The Sun.
London, England, 1852-04-30 00:00:00

EVENING,

FRIDAY

tion, because the exhausting influences to which they were
exposed naturally drove- them to seek a etimnius in some
intoxicating. Liquor. --Ueder these physical diEadvantages it
would be idle to, hope to extend to the. working-classes the
advantagds of a geed
~edocation. The City missionary and
the •visitor would tell them that it was nearly im-
pas:slide to produce any effect upon perstrs so situated. Hewas certain'thet'While Vitt state' of Midge- continued they
would never fail to hiive an igndrant and 'dissolute popula-
tion. The evils which he had attempted 0 de4c,ibe were
also ,producing the most' injurious effects- on the physical
condition eaf The people. • .An eminent, suveon, who had
lately visited a great many of the courts and alleys of Lon-
don, fog the purpose of ascertaining the condition of the in-
bahitants, had stated that- the appearance of the children
there clearly indicated the poisonous influences to which they
hed been subjected, for the'fitst persons-who were injuriously
affected by physical disadvantages were children. The
surgeon to them he vas referring had found the children
iu those courts pals, squalid, sickly, irritable; _and
the great majority-- of them had suffered from dis-
eases which would— leave permanent effects throngh-
.out their.: lives..---Ile- (the E irl of ShafteshurY)-1
could himself entirely centime that statement. He
hart scarcely ever known children in those localities to
have a healthy appearance, except those who had just
arrived from the country. It further appeared from the in-
quiries of the surgeon m question, that the yenths in those,
itistricts were stunted, and presented a sickly and cadaveroite
aepect ; and the parents, Who had in general conic from the
country; had a far more healthy appearance than their
ricketty childreei,evho had been born in Lendon. In a dis-
trict which that surgeon had examined, out of 152 children
there had been, only 45 living; and he had exprdssed his be-
lief that unless the poorer portions ot the, town were recruited
from the country the race of children would soon become'
extinct. He must also call ,the attention of their Lordships
to the increased amount Which bad become chargeable on
the rates in different parishes for medical relief.
In 'Bermondsey, in 1'845 the amount was £l9B
- 1851 ' 304
Holborn
1851
Manchester 1845
1851
Liverpool 1843- . 913
•_ •.-

,~..

- 1851 ' ' , 2,80 G
In every instance in- which' sanitary measures had been
adopted a corresponding improvement had taken place in
the health of the distriet. That was particularly proved by
the state of the model lodging-housee. In the model lodge
ing•house of Bloomsbury only one out of 795 inmates had
been attacked by disease, whereas in Liverpool one person in
every 76 of the populationivas attacked. In another model
lodging-house only one case of disease, of diarrhoea had oc-
eurred 'among ,its 119 inmates.ln the Albert-street
lodging-house there.- bad ,been, from the date of its being
Opened to the present -time,'only live cases of death out of
208 persons. The 'strongest c,,se lie-could give of tho mor-
tality of the metropolis. related' tp children. Of children
under fifteen ,years of age the mortality In the metropolis
was • 'three times gre'at'er than the mortality in this
model lodging-houses. It was, from a. conviction, founded
upon inquiry.. and personal inspection of the most painful
kind, that such a state of things concerned the honour and
safety, of the kingdom, that he had humbly ventured to call
the attention of their Lordships to .the subject. He feared
that there was some danger of their becoming callous to the
sanitary condition of tbelpeople, and that ic reading the re-
poits of the Registrar-General they never paused to inquire
whether the mortality arose:from preventible causes or not.
Many persons believed it iuevitable because it was constant.
The same delusion prevailed once with respect to gaol fever,
but where was that fever: now? If out of 300 prisoners
some 30 were attacked with fever, the whole press and Par-
liament would be in a commotion, and yet the decimation of
the ordinary population was suffered to go on as a mere
matter ol course. He begged to move to resolve-=That the
sanitary state of the metropolis requires the immediate inter-
position of her Majesty's Government.
The Archbishop of CANTERBURY said that the Noble
LOrd had taken up the question to which he had directed
their Lordships' attention with so much prudence and ear-
nestness, and had given so, much of his tune to the subject,
that he mast consider-him a true philanthropist. 'His object
in rising was merely to bear testimony to' the Correctness of
the statement made by the Noble Lord with respect to part
of the population of the parish of Lambeth. He was glad
the Noble Lord had brought. the question forward. The
difficulties in the way of any present society effecting any
extensive improvement were great, and nothing short of
the interposition of the Legislature would go to the root of
the evil.
The Earl of DERBY said that no one could doubt that
many of the details brought forward by the Noble Earl pos-
sessed a most painful interest, but he was afraid that after
all they were only elucidations of that well-recognised truth
—the Noble Earl might, perhaps, not be offended if be
called it a truism—that in proportion as drainage and
other sanitary works were adopted, the mortality of the
district would probably. be decreased.. He was not pre-
pared to contest the accuracy of the details with reference
to the population of crowded cities, but he did not
know where that salubrious district was where the deaths
amounted to not more than 1 4-lOths per cent. of the popu-
lation. If that were so, every person of that district must;
on the average, livelo the age of 75, provided they lived and
died in that district, but the calculationwas good for nothing
if the district was ene in which the population did not re-
main, but into which an extensive immigration took place.
He was not about to enter into the statistics adduced by the
Noble Earl. He waff ready to admit—indeed it was a matter
of notoriety—that the country population was longer-lived
than the population of towns, and that large cities like the
metropolis, and the crowded towns of the manufacturing
districts, were not .so salubrious as ether parts. But that
part of the speech of the ' Noble Earl which fell most short
of what their Loidehips• had.a right to expect, was that in
which, aftbr having shown the existence of great evils, the
Noble Earl failed, not only to point out what remedy was
applicable, but in what degree the Government—he spoke
not of the.present, for it had been too short a time in office to
take up the matter—but ire what degree any Government had
failed to give their attention to measures for the remedy of
evils which, after all, perhaps no human legislation could
altogether do away with. He was glad the Noble Earl
had seen cause to alter the terms of his notice, because in
the form in which it was first given—of an address to the
Crown, praying her Majesty to take steps not to exclude the
metropolis from the General Board of Health—it implied
that some obstacle existed which prevented Parliament
adopting what measures it might thlnk right on the subject.
He was anxious to hear hoer'ar the Noble Earl went in the
recommendation of a remedy for the evils he had pointed
out. The application of the.provisions of the Board of Health
Act to the metropolis—

—The Earl of ShAFTESBUItY said it was not in the
motion. •
The Earl of DERBY remarked, that thoogh not in the
et -motion, it *nein the Motion as it stood on the paper
prese .
two drys age.' It ' • - - ' . ' • ite
was not inthe present motion-quite true.
lint it was' of that which he had to complain; for in the
former case the Noble Earl pointed ont what he thought
was,a remedy, but in the present he had pointed out the
evils without even suggesting to the Legislature the means
which he would recornmenctfor the mitigation of those evils.
He was the more surprised et that; inasmuch as the Noble
`Earl was an active Member of
tendence of the' health 'of a board which had the super-
made, the country, and which, bad
d report, dated the 30th of March but only placed
in his hands ' since ike
entered the
.:Mouse that evening,
in which the means are pointed out for theremedy of ,
such evils as those ' complained of.—(Hear, hear.) There
was associated with the Noble Earl and the other Commis- i
sinners of that board the Gentleman who was at the head
of the Board of Weeks, and.
yet he belieYed that the no-
tice given by the Noble Earl on a former occasion, as well
as that brought forward eeeni
ght, bad been given without
any communication or 9flehltation bet Ween the Noble Earl
and his associates at the. board, The proposal of placing the
metropolis under ttinadminietiaion of the Board of Health
had been made bY'dilterent Governments. Such a proposi-
tion was ,made by the 'Noble Earl opposite when in office
(Earl Carlisle), but he had Mend the difficulties insuperable.
and was obliged to, postpone, if not to abandon, the attempt.
The Noble Duke' vie 'the crags' benches (the Duke of New-
castle) had also exptessed his views on this paint, and bad
th
ago, uhen in office, . -,a.f,.,•looking to tha variety of inte-
rests and the great Mass °.• •e•
Pepulation concerned in the
question, be could no more inelude the metropolis in the
Board of Health Bill than ree
could Paris or Vienna. The
Noble Earl who' had brought forward. this motion bad
also, mach' to leis surprise, evaded the ;question and bad
pointed out the evils without even' hinting at the remedy.
He -was ready wets . the dmit that the caueeV adverted to by the
Noble Earl esoirces 'et- a great amount
of - disease ,and suffering; ,
Tlaese,'. were intramural in-
terments--defecienefin-the *e.'ilePply of water—defielency of
sewerage, and accaulalla'eenleeef nuisances.' With regard to
the first.=-intramural interments, it, was one which pressed
for an early and careful consideration, and. an early remedy,
because the evil was increasing year alter year. No lan-
guage Could exaggerite the.fear til • amount Of 'disease.which
was continually generated .by the-loathsome and disgusting
practice of interment iri the crow
grounds churchyards and burial-
grounds of the' metropolis...et le
, e -.ear.) Two years ago a Bill
was passed giving Pnwers.°L a very extraordinary character
to a eineral board on this e epee
-11--"`", but. it had beenbiopera-
le beeause. the powere g • artly
tive—p
time; partly in iven- were limited as to
consequence of the short duration assigned to
partlY geeing . to; ehe .absence of
the board ; and compulsory
powers.' The board was authorised to purebase,the rights of
all existing ceraeterieee-a great stretch of ..power—to put•
cbase land for.eemeteeiesea,ne ,
oa---.; '" make arrangements for in-
terment, and fbr the rePe. beteleP of the body between death
make all and burial. The board'Were to entrusted with the control
of all teinerals; were V, arrangements connected
with them ; and were to leyy a rate' on the whole r•popula
tion to defray the expense- Much. objection was felt—and
not unnaturally—to a general rate, and it.-was, therefore,
abandoned ; but it verWPeaooPeset4 to low), a fee on all funerals
conducted by the board, _ g
mi hitlbsee es
were regarded as a
security on which nicinerkt then it borrovied for carrying out
the objects of the A ._
ctfficient.for thewas found, that, although
these fees:might be se
.. 0
..o„Bnecessary expenseseif all
` ' 'conducted e rfiP I
was e; °rltY by the board, unless
funerals were
I power w" given"—unless the board could
such a comprosorY,
I f the metro °I
monopolise the fuse it
5 .
od lieinipPoter, and supersede every
private undertaker, 0
The it would
.on whicileltehto raise the neces-
sary funds. -we only
inga fee on ever _ scheme could. be
carried out was:by 101
h be paid to
company,
this great Government ~.whether the person was
anyor not- In point of fact, there was to
buried by the come in those cases wit
be,a tax on death, -
even . .
ftierids. To ere persons were
Ilse of their
buried at the expense entrust any corn-
tensive and a b't -
r i rary could only be
' withpowers se ex . that ,
com-
pany a osition there was no other remed Justified on the e pP, ~
d. He' believed thatonly
not the which could be. adore b
=hood of the metropolis
were
will-
cemeteries in.the neigh , o
at "a fair and ma
tract for burials a. _ SOnable rate, but
ing to con
litan parishes were desirous that powers
that many metropo
of purchasing land - far
should be given • them
the purposes of interme not _
nt. In:such from the metropolis for
te, granting a -
cases he should be favourable.
te, ht that in practice
of extra
mural interment, ,lie eePeg,
e powers, in such iw°ll-
to more 'beneficial le.. giYe , 1.1 company., cases, than '
•, , . to 4 general
_it be was not
grant' all the looms
the present moment" before the other
mistaken, a Bill 'Was at
of
tabliAjog a new edruetery 111 the
'House for the purpose ase
Iyeend at ionic ''die-tance from Lon-
neigbbodrhood o
-f a ia:erer cb-ntained, he belieVed, about ,(101
don.- ' The site'propos
~. it wasp ropomid to make prevision
acres of fitting toil,: nna
ishes, but ter what • some -thought
not only for separate p
- art
Christian denominations. neat Bill
more important, differen
consideration of a Committee of the other
was still .under the d t
e seen ~ b t h '
remained ° ~ u e believed
House, and the result r
it would go a, great way, if not alto-
gether,if'carreed into, practice
necessity orcompulf3ory powers such
to "supersede the n
1 as those which had been 'propmed. With regard to the sup-
lily of water and the sewerage—
of the metropolisif it were
with .
colossal powers one single end, of
course, competent authority.h
possible to invest
on,
those questions-if they
~
end had no obstacles in' the
had a tabula rasa -to deal in cn3panies—then, no doubt, one
vested interests of existing toe much more
. efficacious than
61104 single authority. would
o
separate authorities. it had been admitted that there was •
to the nature of such an au-
great difEcult-Y 'in - deciding as 'to
~
.
thority under the circumsterifeeude better provision with
s.
n It was easy for the Noble
`Earlto say that other genet this country did. The Noble
regard tetheit subjects than,
the Governments of foreign
Berl 'should have recollected that
hat they believedb •
to- e the
- ,countiies were.freer to 'act .forly
.. ~.....
'.. P4iio.:beAefit tbat-i- Q0790`111
1
' - ' ...; .ent wiateilim oubject, to po.