The Sun.
London, England, 1850-01-18 00:00:00

MARRIAGE WITH A DECEASED

WIFE'S SISTER.
TO THE XDITOR OF THE SUN.

Sts,—Many thanks for your insertion of several
able articles on this very important subject, and the
opinion now daily gains ground, that the repeal of
Lord Lyndhurst's Act ought no longer to be delayed.
To effect this, every man and woman in the kingdom
ought to be in possession of the Report of her Ma-
jesty's Commissioners ; but as this is out of the ques-
tion, as being perfectly impossible, the next best
thing is to give such important passages as present
themselves; and every one of your readers will heartily
coincide with the following extracts from the Report in
question :
" We do not find that the persons who contract these
marriages, and the relations and friends who approve
them, have a less strong sense than others of the reli-
gious and moral obligation, or are marked by laxity of
conduct.
" Among the poorer classes of society we believe that
in a great majority of cases, where the sister of the
deceased wife becomes an inmate of the house, and the
parties are not advanced in age, the end of such a state
of things is marriage or concubinage. The constant and
familiar intercourse, the want of separate accommoda-
tion, and the entire privacy, give rise to feelings which
in the ordinary course of things naturally will prodcce
the consequences we have stated. When a poor man
with a family has the misfortune to lose his wife, some
assistance for his domestic concerns becomes indispensa-
ble; assistance, too, for which he cannot afford to pay,
and which must be rendered immediately. All circum-
stances and all feelings point to the sister of the deceased
wife; and when once she becomes a permanent inmate
the result in this class is almost inevitable—cohabitation
with or without the form of marriage."
There are six highly learned and influential gen-
tlemen on this Royal Commission, and it is
ex-
pected that, inasmuch as the whole tenor of the
" Report " is in favour of the instant repeal of_ _
Lo
Lyndhurst's Act, that the same will be repealed on
the meeting of Parliament.
sincerity and
energy with which the on the
This will, however, dependfully
plated apply themselves.
othey will be
suspected
until after Easter, Let
them
move at
ocfe,„iukefrLieentdtsh ofe them
not,
t r,
el
by relief
all co
mean,n tem-
put off the measure
their own ques-
tion ; and 330 W that—to use a common exp.ression--•
otherwisewar mn mostßs assuredlyn
,4 the steam is up " let them be up, and be doing
on
also, and success will most assuredly reward their
exertions.

It cannot be supposed anything extraordinary that
the sister of a man's deceased wife should constantly
remind the husband of his loss, by the same amiability
of disposition and probably resemblance of person
also. Then add thereto the often-repeated injunction
of a dying woman, " that she should die happy if the
husband would promise to marry the sister, as the
best guardian to his children." Why prevent it?
The Bible does not prevent it, but rather enjoins it.
Why, then, are we, in the nineteenth century, to be
once more handed over to the rapacity of the Church 1'
and why is property to be disturbed, and the minds of
amiable and good people to be unnecessarily tor-
mented on the subject ?
With many thanks to you, I remain, Sir,
Your friend and reader,

ALFRED.

Regent's-park, Jan. 16, 1850.

MANCHESTER TRADE REPORT, JAL 17.—The
condition of our market remains unchanged since Tueb-
day. Producers remain very firm, and do not offer
freely at all. The consequence is, that very little busi•
ness is done either in yarns or cloth.