§ Lord Denmanobserved, that in consequence of some observations that had fallen from a noble Lord on a former evening, he had now to lay on their Lordships' Table a bill for rendering the affirmation of that sect of Christians called Baptists equivalent to an oath in courts of justice. He had reason to know, that the operation of the law as it now stood, granting exclusively an exemption from taking an oath to Quakers and to those who formerly had been Quakers, but had seceded from the society, pressed very severely on that class of Christians called Baptists, who had very strong religious scruples against taking an oath at all, and he thought it very desirable that they should be released from that difficulty by having their affirmation received on all future occasions in evidence in those cases where an oath was now required. This was the object of the bill he now begged leave to lay on the Table.
§ Bill read a first time.
§ Adjourned.