PETITION. (Hansard, 10 February 1860)

LORD BROUGHAM

presented a Petition from the Rev. Bryan King, M.A., Rector of St. George's-in-the-East, complaining of interruption of Divine Service in the Church of St. George's-in-the-East, and praying for relief. With the petitioner he had no acquaintance whatever, but he had been asked to present this petition, and of the truth of its statements he could have no knowledge. But the party had a right to be heard. He should therefore desire that the clerk at the table might read it. This was done. The petitioner, after stating that he had been rector of the parish, which contained a population of some 50,000, for sixteen years, related in some detail what appeared to him the causes of the disturbances in the church, laying particular stress, as an exciting cause, on the appointment of a Sunday afternoon lecturer by the parishioners in 1859. He adverted to the proceedings in the Court of Queen's Bench, arising out of that appointment, and to the unsuccessful mediation of the Bishop of London with a view to the suppression of the disturbances. He also referred to the circumstance of his having had recourse to the Chief Commissioner of Police, Sir Richard Mayne, and to the Home Secretary, to interfere to protect him in the discharge of his sacred duty; that that interference had not been equal to the emergency; and he prayed the House to take such steps as might seem necessary to secure him and those who assisted him 803 in his ministrations from personal violence, and the celebration of Divine Service from interruption. The noble and learned Lord expressed a hope that the Government had made arrangements for putting an end to the repeated desecration of the Church of St. George's-in-the-East and the interruption of the services, which had become an intolerable nuisance to the neighbourhood, and was offensive to the moral feelings of the whole community. His opinion was that the difficulty of dealing with this nuisance was not insuperable, if Sir Richard Mayne would direct the police to enter the church and watch and control the conduct of the disturbers and their tools during the service. At all events the Acts of Parliament should be put in force. He had no doubt the course he recommended was the right one, and that the law, as it now stood, was sufficient for the suppression of the disturbances.