The Sun.
London, England, 1850-07-10 00:00:00

On the motion that the Bill be read a third time,

Mr. WALPOLE said he thought the Bill was revolt.
ing in principle, and could not fail to be fatal in its
consequences. It had been viewed hitherto in two
points of view; the first was a religious, and the second a
social point of view • and he could not help expressing his
regret that this Bill had not been first introduced in the
House where the religious bearing of the question could
be fairly d'sposed of. In the absence, however,
of any decision from that branch of the Legisla-
ture, the House was bound to grapple with
both points. Well, then, in his opinion there were great
religions objections which ought to preclude them from
passing this Bill. I; was doubtful whether it would
produce much good, while it was no less certain
that it must encourage immorality, and the safest
course fee- the House to adopt was to throw
out this Bill altogether. The prohibitions which the
Bill referred to were founded upon principles of morality
end sanctioned by the Scriptures. True, holy writ
only conVmpleted the male in commanding that a man
should not marry his brother's widow, but according to
all Ecclesiastical authorities the prohibition ap-
plied just as much to the female as . the
male. And it was natural that it should
do so. He would not put it positively that these mar-
riages were prohibited by the Deity, but deal with it as
a matter of doubt. Now, how were they to solve that
doubt? Why, only by referring to the plat. For 15
centuries,_ then, these marriages had been prohibited by
every Christian community. Look to the €a 3,
west, north, or south, and they found that this prohibi-
tion had never been departed from till the time
of the infamous Pope and debaucheie Alexander the Sixth,
seho granted a dispensation to the King of Portugal to
enable him to marry his deceased wife'S sister. It
was a cardinal rule to take that course which !;clnaitted
of no doubt, and as it was more than doubtful that
these marriages were forbidden by the Creator, the
House ought to reject this Eill upon religious grounds.
He came now to the social part of the question. It was
said that this prohibition interfered with the exercise of
civil liberty, but before they could enter upon that
branch of the controversy, they must first decide what
liberty was—to what extent it should go, because
if they were to pass this Bill upon the plea of
liberty, why should it not for the same reason extend to
other cases of prohibition? The liberty, however, which
could sanction such a measure as this was
vicious in the extreme, and he hoped no such argu-
ment as that would weigh with the House in
disposing of this measure. Another ground urged in
favour of this Bill was, that it would give orphan fa-
milies better protection than they now eejoyed. Let
the House pause before it was led away by such an ar-
gument as that; let it remember the mischit f and vices
that would be encouraged if the husband were
taught to look with longing eyes and evil
passions at his wire's sister, or, on the other hand, if the
wife's sister were inflamed with the hope tl at she might
one day become the wile cf-her sister's husband. As
for conferring benefit upon the children, every body
kuew that the feeling of a step-mother for her husband's
offspring was not always of the warmest or most af-
fectionate character, while the situation of an aunt
gave birth to a charitable and motl'etly solicitude for the
welfare of a sister's orphan children. The Bill, in fact,
was fraught with danger, it could only benefit a selfish
few. Pass and there would be no end to the in-
roads that would be attempted upon the
es. ablished laws. At present the law was re-
spected ; it protected society from frightful
abominations, but deny the Divine rule that man and
wife were one in blood, and who should say where the
injury would stop? As they valued the social and reli-
gious institution of marriage—as they wished to see
society uncontaminated with a fright ul vice, he
begged and implored the House, even at this
stage to stop the further progress of this and in or-
der to give the House an opportunity of doing so, he
should move that the Bill be read is third time this day
six months.

Colonel THOMPSON depreeated dealing with this
question upon theological grounds ; it only led to con-
tuaion, and never gave satisfaction. He took issue
with those who contended that these marriages were
prohibited by the Levitical law, though he did not dis•
pute that until political laws were established they were
not tolerated. The moment, however, that political
laws Waked force, so fir from such marriages as
these being forbidden, a rich man was bound to
wed his deceased brother's widow, while, in the
time of the Great Author of Christianity, our
Saviour did not dispute the legality of such marriages
when be was asked if there was any hope of salvation
for a woman who had married seven husbands. The
fact was, in disposing of this question upon theological
grounds, they were dealing with phantoms, for
he could call to mind no passage in the Scriptures or in
Montesquieu which declared that there was affinity of
blood between a man and his wife's sister. It was there-
twe ridiculous to tell him that these marriages were
incestuous. According to his judgment they would
benefit rather than injure society, end he should cer-
tainly vote for the third reading of this Bill.
Mr. M'NEILL would not enter into the religious con-
troversy which had been raised by the previous speakers,
he would simply confine himself to expounding the feel-
ings of Scotland upon this measure. They be•
lieved it to be opposed not only t) civil
but religious law, and it the House passed this Bill it
would he tantamount to telling them that their construe-
don of the Scriptures was false. But why should these
marriages be forced upon the people of Scotland because
some 1,500 violators of the present law in England re-
quired it to be passed? It was one cf the arti-
c:es of religious profession that these marriages
were prohibited by Divine law, and in the
face of that fact it would be an act cf cruelty to force a
Bill of this suture upon Scotland. He therefore pro •
tested against the passing of the Bill, which ought to be
resisted upon every ground of principle, morality, and
excellency.
Mr. STUART WORTLEy said the Bill had already
undergone suchft
from
necessarymanantn.idolnifeuodulrfeb
the
Ili
mt
Hohdiscussionsdotuoayset,irtebswup would
us
lsdt
afterh
baa
ett
itawoi
lyaset lengthahsad h
fallenar di
upony
emu
al pi
na
eb( jesi negligenceient
Now ont
they is
toe altogether re-
mained
this Bill,
how were they to deal wish thedisashaildrOsus s
state
things which the existing law
Up to 1835 the legality of these marriages
had given rise to none of those ebuptereoduced?
about
which they had heard so much, and he really thought
before the House suffered this Bill to be negatived in its
last stage, they should require its opponents to suggest
some other alternative for removing the evils of the
existing law. His Hon. and Darned Friend ne
Member for Midhuret 'admitted that the Divine law
upon the subject of these marriages was doubtful. Well,
if it were so, would it not be impious in Parliament to
pronounce, through the medium of an Act, what were
the intentions of the Deity ? In this admitted state of
doubt would it not rather be much better to lease the
matter to the consciences of men, or bodies of men,
or of churches? So much, then, for the religious
portion of the subject. With regard to the social part
of the question, he really could nut understand how this
change should lead to so much vice and evil, when be
remembered that in America, where these marriages
were general, they prouuced no such results. Now he
did nut believe that the English women were less moral
than those of America, and, therefore, so tar from think-
ing that this Bill would ha the pr cursor of profligacy
and vice, he was convinced it would promote the happi-
ness and moral well are of large masses of the community.
He was then called upon to pay respect to the leople of
Scotland—he had ever dents so, and if he thought the
measure was repugnant to their feelings, he would not
persevere with it. But what was the fact? %mw by the whole
of the measure having been made known to that dis-
criminating people, petitions had loaded the table of the
House from Edinburgh, Glasgow, and other parts of
Scotland in favour cf she measure. He was disposed to
pay every attention to the wishes of the people of Scot-
land, and if the old law with reference to marriak,e in
that country was still carried cut, he should be content
to exclude it from the provisions of this 13il1.

IMr. F. MAULE could not aliow this Bill to pAss its
stege without objecting to its provisions being ex-
ten,led to Se9tlAnd. He also objected to it
'ss r far as it rckted to Eugla,ucl, because he
b+ lip. its pnvisicris would had to the worst results,
and would bo a great etm:uraAealent to bigamy. The
Right Hon. Gentb man, in his opinion might as
well have brought in a Bill to rcpesl the laws
with respect to bigamy, because old soldiers were in
•he habit of marrying wives sbrosd, forgetting thst they
had been previously married at . home. His
countrymen, to a man, were against the measure,
be coincided entirely with their feelings, and he there-
fore felt bound to vote against the third reading cf the
Bill.

Mr. C. ANSTEY supported the third reading of the
Bill.

Mr. WESTIIEAD supported the Bill.
After some obmervatii ns from Mr. MOORE,
Strangers were then ordered to withdraw, and the
House divided, when there appeared—
For the amendment ... ... 134
Agaii,st it ... ... 144
Mejority against the tmendment —lO
The amendment was cons(criently lost, and the Bill
was then read a third time.

On the question that the Bill do pass,
Mr. OSWALD [Loved the addiion of a clauEe, to
the effect that the Bill should not extend to Scotland.

The House divided upon the introduction of the
clause, when there appeared—
For the clause ... ... 130
Against. it ... 137
Majority against the clause ... —7
It bring past, Six o'clock, the House adjourned, without
the question of the passing of the Bill being put.

STATE OF TRADE.
(From the Manchester Guardian of this day.)
MANCHESTER, TuEsnaine--The buyers of yarns have
mauitested an increased disposition for business to-day,
and would evidently have operated very freely, could
they have done so at the prices of lost week. The
spinners, however, have again raised their quotations,
and maintained them with the utmost firmness. We
may state the realised advance, as compared with this
day week, at id. per lb., in all qualities of mule and
wa•er, from No. 40's downwards, whether in the bundle,
the warp, or the cop. Fur No. 60's and upwards,
both sing'e and double, higher prices are also re-
quired. Although this rise has curtailed the day's
transactions, still their aggregate amount has been con-
aiderable. The continu- d upward tendency in this de-
partment of our market is attributable to several causer,
viz., the growing conviction that cotton will range high
for some time to come; the lightness of stocks both at
home and abroad; and the augmented demand which
the full employment of the vast weaving power of the
district has Latterly occasioned. The makers of long
cloths, T cloths, and domestics are still hardening in
their terms. Some improvement is showing itself in
7-Bths printers, of good and medium qualities ; and
also in 9-Bths 60's and upwards, for printing and bleach-
ing. For 40-inch 64's higher prices are likewise re-
quired. The sales of these various articles are of fair
extent, on the whole; but low 7-Bths printing cloths are
still neglected, as are also light 40-inch shirtings—in
both, however, there is greater firmness. In the ware-
houses of the dealers there has been an active demand
for printed and finished goods.
ROCHDALE, MONDAY.—We have had a good demand
for flannels to-day, and the manufacturers are wanting
rather better prices. The wool market is better, and the
dealers are asking higher prices fur English wools. Co-
lonial wool is much the tame as it was on the previous
Monday.
MACCLESFIELD, TIIESDAY.—We have to report a
quiet market for goods generally, buyers and sellers hold-
leg back, the latter for prices somewhat in proper-
den t) the present cost of raw material ; and as there
seems every probability of things remaining very firm,
we think ere long buyers will make up their minds to
cr me in fir their usual purchases. The throwing trade
is much as Wore; a little more inquiry for some de-
scriptions has arisen the last few days. The dyers are
better employed again. The raw silk market is charac-
terised by great firmness, and some considerable business
was transacted during last week.
HUDDERSFIELD, TUESDAY.--The improvement we
had the pleasure of repotting last week has bean pretty
steadily maintained during the week. The market has
not been perhaps quite so lively to-day, although there
were a good many buyers. The price of wool has been
advancing.
HALIFAX, SATURDAY.—There is no noticeable change
in the aspect of our Piece Hall today, the chief in-
quiry being still, as before remarked, fur low lastings.
Those of a finer quality are scarcely looked at.
The yarn trade is brisk; and the quotations have under-
gone a farther improvement. There is a large stock of
wool in the market, as the dealers are buying largely;
but the spinners are indisposed to give the advance
which they are asking, and consequently not much is
going into the hands of the consumers.
LEEDS, TIIESDAY.—SiI:Cd our last report the market
has been well attended, and the-cloth trade in general
still continues active. Stocks are very low in the makers'
hand., the clothiers being very busy with orders for the
merchants. There is a fair average business doing in
the warehouses.

Sir Thomas Wilde has been appointed Lord
Chancellor. He will for the present fulfil the duties
of the office in Court and in the House of Lords, but
he will ultimately be appointed solely to the duties of
the Lords. He takes office subject to all arrange-
ments.

' MASSACRES AT THE SANDAL
tt OOD 1,14 .1 NDS.
(From the .Hobart Town Herald.)
In the Herald of the 12th instant an account was
given if the voyage of the Elizabeth schooner to
New Caledonia, and the account brought by that
vessel, led to the supposition that not only had
the party at Mr. Fitzgerald's beche-la-mer fish-
ing establishment, at the north end of the island,
been driven away or massacred, but that the French
Mission establistanent, at Yengin, or Beladeh, had
shared the same fate. The Mary Anne schooner,
which arrived yesterday, brought further accounts,
w hich we regret to state are of a most melancholy
character. The superintendent of Mr. Fitzgerald's
establishment, Mr. David W. Miller, arrived by the
Mary Anne, and by him we have learned the follow-
ing particulars :
Feejee Islards, 1849.—0 n the 10th July we sailed
from Cantate Harbour in the Mary cutter, for Blade
Harbour, New Caledonia, in company with the
schooner Minerva and the Sir John Franklin. We
arrived there after a passage of 21 days. On the
12th September, the Mary returned to Balade to look
for the Sir John Franklin, which vessel she ex-
pected to find had returned there from Sydney. On
arriving there Capt. Roby, of the Mary, sent a boat
with Robert Hall, an American, and a native af
Rotumah to procure water. On getting up the river
they were attacked by natives and killed. Aler this,
two natives came on board the Mary, under pretence
of selling fish ; the cook went down into the hold to
bring up some yams to exchange for the fish, and the
captain's attention having been drawn to the fish in
the canoe belonging to the natives, they split his head
with a tomahawk; then they killed the cook as he
was coming out of the hold. The only man now left
alive on board the Mary, was a Rotuinah man, whom
the natives would not eat, because of a disease in his
eyes which rendered him almost blind.
They cooked the bodies of the captain and crew
ashore, and ate them, after which they burnt the
vessel to the water's edge. This is the statement of
the Rotumah man, who managed to make his escape
from the cannibals to Yengin, and who related the
facts to Mr. Miller, who now takes up the narrative
in person, and who writes from Mr. Fitzgerald's esta-
blishment :—On the Bth Sept., we net having heard of
the loss of the Mary, Mr. Fitzgerald sailed for Sydney,
I being left in charge of the beche -la-mer expedition
—the party consistiag of Jahn Blake (an American),
nineteen Feejee men, one Rotumah man, and Abra-
ham Silver (an East Indian). On the morning of
September 20, the natives brought me some grass for
thatching, and appeared on very friendiy terms.
About noon, from 300 to 400 of them assembled, and
rushed upon us with spears and clubs. We took to our
arms, with which we were enabled to keep them
off till about 4 P.M., and two being killed and a num-
ber wounded, they retired, John Blake, the Ameri-
can, refusing to fight, and holding a correspondence
with the natives. 1 took his gun (tam him and gave it
to one of the Fejee men. The natives continued quiet
until the 11th of October, when a large body of 800
or 900 natives assembled and commenced an attack
on our settlement, which they maintained with
great determination from eleven in the morning
till sunset. One of the Feejee men was wounded
with a spear, and I had several very narrow escapes.
The natives had surrounded our hut, and were
calling out to John Blake to set fire to it. Several
of the natives being killed and a number wounded,
we made a rush at them, and shot their principal
chief, on which they all ran away. Oa the follow-
ing day, finding that our Feejee natives had
lost heart, and were constantly crying, we
thought it was best to prepare to leave, as
we could nut have stood another encounter
with the natives, our ammunition being nearly ex-
pended,pantdheoncotalet,l4th of October we took th boats
and started for Yengin. Having yams and water we
pulled
osuabnrlitidigl
ebwdaenukas rttrooi vrreeedtcarkautei t Balade.ifoowltl
hhor•eebdotahtve:neoanatetbi
hvoeeousnf t a v
‘lt2ati :an
cOidekehiediadtoi
aiv 1
beingne sda,
very leaky we left behind.
.... ~..

We then pulled to the south-east, the wind being
contrary and blowing strung; during thd night I
misses: one of the boats, and r4n to the hie side of a
small island where there were no natives. We were
obliged to remain here for four thys, it blowing and
raining very hard. The weather having rnAleratei,
we pursued our course to Yengin, and during the pas-
sag►e picked up two natives from the niising beat the
others having most likely been cast ashore and t ken
to the bush. _ _

On the 25th of October we arrived at Yengin, after
being eleven days in the boat 3, and were kindly re-
ceived by the French missionaries, and remained with
them until the arrival of the schooner Mary Anne,
when the B"Aop granted us a passage to Anatam, from
which place Captain Pdden was kind enough to give
me a pa. age to Sydney.

I do not think the natives• wL-aild bore attacked us
had they not been encfureged to do
.Fo by the man
Blake, who 6tvie a boat and de-crudfr6rn the schooner
Vanguard a abort time previously, and had been
livLg with the natives since.

CCITOK'S BAY, ERROMANGA.—Extract from the leg
of the Rover', Bride, dated 11th December, 1840:
Light breeze; schooner Rosetta in company. At
7 A.M. lowered the boat, and sent the first and second
mate to trade f-ir sandal wood at Mallaby and Bun-
kett, the vessel cruising between those places. At two
P.M. Mr. Banner, first mate of the Rosetta, came on
board, and stated that he had some suspicions that
one of my boats was taken by the natives, he having
been trading at Effoo, a place about two miles distant
from Bunkett, and that about noon tine natives of
that place gave over tiading, and informed him that
the Bunkett tribe had taken a boat and killed the
crew of five men. Tne Effoo natives then went in
the direction of Bunliett, taking with them their
tomat,aviks and other weapons. On which Mr. Banner
returned to the Rosetta, and informed Captain Ed-
wards. In the meantime Mr. Dill, who had been
trading at Bunkett, and had seen the Rover's Bite
there trading with the natives on very friendly terms,
went back to the Rosetta for more trade, and on his
return to Bunkett found no natives but two, who
brandished their spears, and said, "No wood
to-day.' The Rover's B ide's boat was gone, and
Mr. Dill having returned to the Rosetta, and in-
formed Captain Edwards of his trip, that gentleman
immediately sent Mr. Banner to inform Captain
B-11 of the Rover's Bride: Captain Bell immedi-
ately made a signal to his other boat at Mallaby to
return to the ship, and on her arrival he dispatched her
with two extra hands' in company with the Rosetta's
boat, to ascertain the facts. On their return at 7 P.M.
they made the following statement:—When the boats
arrived at Bunkett the crews landed, leaving one
man in charge of each. On examinig the beach they
found it strewed with portions of hair and patches of
blood; they then proceeded up the river as far
as possible in the boat, and, on landing,
discovered one ton of sandal wood besmeared
with blood, near which was the stump of a tree
literally covered with blood, portions of flesh,
hair, We, and which from its appearance seemed to
have served the purpose of a block for this human
butchery. Near the stump was found a pistol belt and
canvas pistol-bag ; no natives were seen, and not a
vestige of the boat save the anchor-buoy. Finding
that nothing further could be • ascertained they took
the sandal-wood and returned to the vessel. Captain
Bell then consulted with Captain Edwards, and it
was deemed best for the Rover's Bride to proceed to
Anatam, and the Rosetta to continue cruising about
Cook's Bay for five days, in case anything further
should transpire. On the Sunday prior to the mes•
nacre the chief of the Bunkett tribe was on board the
Rover's Bride, received some presents, and appeared
on the most friendly terms. Bunkett is a small boat
harbour and creek, on the south entrance of Cock's
thy, Erromanga. The following is a list of the
names of the men killed:—Mr. ,Wn3. Jordan, first
mate, of Berwick-on-Tweed; John Allen, of Liver-
pool; Frederick Gardener, of London; John Bur-
rows, of Glasgow; and Edward Ward, of Bristol,
seamen.

MORTALITY in the METROPOLIS

NUMBER OF DEATHS FROM ALL CAUSES REGISTERED IN
THE WEEK ENDING SATURDAY, JULY 6, 100.
Fpidemic, Endemic, and Contagious Diseases ... 1'159
Di3cases of Uncertain Scat 38
Tubercular Diseases ... ... 168

Diseases of the Brain, Nerves, and Senses... ... 112
Diseases of the Heart and Blood-vessels ... .... 33
Diseases of the Lungs, and other Organs of
Respiration ... ... .•• ••• ••• ... 70
Diseases of the Stomach, Liver, and other Organs
of Digestion... ••• ••• •• ••• •• • 57
Diseases cf the Kidney s, &e. •• , ••• ••• 9
Childbirth, Diseases of the Uterus, &e• ... ... 8
Diseases of the Joints, Bones, and Muscles ... 10
Diseases of the Skin, &c. ... ... ... ..•
Malformations... ... ••• ••• ••• ••• 3
Premature Birth ... ••• •• ••• ••• 32
Atrophy ••• ••• ••• ••• ••• ... 25
Old Age ••• ••• ••• ••• ••• „. 31)
. ..

Sadden ••• ••• ••• ••• 7
Violence. Privation, Cold, and Intemperance ... 25
Causes not sptclfied ••. ••• ••• ••• 3

DLATHS FROM ALL CAUSES 794
Population Deaths in corro- Deaths
Enumerated, spondink week in the
1841. of 1849. Week.
%Vest Districts... 301,189 .. 130 ... 136
North Districts.. 376,568 .. 196 ... 146
':,eutral Districts 374,199 ... 183 ... 119
East Districts ... 393,067 ... 194 ... 166
south Districts.. 503,346 ... 367 ... 227

Totals... ..... 1,948,369 ... 1,070 ... 794
Males ... . ... ... ... ... 406
Females ... ... ... ... ... 388