Lord Campbellpresented a petition from Belfast, for an alteration of the law respecting Presbyterian marriages, and complaining of the want of a general law for the registration of births, deaths, and marriages in Ireland. The noble Lord observed, that the law in Ireland was at this moment even more defective than it had been some years ago in England. Recently, the law as regarded this country had been amended, but not as to Ireland, and the object of the petitioners was, that an assimilation of the law in the two countries should be adopted. This was an important question, but he was happy in reflecting that the machinery of the new Poor-law in Ireland would make the operation comparatively easy.
§ Lord Redesdalesaid, that in rural districts, the present system was not only less satisfactory, but more expensive.
Lord Campbellwas surprised to hear this opinion. He had hoped that, after various indictments to enforce the new law, all prejudices against it had died away. He did not believe that, out of doors now, generally, there was any feeling against the change effected.
§ Petition laid on the Table.
§ Adjourned.