conviction before the magistrates upon the complaint
of any common informer or other person. A
fourth Registrar at Westbourn, Sussex, was
publicly dismissed, 30th March 1848, for not having
made the whole of an entry (the signature of the
Registrar included) at the time and in the presence
of the informant; the entry having been
completed, and the signature of the Registrar attached
to it, in the absence of the informant, and after
the informant had signed it. But a worse case
still follows; a Registrar at Liverpool was
publicly dismissed, 9th September 1848, for having
wilfully made a false and counterfeit register of a
pretended birth. For this offence he was, December
1848, tried at the assize, convicted of felony,
and sentenced to six months' imprisonment with
hard labour.

By dint of incessant vigilance, in the detection
of mistakes, and by instant, applications
to the authors of errors for immediate
corrections, the entries all over the country are
finally obtained with a remarkable degree of
accuracy. In the course of three months the
number of entries in different districts varies,
of course, enormously. In Marylebone or St.
Pancras, for instance, there will be hundreds
of births, and deaths, and marriages by banns,
by Registrars and by dissenters, according to
the various forms of Methodists, Jews, and
Quakers; whilst in remote places, the quarter
of a year may pass by without a dozen claims
upon the attention of the registering officer.
Where there is most to be done, there the
work is usually done best, because the fees
are enough in amount to make the duty worth
attending to; whilst in spots where a
Registrar's quarterly bill amounts, perhaps, to
ten shillings, it is not very marvellous that
he should be somewhat indifferent about a
task so little remunerative. In distant and
rural places, the Registrars get very few fees
for weddings. The church still holds its
ancient sway in that respect. But in large
towns like London, Manchester, Liverpool,
and Birmingham, many "happy couples"
contribute to the emoluments of Major
Graham's Officers.

The mode of marrying away from church
or chapel has still, however, but little
popularity. Made legal to satisfy the scruples of
dissenters, even they seem to award it so little
patronage, that the forms are comparatively
unknown amongst the mass of the people.
"Putting up the banns," and holiday clothes,
and white gloves, and veils, and church aisles,
and ringing bells, have been so long associated
with the national idea of a wedding, that it is
not unusual, after the brief forms of a
matrimonial engagement at the office of the
Registrar have been gone through, and the
parties are as legally man and wife, as Acts
of Parliament can make them, for the lady to
raise an objection to the proceedings.

"Is it all over?" asks a surprised and
trembling voice.

"Yes," says the Registrar, bowing and
smiling, "that is all. You are man and wife."

"Oh!" is the semi-spasmodic response.
"It seems like no wedding at all!" And
then turning  the bridegroom the lady may
be heard appealing to the happy swain, and
declaring "She would rather go to church as
well." And often and often the ceremony is
gone through according to old fashions after the
newer and shorter one has been completed.

A wedding at the Superintendent
Registrar's Office is certainly a very rapid and
unimposing affair. The gentleman—say Mr.
John Jones—gives notice to the Registrar of
the district in which they have lived during
the previous seven days, that he has arranged
a match between himself and Miss Mary
Smith. A printed form is filled up with their
names, rank, age, and place of residence.
This is entered in a volume called the
"Marriage Notice Book." This first step of
the operation is performed at the small charge
of one shilling. The volume containing
solemn announcement remains in the
Registrar's Office, "open at all reasonable times,
without fee, to all persons desirous of inspecting
the same." The notice so entered is read
before the next three weekly meetings of
Poor-Law Guardians. Unless the wedding
has been "forbidden by any person authorised
to forbid the same"—and a sharp papa or
mamma would be needed to find out what
had been going forward if Miss Smith desired
to keep the little affair—secret at the expiration
of the three weeks, the happy couple,
between the hours of eight and twelve in the
morning, may meet—accidentally, of course—
just by the office of Mr. Thompson, the
Registrar, and walking in (also, accidentally, of
course), may, in the presence of two persons
accidentally present—the Registrar's Cleric
and a passing stranger, for instance—join in
the following brief and innocent dialogue:—

"I do solemnly declare that I know not of any
lawful impediment why I, John Jones, may not
be joined in matrimony to Mary Smith."

One minute is enough for saying this.
Whereupon, the lady responds—

"I do solemnly declare that I know not of any
lawful impediment why I, Mary Smith, may not
be joined in matrimony to John Jones."

Another minute has thus been passed.

Emboldened by the lady's declaration,
gentleman next says—

"I call upon these persons here present to
witness that I, John Jones, take thee, Mary
Smith, to be my lawful wedded wife."

A third minute has passed, and the lady's
turn has come again—

"I call upon these persons here present to
witness that I, Mary Smith, do take thee, John
Jones, to be my lawful wedded husband."

Just four minutes have been consumed,
the fee is five shillings, and a shilling for a
certificate, and the affair is complete. No
ring, no kneeling, no fuss. They are bound