51
paragraph of Your Excellency's letter No. V
In reply thereto, I observe that you say our special grievances are under consideration. I presume it is not quite clear that our difficulties as to marriages in articulo mortis are under your consideration with a view to their entire removal. No other course will be of any avail. In a fitting case, we will marry the parties, license or no license, prohibition or no prohibition.
I have only to request that before anything is done, I may be enlightened as to the matter. As to difficulty 2, fees and notices, I venture to suggest to Your Excellency that these fees might be entirely abolished; marriages ought not to be taxed. As to notices, I admit to the fullest extent the importance of publicity in all that relates to marriages.
It was the Catholic Church that first provided, by the decrees of the Council of Trent, for marriages after due publication of notice, in a public building, the parish Church, and within certain hours of the day. In that respect, legislation is taken from the law of the Church. All modern legislation follows.
Our representation to the Government is that the Roman Catholic Church provides more and greater publicity than your law does and takes greater and more effective precautions than the law does before it dispenses with such notices. The Indian Government and the Straits Government are aware that we, along with the other two religious bodies named, provide...