ly, lawfully, made a
husband of by Captain Parsons. I have put the question to solicitors;
I have written to shipowners and to shipbrokers, to captains and to
mates, to shipping papers, and to a variety of marine authorities, such
as dock superintendents, Board of Trade officials, and nautical
assessors, but to no purpose. A great many "fancy" that a shipboard
marriage is "all right," but nobody is certain. What have the readers
of this narrative to say? Is there any one amongst them who can speak
with authority? I submit that it is a point which ought to be settled.
Legislation should put an end to doubt. Could I have felt sure on the
subject, I should have been spared a great deal of anxiety. That
marriages have taken place at sea is beyond question; the offspring of
these unions must be numerous. Are they legitimate? Many colonials
should feel concerned in the question, and I trust yet to receive some
definite information on the matter one way or the other.

POSTSCRIPT

Since this story was written, I find that the Rev. Thomas Moore, Rector
of All-hallows-the-Great, late Surrogate in the Diocese of Canterbury,
in a useful little work on the British and foreign laws of marriage,
entitled, "How to be Married,"[1] writes of marriages on board merchant
vessels, that "There is no statutory provision for these. But the
requirements of the Merchant Shipping Act, 1854, Section 282, providing
for their proper registration in the Diocesan Registry of London,
assume that they may take place." In a letter addressed to the author,
Mr. Moore says: "I may say, that to constitute the validity of such
marriages, which I take for granted would be marriages of emergency,
the presence of a clergyman or minister would not be required, and is
not contemplated. It would be sufficient that the captain of the ship
officiated and made a record of the marriage. He ought, however, to
report it to the proper authority as soon as possible at the end of the
voyage. Such marriages, though legal, are rare."

[1] Published by Griffith and Farran.

Printed in Great Britain by Wyman & Sons, Ltd.,
London and Reading.

Uniform with this Volume

1 The Mighty Atom Marie Corelli
2 Jane Marie Corelli
3 Boy Marie Corelli
4 Spanish Gold G. A. Birmingham
6 Teresa of