The Express.
London, England, 1866-04-25 00:00:00

THE CONTAGIOUS DISEASES BILL.

We have this morning a special report from the
select committee on the Contagious Diseases Bill, together
with the official record of the proceedings of the committee.
The report is to the effect that the committee have reason
to believe from information furnished to them from govern-
ment departments, that much good has resulted from the
efforts of an association formed at Devonport for the
purpose of reclaiming persons placed in the Royal
Albert Hospital of that town, towards which some pecu-
niaty assistance has been afforded by the Admiralty, and
they recommend that the government should take into their
consideration the desirability of affording aid to similar
associations for the purpose of promoting the reformation
of patients detained under the provisions of the bill.
The committee have gone through the bill and made
amendments in it. The following important clause was
moved by Mr. Hunt, at a meeting of the committee on
the 16th instant, and read a '3COM' time, by a majority
of 1 :—" If on any woman leaving a certified hospital a
notice in writing is given to her by the chief medical
officer of the hospital to the effect that she is stil
affected with a contagious disease, and she is after-
wards in any place for tho purpose of prostitu-
tion, without having previously received a certificate
in writing from a visiting surgeon, appointed under this
act (proof whereof shall lie on her), to the effect that she
is then free from contagious disease, she shall be guilty of
! an offence against this act, and, on summary conviction
before two justices, shall be liable to be imprisoned with or
without hard labour ; in the case of a first offence, for any
term not exceeding ; and in the case of a second
or any subsequent offence, for any term not exceeding
. . .

." This clause was supported by Mr. Ayrton, Sir
James Fergusson, Mr. Hunt, General Peel, Sir C. Russell,
and Sir H. Verney, and was opposed by Admiral Erskine,
Sir J. Gray, the Marquis of Hartington, Mr. Kinnaird,
and Sir John Pakington. Mr. Ayrton voted alone for a
motion, " That provision be made in the bill to punish any
person who may communicate a contagious disease to a
woman in the places scheduled to the bill."

On Monday, a deputation of members of the
Irish Presbyterian Church waited on the Right Hon. Earl
de Grey and Ripon, at the India-office, consisting of the
Rev. Dr. Wilson, moderator of the General Assembly;
Rev. John Rogers, ex-moderator ; also the Rev. S. Hon-
son, and the Rev. A. Robinson.
The Parisian fashionable world are already
beginning to contemplate a visit to the mineral waters of
Germany and France. The Ereuessent comes to the assist-
ance of the idler and the invalid, and tells them—" For
chest complaints go to the waters of the Bonne., Caute-
rets, Labasserre, the Mont-Dore, Saint-Honors, Marlios,
Allevard, Enghien, and Pierrefonds. For affections of
the nervous system, our sources de Rareges, Luchon, Aix-
en-Savoie, Balaruc, Bourbonne, Saint-Amand, and la
Malou are certainly as efficacious as thee. of Aix-ls-
Chapelle, Wiesbaden, Ga.tein, Wildbad, Pfeffers, sad
Ischia (Italy). For skin diseases, for which sulphurous
waters are desirable, the Pyrenees for their mineral
qualities may be recommended ; and amongst them may
be mentioned Saint-Gervis, Aix-en-Savoie, and Mime.
For gravel there is nothing better than the waters of
' Contrexeville, Vittel, Pougues,Vichy,Evian, sad Laredo.
The waters of Carlsbad are too strong, and should only
be had mamma to in =trams mass."