The Sun.
London, England, 1850-03-07 00:00:00

who could so care for them as the sister of a deceased
wife—who so likely to inherit her virtues and to care
for her child-!en?—(Hear, bear,) The religious portion
of the question bad been abandoned—(Cries of " Hear,
htlir" and "No, no")—and it must be abandoned—
(Hear, hear)—and they had, therefore, no ground to go
upon—at least in that ll.use—but the social and
political grounds.—(Cries of "Hea-, hear.") Upon
the principle of those grounds alone could they
decide it; and if they did not assume those grounds,
what value could they put upon the representations of
the Dissenters and the petitions of the women of
England?—(Hear, hear.) It they refused to grant this
Bill, then would every woman be degraded, and hence-
forth no woman would ever attach her name to a peti-
tion to that House.—(Hear, hear.) The refusal of this
motion would be an invasion of the religious and civil
liberty of the people, and on that account he should give
his strenuous support to Oaf. Bill.

Mr. GOULBURN said he felt bound to give his
strong and most earnest denial to the proposition, which
was so absolutely contrary to the f Lets of the case, that
religious considerations ought to be excluded from the
consideration of the question. He still adhered
to the opinion which he had formerly expressed, that
the law c f Leviticus clearly prohibited marriage with a
deceased wife's sister. This prohibition had been main-
tained by all who had administered the Levitical law.
At the period of the Reformation, those who translated
the Bible, and cleared away some of the restrictions
which previously existed, continued to retain the re-
striction as to such marriages. If the Bill were
passed, he felt convinced that it would not carry into fa-
milies that peace and comfort which some Members had
mentioned, but, on the contrary, he thought that mar-
riages of this description would give rise to the greatest
evils, and that in whatever way the Legislature might in-
terfere, people would still continue to abide by the Di-
vine law according to Oleic own conscientious convictions.
Believing these marriages to be at variance with the law
of God, he would give this Bill his most zealous oppo-
sition.

Mr. S. WORTLEY having shortly replied,
Strangers were ordered to withdraw, and the House
divided, when there appeared—
For the second reading of the Bill ... 182
Against it ..„ 130
Majority for the second reading ... —52
The Bill was then read a second time, and ordered to
be committed on Wednesday next.
Mr. FOX MAULE gave notice that in Committee he
should move a clause preventing the application of the
Bill t ) Scotland.--(Hear, hear.)
NEWSPAPER STAMPS.

O❑ the motion of Mr. SCHOLEFIELD, an estimaie
was ordered " of the annual expense of collecting the
stamp duty on newspapers, stating the number and
wages of persons employed at Somerset House, and in
Edinburgh and Manchester, in stamping the paper; the
annual cost of machinery, and the expense of clerks, in-
cluding those who receive the money for stamps."
The other orders of the day were then disposed of,
and the Rouse adjourned at Six o'clock.

IRELAND.

STATE OF TfIE couNry OF DOWN.

DUBLIN, TUESDAY EVENING.—The Marquis of
Londonderry has felt it to be his duty to bring
the state of the county of Down, and the charac-
ter of some of the proceedings which have aided
in producing that state, officially under the
notice of the Lord-Lieutenant, and in the
course of a long letter addressed to his Excellency,
the Noble Marquis refers at considerable length to
the various meetings held in the north, glancing at
the resolutions adopted thereat, and commenting on
the speeches delivered on the occasion by the Pres-
byterian and Catholic clergymen. Lord Clarendon's
reply is as follows :
" Dublin Castle, March 1.

"My Lord,—l am directed by the Lord• Lie-
utenant to acknowledge the receipt of your Lordship's
letter.