“Where it shall appear to either House of Parliament that a person professing the Jewish religion, otherwise entitled to sit and vote in such House, is prevented from so sitting and voting by conscientious objection to take the oath, ... such House, if it think fit, may resolve that thenceforth any person professing the Jewish religion, in taking the said oath to entitle him to sit and vote as aforesaid, may omit the words, ‘and I make this declaration upon the true faith of a Christian.’”
Lord J. Russell then moved a resolution embodying the above.
After some debate the House divided—
| For the Resolution | 69 |
| Against | 37 |
| Majority | 32 |
Baron Rothschild then advanced to the table, conducted as before by Lord J. Russell and Mr. Smith, and as he walked up the floor of the House was greeted with loud cheering from the Opposition benches. He desired to be sworn upon the Old Testament, and his request being at once complied with by the Speaker, he took the new form of oath, omitting the words, “and I make this declaration upon the true faith of a Christian.” The hon. gentleman then signed the roll of Parliament, and during the course of the subsequent proceedings he exercised the most important function of a legislator by voting twice upon the Corrupt Practices’ Prevention Act Continuance Bill.
AN INADEQUATE NAVY (1858).
Source.—Letters of Queen Victoria, edited by A. C. Benson, M.A., and Viscount Esher, vol. iii., pp. 378, 379. (John Murray, 1907.)
Queen Victoria to the Earl of Derby.
Osborne,
August 2, 1858.