriages of this nature, though the Scotch canons cer-
tainly did contain such a provision. Such then were the
chief alterations of the Bill. It was simply a measure of re-
lief, inflicting no wrong nor injury upon any class; and as
it was calculated to promote the morality and happiness
of the people, he really could not understand why it
should be objected to. There was nothing in Scripture
or in policy to prohibit the marriages. The Church of
England did not prohibit them, nor did the Church of
Rome; and seeing that nobody was called upon to sanc-
tion such marriages, but simply to grant liberty of con-
science to those who were favourable to them. The Act
which the Bill proposed to repeal was only fifteen years
old. Before 1835 these were common marriages; and if
this were a question solely affecting the higher classes,
he should not feel so much anxiety as to the fate of the
Bill, but as it affected the interest of every class, from
the highest to the lowest, no feelings of delicacy ought
to prevent the Bill being passed into a law. What were
the circumstances under which the Bill of 1835 was
passed? Before that period, it should be remembered
that these marriages were common enough and strictly
legal. No expression of public feeling had
been manifested against them, and the Act
was passed to meet extreme cases, against
which the public had always expressed, and would con-
tinue to express, its abhorrence. It was not, however,
intended to prohibit such marriages, which this Bill pro-
posed to sanction; and as it neither violated the laws of
God or man, he really was at a loss to understand why
the Bill could be objected to.—(Hear, hear.) The sister

of a deceased wife-was not so near of kin as a cousin,
and to be consistent, therefore, if they prohibited one
marriage they ought to prohibit the other. Indeed to
this day marriage with a cousin was prohibited by the
Greek Church, and for some years it was forbidden by
the Church of England, but in a country like this, di-
vided as it was upon religious matters, how could they
pretend to be consistent in attempting to bind the feelings
of all classes and sects to the views and feelings of the
Established Church?—(Hear, hear.) He could not
trace the origin of these marriages to any particular
date, but the Council of Trent distinctly authorised
them. No doubt before that period the power
of granting the privilege of a marriage of
this nature rested with the bishop. So far
with regard to the Church of Rome, as far as our own
Church was concerned, they were sanctioned by Luther
himself, and had been solemnized downwards to the year
1835. Cromwell sanctioned them, and several marriages
with deceased wives' sisters were celebrated in the high-
est circles of society during the period of the Common •
wealth.—(Cheers.) But from that time down to the pre-
sent, although there had been a continual controversy
on the subject, these marriages had never been strictly
prohibited, and he maintained the Legislature had no
right to withhold the privilege of contracting them either
from the Roman Catholics or the Dissenters.—(Cheers.)
The very Legislature to which he was appealing had ap-
proved of the principle. The Act which he had brought
in was an Act to render marriage with a deceased
wife's sister valid, and did they think that when the
Legislature had sanctioned that Act, that there was any
doubt in their minds that these marriages were
prohibited by the law of God ? As to the social
evils, which it was apprehended by some persons
would follow on this law, he could not think that the
future state of things would be worse than the present.
He could state to the House many instances, which
would show to them the great immorality which was
occasioned by the present state of the law.
The Learned Gentleman then quoted Prussia and
America, countries in which these marriages were legal,
to show the absence of any evil consequences from
such a state of things, and to show the estima-
tion in which persons were held who had contracted such
marriages; and in this country also he could not per-
ceive that such persons were field in disrepute. No less
than 4,000 such marriages had been solemnized since
the passing of the Act, which, assuming that
there were three children to each marriage,
gave 20,000 persons interested in this question.
When he said the existing law affected the poorer
classes, he did not speak from conjecture, but depended
on the authority of the most eminent clergymen of the
Established Church. The Rev. Thomas Dale, who was
one of our best parochial clergymen, said the prohibi
Lion of marriage with a deceased wife's sister acted far
more for the promotion than the prevention of crime,
and this opinion was confirmed by many
other clergymen of considerable eminence. The Hon.
Gentleman then read a number of extracts from letters
he had received to show the evils arising from the pro-
hibition of these marriages, and that the aunt was gene-
rally the most fit person to educate and to train the chil-
dren of the deceased sister, and consequently would
make a better stepmother than any other female.
The Hon. and Learned Gentleman then proct eded to
read a number of letters to the same purport from emi-
nent persons in the manufacturing districts, concluding
with a letter from the Bishop of Sodor and Man, and
then proceeded to say that he was anxious to support
himself by sufficient authority, and he thought he had
done so.—(Hear, hear.) But it should be recollected
that the parties immediately contracting these mar-
riages were not the only parties concerned. (Hear,
hear.) There might be objections to any alteration
in the law among the higher classes, but the middle and
lower classes were unanimously in favour of it. There
were children for whom they had necessarily the deep-
est concern.—(Hear, hear.) If any man entertained
any doubt of the necessity of such alteration, let
him recollect that the law had proved almost totally
inoperative. From year to year ever since it was passed
these marriages had taken place, sometimes from a total
ignorance of the law itself, and sometimes with a
roost painful consciousness of the position in which the
parties contracting them placed themselves, but never-
theless a position which they could not avoid without at
the same time neglecting duties which were more im-
portant and more holy than any consideration fur their
own feelings.—(Hear, hear.) The Right Honourable
and Learned Gentleman then read a letter from a
gentleman of large experience and of great authority, in
which it wes stated that the whole of his expe-
rience convinced him that the poor man
could not be divested of the idea that, however the law
of the land might make such unions as these sinful,
they were not opposed to the law of God.—(Hear, bear.)
He had in his pocket a very painful correspondence to
srhaeoqwu e tnht yt ptrhoeduicEleodst
See-
ing then that its
actiowasthciouvatiwi(n of
s)chi
byunhappy family differences were
u -seeing

a?

----------
rtehiaigt
imi,ts,abrogation was oosed neither to morality °1
he should conclude by moving that the Bill
ho
read a second time.—(Loud cheers.)
'she
motion having been seconded,
Sir F. THESIGER rose and after PaYinwg.s h "ilisl
high compliment to the zeal'and ability with hic
Honourable and Learned Friend had brought forward
this motion, said that he had taken great pains to ac;
quaint himself with the arguments which had issued
from both sides of the House, and with the state of public
feeling, r-specting this Bill, and the result was t° show
how
-mall a body of persons in this country, by Persil,
v -ering exertion, could bring a matter to such a state of sa
vsueetneni,wlien a large body was indifferent to itssueot
The reason why the question had been agitated baci now
wn let
become a matter cf notoriety. It was well kno
eight or ten years ago parties who ha
d evaded the law,
and ethers who had scrupulously followed it, ern:
ployed certain legal gentlemen to take such raeasureS:
Thi, cow_
would effect the object of the parties.
tnenced as early as 1840, when statements were
put forth for the purpose of ascertaining the feeli,n;g:ed,
the public on the subject. Pamphlets were pub'--
and these were followed by circulars to the ArchbishoPg.
h
atearitnietßld.sidsrhueiriiieipirs:gewttiihttat but little success, sfterwards they ,rhte
sorted to Parliament, and he firmly hPlirved they
- b.
(LEFT RightSPAK INT;
bpyerihiis4. Friend was 0

ST. JAI'dES'S THEATRE'
lecturer that of
M MR. BUNN ON THE STAGS
r.Bounnnshhnscpoetzothitisineoarnnineewoteahf
sentatives of his works, and on the stile geo,eecer
and a more amusing three hours' talk it hsistain, oa
been our lot to listen to than was Mr. Barm's. title
From
of
fe stage at this theatre last evening.
the monologue, from the recollection of t!': nob.
tents of certain volumes on " The StegeP' his
lished some years since by Mr. Bunn, and fr°lll. no.
long connexion with stage management, and his intro.
tiorrazteorl,e
merable squabbles with authors and actors, it
havehave
been supposed that in his table-talk he vl
nion
indulged in personalities, and certainly a° be
hasm received greater provocation to do so Ole to
Mr. Bunn ; he has, however, had the good tat d
abstain, of
and from the commencement to the eiantiast
his lecture, which is enlivenea by meal 6.,„Ptv3cctif
anecdote told with infinite gusto, there does °a be
a single phrase or a single allusion which °l3hu-tase
consideredb as personally offensive to SDY devoted
eing. The first part of the lecture is ov
exclusively to Shakspere, and Mr. Bu°° shows
ogt
the absurdity of the commentators in the
the
amusing manner, by placing in joxta'rslt°ll"eress
mostb. contradictory assertions regarding Shits;rtioll
birth, parentage, and education, each such 1-- pope;
eing backed by the authority of grt try °I
After a similar manner he illustrated the Ps.
actors in adopting various readings of portico -ali.
sages, and expressed his surprise that no" leolljajopero
ban" bad yet announced to the world that S!' or be
must have foreseen the recent railway insul'
beta
would never have made Touchstone allude tit°'
Thee oc°,°. over
off " with his scrip and seri age."
the inscription placed by a devoteePP of ShakPe;py of
that portion of his library which contained is ceicitej
works -oboe
every known edition of Shakespere's
much amusement. It was as follows T°,...11 O°
—Thou shalt not steal." "To comm
shaltd not bear false witness." "To actors-4'k° meet'
do no murder." This portion of the ,notors 0011
en lion
of
during the course of which Mr. Bunn's recitaatob •r
various passages from Shakspere wros rc-foil°ll.
plauried, concluded with the exhibition of the
ing pictorial illustrations :
Mxterior of Shakspere's birth-place.
Interior of the same.
Ann Hathaway's Cottage.
The Blackfriar's Theatre.
The Globe Theatre.
Shakspere's Last Residence.

Church of Stratford-on-Avon.
Shakspere's Monument. °E pt
fate o
The second part consisted of a review of the 5r ofeePf
stage, from the days of Shakspere to t'ed'otes °
time, and was copiously illustrated by aSe:
. bygone dramatists, managers, and actors. jr.`-" etoP-1
biniself e;,,itist
in the course of his lecture, 'defended
the charge which had been brought °St.
him of not admiring or a preciatirliacs P 4
spere. He said that ShakP.spere's Pesill
never been so efficiently represented of hen t(10311,1
theyf had been under his management, Whe°,heri "ft-t
a.ean and Charles Young were acting togovThregg,".;
that finding it utterly out of his posver to recottou
Shakspere as efficiently as he hod Priet2:B
been in the habit of representing :110'11
had thought it better to abstain thou .° of
an inefficient and imperfect representatio° °ro- (
spere to the public. The lecture W°5,100;:.
throughout with applause, and at the c(r-Corter.if
each part Mr. Bunn was called before, Wen the:
It is to be repeated at the St. Jainegst °is- Nete';
nights, 'and will, no doubt, have a run. ,'„to. e'5,„.00
peat, one of the most amusing roonower. no
listened to, and both Mr. Mitchell and 'e at len
will have cause to rejoice at the appear the stag
St. James's Theatre of " Mr. Bunn °PADA- e
wai well and fashionably
The house atteou'-'
,tvi,4, Oft
LORD GOUGH AND '--- j
EDWARDES. , SUN e
TO THE 111 I7' OR OF THE :cl t° tiio
SIR,—My attention having bee:Ldorirciec,ve_eonci:tigliai:
leading article in your journal of tbig ~,e'atigh kilt
well as to the paragraph headed
Major Edwardes at Southampton," I beg ti:lsrsgri/P
you that the resolution referred to in tbe A.P-icle
,fitg
and commented upon in your leading °.''', oleet'w'
'a Quest
held moved and carried at the town-eOllOl egtl°ll
held at Southampton. The resolution 1
was moved, but not seconded.
I am, Sir, your obedient servgrita49s9 f
CHARLES E. 9°`otigh°
Morley's Hotel, Trafalgar-square, Southampton.
Jgar-square, to
London, Feb. 26 1850 OCe
Clerk of the 13°1.-
[Mr. Charles E. ' ref
V
eacon will find 0 ''''
communication in our leading
his comm • • P COW°
Sun]

DE[. , Q.
MAJOR ED WARP' Ade
,155. , A 0- A
TO THE EDITOR OF THE ....- d 03- too,
Sir,—My return to dear old EnglAPse esis rt.
me acquainted with many friends of wilt:7oog Pdswifiel
I was shamefully ignorant ; but the ni°toe ‘.,e In'
have overpowered me quite by giving 111$' trr
and two children "at a blow ! 110 W sn'in 00 oa
three I care not , but, having none, 19",.,,Y:isen°,(5tV
women will easily imagine how rhs"):,,iictili'
fair ones too l) there may be for Contra 1030
report. f fronl f th°
The " two children " I had charge °,ence, °, 03
were the daughte,°l of Mr. John Law'', fife rjeei,
eithery
s,Liathi
iort
the
ehßeliaortatbredlra.cokf
A'
.',d:mh
,i
on
ri s tmr ayt isounn;t , ?Ie a
shaken
i phliid6
Lord Gough is motif likely to have '
,001.5' 05'
37, Upper Sei:melit::re-smtree ftia,lt-PEinleCrIltE1111131:::):r:
—An
--"eaUll, -Y
AT ,ccvl'airl,:lt.-1h0;:It:
t 01
Houutilttoon:ll:qpion, Putney,iA: taatndPrethseel:':::P:;:ll-:1e.cle.11511;11::iiiii:111:
owing to a most daring attempt having
,1100 of 'earrl,'
on Monday night to break into the non!„,t,a, of
the coif,
and the frustrataionmoatgitshteraitteitefnociretdhguer°;e4btilll'at lo7fBtt;at)
rageous conduct of police-constable Geer.Ereibeitiborboof
whom the villains left for dead on the re, is ',„igeoi,t,
house. It is customary to supply the P°l4o pfe'; pirs,
districts with keys to visit the grouhcirl:Modiiirlog eod
gentlemen at all hours ot the night. , 'Wall b„i'orl 1°,61)1
about half-past twelve, the constah,e, ,iogs, " pl' bo
attained the lodges and various outbuilu_web s_ by 6 _
itthseemlf.allosnafec,ppenroincgeeadeddootro
itehaedinineo.eilil°°' Yi.passsgeeg I!
to 0 d jcitovia tve,
ssftbrhiiydoteuenraaet
to.
efs,
tethThcheerheeewth
oaomffisdu
aosesneoeurrrw,,mphhrwaeicr
ci t ht
oe
osba3uerir ev reY endi'
el tube rt I
rise sg:oft
is !
wards the back of an arbour at al°
~leifti find 'ed
where, as ho was not acquainteu. tarehe yrsefe,
eowaaasns kciebndisitgoehntlitcriwt attacker cc: o:roinst
thurci evileeedbi Icii licio
preserver upon the officer, which ;sena -„,ont 11„,"0011
in parrying with his staff, and Pr; iristre,- vro -do•
strike the fellow a blow with thin'hio vitt-li:a tke or
Jelled him. Before he could sotina;:h-Concetia'h tbe con
men rushed out of a shrubbery, wb"-- ling w 09°0
mestic offices from the lawn, and gralit'iolenen,, Fen' or
stable threw him with tremendous
under 7 t. 003„,h0
raised flaps of some coal-cellars
tit:eroa, oetid. 'Aerci,
windows, and afterwards kicked find dim for deoopp°6 he
til, as they supposed, they had left .„ta, it is
scion
constable remained in a senseless sioe-eloo ce,..." 0, feo
be _ brose ,eir
~;
upwards of an hour; and when he
" back °I" • 0 PffcleP
could not move, feeling as if his od in se on'
much difficulty he drew his rattle,
.0 tokecooplooo
condition was fortunately enable(' :',_ 0 mr.
_tote. 4,r•
sound to be heard by a gardener teitisbie oto 0,00,
who found the officer in a west 1)1,.. iletbio at clieeti
then alarmed the house, and moan 1)1r.
Con It bs 5,
ogilfs
taining the state of affairs, oats ha
nded to,
re b,0,0,
brought into the house and
ascertained that five suspicious eta latell°"iceo 11013'
ehacters n'etbEtt l'ittio
tdownt
wto )
oPtu ttnhetyra• - ID rt
ai di
lgye
v,int
tahvctaahible.
watiac:errettoiovortrdg
fieria.thwile,ol;
officer. The police-officer who po .jo
dle of the day to his own house,. .-1.-_, „resem
preeari.u. state. _ - - ----- oa,,
-----
---------
John rat
was only married on Sunday last, is 14' r ----:01
BLEZTHB• 310. J°
On the 22d inst., at Ham, SurreY,
a daughter. d son of A.
DID. ~to,/, secen A 51.
On the 22d inst., aged 29. Richard v ,gei•gl,
Ap(r),,l,egtialeth2,2Edsiqn.s,tll.,a;tifr,:rrra., Kitoebnitr;son, 41,,crbicce:pdsii,,,IPre,;60,gf;1;01
on the 22d inst., Mr. R.
Jenninglit (,':cliti,, 3ge:_ ,
At Brighton, Mr. Alexander J. .'-' r 4 ~,,o, of
Old Brumpton, Middlesex. --------- ,-, 10' 1111
--- ...............- -------- _ ,i. I pap, iy,c, , 0
LeNndoo
Strand. in the Precinct of the 'l'7°oo'
nl:l2l:riSntteradmai,ndprPinittli,shatedrbh„.3; 17,i's.^-inoflitir'; 0011$1
ilidaleaosi Wedneultly, Yobruai ' '