Star.
London, England, 1831-05-28 00:00:00

the most respectable and

Birmingham, to which it ought never to be forgotten we
are mainly indebted for the success of the Reform, gave, on
Tuesday, a public entertainment to Messrs. Foley and Spen-
cer, the successful candidates for Worcester. Dr. E. John-
stone was in the chair, and was assisted by Mr. Scholefield, pre-
sident of the Birmingham Union, Mr. Russell, Mr. Lee, Dr.
1. JOHNSTONE, Mr. Scott of Stourbridge, and other en-
lightened patriots of the town and vicinity. Among the
speakers, besides the new members, were the Rev. R.
Kennedy, who proposed the health of Lord John Rus-
sell ; the Rev. Mr. Legh, of Bilston, who proposed
the Staffordshire members; and the Rev. Mr. M'Donnell,
after the toast of " Civil and religious liberty." Mr. Schole-
field proposed with eclat, " The Constitution, the whole
Constitution, and nothing but the Constitution ;" nor were
the Poles and their independence forgotten.
A French paper printed in London, and as usual edited
by a Renegado, is seeking to provoke newspaper notice, by
a scurrilous attack on this and other liberal papers. This
may please his patrons at Holyrood ; but we can assure
him, that attacks on the advocates of liberal principles, will
be the means of confining his British circulation to the pre-
cincts of that ancient Scottish palace. We are at the same
time very proud of being placed at the head of his list, and of
being assigned " the first rank" in the maintenance of prin-
ciples which our readers approve. We had almost forgotten
our old friends Barruel, Peltier, and Mallet du Pan ; and
really thought it too late in the day for such men to find
even humble and obscure imitators.
Letters from Hanover of the II th inst. state, that in
the course of the preceding week, the Second Chamber
of the States adopted a proposition for extending the free-
dom of the press to its utmost legitimate limits, and a bill
will be immediately presented to carry this resolution into
effect. In the expectation that his Majesty William IV.
will accede to a proposition from the States to form a new
constitution, the Second Chamber has appointed a Com-
mittee to consuls upon this important subject.
-MARRIAGES OS FOREIGNERS IN FRANCS —A CiTCII-

lar from the Minister of Justice, addressed to the King's
attorney at Periueux, contains various instructions relative
to marriages contracted in France by foreigners. The laws
of several neighbouring countries forbid the natives from mar-
rying abroad, without an authorisation to that effect from their
governments, in which cue alone their marriage is consi-
dered lawful. The result of that is, that the inhabitants of
ithose countries coming to settle in France for industrious or
commercial purposes, having married French women without
that license, when they return to their own country, their
women and children are rejected as illegitimate. In order
Ito arrange this matter, the French Government has deter-
' mined on requiring hereafter of every foreigner, when he
is
not naturalised, who wishes to marry in France, a cer-
tificate from the authorities of his birth-place, or last resi-
dence in his country, stating that there is no obstacle to his
contracting marriage in France. According to the 167th
Article of the Civil Code, strangers who are of age, and
who have not acquired a domicile in France, by a residence
of more than six months, are obliged to give notice of their
intention to marry, at the place they last resided in out of
France. This notice must be given in the manner re-
quired by she custom of the different countries, and the local
authorities must certify that the necessary forms have been
complied with.