A licence continues in force for three months from the date on which it was granted. Licences procured at the Faculty Office, or at the Vicar-general's Office, can be made out for any part of the country; but those procured at the Bishop's Registrar's Offices in the country only allow the parties to be married in the diocese in which they are issued.

Those who care to incur the expense of a special licence in England can obtain one from the Archbishop of Canterbury at the Faculty Office, Doctor's Commons, London, E.c. It dispenses with a fixed period of residence, and authorises marriage at any hour of the day or night, and at any place, whether consecrated or not. The cost of a special licence, including the stamp, is about 30, and they are supposed to be granted to people of rank only. Special licences are granted in Ireland by the principal authorities of several religious denominations, including Wes-leyans, Methodists, Baptists, and Quakers. Before the Registrar

It is open to anyone, however, including Roman Catholics and Dissenters, who are contcnt to dispense with any kind of religious ceremony, to be married according to the civil form before the registrar. In order to obtain a certificate from him the parties must have dwelt in the district not less than seven days.

One shilling is payable for entry of the notice, and one shilling for issue of the certificate, which will be issued after twenty-one days The parties then appear before the registrar with two witnesses at his office, and the marriage is solemnised in his presence, for which he is entitled to a further fee of 5s.

Where the marriage is by registrar's licence, one of the parties only must have lived for fifteen days in the district, and one clear day only need elapse between the day of the entry of the notice and the day on which the licence is granted. The cost of such a licence is £2 4s. 6d., and the registrar is entitled to a fee of 10s. for his attendance.

All marriages must be solemnised in the presence of two or more credible adult witnesses, who should sign the register. The presence and signature of only one witness, however, would not necessarily render the marriage invalid.

The marriage must take place between the hours of 8 a.m. and 3 p.m., except in the case of those married by special licence.

Prohibited Degrees

Marriages between persons within the prohibited degrees are absolutely null and void, although such unions are allowable according to the religious beliefs of the contracting parties. Thus the law of England will not recognise the validity of the marriages of uncles with nieces; but marriage with a deceased wife's sister, which has always been permitted according to Roman Catholic and Jewish regulations, is now legalised.

Mixed Marriages

When one party is a Protestant and the other a Catholic, the Catholic Church insists upon the Protestant party signing a document promising that the children of the union shall be brought up in the Roman Catholic faith.

Unless this is done, or the Protestant party makes a solemn promise to this effect, the priest refuses to marry them. Both promise and document alike are of no legal value; for 'if signed by the woman, her Catholic husband already has the legal right to educate his children in the religion of their father; and should it be signed by the Protestant man, he does not deprive himself of his legal rights thereby, for it is only a promise, and not a contract, to which he has pledged himself.

By a Papal rescript of quite recent date the Catholic Church refuses to recognise as lawful any marriage of a Catholic not solemnised by a priest of his church. Therefore Catholics are absolutely debarred from marrying in a registrar's office, or, in the case of mixed marriages, of marrying in a Protestant church. Such marriages would of course be legal while the parties remained in England, but abroad the consequences might be serious.

Irish Marriages

When one of the parties resides in England and the other in Ireland, the latter may give notice to the registrar in Ireland of his or her district, and receive a certificate from him in twenty-one days; the marriage can then be celebrated in England. But if the marriage is to take place in Ireland, and one of the parties resides in England or Scotland, the marriage must be solemnised by licence.

In Ireland the marriages of Protestant Episcopalians and Nonconformists are subject to practically the same rules of procedure as in England. The same remark applies to marriages by a civil ceremony only.

Roman Catholics are under different conditions, and marriages performed by a clergyman in holy orders, either Protestant or Catholic, in a church or private house, without restriction as to time or place, and without banns, licence, residence, or consent, are valid. Such a marriage is, however, contrary to the discipline of the Catholic Church. which requires banns or episcopal licence.

Mixed marriages between a Catholic and a protestant may be celebrated by a clergyman of either denomination, after notice and upon the certificate of the registrar, in a building set apart for divine service, according to the rites of the religion of the officiating clergyman, with open doors, and between the hours of 8 a.m. and 2 p.m., in the presence of two or more witnesses.

Presbyterian marriages may take place in their meeting-houses, and must be performed by their ministers after licences granted by the latter, or after due publication of banns.

Scotch Marriages

For marriage in England without licence to a person residing in Scotland, a certificate of proclamation of banns in Scotland, signed by the parish clerk, will be as effectual as the production of an English registrar's certificate. The banns will be published in the parish church, no matter what denomination the parties may belong to, and the party living in Scotland must have resided fifteen days in the parish. All three publications of banns may be made on the same Sunday upon payment of extra fees.

Scottish law recognises both ' regular " and 'irregular" marriages. Regular marriages are solemnised by the publication of banns in the Established Church of the parish in which each of the parties reside. Application must be made to the session clerk and a statement furnished, verified by the certificate of two householders or one of the elders of the parish, that one of the parties has resided for fifteen days in the parish, and that the parties are unmarried and not related to each other within the prohibited degrees.

Consent Makes Marriage

By Scottish law, "consent makes marriage." No form of ceremony, civil or religious, no notice before or publication after, no consummation, or cohabitation, no writing, and no witnesses are essential; mutual agreement and consent is all that is required. It is now necessary, however, that one of the parties should have lived in Scotland for twenty-one days preceding the marriage. The presence of witnesses is not essential. Any persons who have contracted an irregular marriage may, within three months from date, jointly apply to the sheriff, who, if satisfied, will grant a warrant to the registrar of the parish to enter it in his register upon payment of 5s. They may also be registered on payment of £1 by making them the subject of a nominal prosecution, the parties appearing before a magistrate, who, on their own confession, pronounces sentence, declaring that they have contracted a clandestine marriage, and imposing a small fine. A copy of the extract of this sentence was often regarded as a marriage certificate.

"Habit and repute," acquired amongst friends and neighbours by persons living together as husband and wife, does not constitute, but is evidence of, marriage, and the presumption is that a marriage has taken place.'

When Englishwomen Marry Foreigners

In marrying a foreigner in this country application be made to his Embassy in order that in addition to the

English celebration of the marriage, all the necessary forms and ceremonies necessary to render the marriage valid in the foreigner's country may be complied with. A Frenchman or a Belgian, no matter of what age, cannot contract a legal marriage without observing certain formalities; these include the consent of his parents or relatives, and the publication of notices, which must be twice published at the town hall of his native place. If he is under twenty-five years of age, and his parents or relatives refuse their consent, the marriage cannot take place until he is thirty, and then not until a month after formal notice. If he is thirty years of age, and has no parents living, it is still necessary for him to give a respectful notice of his intended marriage to his near relations.