The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-05-15 00:00:00

THE HEALTH COMMITTEE.

The usual -weekly meeting of this committee was held
at the Town hall yesterday ; Mr. Dover in the chair.
The other members present were Messrs. McGnffie,
Rebertscm Gladstone, FI:;1,1.ul, J
Ilotha.., ...ad Stitt.

THE NECR(JPULIS
Before the business of the eorese. tee was proceeded.
with, ,
Me. Stitt, said he wished to draw a tention to: a
subject connected with hims ef. By a report of the pro,
ceedings of the Health Committee, held last Thursday,' (at
which he requested that he might not be present) the
question of the Necropolis was before the committee, • and
Mr. Beckwith asked' the chairman if he (Mr. Stitt) was
one of the trustees of that committee, and the reply given
by t e chairman, as stated in a newspaper report, was that
he believed that he was one. He (Mr. Stitt) thought, of
co use, it referred to himself, and he thought it right to
say that neither himeelf nor .his father bad ever been con-
nected with it in any way. Had it been oth-rwise, he
should not have formed a member of the sub-committee,
which was appointed on that subject.
The Chairman recollected that the conversation on that
subject was vary irregular, bat what he said in reply was :
that Mr. Stitt was not one of 'the trustees. He was not
blaming the reporters, for there were six or seven gentlemen
speaking at the time, and all that surprised_hita wits that
the reports were so correct, c eisidering the irregular way
in whtch VI() business was sometimes carried on. But he
recollected quite well that he said distinctly that that was
not the case.
Mr. M‘Guffie was glad Mr. Stitt had made that explana-
tion, far he was of the opinion that Mr. Stitt was one of
the trustees.
Mr. 'll-elson wished te• know what course the corn-
mittee intended to take in the motion. He had heard that
nothing could be done until Dr. Holland made his report ;
ha wished to know if th et was the fact.
Mr. Shiel replied that; the matter was under the investi-
gation of the sub-cOmmittee, and until that investigation
was complete, nothing could be done, but, in his private
opinion, they had done all they could do.
Mr. M'Gowan (the deputy Town Clark) said that before
any steps could be taken, it was necessary that the subcom-
mittee should have .ceretin docnmsees from the trustees.
.Those documents have been handed over to the sub-
committee, and are being thoroughly sifted, and in a few
slays a report would be placed before:the committee. ,
'Mr.'Retitieolisaid he had understood that Dr. Holland
had to report to Sir George Grey, and it would be, for him
to take proceedings against the parties.
The Chairman thought that the conversation was
-slightly irregular, aktliere was an investigation going on.
-Me. M‘Gowan said, the report to Sir George Grey
would only refer'te the future management, of the Necro-
polis, and the bvidenoe they were getting up would be to
show the liability, of one or more parties. With regard
to the report to Sir • George Grey, that could only be
obtained by a motion in the. House of Commons.
Mr- Hodson could -.not see what part they had to take
in the subject.
Mr. Shell: the Health Committee, they would have to
see whether anything prejudicial, to the health of the inha-
bitants of the town had been done, and if so to deal with
the parties culpable. But at present it did appear to him
that they had nothing to do in the matter. It was for the
•pottiee who had been aggrieved to take the initiative. -
Mr. M'Gowan then read the resolution which had been
passed at a-former meeting, appointing a sub-committee to
investigete the matter, sad report thereon, and assured that
committee the instructions that had bean given had and
were being most vigorously carried out.
Mr. Hodson said he always entertained the opinion that
the health committee had—nothing to do with the matter,
and he thought so 'still.
Mr. Shiel : It is impossible to say what we shall have to
de until the investigation is
.completed.
Mr. Stitt did not think that any stigma should be fixed
upon any of the trustees-until they were prepared to sub-
stantiate the charges.- He thotight any conversation on the
subject would be premature.
Mr. Hodson was about to maki some observations,
when
The Chairman said it would be premature to go into any
dissuasion at the present timee and the subject then
dropped. HEALTH OF THE TOWL.
Tne Medical Officer of Health reported that in the
weekending last Saturday the mortality, of the borough
was higher than in any week, with one, exception of the
prece 'ing nine months, the total number of deaths registered
having been 241, being fifty-six more than the previous
week, and twenty more than the corrected averages of the
same week of former years. This increased mortality, he
was of opinion, was probably owing in some measure to
the cold lo eather and easterly winds which prevailed from
the 22nd of April to the 10th instant, and from which
children and old persons were the principal sufferers. Of the
241 who died, 143 were children, and 98 adults; 16 of the
latter being more than seventy years of age. From
diseases of the lungs with consumption there were 80,
the average of corresponding weeks being 65. Zymotic
diseases caused 50 deaths, 14 from hopping cough (being
double the average), 11 from scarlatina, 6 from diarrhoea,
6 from croup, 4 from small-pox (one after vaccination),
4 from typhus, 2 from syphilis, none from measles. One
death was registered from gout, and one froin detiriton
ti eine s. •

OFFICIAL- IMPORT.

The Borough Engineer, Building Surveyor, and Inspec-
tor of Nuisances reported various particulars of the ope-
rations in their several departments during the week, from
which it appeared that 162 dilapidated privies and ash-
pits were altered and repaired; 1,122 cesspools had been
discharged; 100 nuisances complained of by inhabitants
had been insplcted and means takn to remedy them.
1,293 houses in the unhealthiest districts containing 4,211
apartments, and 501 cellars had been put under exami-
natinniviihthe view of improving their sanitary condi-
dition ; and 47 lodging-houses had been examined and
reported upon. Some public nuisances having been
brought before the attention of the Committee, and re-
ferred to the proper officials for investigation, the Com-
mittee Ojourned •

A sad death ®f a minister by suicide, whilst labouring
tirodar Mental derangement, caused by the continued use
of tibacco chewing, is reported in the Herald of the 15
of April, 'under the religious heading. This is only one of
the thousand cases occurring 'dilly by those who yield to
tliii,ppiicions habit, laying the foundation of disease and
p-erns ure death.—American Taper.
THE LEARNED 13nAcassirra.—A Toronto correspon-
dent', writes .!--The celebrated " learned blacksmith,"
Elihn-Burritt, has been hete lately, and lectured to a very
large audience in the City Concert Hall, on the subject of
slavery and its peaceful extinction in the United States.
He advoeltes their manumission by purchase, paying the
southern owners for their chattels; and for this purpose
proposes that the waste lands of the United States
,should
be set apart. 1- trust the •problem may be solved
peaceably : it is one of the most difficult that that country
has to deal with. Thank God that we are free of the
plague spot in our country.
FLOATING BARRACK FOR CHINA —ThEi. Princess Char-
lotte, 104. sailing three decket, fitting out at Portsmouth
as a itiating barrack for try pj`on the China station, is
ordered to he out of hand by the end of tee month. Cabins
are being'fitted up for the military officers who may have
to go on board her. The troops will sleep in hammocks,
each man having two blankets. The. Princess Charlotte
will have accommod ition fur 1,000 men and officers, who
will be berthed on the middle an-I the lower decks. The
arrangements for venti'ation and other sanitary necessities
appear to have had great care bestowed upon them, with
the vier of preserving the health f those oo board. She
will be stowed with as much of the munitions of war as she
cap conveniently be made to c qry independently of the
necessary provisiors and stores for herself.
SCIENTIFIC EXPEDITION.—We learn that it has been
resolved to send out an expedition for scientific imposes,
une'er Mr. Pallis;r, to the vast r, pions of British Central
America, between ,Lake Superior and the Rocky Moun-
tains, of which so liitle is acteally known. The travelsof
-Sir J. Richardson, Sir George Simpson, and other emptoyes
of the Hudson's Bay Cornp.in:., describe the lands as partly
prai'ie, partly wood, very fertile, and fit for settle-
ment, with Leke Wnnineg and its rivers navigable for
many- thouriad milli z.. The pr loosed canal of the State
Of Michigan, fr Luke Superior t) the, Red River, will
open no this counlry to the Atlantieoccan. It would be
desirable that some prac'ic 1 agr'cillturis!s should ac.:om-
pany it, to report on the (pally of the soil, capabilities for
settlement, c. _

TIIE BEER BILL—Mr. Hardy's Beer Bill was allowed
by the House of Commons to be brought in on Tuesday
evening, although the Home Seeretary did not' give its
author much encouragement that it would reach the
statu' e book. The main provision of the measure is
to place the licensing of beer-shois, like that of public-
houses, in the hands of the magistrates. When complaints
aro alleged against any existing beer-shop, he proposes
that the appeal, in such a case, shall be to the tnagis7
trates, who will either confirm or refute the license„
lie proposes also to prevent actions for small beer-
debts in the county courts. Another portion of the bill
proposes to put all night coffee and oyster shops under
licence and inspection. In the remarks of ' Sir George
Grey we find the nature of the opposition which will be
brought against the measure—viz , the danger of a beer
monopoly, and the large vested interests now engiged in
the trade under the excise licence. In Manchester there
has been a meeting held in reference to this bill. tlhe
promoters did not go the length of expressing approval of
all Mr. Hardy proposes to de, but the expression of
opinion was as least favourable to magisterial regulation
of the beerhouso licence,