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

FEBRUARY 27, 1850.

INIPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

(THIS .DAY.)

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

The FrEAKER 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 following Bills were recto seco. time and
ortb-red to be committed:—

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

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

Mr. SPOONER presented a petition from Warwick
praying for the establishment of county financial boards.
Mr. BROTHERTON presented a petition in favour
of the Marriage Bill.
Mr. C. LUSHINGTON presented petitions from
various metropolitan parishes praying for the rt•peal kat
the window-tax.

Mr. HARRIS presented a petition from Leicester in
favour of the Marriage Bill.
Sir R. H. INGLIS presented several petitions against
the Marriage Bill, one of them being from the Dean and
Chapter of Exeter, and another from the clergy of the
diocese of Canterbury ; also a petition pray mg for the
tsboliion of Sunday labour in the Pos.,•office.
Mr. HOME DRUMMOND presented a petition to the
same effect.

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

Mr. HEYWORTH presented similar petitions.
Mr. PETO 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 iu 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. MAUKINNON presented a petition from Learn-
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, hut 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 it:
favour. 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, arid at being
now menaced with the opposition cf 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 wife, 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 it
this were a question solely affecting the higher classes,
be 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 bad always expressed, and would con-
tinue to express, its abhorrence. li was not, however,
intended to prohibit such marriages, wn:ch this Bill pro-
posed to sanction; and as it neither violate,. 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 a ere 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 t f the Connon•
wealtb.—(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 mitads 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, ho 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 held 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-
tion 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, bear.) 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
an
ttieornt i ned
let
were children for whom they had necessarily the deep-
est concern.—(Hear, hear.) If anymaatii
alteration,
any doubt of the necessity of such
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
most painful consciousness of the position in which the
parties contracting them placed themselves, but never-
theless a position which they could tot avoid without at
the same time neglecting duties which were more im-
than any consideration for their
portant and more, holy
own feelingi.—(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 was stated that the whole of bis 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, hear.)
He had in his pocket a very painful correspondence to
show that the most unhappy family differences were
frequently produced by the operation of this law. See-
k theta that its 1110494 T 5 QillY Pabaliena6) owl 00eipg

religion, he should conclude by
that its abrogation w----------as opposed n------either to motalitY °r
res_dha second time.—(Loud cheers.)
ST. e motion haviner been seconded,
ir F. TFIESIGER, rose, and after
PYing.a 11,1
high compliment to the zeal and ability witil. which -l-
ard
flo:101. b -
, , .. le and Leurne:l Friend had brought fool' .
Tilts motto], said that he had taken great paw' L° at-
this moving that the Bill be
quaint himself with the arguments which had 1i11,,,-,
f11011.‘e.!, r 'speeLing ;his Bll;,
rom both sides of the House, and with the state ..t. r'',:,
mall a body of persons in tdds eonwry. 0Y P, j.
ye!' '
ring exertion, could bring a matter to such is state oi a,
eight or ten
raucement,when a large body war, indifferent to it sacce-14_
The reason why the question had been agitated had 0,_031
and there sult n,,s n, ,I,,ue.
become a matter of notoriety. It was well known !Do,
and others who had scrupulously follovved it, had e ;
ployed certain legal gentlemen to take such measurtsoo.
years ago parties who h2d eraded the isni
wouldm effect the obj ct of the parties. Ihii Were 6
enced as early as 1840, when statements f
and these wre
put forth for the purpose ot ascertaining the Ending'
the public on the F.utjecr. P.an itile,s w. re tai''''lle
and Bishops(swith . (14 ttleY r' '
hut little, succes, sfr.,.rwar lb,
sorted to Parliament, awl he firmly he'irvesl thSt
'' e
letters referred to by his Right lion. Ftiatd wer
taintd during that period.
llow, d by cireutar:to tbe ...krenb:shoP
(LEFT sPEAKING.)
_

.--...;,....------.............—_
ST. JAIVIES'N THEATRE'
MR. BUNN ON THE STAGE'the t of
Mr. Bunn has come out in a new character,
lecturerse on Shakspere, his commentators, the reprrsej-
anndtatives of his works, and on the stage 5," geirece;
amusing three hours' talk it lisst talk on
been aoulnrolroet to listen to than was Mc. B.,lo°'3o"ae title
the stagmeoantotlhogisuteh,eatre last evening. -yr°, be con-
of the
tents ruormnestheon
li hof
.. ed some years since by Mr. Bunn, and fr°`-inva-
rec:ll,llonst:gfetylubbi;
long connexion with stage management, and his "";,bt
merablehave
e squabbles with authors and actors, it iond
been supposed that in his table-talk he n'uut,
have indulged '
has received greater provocation to do so than to
in personalities, and certainlY a° rijitiss
I.lblr. Bunn ; he has, however, had the good tact to
of
the coot
ahisstalin, and from the commencement to
ecture, which is enlivenea by nianY a ligoecor
anecdote told with infinite h
a single gusto, t
phrase or a single allusion which can
considerede as personally offensive to anY rote&
bbeing.
The
first part of the lecture is ~.„ tip
theexclusively absurdity of the commentators in
in juxta-positr re.,
amusing manner, by placing
c"tl seP;ti's
most contradictory assertions regarding
birth, parentage, and education, each su-,..11 at 00ei
bei
actorsA f n
ter a similar manner he illustrated the pod PaY
sages, and expressed his surpriseth tno iescrni,-,,lispere
ban" had yet announced to the worlda that TO. be
g ibna cakdeodptinbgyvatrhieouasu
readings ori trya eorofef ard
s°re notopd rTyb nabs
must have foreseen the recent railway Oat being,
0 .u., never have made Touchstone allude '''„ooot ca
skcnriopwtinonepdliaticoeidl bo.fy a devotee of Slink*-capf °I.,
the
inscription
his scrip and scrippage." The acne" roofer,
tahvaeetryportion of his library which con,taiwneocir; este;
much amusement. It wasS hatiskfeoslPlo7s6:---4° illiTt hciti
—Thou shalt not steal." " T commentators.-- 03
sdhoa
rlyonmo turbeard e falsemurder."
T Nhviist npensrsti,
0,
n, tooTfotahcetorenn'teTr.t.llo.;:tnitionloePoti
during the course of which Mr. Bunn's recie.b sr
various passages from Shakspere WO fclifolloe
plauaed, concluded with the exhibition of the
ing pictorriiaolriollfutshterastaiomne a :
Exterior of Shakspere's birth-plsce.
Annlntellathaway's Cottage..
The Blackfriar's Theatre.
The s
nakGlob s
perel Theatre.
Last Residence.

Church of Stratford-on-Avon.
te of the
Shakere's Monument.
The second sp
part consisted of a review of the shtseresell
stage, from ;the days of Shakspere t° ntecchtloo,
thiymgeo,naenddrawmaasticsotps,iomuaslnyagiellrus,starnadtedactohlrs..6-10;10,91
in the course of his lecture, defended h1131,-t sgtll,..s,
the charge which had been brag"; $134,1
him of not admiring or appreciati°,llsls "ss
spere. He said that Shakspere'g r yeAll sa
never been so efficiently represented ofichler; bpi
We ~dratio,
they had been under his management?
Kean and Charles Young were acting tlereProsell
that finding it utterly out of his pnive,,r -°prev'e- be
Shakspere as efficiently as he h$ bit", 'bit", pot
been in the habit of representing to pn,..
had thought it better to abstain Oa° 11
Deceived
an inefficient and imperfect representatin° r
spere to the public. The lecture W°oclasi°,risio.
throughout with applause, and at the le cube
eachnight=,
is
to part
and will,
lln Bunnrepeatedo d
notu wasbtt
h, Cehaal lvseedta
j.brestifire.:::,
gtooins;
sti,ibueei;
peigaht,t''one of the most amusing 111°°1°Mr' ' : the .
lwisitlelned tc', and both Mr. Mitchell 01)",.„1 lice t ' I
haveuse
wcause
well and
arnejdoircueshait the appea.-the
6,..
The hoSt.James's Theatre of " Mr. Bunn oaied.
WV atte/w
jos
LORD GOUGH AND SA
lw'eaeSdi'liinaltgirtaorAtitZh EDWARDES. ~ ctilit, to
the
TO THE _EDITOR OF 7'o.,7,:;cten ,„e, 0
,4 Lora w gelti-pbi
article
paragraph
angt
youriro
a hhjaovhui
enrangdaeldbvoefn toh rs:
oa „o,o7bi,%siorlat
Major Ed wardes at Southampton," I beg - 11/gfll.°
resolution referred 10 in the P. le
you that the artier ' tins
and commented upon in your leading ii rogation
not moved and carried at the town-contic. qaS"
held at Southampton. The resolution 1°
was moved, but not seconded.
I am, Sir, your obedient serveateopli t
..-, -nO. hoi
CHARLES .r-4, '-' la atig
Town-Clerk of the vol.
Southatoptoo•
Morley's Hotel, Trafalgar-square, eeto
London, Feb. 26, 1850. ofereD 0,
[Mr. Charles E. Deacon will find gini ft;OOV..
his communication in our leading ew
Sun ]
mow.••••••••••••••••• / vs.
MAJOR ED WAS-D' de
TO TILE EDITOR OF ru 1114, ,s(t. b5ll, trade
Sir,—My return to dear old Engt-se eP5,i,
me acquainted with many friends of vv'°l.ping,P,-yii,l
I was shamefully ignorant ; but the 01° e ,i's 0'
have overpowered me quite by giviPg ri I litivotd°
and two children "at a blow ! lIOW e°c) 03 01
three I care not , but, having none, 13:05°115e( Ib°
, 1
women will easily imagine bow many '.dictiee
fair ones too !) there may be for cc3tr" Olt
report. OOO the
The " two children " I had charge ° eoce, °,, og
were the daughters of Mr. John Lavino iNiferdef,,
Lahore Board of Administration ; ;bed,. fitolo
either their black Ayah, or my aunt, 4, ~,100
Lord ""
Gough is most likely to have ' ifr-
with the latter.
• Believe me faithfully rvtiorif6A°9ss‘
HE,usar "'smote,
37, Upper Seymour-street, I LOS.
ATTEMPTED BURGLARY AT rilrils' iiilig ttlOC.litl'Of
rA0;0110.:
—An intense sensation is at present Prevndieg se igg,e'
out Roehampton, Putney, and the sorrleen eVilligt,,
owing to a most daring attempt having .00 of
wrer
on Monday
Hutton, Esq., a magistrate for the a; of hY,, i 7,,,
night to break into the wel/Poti the el:
and the frustration of the intended burgle VW" f tv-
rageous conduct of police-constable
whom the villains left for dead on the Luce 10 50b.,,,,j0t 4
Georgbere,boi°„,Dl
the p 0
nd rep- vigp
house. It is customary to supply
districts with keys to visit the groOecinB:loo°,!eYivg.neSd
gentlemen at all hours of the night. "Wall ',ld I'l4
sabout half-past twelve, the constable A.Dge, fi'' 00-,
mined the lodges and ar o tbtolut Ph ste 0
u 01 obi re
them all safe, proceeded to the mansiorl? ntsoheas °
itself. On opening a door leading intlej itritrictiiil teo;
side of the house where the sculleri mac pils°oo
situate, he was surprised to observe 9 dof the
egrg
wards the back of an arbour at thefivithnibend cefa
. where, as he was not occlusion:, tor'h, filfriitle, •
by a secret door, he was obliged wbat ilb 0 ' ell
front the officer, who asked "hitticAtaelt 11-st ecedlecit°
there. The man made an instant 1,-,, latter "ttirif-laiab
preserver upon the officer, which t'-ntly coP-$ 0-0
in parrying with his staff, and Prebsein- trlntetfloo 03,1` r
strike the fellow a blow with the'," rae ttle,"A" the -,,t0
Jelled him. Before be could sound °,,oceairthe °"tb;
men rushed out of a shrubbery, vibieuf,„;c viitP.-,90„;i1
mestic offices from the lawn, and graPPlince 0011"0,
stable threw him with tremendous
under the lill°4l°lie
raised flaps cf some coal-cellars under tau A. P.A,
windows, and afterwards kicked and j?1;r dee",,poc,o
0,
til, as they supposed, they had left hica it i 9 Otir di; '
constable remained in a senseless SW ,we cooo WI •
0. 00'
upwards of au hour; and when be he°.„ volt° hell ), 0$
could not movr, feeling as if his back w2:1" In s
..Octe,
much difficulty he drew his rattle,
:o:u'roke,sb"apel;
condition was fortunately enabled Lug, 2,1 r• t'ate, s'er
sound to be heard by a gardener tc!__bie sto_ sic
_,,
who found the officer in a meet PX: klut•-Pti; °I)-‘;
taming the state of affairs, he bad th . ,„. It PhrOk6
then alarmed the house, and IWe° 6,l"aistablie.os lilt
tesiCtiasb desa 1 •L'--ii Plejtila fr'lllc'
were:, eigah,
brought into the house and attendeacte7o
charatt._ bourth_ by ',do
da socwe
nr t at
oi
re du
titihea; . fib
rvied
gs ue
and two of them tally with the rirlu
ved In vil n
officer
Wboaulsie- ..lau%lreset't j______„-'''
was retro r fejt() ,eos
~,.." two. :„ 0-
Viecoefr.thTe hdeortloichei-
was only married on Sunduy last, is r
prreari,,t= state.
______--------90 0' of
far
NEVIS. Airs. John
On the 22d inst., at Haul, Sarre'',
a daughter.

a of its
DIED. cod s°-
ApOpni theet,ra t
h 2, inst..
aargt
teodr
(21 Renict.hard Drew, sec
ge of
Robinson, 449 II"- side, il'ie
On the 22d inst., Mr. R. Jennings, of CbcBP-,1
At Brighton, Mr. Alexander J• Stracha, age
ft'4l(j' a
fe.'
0 No ci
London ; Printed and Published by, MVO
-
OtTl
No 112, Strand, Printer, at The cos - the cc
Strand, in the Precinct a the
middlogez, Weduesday,
_Feloasti 27,