Lords Sitting of 20 May 1833

MINUTES.
Petitions presented. By the Duke of WELLINGTON, Earls SEFTON, BROWNLOW, and WINCHILSEA, and Lord LYNDHURST, from a Number of Places,—against the Local Jurisdiction Bill.—By the Duke of RICHMOND, from Chichester, and the Western Division of the County of Sussex, against the General Registry of Deeds Bill.—By the Earl of HADDINGTON, from the Medical Practitioners of Leeds, for an Alteration of the Apothecaries Act.—By the Marquesses of WESTMINSTER, SLIGO and BUTE, the Earls of ROSEBERY and SUFFOLK, Lords BEXLEY, LYTTLEDALE, ROLLE, SUFFIELD, and BARHAM, and the Bishop of LONDON, from a great Number of Places,—262 by Lord SUFFIELD,—against Slavery.—By the Duke of WELLINGTON, from Avoch, for Compensation to the Colonial Proprietors; and from the Merchants and Shipowners of Newcastle, against the Dutch Embargo.—By the Earl of CARLISLE, from several Dissenting Congregations at Liverpool, for Relief respecting Registration, Marriages, and Church Rates.—By the Earl of RODEN, Lord LYTTLETON, and the Bishops of LINCOLN, BANGOR, and LICHFIELD, from several Places,—for a Better Observance of the Lord's Day.—By the Earl of RODEN, from the Non-juring Christians of London, for being allowed to Substitute a Solemn Affirmation for an Oath.—By the Bishops of LICHFIELD, and BATH and WELLS, from several Places,—against the Sale of Beer Act—By the Marquess of SALISBURY, from Hertford, m favour of the Factories' Regulation Bill.—By a NOBLE LORD, from Waterford, for the Granting of Equal Rights to the Jews.

OBSERVANCE OF THE SABBATH.
The Bishop of London,on the presentation of a Petition for the Better Observance of the Sabbath said, that it would be a subject of great regret to many persons, if the throwing out of that Bill by the other House of Parliament should prevent the adoption of any measures of amelioration. He thought that some person, either in that or the other House, should bring in some Bill of a simple and moderate nature, which might pass both Houses without difficulty; and that they ought not to leave this country under the imputation of having thrown aside, without even considering it, a measure of so much importance, whether it were regarded in a religious, in a moral, or even in a political point of view. It was of infinite importance at the present time, when the public mind was so much alive to the subject, that a simple measure should be proposed, such a measure as if brought forward would have no difficulty in passing. This had been strongly urged upon himself, and several of his reverend
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brethren; but they had a great objection to taking upon themselves the responsibility of bringing forward such a Bill, and for reasons which might be easily guessed. If they brought forward a measure which did not come up to their own notions of the manner in which the Lord's Day ought to be observed, it was needless to say what bad consequences would arise from it. There was a large class of persons who, if such a Bill were brought forward, under the auspices of the Church, would be ready to reproach the Bishops on account of it. "This, then," they would say, "is the standard of the Bishops for the observance of the Sabbath." That was one among the many reasons which would make the Bishops decline to submit any measure of the kind to Parliament, but he certainly wished that some person would again lake up the subject.