JEWS, in point of law, are now, if natural-born subjects, on nearly the same footing as English subjects, the following peculiarities only being noticeable. By the S and 9 Viet. c. 52 they were allowed to hold offices in municipal corporations. on condition of signing a declaration (in place of the usual oaths) not to exercise their influence so as to injure or weaken the Protestant church. By the act 34 and 35 Vict. c. 4S, they are placed, as regards their schools and places of worship, of education and charities, on the same footing as Protestant dissenters.. Before 1845 doubts had prevailed whether the marriages previously celebrated in England among the Jews, according to their own usages, were valid, and the statute 10 and 11 Vict. c. 58 put an end to such doubts, by declaring all such marriages valid, provided both the parties married had been persons professing the .Jewish religion. But now, as then, though it is competent for Jews, like other dissenters, to superadd any religious ceremony they please to their marriages, there must in all cases be notice given to the registrar of the district of such marriage being about to take place, the only exemption being that the marriage may be celdbrated in the synagogue, and not, as in the ordinary case, in the superintendent registrar's office, or a-registered building. A license may also be procured from the superintendent registrar; and the secretaries of the respective synagogues are recognized as the persons to keep the register books of the Jewish marriages. In Scotland there is no peculiar legislation affecting Jewish marriages. the statute 31 and .32 Vict. c. 72, which substi tuted one oath for the oaths of allegiance, supremacy, and abjuration, an extension of the 8 and 9 Vict. c. 52 was made, to snit the case of the Jews in all cases where the declaration set forth by 9 Geo. IV. c. 17 required to be taken. The result is that not
merely as regards municipal offices, but all other offices where the same declaration is required. a Jewish subject is entitled to be admitted with a declaration or without any oath. Moreover, the complete emancipation of the Jews may be said to have been attained by the statute 21 and 22 Vict. c. 49, which enables either house of Parliament, when a Jew would be entitled, but for the oath of allegiance, to sit and vote in the house, to modify that oath by omitting the words, "and Lmake this declaration upon the true faith of a Christian." When these words are omitted a Jew has no longer any conscientious objection to take the oath, and so is practically admitted, like other sub jects, to become a member of either house of parliament. It is, however, still in the discretion of either house to refuse to make the resolution to omit those words, so that Jews have not an absolute right to admission, though practically it is not likely that the admission will in future be refused, at least by the house of commons. The same act specially excludes Jews from holding or exereisino. the office of guardians and justices of the United Kingdom, or of regent of the United Kingdom, or of lord high chancellor, lord keeper or lord commissioner of the great seal of Great Britain or Ireland, or the office of bird lieutenant or deputy. or other chief governor or governors of Ireland, or her majesty's high commissioner to the general assembly of the church of Scotland, Whenever a Jew holds any office in the gift of her majesty, to which office shall belong any right of presentation to any ecclesiastical benefice, such right of presentation shall devolve upon the archbishop of Canterbury for the time being.