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Friday the l ^ th for the second reading of the Bill , there was but little time for obtaining signatures
to a Petition ; however , this little time was improved , and on Friday morning before eleven o ' clock we had obtnined upwards of 2000 signatures to Petitions from the
different societies and congregations in the London circuits . Our Solicitor had waited on Lord Krskine , who received him with great politeness , and paid the utmost srttention'to his statement
of our case ; at the same time he most readily engaged to present our Petitions to the House , and to oppose the Bill . When the Petitions were prepared , and every thing in
readiness , a few of the Committee ., at the ivquest of Mr . Butterworth ^ retired into another room , when three of the preachers implored the blessing of God on our endeavours , and committed the
cause to him . The season was solemn , and the hope of success , which we all felt , was delightful . In the evening , Lord Stanhope moved , that the second reading of the Bill should be deferred till
some future day , which motion was seconded by Earl Grey , and acceded to by Lord Sidmouth , who in a short speech informed the House , that on Tuesday the 21 st he should bring the subject forwards for discussion . This delay was considered a favourable interposition of Providence , as it afforded the Committee opportunity for procuring parchments , and preparihg a copy
of a Petition to be sent into those circuits from whence they could be returned before Tuesday ftoon . Special messengers were sent to Bristolj Birmingham , a n 4 > down
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Toleration Act . 4 p 3
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into Kent : and these were provided with directions and parcels to be left in every circuit throughout which they passed , that the urgency of the business might be understood , and every energy exerted to accomplish our
purpose . In every place the messengers met with the most zealous co . ope . ration of the people , who , dreading the loss of their religious privu leges , came forward to sign the petitions with an eagerness , which was highly honourable to their feelings At Bristol , the Mayor granted the use of the Town-HalL
and although the notice was so short * yet between 12 and 5 o ' clock on Monday , the petition received upwards of nineteen hundred $ ig natures , and this was in addition
to separate petitions from all the dissenting congregations in the city , which were numerously signed . By these means , the Committee had procured before Tuesday noon upwards of 250
petitions , having 80 , 000 signatures . The Committee was incessantly employed in examining and taking an account of them . And that every thing might be conducted with the utmost
regularity , every petition was separately rolled up , tied wi » h a little red tape 5 and the place from whence it came , together with the number of signatures it contained , legibly
written on one end of the roll , so that when it was presented , the Noble Lord had no difficulty in announcing these particulars to the House . It required the utmost exertions of the Committee
to prepare all things in readiness before the House met ; however , this was accomplished , and the Petitions were delivered to Lord
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Aug. 2, 1811, page 493, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2419/page/45/
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