The Sun.
London, England, 1855-01-24 00:00:00

for admission, in order to inspect premises between the
hours of nine o'clock in the morning and six o'clock
in the evening, and if any person shall refuse to admit the
party properly authorised to inspect the place, then a
justice of the peace, upon being informed of such refusal,
and upon hearing it stated upon oath that there wasreason-
able ground for supposing the existence of a nuisance upon
the premises in question, should have power to issue a
summons, which should be heard and determined by two
justices. Those justices should then have the power to
abate nuisances and to prohibit the occurrence of them.
He now came to the case of houses which were manifestly
unfit for human habitations. He proposed, in the
event of any houses being proved to be unfit for
human habitations, that the authorities should have
the power of prohibiting such houses being used for
the purpose until they were rendered fit for occupation. He
wished to show the house what good grounds there were
for such a provision. He could speak with accuracy of one
set of houses in the metropolis, inasmuch as he had visited
them in company with Lord Shaftesbury ; and the same
were noticed in a small pamphlet entitled "The Labourer's
Friend." He referred to a locality in the neighbourhood
of Drury-lane. The number of families in it was about
2pa
present state of Wild-court, and suggestions for its im-
p:
vegetable
partly
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from
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emitting
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drdlaew: extract from a report on the

inches. There is no paving to these floors.
" In the houses 2,3, 4, and 5, the necessaries are large
open holes, sufficiently capacious for a man to fall into ;
they have risers and wood rails in front, but no seats. For-
tunately the rails are fixed too high for children, but acci
dents must now and then occur. This is one reason the
yards are constantly in such a filthy state.
" Dust-bins are placed in one corner of the yards, and
generally emptied once a week—sometimes, and I fear
very frequently, once a fortnight only. Complaints have
often been made of the stench arising from these places,
especially by the tenants occupying the back rooms en the
ground floor. Every morning the yards are abominably
filthy, and present more the appearance of large cesspools
than anything else. I have seen some of them about six
inches deep in places of all manner of soil and filth, through
which any person requiring water must wade to the water-
butt, as well as to the privy. At times the very passages
are covered to the entrance-door. I have frequently been
unable to get from the stairs to the yard from this dis-
gusting practice.
" Before closing this subject I must say a few words on
the state in which the roofs and gutters are to be seen any
day. It appears from inquiry and examination that the
families occupying the upper rooms or garrets get rid of
their soil and refuse by throwing it on the roofs at the
back of the houses. It then passes, in some instances,
exposed to view in the room, along the gutters, arranged
on the side of each front attic, to that in front of the
houses, thence by the stack piping to the drains. Some
of these gutters have wood flap covers, partly hinged and
partly fixed.
"The ventilation throughout is very imperfect. No
provision whatever is made in the attics beyond an open-
ing in the window, or by the side of it, about 12 inches
or 14 inches square, as shown.
" The other rooms are equally bad. The windows in
most of them cannot be opened for the want of linos,
weights, or beads. The larger portion of the glass in the
windows is broken, and partly pasted over with paper
and partly stuffed up with old rags. Some of the win-
dows are at least two-thirds blocked up in this manner.
" It is hardly possible to convey in terms sufficient an
accurate idea of the filth and wretchedness to be seen.
"It is actually necessary, in order to form a just idea of
the present state of the court and its occupants, to make a
personal visit, examine, and institute inquiries."
The place was in such a state of filth and beastliness that he
(Sir B. Hall) should be sorry to have one of his dogs sleep-
ing there. When, then, they saw such wretched houses
occupied by human beings, he thought that they ought to
insist upon them being put into a decent condition. The
most exorbitant rents were generally demanded for such
places, and the miserable human beings who inhabited
them were liable to be turned out from week to week, if
they failed in paying their rent. In reference to another
wretched, filthy locality, called Charlotte-buildings, Clerk-
enwell, the book to which he referred contained many
drawings of houses ; amongst them is one exhibiting an
attic in a state of repose. Mr. Goodwin says
" This, if possible, exhibits greater poverty than below.
The walls are full of large holes, and the light is visible
through the roof. The rent of the attics is the same as
the floor below. It may seem strange that the price of
rooms should not vary, but this uniformity is effected by
the landlord removing those whose necessities are greater,
or who may be a shilling or so in arrear of rent, to the
upper quarters.
The first feeling after visiting this place is that of as-
tonishment that persons should be allowed to let such
dilapidated buildings to these poor people, who really pay
more than a fair rent for a good house; the rooms are
seldom unoccupied, and the loss trifling ; the rent would
be 411. 12s. per annum.
" The population of this small court is immense. If we
take an average of 15 persons in each floor of the houses
visited, and this is greatly below the number, we find 60
persons are occupying one house, and 900 are in the court.
"Something should be done with Charlotte-buildings
forthwith. Few of the countless throng who flood the
paths in Gray's-inn-lane have any knowledge of the hot-
bed of disease and vice which exists within a dozen yards
of them."

He, therefore, proposed to take powers to put a stop to
those miserable dwellings. He also proposed to give power
for appeal against the order of the justices upon 14 days'
notice being given of the intention of the party to appeal
and in the event of the structure of the works ordered
exceeding the sem of 15/. In proposing that no offensive
trades shall be allowed to be carried on within a certain
distance of the town, he (Sir B. Hall) embodied in his bill
the powers already granted by the legislaturein the Towns
Improvement Clauses Act. Then, with regard to the non-
performance of duty by the local authorities, he proposed
that the surveyors of highways should be liable to a pe-
nalty of W. for the neglect of duty. In the event of the
existence of a nuisance, notice should be given to the local
authorities on the subject; and in ease no steps were taken
by such authorities for its removal, it should be lawful for
the justices, at the instance of one witness, to issue their
summons to the party offending. He also proposed that
the local authorities should snake reports in the same
manner as under the former bill in reference to the pro-
ceedings taken under this measure. It was his intention
to move that those bills be referred to a select committee.
In respect to the observation of the hon. member for
Lambeth (Mr. W. Williams) he must say he did not see
the necessity of taking evidence before the committee. If,
however, the house should determine otherwise, he would
not make any objection to such a proceeding. His anxiety
was that some legislation upon the subject should take
place at the earliest possible period of the session, in order
that the country might be better prepared than it was
before to meet such an awful visitation as it had last year.
The right hon. baronet concluded by moving for leave to
introduce his bill.
Mr. WILKINSON expressed a hope that some corn-
' pensation would be granted to such persons as would be
compelled to remove their trades, which might be con-
sidered offensive under the bill.
Mr. THORNELY asked whether it was intended to
place the regulation of the burial grenade under any new
authority ?
Sir B. HALL said at present the regulation of the
burial grounds was placed under the authority of the noble
lord the Secretary for the Home Department. There was
no intention whatever to make any alteration in this re-
spect.
Sir H. WILLOUGHBY said it appeared to him there
was one point connected with the subject which required
explanation. He wished to ask whether it was contem-
plated to introduce any bill in conjunction with the last
measure of the right hon. baronet to create local authori-
ties in the various districts of the metropolis for the pur-
pose of carrying out the provisions of this bill. Every
person who had been listening to the right hon. gentleman
must have perceived that he was constantly referring to
local authorities. Now it appeared to him (Sir H. Wil-
loughby) that in effect there were no local authorities in
the metropolis properly qualified to act under this bill.
He never could understand why the metropolis should be
deprived of the benefit of municipal institutions. (Hear.)
All those questions touched upon by the right hen.
baronet were of municipal interest. After t hey had passed
the executive, those provisions were to be carried out by
municipal bodies. It was, therefore, of the greatest im-
portance that there should be constituted proper bodies
for carrying the provisions of this bill into effect. There
was a very general feeling entertained in the metropolis
that such bodies were greatly wanted to act in the different
localities. It would not be at all satisf%ctory if the owners
and occupiers of property were to find their property ex-
posed to the surveillance aid reports of those with whom
they were in no way connected. He therefore wished to
ask the right hon. baronet whether he contemplated the
cstablishment of any municipal system for the metropolis ?
In such case they would know to whom their pecuniary
interests would be entr ted after the acts of the execu-
tive. It appeared to is tVat the time had naturally
....
arrived' when they mus deal with that question. Here
was a large city, into which it wal•geopeled to introduce
certain' sanitary measures which would' iequire the forma-
tion of several boards to ensure tbeifproper operation. He
therefore wished that the right lion, gentleman would state
whether he contemplated in his present bill, or by any
other measure, the establishment of local authorities for
the several districts of the metropolis. He submitted that
it would be necessary to establish good municipal authori-
ties before they could hope to effect any substantial ad-
vantages under the bill of the right hon. baronet.
Sir B. HALL said there were too many local bodies,
with large powers, already. He had given notice of a bill
for the second of next month, which he hoped he would be
allowed to introduce; and in that bill he proposed to
create municipal bodies, with power to work the provisions
of the Nuisances Removal Act, as well as the provisions of
other metropolitan acts.
Viscount EBRINGTON thought it would be undesirable
for the house to eater on the subject of metropolitan legi-
slation until a positive opinion had been pronounced with
regard to the measure to be applied to the country at large.
The question of legislation for the metropolis was a more
difficult and complicated question than that for the coun-
try at large; for many provisions which would be appli-
cable to the smaller towns would be wholly inapplicable to
the metropolis, numbering as it did a population equal to
that of Scotland, concentrated within a radius of ten miles
of the seat of Government. He hoped, therefore, that con-
siderabre progress would be made in the one measure be-
fore the other was entertained. He rejoiced that there
was now a promise of effective legislation on the sabject,
and he promised his right hon. colleague his best co-opera- 1
tion.
Air. A. PELLATT asked whether the bill would contain
a clause similar to that in the last bill on this subject, for
raising the wharfage on the river side at Southwark ?
Sir B. HALL was understood to say that this should be
the subject of a separate measure.
Mr. W. WILLIAMS said the clause of the last bill

threw the expense of raising the wharfa,g3 on the proprie-
tors and occupants, which he thought was unfair. A 8 the
work was for the gonoral good, it should be paid for out
of the public money.
Leave was then given to bring in the bill.
Sir B. HALL brought in both bills.

The house then adjjarued at a quarter to seven o'clock.

M. Paulin Guerin, a -painter of come celebrity, died
the day before yesterday. His chef-d'ceuvre, " The
Curse of Cain," is in the gallery of the Luxembourg.
Tufa MOUNTGARRET PEERAGE CASE.—The applica-
tion for a new trial in this case, after several days' argu-
ment, was decided yesterday in the Court of Exchequer.
The motion was granted, on the grounds of misdirection
of the
judge and the reception of improper evidence. The
coats were given.