§ EARL GRANVILLEMy Lords, as I see that my noble Friend the President of the Council is in his place, I will ask him a Question of which I have given him private Notice. I do not know whether it will be convenient to him to answer it this evening; but, if not, perhaps he will answer it on some other evening this week. The next stage of the Burials Bill will not be taken till after a considerable lapse of time—about a month from the date when it was in Committee. I think it would be convenient to the House if, before the next stage comes on, Her Majesty's Government—if they think they could do so—would state what course they propose to take with regard to the Bill. One clause of the Bill in particular is of very considerable importance, and it would be desirable to know when the Government propose to go on with the Bill, and, if they do, whether they propose to introduce Amendments?
I may take this opportunity of giving a personal explanation relative to a statement which I made on the second reading of the Burials Bill respecting the burial of Sir Morton Peto's daughter, the accuracy of which has been disputed. Tile information was given me in 1876, and I intended to mention the case when introducing the Resolutions of last year; but I forgot to do so. The matter came back to my recollection this year when speaking on the second reading of the Bill, when I repeated it, as I thought, exactly as I received it. I am now informed the church on which Sir Morton Peto spent so much money was in an old churchyard; and that the refusal to allow anything but a silent burial to a deceased Baptist was given previously to the death of Sir Morton Peto's daughter. When his daughter died, warned by what had happened, he was obliged to bury her in a cemetery, although his strong wish was to bury her in the above-mentioned churchyard; and it was this sad event which induced Sir Morton Peto to bring in the Burials Bill of 1861. Sir Morton Peto made no complaint of the conduct of the clergyman—what he did complain of was the system, and that he sought by this Bill to remedy.
THE DUKE OF RICHMOND AND GORDONThe Report of the Burials Bill, which is the next stage, we propose to take on Monday, the 18th of June. Any Amendments which the Government may desire to introduce on that stage they will take care to have printed so that they may be in your Lordships' hands a considerable time before that date, and your Lordships may then have the opportunity of considering them.