THE ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURYMy Lords, I have been intrusted with a number of Petitions from various parishes in my diocese praying your Lordships' attention to the subject of an alteration in the Laws of Burial. I desire, my Lords, in presenting these Petitions, to guard myself against being supposed to agree in every expression contained in Petitions which, as they do not refer to any Bill before your Lordships' House, deal rather with general propositions on the subject of the Laws of Burial. It may not be generally known to your Lordships that the two Houses 1106 of Convocation of the Province of Canterbury are at this moment, under Her Majesty's licence, engaged in a revision of the rubrics which have reference to the Burial of the Dead. In the discussion of those rubrics many questions will naturally arise with respect to the general Law of Burial in this country. It appears to me very desirable that those who are intrusted with Her Majesty's licence to discuss these questions should approach them quite unpledged, with a full consciousness of all the difficulties which surround the question, and having no desire to increase those angry feelings which unfortunately have been called forth by discussions which have already been raised on this Question. My Lords, I beg to lay the Petitions on the Table. I am sure they will receive every consideration from your Lordships, though those who present them are not pledged to any propositions which the Petitions themselves may contain.
Then Petitions against authorising any other religious service in churchyards other than those of the Church read, and ordered to be on the Table.