The Sun.
London, England, 1852-02-11 00:00:00

the debate until Wednesqay next, when they could be
presnt. He should, therefore, move an adjournment.
The &bate was then adjourned to Wednesday next.
NEW RIVER COMPANY BILL.

On the motion for the second reading of this Bill,
Mr.COWPER opposed the second reading of this Bill,
I because it gave.the New River Company power to take
the waxer from the River Lee, the navigation of which
bad been for many years invested in the hands of trus-
tees. The Bill would also interfere with snits at law and
evity now pending. As one of the trustees, he felt
himself called upon to move that this Bill be read a se-
cond time this day six months.
Sir E. COLEBROOKE supported the second reading
of the Bill.
Major BERESFORD opposed the Bill as a trustee of
the River Lee, on the ground that it would give power
to the New River Company to destroy private property,
to which they had no right.
Mr. HUME thought that after the resolutions which
had been passed last year with regard to this Bill
anion; others, the second reading should be allowed to
pass sub silentio.
Mr. F. MACKENZIE was perfectly satisfied that
the abstraction of so great a body of water from the
River Lee would injure the navigation, and he should
therefore oppose the second reading of the Bill.
Mr. COWPER explained that this Bill was not the
same as had been introduced last session.
The House then divided, when there appeared—
For the second reading ... ... 80
Against it
Majority ... —26

- -
The Bill was then read a second time.
PORTSMOUTH AND GOSPORT WATERWORKS

BILL.

Mr. GEACH moved the second reading of this Bill.
Sir F. BARING opposed the motion, on the ground
that the Bill interfered with the local board of health,
who had powers conferred upon them to supply the
towns with water. He thought those powers ought not
to be taken away, because they enabled the board to
give a better supply of this great necessary to the poor
as well as the rich, much more effectually than an in-
dependent private company. He had charge of a peti-
tion, signed by all the influential inhabitants of Ports-
mouth, praying that the Bill should not be passed. On
looking over the list of shareholders who promoted the Bill
he found that not one of them was connected with that town.
He was at a loss to imagine why a body of gentlemen,
strangers to Portsmouth, should go down on a Quixotic
expedition for the purpose of conferring a benefit upon
the inhabitants. It had been rumoured that their object
was to pass the Bill, and then to obtain compensation
from the Board of Health, who were empowered to
make the compulsory purchase of existing waterworks.
Sir G. ST AUNTON also opposed the Bill.
Mr. HUME thought the House would do right to
negative the motion for the second reading.
Lord EBRINGTON hoped the House would not
pass the Bill, especially after the statement of Sir F.
Bating. _

The amendment was agreed to, and the Bill was con-
sequently thrown out.
WEXFORD HARBOUR IMPROVEMENT.
This Bill was read a second time. .
EXCHEQUER-BILLS.
The House then went into a Committee of Supply.

Mr. C. LEWIS moved a vote CI f 17,742,800/. it; Ex-
chequer-bills.

Mr. HUsIE inquired whether it was not possible to
reduce the interest upon Exchequer-bills.
Mr. C. LEWIS said he was not able to answer the'
question, iu the absence of the Chancellor of the Ex-
chequer.
Mr. W. WILLIAMS considered that the Chancellor
of the Exchequer ought to be in his place when such a
proposition was made to the House.
Me. C. LEWIS said the absence of the Chancellor of
the ExchequsT was owing to his attendance being re-
quireu at a Cabinet Council.
Mr. W. WILLIAMS thought the House ought to be
informed of the rate of interest the bills would bear
during the ensuing year.
Mr. HUME said when the report was brought up he
would repeat his question.
In reply to Sir H. WILLOUGHBY,
Mr. HUME stated that the Chancellor of the Ex-
chequer had intimated to him that he would not object
to re-nominate the Committee appointed last year to
consider the mode of levying the income-tax.
The vote was then agreed to, and the House resumed.
VENTILATION OF THE HOUSE.
Mr. B. OSBORNE called attention to the evidence
given by Dr. Reid at the bar relating to the ventilation
of the House. He observed that the subject was of
very great importance considering the wear
and tear vi hich the constitution of a con-
siderable per-tentage of Members underwent during
six months in the year. It was said by the Rev. Sid-
ney Smith with reference to locking up passengers in
rrilway carriages, that no attention would be paid to the
subject until some great dignitary was roasted on a rail-
road. Now he was very much of opinion that until
some of the moat robust Members of the Treasury
benches were ventilated to another place, or some of
the leading Members of the country party almost stifled,
no effectual steps would be taken to improve the est-
moshere of the House. If the matter had been referred
to the House of Assembly in Jamaica the chamber they
occupied could not have been ,worse ventilated.
The defective arrangements were entirely owing
to one cause, viz., divided authority.—(Hear.) One of the
most remarkable men of the day, the Duke of Welling-
ton, who always hit the right nail on the head, so long
ago as 1846 told the House of Lords that the dispute
between Mr. Barry and Dr. Reid would lead to great in-
convenience, and. it was because his advice was not taken
that Members found themselves in their present posi-
tion. The lighting and ventilation of the House could not
be disunited, or effected satisfactorily under two distinct
managements.—(Hear.) The cramped appearance of
the windows would induce a stranger to think that they
had been erected to evade the window-tax. —(Laughter.)
They were bad in heraldry and design, and gave
aearcely any light. He was unable properly to
describe the figures or daubs repesented upon them.—
(Hear.) The light, too, was extremely bad for the
eyes. It was impossible for Members to be always un-
der the influence of an atmosphere of railways.—
(Lotel laughter.) The temperature varied considerably
in different parts of the House in consequence of the re-
fraction from the lamps. He found the thermometer the
other night at 70 degrees, but on placing a hat over it
and keeping off the light there was in a few minutes a
difference of nearly two degrees.---(Hear.) The strangers,
gallery was one of the m ,st abominable places of punish-
ment that could be conceived.—(Hear.) It was impossible
when in it to distinguish more than the Speaker and
four Members who were near him.—(A laugh.) The
reason WV, that the lights con ratted the pupil of the
eye, and therefore obstructed the vision. It was with
the greatest difficulty that he could distinguish the
well-known features of the Speaker.--(Loud laughter.)
On the part of the public, therefore, he called for some
alteration of the light and ventilation.—(Hear.) He
would turn next to the gentlemen of the press, those
valuable members—for so he would call them—who so
ably reported the debates.—(Hear, bear.) The an-
loyance they were subject to, if not remedied,
would certainly destroy their eyesight and their health.
He would go a step higher—to the ladies—(Laughter)
who were condemned to a miserable place, which he
would call something between a birdcage and a tea-
caddy.—(Great laughter.) In their room a partition had
been erected, which made the place so confined as to
render it difficult fur them to breathe. Their convenience
had been sacrificed to Mr. Barry's ideas of the
Gothic, as if they were to be bricked up like ladies in a
esenastery.—(Laughter.) Dr. Reid told him that he had
ee personal quarrel with Mr. Barry, and that their only
differeece had reference to questions of science. But
,hietice was no reason why Members shcald at one time be

roasted, at another boiled, and another frozen.—

(Laughter.) Therefore, on behalf of Mt-mbers and the
public, he called upon the House to entrust the ventila-
tion, warming, and lighting of the House,:to one respon-
sible person. The resolutions which he proposed were
three in number; first, that Dr. Reid be authorised to
complete suc temporary arrangement as were impera-
tively necessary to maintain a better atmosphere during
the sittings of the House ; secondly, that the warming,
lighting, and ventilation of the House and libraries be
placed in the hands of one responsible party; and,
thirdly, that Dr. Reid be called upon to submit forth-
with a full report of the alterations he considers essential
for the health and comfort of the House, with
an estimate of the probable expense, stating
especially what plan he proposed for lighting the
House.—(Loud cries of " Hear.") [We may as well
mention in parenthesis, that while the heat in front of
the reporters' gallery is very great, owing to its close
Contiguity to the lamps, a strong draft of cold air is
o
"""Inially thrown down from some apertures
behind the beads and backs of the reporters.s
behind
observations
Their position is len under the present system of ventila-
tiondlesex on the extremelyperienneia unpleasant, and as far as our
ex
concerned, we are inclined to agree in the
which fell from the Hon. Member for Mid-
isdieb
The resolution:lr.-1
the motion of the lito-N
Sir J. pAgina,glng been at,
said be would cordially second
was very much Member. He thought the House
and able manner in
witil. to him for the praiseworthy
matter. There was very Lull
he had inquired into the
system of ventilation beingreat reason for the entire
twr had said the windows g changed. The Hon. Mem-
evade the window-tax, butagePeared to be constructed to
what sort of window-tax • could not conceive under
'window_
with duty which gave nowwidowsindows could be charged
The windows were the first he had evlgebt•—(A laugh.)
more light at night than in the day tirmseen which gave
sir J. Pakington bore testimony to the excellent ghter.)
lation of the old House of Commons, eaudventi-
he saw no reason why the new one said
der the same M should I
not be placed un , management.—(Hear.)
as.—(Ree
ven-
tilation )
Lord SEYMOUR at once admitted that both th .'
and the lighting of the House were exceedingly
defective, bat he had personally had nothing to d, with
the arrangements since November last. It was impos-
sible, n .
sible, however, to place the whole of the building wirier
the control of Dr. Reid, because the House of Lords was
already in the hands of Mr. Barry. This House. how-
ever, was wider the charge of Dr. Reid, and for she
purpose of
-- carrying out his plans BO less shall 57,800/,
had been expenied, besides an annual expenditure of
1,300/, for Dr. ReioP„iniy,—(flear, hear.) Previous
to the meeting of the House this session, Dr. Reid in-
formed him that the machinery which had been erected
under his superintendence we re so defective that it
would not act, while one
portion of it produced such an
immense heat that the officials had been more than
once surprised with alarm of fire.—(Hear.) Dr. Reid's
oroooy=d system of ventilation was this--he collected
.„.1 0 lummit of the ci s. r, .: :IV, 19
.e..._ „,:oivor, it ,lAc , • ,

do,-L; vizairmt:r4i feet,
1 itaic,;z4 :Yid he tinuhted
suer cno sic wLiuh pub.4„i thr,-,uK4 sue" ,a
c.
chanl4l, could be such a 3 the house ought to bre:in
the corridors had been altered and the
The lighting of

mut,