The Sun. — London, England, 1852-02-07 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT- ROUSE OF LORDS, Feb. 6. The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat on the Wool sack at Five o'clock. THE CAPE. The Earl of SIALMESBURY inquired of the Noble Lord at the head of the Coknial Department whether he could take any means in this country to prevent gun powder being exported to the Cape for the purpose of being sold to our enemies in that colony. Earl GREY said he was aware that before the war broke out very great quantities of gunpowder had been exported to that colony, but he also knew that there was no law existing here to prevent i t being so ex ported. Hearing in September last that the exportation continued, he sent a dispatch to the Governor, re questing him to take meaeures to prevent the powder being so used, as it woull fall into the hands of the enemy. Steps bad been taken to effect that purpose, which would to a great extent stop the supply of gunpowder to the enemy, but he regretted to say that these precautions were adopted too late, as many tons of gunpowder had got to th e enem y some months previously. It wai. impossible altogether to pre vent powder being imported into the colony, as it was very much c?tiantned by farmers and others who required it to shoot wild beasts with. The K,lfirs frequently ob tained it from them by means of coercion and otherwise. The Earl of MALMESBURY said it appeared to him that if the sale of gunpowder at the Cape was placed unda this restriction, that licenses wouli have t be procured from the Government by persons to whom it was necessary for self-defmce, either against the Kafirs er wild beasts, we should have some guarantee against the enemy obtaining it. The Noble Earl had forgot ten that his question applied to arms as well as to gun powder. Earl GREY said there was no fault to find with the ordinance cf the Legislative Council, except that it ought to have been passed in the month of February in stead of November. The instructions he had given ex tended to the prevention of the trade in arms well as gunpowder int.nded for the enemy. He had seen in the newspapers a report of certain shipments of arms from this country; but he had no reason to believe that they were intended for the Cape. The Earl of H -kRD WICKE was understood to make an inquiry about the use of arms by the population at the Cape; to which Earl GEY replied that he thought in that country it was the fashion for almost everybody to carry arms. RECALL OF SIR HARRY SMITH. The Marquis of IeiNDONDERaY referred to the statement made by the Duke of Wellington in regard to Sir Harry Smith, and said he entirely concurred in the high eulogium which the Noble Duke had made upon him; he had obeyed his instructions to the very letter, and had evinced those distinguished military quali ties which bad made his name renowned. He, therefore, doubted the policy end justice of his dismissal from the Governor-Geieralship at the Cape. He would ask the Noble Earl (Earl Grey) whether the appointment of General Cathcart was that of the Horse Guards or of the Colonial Office? Earl GREY deprecated any irree.,ular discussion on so painful a subject. If the Noble Marquis questioned the course adopted by the Government, he should bring for ward a motion. and teke the sense of their Lordships upon it; and, it he did so, he (Earl Grey) would be pre pared to defend his conduct. It appeared to him that on the face of the dispatches now before the House, Sir Harry smith oug'et to be relieved from his office, and his colleagues in the Government entertained the same opinion. He therefore thought it his necessary but painful duty to advise her Majesty to recall him. As regarded his successor he could assure their Lord ships that he did not advise the appointment of a succes sor without consulting the highest military authority in the country. He coesulted the Noble Duke (the Duke of Wellington), who said that if Sir H. Smith we re recalled he did not think any officer could be selected who was more fit for such a high military employment than Major-General Cathcart. That, he hoped, was a satisfactory answer. He had the highest respect and admiration for the character of Sir H. Smith, and never, in the conduct of public affairs, had he so painful a duty cast upon him as that of advising her Majesty to recall him, but he believed in his conscience that the step was necessary to be taken, and he did not shrink from re eommending it.—(Hear.) SCOTCH APPEALS. Lord BROUGHAM, in moving for returns of the number of Scotch appeals heard in that House, wished to correct a inisappr , hension that had got abroad with regard to what he had said when the subject was under discussion in that house in Juno last. It was said that he had suggested the appointment of one or more Scotch judges or an assessor to assist their Lordships in cases of Scotch appellate jurisdiction. What he had said was directly the reverse—that there were great difficulties in the wq of such an arrangement, and all who were ac quainted with the subject must know that the difficulties were insuprable. Without entering further into the question he (Lord Brougham) had then a suggestion to make to their Lordships, which, if adopted, would effect a very important improvement in the mode of conducting the appellate businuss of the Scottish courts. The sug gettion was this—that they should take the Scotch ap peals together and continuously at that period of the session which moat suited the convenience of the faculty of advocates, whose presence in the two months' recess of March and M.y would materially facilitce the pro ceedings hsfor, or&rerl, COMNION LAN P.I()GEEDINCiS AME CL Llrri LYNDHURST 90.,hed to kn3w the sPeowi mding of thi, 3iii, had iren intrAueed by h; Noble and Leanne;! Fri,-nti on ae woolsack, and react a fimst time on the previ.:u. , veniv, was fixed for an early He h:porl tho case was .0, nod not anticipciog di.ous.ion on the vt . ;:ocid reading was anxious they should get into eoea:r•sztee 011 the Bill at ai early a day as possible. The LORD C 7 T ''t.N^Er..LOR Vird,4 uridersto.od to say that he W,Uiti ThuriKlay next. (lloe CT-I k NOERY REFORM. Lord LYND!IUitS r said he ooserved it was intended to introduce a Bin on the subject of Chancery reform in the House of Co , calon, on M .tiday, the 16-n install.. If he might be perrnit,d to ifr an -- ' r a opinion, he would s a y that such a measure would more properly originate in their Lordship,' house; and he therefore threw the sug gestion out for the consideration of his Noble and Learned Friend the Lord Chancellor. Lord BROUGHAM entirely concurred with his Noble and Learned Friend whn last spoke, that their Lord ships' House was the fitting place to originate such a measure. However, he supposed the cause of the Bill originating in the House of Commons was owing to the fact or the Commissioners being Members of that House. After a few obi , rvations from Lord CRANWORTH, The LORD CHANCELLOR said he could give no undertaking that the Bill would not be introduced in the House of Commons, as originally intended. How h' wPuld consider ths suzgettion of his Noble and .Arned Friend who introduced the niatt. , r that evening. Their Lordships then :rilonrnspi. HOUSE OF COMMONS, The ,-PEAlom took tiac Feb. 6. Chrir at Four o'clock. Mr. AGLIONBY PETITIONS. in Lincolnshire, . presented a petition from a place chisement of c ,pl:hrt:g for the compulsory vnfran - Mr. M. GIBSON n' resented a petition from a public meeting at Ranche n t e r, 0 1 50 a neti L_prqing for a reform of the pn tent laws; ocea n penny pos r tagn ' ; ' )ll a t n r d orn Suff,lk, in favour of an a petition from London, praying for the repeal of the paper and newspaper stamp duties. Sir W. MOLESWoRTH presented a petition from prese Bishop of Sydney, Australis, , Roman C4a.tghnoldic Archbishop, Praying that Syd ney and the the House will take immediate steps discontinue transportation to Van Diemen's Landp.sTthoe Baronet gave notice that he would found a motion upon the petition. TUE ADDRESS. Lord M. BILL brought up her Majesty's answer to w hi c h was 34 follows :—" I have received the Address, with much satisfaction your loyal and dutiful address ' and you may rely on m y earnest desire to c o - operate with you in any measures you may deem necessary t o promote the welfare and happiness of my people." The answer was ordered to be entered on the journals of the HOMO. THE CENSUS. Mr. DISRAELI gave notice of his intention next week to move fora return of the population of each county in England and Wales (riven in the same form as the census of 1841. WESTMINSTER BRIDGE. Sir B. H. INGLIi wished to know whether there would be any objection to lay before the }louse the re pert of the Commission appoint e d to se lect a bet ter site for Westminster bridge.—(Hear, bear.) The recommendation of the G,mmission bad, he undorstood, been confirmed by the reports of two successive Committees of the Reuse that had sat upon the subject, and be should, therefore, he ° whether her it was intended to introduce ''lad to know Bill to carry out that recommendation? Lord SHYMOUR said the report recommended that a new bridge should be constructed , and h e h ad, i n ac cordance with that recorornandation, given the n eeersn ry notice fora Bill, which would be b rought in if he found ti„ House was in favour of it.—(Hear, hear.) , Sir. B. H. INGLIS i, , ,ked if it was intended to bring in a Bill to transfer tiroßr idg e Estates from :he missicaers who now held it to the Commissioners of Wor.lds?—(Hear ) Loci s E y --, MOUR did not think a separate Bill would b e 1 , - ~, porated with t w he a ecesary ~ )r that object, es it would be incor oth.er. Bill.—(Cheers.) . The report and breueilt en by t , hen ordered to be laid on the table, Sir R. H. iN G L I-4 :rd Seymour forthwith. Noble Lord if he -v — egain wished to know from the because if the bridge prepared to introduce a Bill at once, portance that it should ought to be removed, it was of im possible.— (Hear, hear.) be done with as little delay as no obj ec ti on m il; was sure the Noble Lord wou ld find to it in th e House. Lord SEYIVIOUR admi a tte e d that it was of importance that no time should be loaf, and he wouldgive a decisive ans wer on Monday. g POLITICAL REFUGEES, t up Lord JOHN RUSSELL bro which had taken place on thea correspondence , abject of political refu tlich was ordered to be refu gees residing in this Country, v „. printed. THE FLORENCE OUTRAGE. Lord DUDLEY S rUART Wished to put a question to the Noble Lord at the head of the Government Irk committed som e ruPeoliog the outrage that SUN, time ago on an English gentleman at Flo rence by some Austrian officers. The Noble Lord related the circumstances attending the outrage, as they have already appeared in print, and added that the British Minister at Florence had made representations to the Austrian commander-in chief and the Tuscan Government, on the subject; but he had failed to obtain any satisfactory explanation. All the information he could get was, that the officers would have been justified in patting Mr. Mather to death upon the spot, and the question he wished to ask the Noble Lord was whether it was his intention to take steps to obtain some satisfactory re dress in this matter?—(Hear, hear.) Lord JOHN RUSSELL said the accounts given in '4 the newspapers of the tran,action were, he believed, substantially correct, though there was some difference between the English account and that given by the Austrian au thorities.—(Herr, hear.) It ap peared that Mr. Mather, the gentleman in question, was walking behind the band of the regiment to which the officer belonged, listening to the music, and there being a slight crush in the street he was brought nearer to the commanding officer than was allowed by the rule of the service, and the commanding officer struck him with the back of his sword. Mr. Mather turned round and was about to explain how it was that he came to be so near the officer when he was struck in the face by another officer, when he put up his hand to cover his head, and the officer who struck him first thereupon drew his sword again and struck him d wn. He bled very much, and was ultimately taken to the hospital, where he obtained every assistants that he required. —(Hear, hear,) Now, it was a usage in the Austrian army not to allow an officer to be insulted while on duty without steps being immediately taken to correct the offender, and several officers had been dis missed from the army for neglecting to carry out that rule. In this particular case, the officer, finding that he meld not march at the head of his regiment owing to a person welkin before him, who, he presumed from the shape of his hat, was an Italian Liberal—(A laugh) —used the flit of his sword to direct him out of the way. The officer therefore touched him on the shoulder re quiring him to stand out of the way, which he not doing at once, another officer struck him en the tale, and then, as the Austrian account stated. Mr. Mather put himself in a posture of aggression, when, according to the rules of the Austrian service, the officer cut him down with his sword. The result was that this gentleman, walking quietly after the band, and intending no insult, was seriously injured, and was obliged to remain some days in the hospital under medical treatment. It appeared that the Austrian officers now said that it was a mistake on their part that any insult was intended by Mr. Mather, and as he (the Noble Lord) would have thought, when they became aware that there was no such intention, they would have beee ready to come forward and offer a reparation.—(Hear.) Mr. Mather was told, however, that he niu4c say that he did not intend any insult be f ore any reparation would be e‘ffered. This he very naturally refused to do, and. asked far a judicial inquiry, which was now proceed ing. He should mendon that the Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Lord Granville, as soon as he heard f the occurrence, and before he got the report of the affair from Florence, wrote to direct that the circum stances should be inquired into, and satisfaction required. Mr. Scarlett had, however, before these orders reached him, taken steps to comply with the requeet of Mr. Marher, in order to obtain for him a judicial inquiry. The result of this had not yet reached this country, but he (Lord J. Ru.sell) certainly thought that Mr. Mather was entitled to some reparation.—(Hear, hear.) NATIONAL EDUCATION (SCOTLAND). . _ In answer to a question from Lord MELGUND, The LORD ADVOCATE said that he could not at present say at what period it was the intention of Government to introduce a Bill on the subject of Na tional Education in Scotland. EAST INDIA COMPANY'S CHARTER. Mr. ANSTEY rose to ask the First Lord of the Treasury when the Committees on the East Indian Charter were to be moved for. Lord J. RUSSELL said he would state in the course of next week. TRANSPORTATION TO VAN DIEMEN'S LAND. Mr. ANSTEY asked the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether any late dispatches from Sir William Denison, on transportation, had been received, and how soon they would be laid before the House? Mr, F. PEEL said that dispatches had lately been re ceived from Sir William Denison, but he could not say when he should be able to lay them on the table of the House. PERFORATED POSTAGE STAMPS. Mr. GROGAN rose to abk the Chancellor of the Exchequer if any arrangement had been made with the patentee relative to the supply of perforated postage stamps to the public, ori f it be the intention of the Go vernment to purchase the patent, or agree for the use 'hereof, so that the public may enjoy the convenience of these stamps? Mr. C. LEWIS said that some time ago a gentleman named Mr. Archer had offered an invention for per forating postage stamps to the Government. 6001. had been offered him, which he refused; and subsequently, by the advice of the Pust-office authorities, a further sum of 2,0001. was offered hire. This he refused also, and no further communication had taken place on the subject. PATENT AMENDMENT LAW. In answer to a questton trona Mr. CARDWELL, Lord J. RUSSELL said, the Government would not make any oppoeition to thp moving for a Committee on stitijet ; and would postpone the introduction of th, it tiill untii icy inquiry had terminated. AIETIWPOLITAN IN nit VIEN N ACT. In ,tosvvir to a. qiu•stion tr. .m r LUSHINUTON, SEYWOUR, snit chat is was ni, ititeuituu to bring in y 8.11 on [ilk ~ übj et T-arly in the seisi.n. UNDUE ELECTIONS. Mr, BANKES rose to ask the Attorney , G,-nerai whi , ther the indemnity given by the Act of last sessit..n to witnesses whose restirn ny was ri-ciiviA by the Com missioners on the St. Alcan's inquiry has thr legal ,ft„,., o f mden Th ifyi ng thwe who, i,avtrt. been witnesses on that inquiry, wt , r:e parties c ineei neil in obstruct ing the proceedings of the Cotntaittec, by in ducinz persons summoned as witnesses to anscoud and themseives beyond the jurisdiction of the House? The Attorney-General not being, however, presiAlt, the Hon. MembQr said he hopA his Learned Colleague, the Solicitor-General, would reply to the qq-,tiori? It SOLICITOR-GENERAL said he had seen the Attorney-General that day, and 1-xpeeted him every minute, and he would rather the question should be re plied to by him. Sir DE LACY EVANS asked if the Hon. Member for Dor4etAiire intended to renew his motion for a Com mittee on the corrupt election proceedings at Harwich? Mr. BANKS said he had originally proposed the Committee in conseqa , nce of a most respectable peti tion he had received trom the borough. If he received a similar petition this session, he should renew his mo tion for a Committee; but the Hon. and Gallant Mem ber had given a notice which appeared to supersede this The SPEAKER then requested the chief clerk to real t he "liming instrumet.t of qppointment, signigd by the Right Hon. Gentleman:—`• Pursuant to the provisions of the Act of Parliamenr, I do hereby ap point L ,rd Seym , iiir. Sir G. Clerk, Mr. W. Patten, Mr. Thornely, Sir R Ferguson, and Sir T Y. Bullers, Merobers of the General Committee of Elections for the present session." - The instrument was then recorded on the journals. Mr. BANK ES gave notice that, on the earliest possible opportunity, he would move for a Committee to inquire into th, , subject to which hie question of the law officers of the Crown had reference. ENCUMBERED ESTATES BILL. Mr. F. FFRENCH gore notice that he should on Monday next ask how far the Government intended to carry this Bill. It it were carried out, how were the proprietors liable to a mortgage to pay the money to the mortgagees? He should, therefore, ask that question on Monde y. STAMPS ON PERIODICAL PUBLICATIONS. Mr. MILNER GIBSON said that Messrs. Bradbury and Evans, the eminent printers, bad been pursued by an action at law, for the imposition of a stamp on a pe riodical work which in its entirety only appeared once a month. If he was rightly informed, it was against tQe law to levy any stamp on a publication like that to which he had alluded. He wished to know whether any Bid was to be laid upon the table upon that subject? The CHANCELLOR ,of the EXCHEQUER said that . it was not the intention of the Government to intro duce any particular measure, and that for the present at least they intended to rest upon the judgment of the Court of Exchequer. THE MILITIA. -, the amount On the moti on f or the organization of the Militia pro forma, be e he Mr. MIME said th a t h e wou ld t a k e th a t o pp or t un ity o f with would t ld the inquiring mil b it f ic the A n:c o e ny ssa r r a y te e , x h p e eti h s o e pe fo i r ti t embodiment of t pur pose sums demanded of the country for this proposition of the whole of the ex penses being Subjected to the jurisdiction of Commons. Sir G. GREY said, that there ever of entering into unnecessary was no intention whet ted,' simply brought in `keep "I" expense. This Bill and of course to provideo • up the staff of the militia, r its cos*, but without tendon, unless necessity should '; ta any in- arise, of increas in.- 1 o utlay to the country. --. the The Bill was then read a first time, 1 COURT OF CHANCERY. The SOLICITOR-GENERAL rose to to bring in a -- Rill for improving the practice - and said that, move for leave , in the Mph Court of Chancery, szhad br.notwithetanding the 1 many improvements which _ en made in the con- 1 duct of the law courts, much remained to be effected in ; the refornaation of the superior courts of law.—m ear, hear.) The first of the 5e was the Supreme 'Court of Equity. In a , that much had been acceraphshiald by Lord Brougham, . were alway s effort! , ~ . as admire ably useful; bat of course could 0r. , 1:- be, available for t he time. Lord Brougham left office, and was s ucceeded i in the end by Lced Cotte n ham, whose ulthappy illness fall into arrear.—(Hear, had caused the buiine ,, s ia , was not owing hear.) to any deficiency of that • It Noble Lord, but to the necessity ofthe case, and consequently many causes were left on the paper 1 which it would have been better to dispose of. The object of the Bill which he desired to lay on the table of the House was to obviate the evil which there was an evident necessity to ((wet. The BM wo uld further contain n Drav a:ta n o f an import ant nature; which was not recomwe:;.ded by the report of I the Committee which had sat upon this subject. It would, in fact, abolish the fee system.—(Hear, hear.) Now, the fee system had b een a groat nuisance f to the suitors of the Court o f Chancery, and he bad no remedy, for the Committee, upon look• ing into the matter, had found this startling result— thatto in the course of a y ear a suitor had pay fees upon something like 330,000 transactions, in one case there had been paid 2964 113 393 P a Ymeulf,-01•671 - • LONDON, hear.) There were 90 officers in the Court of Chancery, but of these 90 offietrs only 40 ratified the amounts they received by affidavit, and it was now proposed by one part of this system to abolish the payment of fees, which would involve a considerable saving of time and trouble, and to substitute for it a species of stamp, that would be issued to the suitors, and prevent their dancing attendance upon the ninety officers to whom he had already referred.--(Hear, hear.) But this was not the only benefit which the Bill would confer upon the suitor in respect of the fee sys tem. The suitors fund, which consisted of two parts, amounted to something like four millions sterling, which stood invested in Consols in the name of the Accountant-General, and which produced an income of 112,0001. Out of this latter sum the various officers of the Court of Chancery were paid, including the Lord Chancellor 6,0001., the two Lords Justices 12,0001,, and the two Vice-Chancellors 10,0001., making a total of 28 000/. a year. Now it was obvious that the support of these latter officers ought to be borne by the Consolidated Fund. It was unjust to call upon the suitors to pay them; as well, indeed, might they call upon the tradesman who was robbed in the streets to contribute fees for the main tenance of the judge who tried the robber, and it was therefore proposed that, at some future period, the pat - meat of the salaries of these judges in Chancery should be thrown upon the Consolidated Fund.—(Hear. hear.) The administrative part of the Court of Chancery would then only be left to be provided for in the payment of salaries to officers, but as this branch of the machinery was only used for the benefit of the suitors who put ie. in motion, such as in the ad ministration of trusts, there could be no possible objec tion to calling upon the suitor to pay for it.—(Hear, hear.) Another grievance which the suitor complained of, was the office copy system. Formerly they were compelled to pay Is. 4d. per folio for office copies, but a year or two ago the fee was reduced to 4d., which produced a saving to the suitor of no less than 28,0001. It was now proposed to go further, and by the Bill the office copy system, as well as some portions of the fee system, would be abolished altogether.—(Hear.) By the present Bill a number of offices now existing would he abolished; for instance, the Lord Chancellor had six secretaries; of these, the first was his private secretary, whom, of course, it was not intended to disturb; then there was the secretary of injunctions, with a salary of 50/. a-year, which it was proposed to abolish; the secre tary of presentations, and the secretary to the commis , diens of the Peace, now both filled, would be united in one gentleman at the first opportunity. The secretary of lunatics, the registrar in lunacy, the secretary of bank , rupts, and the chief registrar in bankruptcy, would be united in one officer, making a saving of 1,2001. a year. The three offices of chaff-wax, sealer, and clerk of the patents officer., whose salaries amounted to 1,8001 a year, would be entirely abolished. Of the two gentle teen of the chamber attached to the Lord Chancellor only one would be retained, and that gentleman's salary would be reduced from 700/. to 5001., a SUM which he (the Solicitor-General) knew personally would be not more than adequate for the valuable services which that gentleman rendered to the Lord Chancellor. The clerk of the affidavits would be abolished, and in fact the whole affidavit-office done away with altogether. The Hon. and Learned Gentle man then went into a &Nil of the salaries of the several subordinate officers, showing that there would be a saving of about 7,000/. a year. The Ac- e tuntant-General of tint C urt of Chancery w as p aid in a manner which was Lot altogether satisfactory. His salary was 1,5001., 4001. of which was paid to him as a Master in Chancery, and the rest as Accountant in Chancery. But, beside& that emolument, the Accountant. General, by an arrangement with the broker of the Court of Chancery, received three-fifths of the whole brokerage charged to suitors in the various transactions which took place in stock, the broker himself receiving two-fifths. That system had existed for hundreds of years. From that source the Accountant-General received about 3,700/. .a-year, making his annual salary altogether upwards of '5,200/. By this, with the other changes which were proposed, he hoped to realise a saving of at least 100,000/. a year. The conse quence was that the suitors would have to pay no more than was absolutely necessary for the security of their own cause.—(Elear, hear.) The money paid into the Court of Chancery, in fact, would be neither more nor less than a payment into the hands of their own bankers. The 'truth was that the Accountant-General paid the whole of the money into the Bank of England, and a cheque drawn upon the Acoountant-General was equal in value to any cheque drawn upon' the Bank of England.—(Hear, hear.) It was proposed then that the .ees of the inferior offices and the duties of the officers themselves should be abolished.—(Hear, hear.) The object was to do away with the system of tees altogether and to pay the several officers by salaries.—(Hear.) They found that the clerks of the court could not be dispensed with, and they, therefore, proposed to retain them. But in this case, as well as in the one to which he had just alluded, the same evil existed, and the object of the Bill was to give the Lord Chancellor the power of fixing those salaries. In order to show the evil, however, he would cite two instances. The first was that of a young man who was the clerk to a solicitor, and had to petition the court in a case of lunacy. That young man had saved 8001., and the costs which he had to incur rose to the sum of 2661, of which no lees than 551. were spent in the fees of court. The other was that of a lady's maid, who had saved 8001, of which more than one-fourth had to be expended in even putting the affairs into train. Now he thought he had ate ed the principal features of this Bill; there were other minor details, but these would be seen e hem the Bill was printed, and came to be rel. , ' d t,a Cominiit.e.—( Hear, hear.) O. igindly this Bill con tains I clan-es for the abolition of the Master's effiee, but they hid been Liken out, and he need n,it del .y the H ,use with them.—(H ar.) A report from the Ohancer,t Cogimis.ion had been laid on the table lecommending considerable modification in t h e '.laster':, offices, and in fact the trees enee of the duties performed by the trus tees to the judge* of each court. If that recommendation should be hereafter ad spied, there would no Luger be any necessity for the office of Master in Chancery, and it was therefore proposed to embody the recommendation of the Commissioners in a B lll . —(Herr, hear.) This Bill would save the suitor's something like 60,0001. or 80,0001., and when the other measures to which he had referred should be adopted, justice would be administered in the Court of Chancery not only cheaply but expedi tiously.—(Cheers.) Ile concluded by moving for leave to bring in a Bill.—(Hear.) Leave was accordingly given. METROPOLITAN WATER SUPPLY. Lord SEYMOUR moved for leave to bring a Bill for the better supply of water in the metropolis. The large amount of public and private interest involved in this subject made it im portant that the Bill should be introduced at this early period, and as the House had been well supplied with evidence upon this matter for some years past, it was not unreasonable to suppose that the House ought this session to be able to make up its mind upon the question. He imagined that the results which the House was de sirous of obtaining were these, viz., that the metropolis should be supplied with water of good quality of suffi cient quantity, and at a reasonable price. With regard to the quality of the water, and the mode of its distribu tion, a great deal of evidence had been taken. First, they had the report of the Board of Health; then the in quiry by authorised chemists on the quality of the water; and lastly, a laborious inquiry into the great amount of the revenues produced. He thought upon the question of the rates and charges, and modes of assessment, scarcely sufficient evidence had, as yet, been obtained. He would first deal with the sources of supply. It was quite right, to say what sources should be prohi bited. They should not allow water to be brought from sources that were objectionable. They had evi dence that the Thames, within tidal influence, was per nicious. He believed th a t th e L am b e th W a t er Company was the only one that had abandoned this source for its supply. But the London, West Middlesex, Grand June tian, Chelsea, and Vauxhall Water Companies, would be affected by this Bill. He thought that power must be given to Government to appoint en inspector, so that be tore water is taken from any source, the inspector shall make his report, and the Government shall have power to prohibit a supply from such quarter. As to the quality of the water, a great many reports had beee received, some of them recommending that certain water should be pro hibited because it was hard; others saying that other water should be adopted, because it was soft. He was not pre pared to say that the qualities of soft or hard water were in themselves sufficient reasons for prohibiting it. He thought that the Thames water above any tidal in fluence was a very good source from which a supply could be obtained. The New River, too, would afford excellent sources of supply. He was of opinion that it was unnecessary for Parliament to interfere further than that point, and that it would be unwise to do so. It would be unwise on the one hand to adopt the recom mendation of the Board of Health, and to go solely to the sands of Surrey for supply. Let all sources be al lowed, so that care was taken that from whatever quarter water was .procured they should have an assurance of its wholesome quality, and, if necessary, a filtering reser voir. He thought there was another point to be at tended to, that when the majority of the inhabitants of any street required a constant supply, that constant supply should be afforded. That could be done without any great difficulty. If the existing companies should continue the supply they ought to be prepared to accede to this demand. The great difficulty was in duffing with the houses of the poor. All houses rated under the value of 101. should be supplied with water at a fixed rate. When ho compared the charges of housee under 101. value in the metropolis with those of other town', he was induced to think that the rates in the former were very high. It would be necessary to examine the rates citarged upon such houses in a Select Committee, other tows in considericg the rates that ought to be charged for those houses in the metropolis. The Bill being of that character which would render it necessary to refer it to should be charged fir houses. Under the Bill it way as they might would b mess e necessary for many of the companies to come he had not entered any sum as to &the House for new Acts in order to comply with the terms of the enactment. It would be for the House then to review their rates and to arrange them in such a Consider just. The great question was, what t h e management and direction of t he water supply ought t o be? He did not propose to exclude private enterprise fromsupply this of water. The Board of Health recomm en d e d a Gorerromeat Commis,sien and Parliamentary responaibility. He did not think such a commission would give satisfaction to that House. Then the Bill of last year recommended the fusion of the dif ferent companies. He believed it would be much better to letave the companies to act separately according as they found it conducive to their own interest. Another I proposal was, that the management should be left to the municipal corporations. In the first place, there Was no municipal corporation in this Own Tali" THE SATURDAY fled to undertake such a task, and he doubted the expediency of creating a corporation for the purpose. The first thing for such a body to do would be to look out for new sources of supply, and a new mode of distribution. That in itself would be a heavy task to cast upon it. He believed that such a body being pressed by the ratepayers, and divided as they usually were by different parties amongst themselves, would be badly adapted to carry out such an important work, and that great delay would arise in consequence. He was more convinced of that fact when he saw the effect pro duced in respect to such a circumstance in other countries. Last year the Committee went into this ques tion at great length, and it appeared that many towns had given that power to their corporations. In Edin burgh, people were usually most attentive to and where the corporation had the their own power to govern the water supply, the, notwithstand ing, abandoned it altogether in favour of a company. Now, that was strong evidence that companicia might be whe in re ter the ests, allowed to undertake this task under a proper control. Whether it be undertaken by companies or municipal bodies he should be inclined to impose the same con ditions upon them—that the water should be approved of by an inspector; that the mode of distribution should be by properly-constructed channel-beds; and that the mode of assessment should be under the control of that House. H e b a d seen large filtering reservoirs, at present in use, which appeared to him to meet the requirements of the Bill. The question really was, not whether Parliament should allow municipal bodies to undertake the supply of water, but whether it would proceed further and pro hibit private companies from undertaking it. Now he (Lord Seymour) was not prepared to adopt that step; but he was prepared to bring in a Bill to say upon what condition the supply should be conducted by those pri vate companies. The great objection to private compa nies was , that they naturally looked to their dividends and their own interests rather than to the interest of the public; but he thought that if, inviting the compa nies to obtain new Bills, this House took care that in those Bills proper clauses were introduced to render them, as he now proposed to do, subject to inspection and control, ther e would then be every security that the public could requi re , and that so tar as carrying out the works were concerned, the existing companies would do s o with more efficiency y and economy, and without being so neueh afraid of incurring a large expenditure of mo ney (WW2 them, as municipal corporations would be. The object of the Bill was in fact directed to the interests of the consumer. It looked to protect the con sumer from a supply of bad water, from an insufficient supply, and from extravagant charges. With regard to the mode of charge, he had obtained returns upon that subject from all the large towns in the country, and he found that the mode sf charge iee ween teem and `tits metropolis differed greatly. He found also that the Lambeth competes, which recently ieirosiuced a system cf eh- lase upo n a new scale, hid deemed it necessary to abandon that scale and adopt another. On this account he had not introduced any scale of rains in the Bill, nor should he do so until further evidence had been fur nished upon the subject. He proposed, therefore, when the Bill came before the Select Committee to take further evidence upon the question of the mode of rating. There was one method of supply which had attracted some at tention of late, and doubtless if the water could be dis tributed at a cheap rate, that plan would be of great ad vantage to the public. But he was not possessed of sufficient information to be certain that the method referred to, and which was adopted at Croydon, would be the best for the metropolis. The general character of the Bill was that of a controlling Bill. It left the sup ply of water to private companies; and where they would not undertake it, to public bodies; but whoever undertook it, the measure provided that there should be some inspection on the part of the public, and that attiount of control which would enable Parliament to ascertain that the supply was ample in quantity, good in quality, and cheap to price. Mr. MOWATT said it was his duty also to rise, and ask for leave to bring in a Bill having partly the same object as that of the Noble Lord, to wit, the better sup ply of the metropolis with water, and, further, a better system of drainage. It was needless for him to point out at length the necessity which existed for some such measure as the one he desired to introduce. It was agreed on all hands that very great necessity existed for an amended system of supply of water for the metropo lis, and also an amended system of draining. That was admitted by every ono. And, indeed, the fact of the Noble Lord bringing in, a s the Government did last year, a Bill for that express purpose, relieved him to a great extent from the duty of establishing the proposi tion. The essential difference between the Bill of the Noble Lord and the one he (Mr. Mewett) desired to in troduce consisted in this. £he Noble Lord had very properly characterised his Bill as merely a controlling and permissive Bill. His (Mr. Mowatt's) provided ex pressly the same objects which it was the sntire design of the Noble Lord to provide for. But after giving no little attention to the subjectshe said unhesitatingly that this was not in any waya question for the interference of the Govern ment, except so far as it concerned them to extend the municipal institutions of the metropolis, and enable its inhabitants to manage the supply of life for themselves. His (Mr. Mowatt's) Bill was essentially a ratepayer's Bill—that was to say, that the inhabitants of the metro polis who paid for the water, used the water, and were alone intere.ted in the drainage of the metropolis, should be the parties to determine the sources of the supply of water, the system of drainage, and the mode in which those two services should be managed and con ducted; in other worth, that they should have the management:of their own affairs in their own hands. He proposed, therefore, to give greater facilities than now existed to the ratepayers of the metropolis to take thes., two matters entirely under their own charge. He would first divid., the metropolis into seventeen districts, and in every one of these districts the ratepayers should have the power to elect district commissi•iiiers for administer it g the affairs of the two services, unit-r the direction and control of a conrral commissioner, in their own so p,rate districts; that was to se), Yhat they should he i n ;he p isitien of bodies whoso office it would be to watc h over and protect the local ieteseses o' the in habitairs in each of those districts quoad thoi7 two great services. He proposed that they should issue the power, i n proportion to their numbers and rating, to elect boards varying in number, but in no case fewer man nine, in order to ensure the requisite attendance of members to carry on the district business. In like man ner be proposed that the district commissioners should have the power of electing from their own body a gene ral or central commission amounting in the whole to 41. To that number he proposed] to allow the Government — should it think tit —to add tour other commissiouers one to represent the Woods and Forests, inasmuch as Crown property might be affected by the laying down of pipes and other works, one to represent the Poor-law Board, and the remaining two to represent other boards which were also more especially under Government control. Thus, the Government would have a voice in the working of the commission, which, of course, he proposed should be incorporated for the purposes of the Bill. To enable the commissioners to raise the neces sary amount of money for establishing an entirely new system of water supply and drainage, and to keep in effective working order the management of the two ser vices—powers would be given in the 13111 to the commis rate the stoners to inhabitants of the metropolis. Notwithstanding what the Noble Lord bed stated, it was obvious, he thought, that water was a neces sary of life, the supply of which, in a vast metropolis like this. could hardly be made the legitimate occupation of a mercantile conspany,_(Hear.) And to him it was a matter of surprise that the Noble Lord should not have at once come to the same conclusion, for all expe rience ebowed that, however well they might administer any other service prompted by their own legitimate in terests, this was a casein which they could not meet the wan ts of the public. e „ support of this conclusion he would only mention the well-known fact that all the me tropolitan water Companies were originally, without a single exception, created by Parliament upon the express supposition that it would be for the interest of the public that there should be a continual competition amongst themselves for the supply of water. In almost every one of their Acts the preamble set forth as a condition to their obtaining it, that there should be this competi tion amongst themselves, and it was assumed, though evidently without inquiry, that if there were that com petition, the interest of the public would be sufficiently ounsidered thereby, But it had long been found out that the public had no guarantee or protection whatever against the acts of the existing water companies, though he must confess that it was much to the cre dit of those great bodies that they, had treated the public so tenderly and moderately in the matter of charge as they had done.—(Loud laughter.) He did not propose to insert any provision in the Bill with regard to the source of the water supply, the particular system of drainage, or the mode in which the sewage should be disposed of--for the obvious reason, that the commis sioners themselves would be the most proper parties to decide upon these points. In all probability, as soon as they found themselves installed, one of their first acts would be to advertise for tenders for the best mode of supplying water to the metropolis, the best system of drainage, and the most advantageous and economical method of disposing of the sewage. The Noble Lord bad cited some instances of what he termed partial or entire failures in the supply of water by municipal bodies in small towns. But in his (Mr. Mowatt's) opi nion these were not cases in poite.; for hardly in any instance were those municipal bodies so free and toifet tend Si the co mm i ss ion which he proposed to censti tuts under his Bill. With regard to the interests of the existing water come-1301"o whatever opinion m i g h t be entertained as to the value of their property, they would, under the provisions of this Bill, be entitled to 'the re es e i , a , o f compensation for any loss they might Sustain b legislation upon the sub . y yee Arid to p rov id e the f ar o s which wouhl lie rest baits for this Purpose, and establishing works, he proposed that the "omatissionere should have power to rate all pro perty in th e metropol i s a t a sum no t excee di ng Bd. i n the pound in any one year, and to levy a further rate of 4d. in the pound for the current expenses of the two departments of drainage and sewage. In the whole he would limit them to a rate not exceeding Is. in the pound for every branch of expenditure, including com pensation to the water companies. That sum alone would be a great gain to the public, inasmuch as it was less than the average rating of houses under the present imperfect system of supply. The value of pro perty in the metropolis rated to the poor wasp pward.s of 12,000,0001. sterling; and at Bd. in the pnd this To raise would return a sum of 400,0001. per annum. the necessa r y amount o f cap i ta l which an entirely It ? ew system of waterworks and drainage, and conspensi! ion to the old companies would involve, he proposed to issue annuities, terminable or otherwise, for 201. per annum, which, being secured upon the rating of the whole me tropolis, would constitute a favourable investment for the public, and by this means he anticipated the capital might be raised at about 31. or 41. per cent. The association with which he (Mr. Mowatt) was acting had been led to connect the se wage of London with the supply of water for reasons which would be apparent to s 1 1; the two questions wen °l°lelY mixed up one EVENING, FEBRUARY 7, 1,852. with the other, and in point of fact the question of ob tlining a large supply of water necessarily incluled the question of bow they were to get rid of it aster use. Ia conclusion the Hon. Gentleman moved fur leave to bring in his Bill. Lord EBRINGTON presumed that both Bills would be submitted to a Select Committee. Mr. MO WATT—No. Lord EBRINGTON—Was the Government Bill alone, then, to be referred to it? Mr. MOWATT—Yes. Lord EBRINGTON then proceeded to say that he was surprised to hear that the principle of competition in the supply of such a prime necessary of life as water should be still adhered to by the Government, The House should, however, carefully consider the conse quences of adopting the principle of Mr. Mowatt's Bill, and inviting the ratepayers in general to decide, by p , pular election, upon a question which required so much scientific knowledge and such deep study and calculation as the planning of a proper scheme for sup plying water to the metropolis. He could imagine, how ever, that Government might, with the various means and appliances at its commend, advantageously lay down a general scheme in the first instance, to be afterwards worked out by a popularly-elected body. Upon this point, therefore, he was at issue with Mr. Mowatt; but the view which that Hon. Gentleman had taken and proposed to carry out upon the subject of uniting the consideration of water supply and drainage, was infi nitely sounder than the vi-w taken by the Government. With regard to the Bill of his Noble Friend (Lord Sey mour), it seemed to leave every important question to which it was directed for the - determination of a Select Committee; so that the inhabitants of the metropolis were left in ignorance even of what would be an approxi mation to the rates which were to be charged upon them; of the limitations which were to be put upon the overwhelming power of the several water companies, from whose administration London had suffered so long and so grievously. In several towns the piping of the water supply had been executed at a rate of under Ios. per head of the population, while in Manchester, not withstanding great quantities of water were required for manufacturing purposes, the expenditure was only 10s. per head of the population; and he considered that in the metropolis a saving could be effected in that respect which would enable an ordinary dwel ling-house to be supplied at the same rate as that now charged by the water companies for supplying a single ro im. The House had reason to complain that the measure of the Government was proposed in such a crude state that it should be referred to a Committee. However, when he had seen the clauses he would take utPirtv:t• opportunity cf referring to the subject. Sr G. UitEY !v4.Tfl the Host. Gentlernsa (Mr. Mins att) objected to the scbeme of the Government, and as he had paid great attention to the suileci, he had embo died his views in a Bill, which he haO asked leave to in troduce that it might stand side by side with the Govern ment measure. It was hardly tair of the Noble L, rd (Ebrington) to object to everything and prop se nothing. lie wished the Government to appoint a Commission to take the whole subject into their own management— a course to which the Government had strong objec tions, which he (Sir George Grey) had stated last ses sion, and the Noble Lord had not embodied his views in a shape with which the House could deal. He (Sir George Grey) had stated last session there were pe culiar difficulties in the way of applying the re presentative system to the subject in the metropolis; bw that was a fair question for the House to decide, and not a Committee, and let the House decade between the principle of the Bill of the Government and that of the Hon. Gentleman. But as to the Noble Lord's objection to referring the Bills to a Committee, the Noble Lord's own experience must tell him that Bills affecting interests of a mixed character must, according to the inflexible rules of the House, be referred to a Committee. Mr. SLANEY said that two points ought to be in sisted upon in the measure which should be adopted— one, that the supply of water to the houses of the hum bler classes should be obligatory; the other, that those who had the management of the sewerage should have a sufficient command over the supply of water for the pur poses of perfect drainage. He was glad to find that the first point was made a matter of obligation, and he trusted the second would likewise be so. Sir J. JOHNSTONE approved of the general prin ciples of the Bill. Leave was then given to bring in the Bills. VENTILATION OF THE HOUSE. Mr. OSBORNE moved that Dr. Reid be called to the bar of the House and questioned as to the means at his disposal for ventilating the new buildings. Next to a supply of good water, a supply of good air was neces sary, and he was almost inclined to brio. , in a Bill for a better supply of air to that House. He had strong ob jections to referring the matter to a Committee; for three Committees had already eat on the subject, and the inquiry had evaporated in a report, and that was all. As he wished to take a brief course, then, ho propos-d to call in Dr. Reid, and propose to him the six following qaestions:—Was there any impediment to the due and proper action of his plan for the ventilation of the House? Could he state what those impediments were, as a matter of fact and science, taking care not to enter into any of the differences between himself and Mr. Barry? What were the detects? Was it in his power to remedy those detects? What were the remedies? Could he name any house where the plan of ventilation was at present iu existence the same as he proposed fur the House of Commons? Lord SEYMOUR objected to the motion. Ms had himself asked Dr. R , dd what the impedimenta ware, and he had answered that there were impediment. thrown in the way the last five years. If Dr. Reid were called in to gi through a stiveui,nt of all the iinvdtments. and .11,:uld make reconitnetiOations which would involve. architectural aLcrations, it would be neea-aary that oti.ers also should be called in; 41,d the better w , ,y, therefore, he thought. Was to reter ;he inquiry to a Com mittee, who could prepare a st.atemit for the :7. ioue, wi , h which it c , ,uld ckui. Mr. HUMI4; ped the Noble Lord would not &`.in'er t , !Alf! mAton, whieh 'if:lS a r, asonable ue,?essary rueoure. Whet tla,ny w;is Somethwg iinmediate, kw] not to wait until a Com m tte- had ev,ete a report. What they wanted to know was. who bad the direction from the Government of the Ventiblion of du' House? The Noble Lord said it was lir. Reid, but they did not know that it was. Who did ventilate the House? —(Laughter.) They knew it was not ventilated. Was it not strange that the Commons of England should be so treated? Two hundred thousand pounds had been spent, from first to last in ventilating that House, and see the result! M. BROWN stated that a friend of his had got such a severe cold in the House the first night of the session from the strong draughts of air in it, that he was con fined to his be,l since. Lord D. STUART urged the propriety of calling in Dr. Reid, who could explain all the difficulties in the way in ten minutes. Lord J. RUSSELL certainly did not think the venti lation of the House quite perfect. At the same time he did not think the question quite so simple as Hon. Gen tlemen supposed. They might ask Dr. Reid. and he might explain in ten minutes what he considered the cause of this defect, and what he wished to be done. But the remedy ho proposed might be in Mr. Barry's opinion destructive of the architecture of the House and of the character which belonged to it. It the House on hearing Dr. Reid should decide on adopting his plan at considerable expense, perhaps then it would be necessary to hear Mr. Barry as to whether he had any objections, and those were questions which would take up some days to consider, and it would be far better that the matter should be referred to a Select Committee. Mr. NEWDEGATE said, if the House heard Dr. Reid it did not necessarily follow that they should come to the conclusion to adopt his plans. The ventilation was certainly very imperfect, and whoever'a fault it was Dr. Reid bore the blame; and the Hon. Gentleman op posite Was right in moving that he be called in to ex plain. Perhaps the Hon. Gentlemen would re-consider the wording of his second question, as it might have a tendency to extend farther than was perhaps intended. Mr. BRIGHT said that every Committee that had been appointed on the subject had been baffled by some influence or other. The chief management of tee ven tilation appeared to be uncontrolled by the House. He was not quite sure that Dr. Reid would produce any amendment; but, as the proceeding contemplated by the motion was a new one, he would support it. If Dr. Reid were called to the bar he might strike out some thing as a remedy, and afterwards a Committee might be appointed. If they went on as they were at present— it was not the Government merely, which some were desirous to destroy, that would be put out of existence, but there would be neither Government nor Opposition at the end of the session. After a few words from Mr. SCOBELL, Mr. MOFFAT objected to the motio a n t and as all Select amendment, moved an appointment of Com mittee. The House then divided, when there ap . pe s ar s ed : For the motion .•• ••• 24 Against it ... *" —3l Majority .• • The motion was accordingly agre a e r d ed to a ; t athned bar. Dr. Reid was called in , a nd a pp In answer to Mr. OSBORNE , Dr. Reid stated that he had been ent h r a u d ste h t a w e i several impediments ventilation of the House, and that t h ere impediments thrown in the way of the working of his impediment had taken place in 1846, Tits first impe when the plans laid d i o n m w d ' the a li t) these t°ntf p ! a fifeil s Houle were subverted,aunimously by a C;ommittee of the down for the unanimously placed with respect to House, snee,enanBduPhPel r ° a d d ir ition in which he had remained ever h er' tter inAnt,rBi p o sition in ehich he had lem.jjied ever since, no dec i s ion had ever been made since the period since. no ---- D on r. Reid) referred es a consenting party , In to which Dr. Reid stated that th e to ( fur . ther questions, reply to that area of but not pneu matically practicit difficulty arose from t h e theft boundary taken could . be architecturally, defined, inasmuch as the cold air was not shut out. The evils the House was subj . ct to. there fore, were the currents of hot and cold air that played throught it. On the first night of the session so strong had been these currents, he said, that the doors were torn off; and, consequently, as the House stood, it would be as unreasonable to ask him to control the winds that blo v over the Bay of Biscay as those which rushed through the passages into the House. That was the first di ffi culty. Th e second arose from the innumerable chimneys in and about the House, which were con stantly elaborating carbonic acid gas. In fact, the House sat in an atmosphere of carbonic acid gas at that mo ment, as these chimneys were pouring their products into all the passages. The third evil arose from the lights. He had been informed that the lights would be ventilated ; but if any gentleman went round the corri dors he would see that not a s i ng l e li g h t was ventilat ed . es same as __Pprlan forcpred In fact, to sit in the Hous e was prec i se ly the am sitting above a gas lamp. Th ere were ot her points, but of the these were the most imp ortant . Fif ty me mb ers Royal Society had ex am i ne d hi s (Dr. Reid s) Tentillit" of lighting of the .gear, sad of it. In the old House no gas lamp would be permitted until ir he gave a n o pi n i on . I n t h e p res ent Ho,e his opinion was overruled. These were the main points; but, as he had said, there were others which he would not enter upon at thiqt moment. The Host. MEMBER having asked Dr. Reid whether he hid any remedy to propose for these evils, and if so what remedy? Dr. Reid stated that he would provide, in the first place, a means for excluding the outward atmosphere, as was done by double doors at the Bank of England and in other establishments. In the second he would provide for the exclusion of the products of combustion from the various chimneys of the House. In the third he would instantly build a brick wall round the drains which now contaminated the House with their effluvia. He would next give the House protection against the smell of the kitchen, which was quite perceptible at the bar, where he then stood. In two days he would put the ouse in a condition for the Members to sit comfortably in it, if he was permitted. For fifteen years he bed done what he could to have a pierced floor, but he had tailed in this House. The floor was contaminated with a thick oil, most offensive and oxydating, and injuring everything. He had spoken to Mr. Barry on the subject; and Mr. Barry's enswer was, that it was used by the Admiralty. It was therefire impossible to work the effectual venti lation of the House with the means at his disposal. At presenr, in the galleries, there was a vast mass of heat on the brows of the itlembers from the lamps, and it was most dangerous. Asked how long it would take him to remedy these deft cts? Dr. Reid said the greatest and worst defects he would undertake to remedy in two days, without in any way interfering with the architectural plan or arrangements of the House. To the inquiry of how much he thought it would coso ? Dr. Reid could not say exactly, but he thought, per haps, about 2001. or 3001. In continuation, he stated that he could refer to one hundred places at least, in England, Scotland, and Ireland, where his plans were in successful operation; but he would select St. George's Hall, in Liverpool, where the ventilation was based upon the plus of 1846. He had worked those plans for a week betofe 3,000 persons, and they were perfectly suc cessful. They were the same he would have worked in that House if be had not been prevented. Asked whether he had proposed his plans in time for the architect to act on them? Dr. Reid replied that he had, and that they had been (as was understood in the gallery) so acted on. They were proposed by bim in 1834. In reply to further questions ho said that in two days he would, if supported as he bad be, n by Lord Besbo rough, undi , r,,Alre to render the atmosphere of the House supportable; and that he was quite re a dy to put on paper all Endt was required on the subject. In reply tonir. macrar, Dr. Reid said that the lighting had been taken•out of his hands, and that he, therefore, could not eater into detail on the subject ; but he did not consider that the waste-tubes for carrying off the air destroyed by com bustion in these lamps sufficiently large. The conse quence was that steam was evaporated and water con densed. He should most certainly make an alteratioe in the ventilation of the lamps—similar to that which he had made is Buckingham Palace, when the lamps bad burned badly for want of ventilation. He was ready to submit his plan before Monday—indeed ho was ready to submit it on the moment, as ho had always been pre pared for an emergency like the present. In reply to Mr. SANDFORD, Dr. Reid said that we ventilation of the lumps in the corridor would effect a great improvement in the at mosphere of the House. There were eight doors in the passage, and the products of combustion were continually pouring into the House. I❑ reply to Lord H. VANE, Dr. Reid stated that his present plan was the same as that which he had been stopped from carrying out in 1846. There was nothing to prevent him from carry ing it into execution if the House ordered it and he was adequately supported. He bad accumulated re sources all along to carry it into effect in contemplatio❑ of being called on, as he was that night. One of the principal points was the equalisation of the temperature in the House and in the passages. To questions put by Sir B. HALL, Dr. Reid replied, that he could put the House into a state of better ventilation, if he received the power to do so, before Monday. To questions put by Mr. BROWNE, Dr. Reid answered, that he could not put the lighting into the same position in the same space of time, but he could palliate the present evils arising from it. In reply to Alderman HUMPHERY, Dr. Reid said he had had between 4,000/. and 5,000/. for the ventilation of the House of Commons since 1845. For an expense of some 7,0001. he could build, warm, and ventilate a room, in which the House could sit with comfort and all the Members see one another. He could not, of course, decorate it for that sum. In answer to Lord SEYMOUR, Dr. Reid said he proposed to put the gas lights on a with th e ga ll er i es; t o put a ll pouring torrents of smoke the bettor chimneys footing, a beginning gi werenni ng now into the House on a better footing; to build a portion of the vaults under the !Luse where there was a drainage smell, and to consolidate his materials for ventilation in a chamber with a concrete Thor beneath the slates, not as at present, with nothing beneath it. tie was then ordered to withdraw, and he withdrew accordingly. Mr. HUME, after what he had heard, proposed that Dr. Reid should be requestea to place on paper bis specific refuted), :Ind the cost of the same, to the end teat those Members who were not present should be made acquainted with the plan. Sir B. HALL sugg.st,d that, under the circum stances, the wish of the House being known, it would be be , ter to leave the mAtter in the hands of the Noble Lord (Se) mour), whu was the responsible officer in the esue to Pa. , !lament . . The Noble Lord was aware of what was de , irkd ; and au expendicur e of 2001. or 3001 c,,tild not he a ques , ion for comod , ration when the üb j,:er, wa.; to Hothe com•orr.able. Lurd SEYMOUR was ut opinion that it would be best to print the minutes of evidence from the short writer's notes in the first instance. As regarded the responsibility ho would rather not undertake it, as he doubttd when the 30(,l. was expended, if the House would be satisfied. Mr. HUME thought it would not be fair to cast the responsibility on the Noble Lord in the matter. Alderman COPELAND was understood to complain of the ventilation of the dining-room of the ll,use. Sir G. S CRICKLAND agreed that as Dr. Reid had been perfectly successful in ventilating the old House of Commons they should at once give him the powers he sought, and allow him until Wednesday to carry his plan into execution. He rhould, therefore, propose a motion to that effect. Sir G. GREY thought it better that the evidence of Dr. Reid should be printed before the House came to any decision on the question. Mr. B. OSBORNE was afraid that would get rid of the whole question, as the difficulty would be in being able to bring the subject again before the House. Having the advantage, then, he was desirous of keeping it. — (Laughter.) Mr. Barry had been intrusted with a very large sum for the purposes of ventilation, and he could Dr. Reid should no t ther e f o re b e truste d w no i t t hserbe why Dr. of 3001. for the same purpose. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said that Mr. Barry was responsible for the building; but it was n ow proposed to direct Dr. Reid to do that which he thought fit at a cost of 3001. 'The House did not know what Dr. Reid proposed to do. It might possibly inter fere with the plans of the archit ec t. I t was therefore better to make some inquiry before they proceeded fin ther in the matter. Mr. E. B. ROCHE complained of the offensive and injurious atmosphere breathed in the House, and said, as Dr. Reid had proposed to remedy the ventilation without interfering with the architectural arrangements of the building, they should not, as rational men, hesitate to empower him to do so. He should, therefore, propose a motion to that effect. never Mr. HASTIE seconded the motion. He bad Barry had in such a cold house in his life. Last year/ otry had authority to spend 10,0001. to decora tions. Why should they hesitate to au thority to spend 3001. on ventilation u n s l n w e r ss, they should Mr. HUME said that, as men of .a b the first instance. have Dr. Reid's plan before them 15,0 watt 0001. on then..ltHeld e in the t h e H e m, r t . he N re g fo w re D , E as G ke A d T t E he of the eh• Member fur adoption of the suggestion Mr. Ewart, Mr. Ilindley, Montrose. ouso After a conversation which Tre -1 l c $ s son Heould Mr. f part, l a a n w d ne A y i , d A er l m de a r n m c a o n p H ela u n m d ph to e o r k y , Mr. NE WDEGATE, in order to give Dr. Reid an op portunity of testing the practicability of his plan, moved as an amendment, " That the First Commissioner of Woods and Forests should be instr ucte d b y the House to get from Dr. Reid his plan for they improvement of the ventilation of the House, and to report the same to the House COPELAND seconded th e amendment. o n Aldermanot th Mr. LIUNIE thought that this would not afford the means of judging to those Members who were nut then present. Mr. BROWNE said that the lighting and the venti lation should go together. s.hi rip ( os ii it io N n Mr, HUME hoped th e N r ,bl e , Lord would wtthdraw hise p c tl E it L th o e a min o u r te t s h :f evidence EXCHEQUERb printed. i t e o d b . The - r breche a bad atmosphere than o ther Hon. Members , but that Alonsteis were not any more anxious to he tnougnt it was for the House of Commons to go to work iu a business-like manlier. It was impo ssible that every thing could have been got in order in a brief period. He edmitted there was much that was wrong that required setting right, but if Hon. Gentleman would exerei.,,, a little patience, those inconveniences iosepa reble from getting into a new House would disappear. It was the duty as well as she interest of the Goso-rnes,. e t to make the House as comfertable 55 possible, and the subject should certain l y not be lost si g ht of . Af t er same mo re discussion, Mr. B. OSBORNE said he was perfectly satisfied with the result of his m otion. The y h ad gut much informa tion Reid, and had brought t h e question into a B 0 wished the evidence just h ear d to b e printed, re:II:Ty to act with fir mness on this question, and focus.w a n f a nd thee would renew the subj ect next Wednesday. It t o take the bull by the horns, for the House ought to re collect that the new Houses were to be finished in two years, and they had already been sixteen years under goll,g that process, and were still unfinished. Mr. NEWDEGATE was reluctant to withdraw his amendment. The amendment was then put and agreed to. The Suitors in Chancery Relief Bill was read a first time. The Water and Drainage Metropolis Bill was read a first time. The Homo gdjournesl of Niue o'clock. THE COMN TiLAT MARKETS, WAKEFIELD, FEB. 6. Tl , 7e arrival of wheat this week is small, and the demand being of a limited character, causes a slow trade, yet the full prices of last Friday are firmly main tained. Barlel is held at a further advance. which checks the sale. Oats and shelling make full prices. Beans is higher. Old- New.. WHEAT, per qr. 601bs per bushel : s. 8. 0. a• Sullolk, Essex, and Kent, red ... —to 43 to 45 Ditto, white 46 —5O Norfolk and Hunts., red 40 43 Ditto, white ... 42 -- 46 Lincolnshire and Cambridge, red ... 40 42 Ditto, white ... •—• 43 45 Yorkshire, red 39 —42 Ditto, white ••• ••• 43 —45 Dantzic and Konigsburg, white .. , 44 -- 48 Lower Baltic and Ham burgh, red... 38 —42 Mediterranean, red ... 34 -- 3 8 BARLEY, per quarter of 8 bushels : Norfolk and Suffolk... ... Lincolnshire and Yorkshire Scotch ••• ••• Grinding per 30 stone Foreign ... BEANS, per qr. 631bs to the bushel : 33 Small, fine 3 , 36 31 Ticks ••• ... 32 —34 3 0 —l 2 Foreign • 26 .• ••• OATS, per stone:— Sealing • ••• —d to —d 10d to l ld Feeding ... •• —d to —d 9d to 10 d Foreign SHELLING, per load of 2611 b 2 26 7 MALT, per load 01 6 imp er i a l b us h e l s 5 9 -- 42 —d to —d 10d to l ld PEAS, per Imperial Quarter Blue and white boilers Grey and Feed 29 - 3 2 30- 34 30 - 31 27 - 28 29 - 32 26 - 28 28 - 3' ARE Qrc. Wheat 5,206 Barley 2,267 Oats ... 247 Beans... ... 616 Peas ... 52 Tares ... EXETER, FEB. 6.—There was a very small supply ef bullocks this morning ; and quotations ranged from 8s to 85 ' d per score. Barreners were from 4s 9d to 5s 6d per score.. There was a large number driven in, and nearly all were 501 a,., Working oxen, of which there were but few, sold at about 2 4 ' per pair. Cows and calves sold at from 101 lOs to 141. Sheep were not plentiful, and quotations were the same as last week. Pork Carcases—A small supply this morning, at an advance is price—from 6s 9d to 75 3d per score. Pannier—Turkey, b a to 9s ; geese, 5s to 6s each ; d uc k s , 4 s 6d to 5s 6d ; ferns' 2s 9d to 4s; pheasants, 7s ; partridges, 3s 6d ; woodcocks, 6 , 1 ; snipes, Is 6d ; wild ducks, 4s 6d ; w id geon , 3 s ; tea l , 2s 6a; pigeons, is 9d to 2s per couple ; h ares , 3 s eac h ; ra bbi ts, Is 91',„ per couple; roasters, 4s 6d to 5s 6d each ; butter, Is Id to Is 2d per lb ; eggs. 16 for Is. C o r n Exchange—Wheat tog be quoted at from 6s to 6s 3d per bu s h e l. B ar l ey, f rom 3s ' to 3s 6d ; oats, 2s 4d to 2s 6d. Flour, 35 s per sac k. In seal" „ cases a trifle more has been given. NEWBURY, FEB. s.—Our supply of wheat to-day is ex tremely limited, and the condition o f muc h o f it ve ry „ ferent; the demand is good, and late rates have been fu l l supported, and an early clearance effected. Barley, short OF,: ply, and there being a good demand, p r i ces h ave further eu vanced is per qr. Beans and peas, sh or t supp ly, and in good demand at aid to Is qr advance. LivearooL, FEB. 6.—ln the interim from Tuesday the be' siness in Brunswick-street has been inert as regards the C ep ; suming buyers, but a little spe cu l a ti on i n Wh ea t and F l out has preserved late rates, and no-p ar ti cu l ar c h ange has occu rr e d in price. The interior mark e t s being below ours for Wh to ► deprives us of a demand from di s t r i cts we are acc ustomed supply. Farmers would appear satisfied with current ra te s for Wheat, this week' s re t urn s h ow i ng an en l arge d queetklL over previous return s , v i z ., 111,925 quarters. The w ar to-day was very dull Holders of Wheat and Flour gene demanded lute rates, but buyers were reluctant, and le„% ii moderate s 6 b d u . s i p n e e r s s q u d a o r n t e e rthese perw er . e o not s b ß t a a r i n l e a y b , l e. lota Peas,R remain BRISTOL s u as G SUGAR-MAR K ET, quoted ßiA o ß r ic i Tuesda y. ET i .E tions, based on the firmness apparent at the close of the le" — : in London last week, we have again been rather dull hereto sugars since our last report, and prices especially towards the the sale comprise 200 casks of West-India, 1,000 close of the t 6. Contrary ti3oees:pB.e'ro."-ktse; week, have only with di ffi culty been OPP, r .",; boxes Havana nahs, and 6,000 mats of Mauritius. Refined produce in 'tee request, at fully former rates. Rum has been very dune-- Bristol Mercury. red WETRERBY, FEB. s.—Whit e w h eat , 16 s 6d to 18s , ditto 15s Od to 16s Od per load ; barley 32s Od to 33s Od per qr.' beans 13s 6d to 14s per load ; oats 9d to 10d per stone. 55 RIPON, FEB. s.—White wheat 5s 3d to 5s Rd, red ditto to 5s 6d ; beans 4s Od to 4s 6d per bushel ; barley 29s to 3 3 a; oats 18s Od to 22s per qr. y W , l 2 l B e s at to s 3 s 3 3 3 d ; t o o at s s: 9d; t r r i s o — le 31 9d c r t A o s 4s6edo perao u o bushel n, FEB. b 4 a . r per qr. BANGOR, FEB. 6.—Wheat, 39s to 41s; barley, 295 to 31s; oats, 18s to 20s; oatmeal, '27s per 2401b5. DENBIGH, FEE. 4.—Wheat 14s pe r 168Ib s ; b a rley, I rani 9s 6d to Ws per 1471b5; oats , from 5 5 to 6 s p er lOblbs. L LAN WRST, FEB. 3. W heat, from 13s to 16s; bar ley , to lOs ; oatmeal, 12s 6d to 13s ; p o t a t oes , 6s to 6s 6d P er hobbet. WREXHAM, FEB. s. —Wheat, 6s 6d to 6s 8d per measurVe o ats, r t 4 o barley, 4s 6d to 4s Bd, with an improved tendency; 6d to '2s 9d, few offered. Vegetables—Swede turnipss,..: - ,d to 12s per ton ; mange's, 16s to 17s per ton; potatoem, 2s 6d; best quality, 2s Bd. Poultry—Turkeys, 7s to 8s p e t couple; fowls, 2s tid to 2s 8d ; chickens, 2s each ; butter, "`" to 15d per 18 ounces. calls" GLASGOW, FEB. s. —H o ld ers man i fest no a nxiety for 0 ar y kind of gr.in, and pric es h ave a d vance d 6d Per b° o ° ch wheat and 6d per ba rre l on flour. There has not bee n so to ed , animation in the t ra d e thi s week, but in sales the a bove of vance has been made. B ar l ey i s st ill scarce a t an adl r t l an a ce r.d per boll, 2.s .'d h av i ng b een pa i d for a parc el of m . ,, d the Oat, and oatmeal are higher, the former 6d per be ll b s over latter Is per load. Beans and peas bring b i d s last week's quotations. In Indian Corn there INVERNESS, FEB. 3. Wheat, per qr, vv ei g hin fi g 2lb Per per bushel, 38s Od to 40s Od; ditto, old, weighleg binpl bushel, Oos Od to ()Os Od ; barley, per quarter, .ne h i o g 541 b per bushel, 23s Od to . ..5s Od oats, per quarter, ev el g ria 421 h per bushel, :!(,s Od to Ous Od. Oatmeal, per iteP e i„,„, boll, 16s 8d to Os Od; ditto second, 15s 6d to 00s Od; b ar ;,,,r meal, lls 6d to Os Od; peasemeal, 00s tad to Os Od; bran, r c; stone, Os 7d to Os Od ; first flour, per 2801 b., 32s Od to 33 1 f 1 ( 4 1 lb second ditto, 26s Od to 27s Od ; oatmeal, best, per stone 0 imperial, Is 8d to Os Od ; ditto second, is 4d to Os Od; barley' meal, Is Id to Os Od • peasemeal, Os Od to Os Od; first flour' 2a 28 6d cash, 2s 9d credit ; second ditto, 2s Od cub. 2s 4d 4d dit. Potatoes, per stone, 4d to O; beef, per pound, „ , to 6d; veal, 4d to sd; mutton, 4d to 6d; pork, 3d toe y , liPtetrle dointigz. b fowls, each 12d Ird tter, freebs each, Od to Od ; eggs, per dozen, 3d to Pd ; - 11 2 d to 8d to Od per lb; ditto, salt, 8d to 10d ; croudie (curds), 2id ; four -pound loaf, cash, 5d to 6d ; ditto credit, sid to Or' , to o ; chickens, per pair, 12d to 16d ; ducits , coals, per cwt, 9d ; hay, per stone, 7d to Od. VALS. Rapeseed ... ••• q 63 Shelling ••• Linseed ••• " Malt ... ... • • ••• Flour ..• THE CLOTHING MANUFACTURES. soce THE Wool, TRADE.—LONDON, FEB. s.—The vi°°" / Gere is steady. The week's imports are but 160 bales from . many and Madras. eat FOREIGN WOOL TRADE. LEEDS, FEB. 6_._N° g r og' amount of business has been done in the market durieg 4 o f past we e k, b ut prices remain firm, and with some pr os e ° an advance at the approaching London sales. ~.,„ less ENGLISH WOOL.--LEEDS, FEB. 6.—There has 0. - - 0 -- iy to doing in sales this week, and the manufacturers buy e __ t ien• supply their immediate wants. Prices are without a lter o t 75 5 LIVERPOOL WOOL.— Imports the past week consists ' fro bales East India, 150 bales from Gibraltar, 4 balf is i and Naples, and 6 bales from Malta. The maret is (/'' prices steady. thin mum TRADE OF LEE DS , F EB . s.—We have to report sn ktheetsreactonotui continues u C e s l Cloth-halls - b h e al v l s e both ry litt little on d o S i a n t g urd b a y y d a ire nd t T d u e l d e a l i ' s.s, l the market days, notwithstanding which thereis g rey , and, in eons cumulation of stocks in the clothiers ' hands , _ quence, prices are steady. Business has warehouses since this day . limited business that is doing r r leas t sn h hd e Canadian market, "" • t general market continue, we cannot notice any improvement in continue, very fiat, ' and hi ing orders are yet received to relief: week, Tfshe branch. But few 2 pp demand. Yarns are firm at the late advance, an for T ei ß g A n D h E ous o e r s a L re Ei d c o s in sT gL , it . t_le. the home s t the tl i r ri t ce the of sp w i o. n o n l ers so sta t t h e at th t e h y ey ca r n e n o o r t t re to pla w ce or t k h i e n al g eboiro g Wools remain firm, though there is not much do ing time. them. . ‘ 1 ill BRADFORD MARKET, FEB. 5 .--WooL. There is •- j ef the to stll wool, but the prices sought act as a barrier, "' o w e p v r e ss n e a n t t consequence it the stock in the market continues equal t the demand of the trade. Nods and brokes are scarce, so few bulaarkellyngeq;uParlitcoesthfierindemYanAdß;Nst.h7e ners prefer to allow their tit T y_ R m A a n de E , toiFil britAteNrcHprEiscersEcsa,nFbEeß7sa.l—izel.he machinery to remain idle. e ue.. —Th e demand is not improved, and the manufacturers g so , pricesT h e being quantity s o p b r o a d d ir tp e h d ell A sssi ; 3; rally are contemplating the desirability of reducing the 'Pi ' goods and yarns was characterised by much the same ' e s h oe as it was on Tuesday. The lower qualities of shirting. , sad been in a little better demand thae they were last wepeolectedo prices are rather firmer. Jaconets continue to be 11-.otics, though they are offered at exceedingly low prices. D",'„ r iees T. cloths, and long cloths continue steady. The big . : a nd demanded for yarns a few days since are not a cceded ' aba te spinners who are not under contract are disposed tu n qu iet somewhat in terms. On the whole the market has been market brosthturfoe: without any material change. COAL MARKET.—YESTXBDAY. Dean's Primrose aoifnth.e..m.f.k..e..t. Ti es 4 Carr P 's ri ti ce a s r o tl f ey C ....... . p . e . r • 1° 9d 12s 3d' Braddyll ............. .., 6el Hasting's Hartley Ord's Maio ...... Redheugh Main South Peareth l2s Od Russell's Hetton ...... 1 6 3 9 , 1 ranfield Moor ... l2s 6d Stewart's ••" '. . 143 9 d Canfield Moor Butes— l2s 3d Whitwell .............. , 50 6d West Wylam Wall's End, s m. ;Cowpan Hartley ..... 130 Od Hebbur ........... 2 (X 1 Walker n Ships at market, 1)1 ...Sold, 59. On the sth inst. , at O Milner 7 - ' stfe z et,. the wife of William Kershaw, Esq 0 the 3d inst., at the Cloisters, Lyncombe, Bath, the 'adf of Edward Harwood, Esq. OF A DAUGHTER. of W illiao On the 4th inst., at Everingham kthe lady C. Maxwell, Esq. par , z . of On the 4th inst., the wife of G. B. Ker ford, Marlborough-road, St. John's-wood. Cap tain HARRIED. On the 3d inst., at Kingsbui y, Warwickshire , ,- at ter Henry Cracroft, of the Bombay Army , to Elea nor, of Charles F. Bullivant, Esq. ti ter of On the Uh inst., at St. Paul's, Covent-garden, t „ er of Sydney Clark, 11.1. A., to Ellen Rosa, youngest daub T. Theobald, Esq., of Sheffield-house, Grays. Ees DIED. • e of On the 2d inst.. at Do ver, Sarah, Lady Hamilton,i'llf Captain Sir John Hamilton. aged 80. On the 4th in-t., at Surbiton-hill, Thames, Henry E. Thrupp, Esq., aged 79. , r ,,,l o iott On the let inst., at Langford, Bristol,John " near Bradford, Esq. be late On the 3d inst., at Lymington, Frances, widow of t J. Bursey, Esq., of Milton and Barton Cliff, Haat% near Kingston-013°r incomeas. UN U ' London: Printed and Published by 141URDO V IlSo No. 112, Strand, Printer, at The. San WO, sa w ip Strand, in the Precinct of the SavoY, OA- Dliddlosez, eaturdax, Febraary 1862*