§ Amendments reported (according to order).
THE BISHOP OF CARLISLEsaid, he wished to call attention to the fact that marriages sometimes took place in the English Border counties which were thoroughly bonâ fide, but yet were liable to great doubt, and more than doubt, owing to certain irregularities. Suppose a man in Scotland, who was a Presbyterian, came over the Border to 148 marry a young lady who was a Church-woman in Carlisle. Her banns were duly published. The man brought with him a certificate that a certain process had been gone through, and this would be tendered to the clergyman in England as a certificate of the publication of the banns. But this was held not to be a publication within the meaning of the Act of George IV. regulating marriages in England, and the consequence was that marriages so celebrated gave rise to grave doubts on the part of the parties so married. He had no doubt that the Bill of the noble and learned Earl upon the Woolsack was intended to cover cases of this kind; but it hardly seemed to him that it did so. He would therefore suggest a verbal alteration in the Bill which would cover such cases; and he trusted that the noble and learned Earl would, before the third reading, see his way to amend the Bill so as to cover those cases which did not at present seem to be covered, and so place the law in a more satisfactory position.
THE LORD CHANCELLORsaid, he was obliged to the right rev. Prelate for calling attention to the subject. It was, as the right rev. Prelate had said, the object of the Bill to cover all cases which properly came within its principle, and so prevent the necessity for Marriage Legalization Acts for particular places. He (the Lord Chancellor) did not understand precisely the cases to which the right rev. Prelate had referred; but if he would be good enough to send him a statement of them in writing, he would do his best to meet the views of the right rev. Prelate.
§ Amendments agreed to.
§ Bill to be read 3a on Tuesday next.