The third reading of the Deceased Wife's Sister Bill was
carried in the Lords on Monday by 98 votes to 54. During the discussion Lord Courtney moved to omit Clause IV.— which had been inserted in Committee at the instance of the Archbishop of Canterbury—which provided that nothing in the Bill should relieve a clergyman of the Church of England from any ecclesiastical censure to which he would have been liable if the Bill did not pass, by reason of his having married his deceased wife's sister, but the amendment was negatived after Lord Tweedmouth had stated on behalf of the Govern- ment that he had entered into an honourable understanding to support the clause. We view the retention of this amend- ment with no little misgiving. In our opinion, it may prove extremely harmful to the best interests of the Establishment. We cannot enter fully into the matter now, but may say generally that the claim of the Church to be the national Church is in danger of being impaired if anything is done to place the clergy outside the law of the land. An amendment had been previously agreed to on the motion of Lord Tweed. mouthreinserting the first proviso of Clause I., which had been inadvertently omitted during the Committee stage. By this amendment any clergyman of the Church of England who refused to perform such marriages might permit any other clergyman in the Church of England entitled to officiate in the same diocese to take his place.
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