The Sun.
London, England, 1842-12-08 00:00:00

A MARRIAGE FORBIDDEN.

Yesterday forenoon Trinity Church, New-road,
Marylebene, was the scene of a most extraordinary
occurrence, and which will in all probability result in
criminal proceedings. It appears that a retired
publican, named Pearse, residing at the eastern part
of the metropolis, some time since separated from his
wife, who, as he alleges, eloped from him with a
green-grocer living in the neighbourhood, and
went off to America. Since that period Mr. Pearse
has paid his addresses to the daughter of a highly
respectable tradesman at the east-end, and Tuesday
morning was fixed for the marriage ceremony at
Whitechapel church. The bride and bridegroom,
with one or two other friends, were in attendance,
and the marriage ceremony is said to have been pro-
ceeding, when an elderly man and woman rushed
breathless into the church, and called on the clergyman
to stop. These parties turned out to be the father and
mother of Mr. Pearse's first wife, who are also said to
be in respectable circumstances. They forbade the
marriage, and having explained the circumstances
under which they did so, the officiating clergyman
refused to proceed, and the parties greatly
disappointed, left the church. Determined not to be
disappointed, Mr. Pearse, with the consent of his in-
tended, lost no time in procuring a license, and yes-
terday morning the " happy couple" drove up in a
post-chaise to Trinity Church, New-road, and
having presented the license to the Rev. Mr. Baker,
the officiating curate, the marriage was solemnized by
that Rev. gentleman, the clerk accommodating the
parties by becoming " father" to the young lady.
The ceremony had scarcely been completed, and the
post-chaise containing the new married couple was
yet in sight, when a sene of the most indescribable
uproar ensued at the church porch, in consequence
of the arrival of the parents of the bridegroom's first
wife, who found to their dismay that they were "just
five minutes too late." The riot made by them was
such, that a crowd of persons assembled. A vestryman,
named Glasier, who happened to pop in at the moment
and hear the tale, directed Blaby, one of the beadles,
immediately to'run for a policeman, and take the bride-
groom into custody on a charge of bigamy; to which
he received the laconic reply of "La, Sir, the lady
and gentleman are by this time a mile or two on their
road to Somersetshire," to which county it appeared
Mr. Pearse had mentioned in the Vestry-room he in-
tended to convey his bride for the purpose of spend-
ing the honeymoon. The parents of the first and
still living wife continued to storm most lustily, and
her father declared he would immediately pursue the
fugitives, and spend every farthing he possessed in
bringing "the villian" to justice."

THE Fots.—The fog, which was " bad enough"
yesterday, deepened in intensity during the latter part
of the night, and had so completely enveloped the
Strand and all other parts adjacent to the Thames this
morning in its dusky and impenetrable mantle, as to
have literally converted day into night. The gas
has been turned on in all the shops, and candles
were obliged to be used to carry on the necessary
business of the day. 'We find that it was the same on
Tuesday in Paris. We fear that many accidents
must necessarily have taken place from unavoidable
collisions on the river (especially), as well as in the
streets and roads of and about the metropolis. About
twelve o'clock, however, the atmosphere cleared up, so
that the use of candles in most instances might be dis-
pensed with.
GERMAN RIDING.—As is the general practice on
the Continent, they seem to ride rather for parade than
pleasure. Their horsemanship is, in fact, the most
uncomfortable thing in the -world, and makes one's
back ache to see it. They sit as erect as posts, and
jolt along without springing in the saddle, in a way
that must make every joint of their back-bones, as
well of as their limbs, undergo the most cruel of martyr-
doms. They tell you that the English are the worst
riders in the world, because in a sharp trot they lean
forward and rise in the stirrups. But knowledge of
anatomy and the common principles of mechanical
as they
philosophy might show them, that to sit perpendi-
cularly,do, converts all the bones in their bodies
into pestles to pound each other to pieces, and makes
mgloissthpmaainn,ll on y at nhde
their whole weight come bump, bump on their horses'
detr
contrary,rn ral
throwingl yt them
t•
backs,
kEs,n
pillar
of his bones out of the perpendicular, brings his mus-
cles and tendons to act as s • prings ; and by that gentle,
and, in a good rider, almost imperceptible risin • •g in the
stirrups, he accords his motion h •
armomously to that
of his horse, and bothgo together at any speed with a
delightful smoothness and elasticity, which give a spur
to the animal spirits, and make rapid riding one of the
most genuine luxuries of life.—Howitt's Rural and
Domestic Life of Germany.
CANTON AND VENlCE.—Captain B. Hall has no-
ticed a remarkable resemblance in many respects
be-
tween the cities of Canton and Venice. There is an
exact similitude between one of the canal bridges in
the latter city and one in Canton. The streets in
both places are paved, he says, in the same style
' they are of the same width ; have the same degree of
light; the shops are just of the same dimensions and
forms ; the houses are equal in height. The only
difference seems to be in the signs. In China each
shop has a large, finely japanned board, six feet long,
with gilt letters, hanging, not horizontally, like ours
in Europe, but perpendicularly, and left loose to flap
about with the wind on one side of the door. Neither
in Venice nor in Canton are there any wheeled car-
riages or horses ; the same method of carrying loads
at the end of poles across the shoulders being prac-
tised in both places, a circumstance that tends greatly
to heighten the unexpected resemblance between two
places so remote from each other, and so differently
circumstanced.
FATAL ACCIDENT DURING THE FOG ON MON-
DAY NIGHT.—Mr. Baker held an inquest yesterday,
at the town of Ramsgate, Wapping, on the body of
Joseph Butler, aged 34, a Custom-house officer, em-
ployed in the London Docks. From the evidence of
John Blyth it appeared that on Monday night he
was on duty with the deceased in the London Docks.
At nine o'clock he was in his hammock, on board the
Thomas Hold. when the deceased bade him good night.
He, answered him, and, as deceased left the vessel, ad-
vised him to be very cautious in stepping ashore, as
it was a foggy night. At that moment he heard a
splash in the water, but though he immediately ran
on deck, he could not see, the fog was so dense, who
had fallen in. The drags were, without loss of time,
procured, and, after a search of half an hour, the
body of the deceased was found.—Verdict—" ACei-
dental Death."

POISONING GANtx.—We regret to say that some
evil disposed person or persons have been poisoning
the pheasants in the preserves at Stow, and that a
large quantity have been found dead by the keepers.
We sincerely hope. the parties will be found out.—
Cambridge Advertiser.
A recently-published census of Van Diemen's Land
to the Ist January gives the following totals :—males,
34,504 ; females, 15,712. " The disproportion of the
sexes," remarks the Australasiatie Review, "is a
grievous calamity.