The Sun.
London, England, 1844-07-09 00:00:00

of abolishing the duty on newspapers made their re- ,
port, in which they state that they cannot reccom-
mend the abolition of the duty, though they disap-
prove of the present system, and Consider that a uni-
form duty of four centimes (four-fifths of a half-
penny) should be levied on all journals, whether
large or small. They are opposed also to a tax on
advertisements. The Constitutionel contains a strong
attack on the Government relative to the partial and
dishonest manner in which Government contracts are
made. According to law all contracts exceeding
.50,000 francs are to be submitted to public compe-
tition, but in many instances the law has been
evaded. Several large contracts for rails and Go-
vernment supplies, it asserts, have been made by pri-
vate bargain with favoured parties to the injury of
competitors, and sometimes at ten per cent. higher
than the market price.
A dreadful fire broke out at Algiers on the night
of the 26th ult., which destroyed property to the
amount of 1,300,000 f. (52,0001.) The Akbar gives
the following details:

" The fire has destroyed all the barracks situated between
the streets Bab Azoum and the Dejeninah. This building
has been greatly injured, and would no doubt have been en-
tirely destroyed but for the prompt and energetic means em-
ployed to save it. The whole of the citizens, directed by the
authorities, and aided by the military, navy, and militia,
vied with one another in zeal and devotion to the common
cause. The Sardinian frigate Beroldoe sent a strong de •
tachment ashore, headed by their brave commander le Che-
valier Milece, whose vigorous and intelligent co-operation
tended mainly to the preservation of a large range of build-
ings in the street Porte Neuve. Towards midnight the pro-
gress of the flames was such that it was determined to isolate
the Dejeninah from the Manutention, which was done ac-
cordingly. The Bishop's palace, which was especially
threatened, was immediately denuded of all furniture, and
the Right Rev. Prelate, himself in the street, surrounded by
his books and furniture, was desirous of lending a hand to
the work of extinguishment, and was only prevented on the
assurance that the numbers employed were already greater
than the nature of the work required. At midnight the fire
was completely got under. Some rather alarming reports
were spread in town as to the number of killed and injured.
We are, however, enabled, on the best authority, to state that
no one has perished, and the number of injured does not ex-
ceed thirty. It has been clearly ascertained that the origin
of the fire was purely accidental."

THIS DAY S NEWS.

HOUSE OF LORDS.-(THIS DAY.)

COMMITTEE OF PRIVILEGES.

THE SUSSEX PEERAGE.—JUDGMENT.
The Lord Chancellor entered the House a few minutes
after ten o'clock, when Counsel were ordered in. The Judges
were also in attendance.

The Earl of SHAFTESBURY having taken his seat as Chair-
man of the Committee,

Lord Chief Justice TLNDAL proceeded to read the opinion
of the Judges, as to the construction which ought to be put
upon the Act of Parliament regulating the marriages of mem-
bers of the Royal Family of England. After a very long
dissertation upon the technical legal bearing of certain of the
provisions of the Act, the opinion proceeded to state, that in
that portion of the law which more particularly affected the
case under discussion, the words of the statute were precise
and unambiguous. It expressly stated that no one of the
persons therein described shall be capable of contracting mar-
riage without the previous consent of his Majesty in Council,
such consent to be recorded at length in the license of mar-
riage, in the certificate of marriage, and in the register of
marriage. It was not reasonable to suppose that any person
should be competent to set aside the law by contracting
a marriage abroad. It was never in the contempla-
tion of the Legislature, when they passed this Act
of Parliament, that it should be evaded, or at-
tempted to be evaded. An Act of Parliament passed in
this country will bind its subjects both within and without
the realm. If such had not been the intention of the Legis-
lature, then was it most futile and unnecessary to have passed
this marriage law at all. But the Act itself was comprehen-
sive enough—the words themselves were clear, direct, and
unambiguous enough to regulate these royal marriages as well
without as within the realm. But even if precise words
were not found in the Act bearing upon the question, still the
construction of the Act would clearly define the course to be
pursued. The Act would be a mere dead letter, if from the
moment of its passing any one of the Royal Family could feel
himselfempowered to go abroad and contract a marriage with-
out the authority and consent of the Sovereign. Again the
policy and expediency of the Act were clear upon the face of
it. No marriage which the head of the realm might hold to
be detrimental to the interests of the State, could be con-
tracted lawfully either at home or abroad. The Sovereign of
the realm was by this statute specially entrusted with the
care of these matters, but this power and authority—held
for the good of the State—would be at once put aside, if
marriages thus contracted and solemnised were now to be
held as good and valid. They (the Judges) thought, there-
fore, that the eldest son of A. B, under the instructions of
their Lordships, could not make a good title as heir to A B
to the lands sought by him to be recovered.
After a pause—

The LORD CHANCELLOR (as we understood him) said—
Perhaps further postponement would not be required after
the very able and lucid opinion of the judges of the land just
read to them by his Learned Friend the Chief Justice of the
Common Pleas. Perhaps it would be stated what course it
was wished to be pursued.
Lord BROUGHAM said he could see no good that could by
possibility accrue to any party by any further postponement
of the judgment of their Lordships. Such postponement
would only cause heavy expense and be of no utility what-
ever to the claimant. He was quite- prepared to give his
own opinion of the case at that moment. He had never had
a doubt upon the matter. -
The LonDCßANcgmoa said he also was prepared to give
his opinion at once. He had never entertained the slightest
doubt of the scope and object of the Act. The language of
the Act could not be mistaken. It clearly incapacitated any
person mentioned in it from going abroad and contracting a
marriage. Such marriage was not valid and could not be
recognized by the English law.
Lord BROUGHAM said it was with the deepest sorrow that
he was compelled—reluctantly compelled to decide against,
this claim—for no person who had heard the evi-
dence adduced before their Lordships could for one
moment doubt but that a wrong, a most grievous
wrong had been committed upon the mother of those
children whose case they had been hearing.—(Loud cries of
"Hear, hear.") It appeared to him that the highest justice
required that the Parliament which had made such a law—
a law which ought never 'to have been made— (Hear, hear)
—that that Parliament should give some reparation to those
deeply injured persons who had been asking for justice at
their Lordships' bar.—(Loud cheers.)
The LORD CHANCELLOR most earnestly concurred in the
feeling which dictated the latter portion of the remarks of
his Noble and Learned Friend.

Lords DENMAN and CAMPBELL having concurred,
The Earl of SHAFTESBURY put the motion, and the "non-
contents " being declared by him unanimously to " have it,"
the claim of Sir Augustus d'Este to the Sussex Peerage is
of course disallowed.