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

THE SUN,

centrate all entertainment in one spot. The motion before
the House was not opposed in any prejudiced spirit. He
Would rather sae that any facilities which her Majesty's Go-
vernment could give towards the erection of the Crystal Pa-
lace in some such site as that indicated would be most
cheerfully and readily offered. He had been informed, on
What he called first-rate authority, that the 'ouilding had al-
ready been purchased, that the purchase-money had already
been deposited in the bank, that agreements were drawn up,
and that the purchasers were now anxious to communicate
With Government as to the site on which it might be erected,
the conditions under which it was tolbe opened, and the pur-
poses to which it was to be devoted. He could only say that
the Government would be most happy to afford every per-
manence and encouragement to that endeavour, and he hoped
that the building erected on a happier site, and not tarnished
With the stigma, of broken faith and violated public honour,
Would become the means of fulfilling useful purposes, and
affording innocent recreation to the people. He hoped then
that the House would reject the motion of the Hon. Gentle-
man, as a motion unnecessary in itself, and inasmuch as the
subject which it was proposed to refer to a Committee had
already been most fully investigated, inasmuch as his object
could only be granted by a violation of public faith, and in-
asmuch as he believed that every good object which the
Hon. Mover had in view would be better promoted by the
cordial and friendly co-operation of the new possessors of the
baildingin Hyde-park with her Majesty's Government.
Mr. D'EY.'SICOURT rose amidst cries of "Divide." He
said that if the Government would agree to the motion, the
promoters were prepared to take all trouble and responsi.
bilitv off their hands. He alleged that the evidence of Sir
J. Paxton had not been fairly dealt with. He thought the
names of such men as the Duke of Devonshire, the Duke
of Argyll, and the Earl of Carlisle afforded a sufficient
guarantee for the success of the undertaking. The Right
Hon. Member, who was interrupted by loud cries of " Di-
vide," concluded by expressing his intention to support the
motion.
Mr.' LABOUCHERE said he must encounter whatever
Unpopularity might attach to opposing the motion. He
looked upon the
question merely as one of good faith.—
(Hear.) The Government had pledged themselves that the
building was to be only a temporary erection for a temporary
object, and that object having been attained the pledge must
be redeemed.-41aear, hear.) He was one of the parties
who had given the pledge, and he was bound to redeem it
by resisting the present proposition.—(Hear, hear.) If the
. House and. the public had been unanimous in favour of
the retention of the building, there would not of course have
been the ' same reason for redeeming a pledge with which
those to whom it was given would thus have been willing
to dispense. But judging from the usual organs of informa-
tion, he did not believe there was anything like such a
unanimity of feeling upon the subject.—(Hear, hear.) He
protested against the question being treated as if it were
Merely one as to the propriety of promoting the recreation
or instruction of the people—the importance of which he did
not at all undervalue.—( Hear, hear.) And he begged the
House to recollect that the Government had shown no indis-
position to give that subject the fairest consideration. The
Commissioners had arrived at the conclusion that the build-
ing ought not to be retained; and the House were in posses.;
Bion of the reasons by which they had reached that conclu-
sion, . In that conclusion he entirely concurred, and he should
certainly vote against the present motion, the fate of which
lee hoped would finally decide the question.—(Hear.)
• Mr. G. CAVENDISH said if any pledge had been given it
Was given to the public; and he contended that the vast
' Lumber of petitions in favour of the retention of the building
Proved that the people were ready to dispense with the per-
lOrmance of the promise.
Mr. MACGREGOR rose amid loud cries of " Oh, oh," and
" Divide." Whatever might be the opinion of that House,
. the opinion out of doors was that the building should not
.be taken down.—(Oh, oh, and Divide.) If the building
were pulled down without the consent of the people, a tres-
pass would be committed on the right• of the public.-
-(Laughter, and Oh, oh.) If the House should decide on re-
Moving, the Crystal Palace it would prove itself guilty of
barbaric Vandalism.—(Laughter, and Divide.)
ViscountPALMERSTON said—l am anxious to state
the, reasons why I will give my vote infavour of the motion
-ef My Hon. Fieend.—(Cheers.) Sir, I think no man who
Went to see the Exhibition of last year could fail to be
,struck, that, however wonderful and worthy of admiration
Were the multitude of objects of industry and art contained
in that Exhibition, there was nothing within the building
compared with it as an object of admiration.—(Cheers.)
And I *could not help regretting that a building so extra-
ordinary—for there is nothing like it in the world to
compare :with it—should be pulled down. I think that
-"sentiment must also have inspired every man who,
since the close of that:Exhibition, passed by that won-
derful structure. I fancy that every man must have felt
a wish that some purposes could be found which could be
safely applied for its permanent endurance.—(Hear, hear.)
Now I must say that many of the purposes which have been
stated appear to show that the buckling might be converted
into a place which would benefit the community at large.
Hundreds and thousands of our countrymen enjoyed
amuse-
ment and instruction from the inspection of the
ox-
bibited in that building, and I cannot myself see the reason
why it is.not possible to make it the scene of future exhibi-
tions, sot so extensive, but calculated to yield the means of
instruction to the various classes of society. Ido not con-
fine myself to the humbler classes; but I think it might
afford amusement and instruction to all classes, high and low.
There may be difficulties on this question, and one of them
arises from a pledge given that the building should be pulled
down. Now, the Noble Lord admitted that if the demand
Upon the part of the public were strong, that objection would
not have weight. Whether public feeling was unanimous or
hot is a matter of doubt. Other persons thought that an-
other site would be better adapted for the erection of the
building. That is a matter for inquiry. Therefore it ap-
pears to me that not only those who spoke in favour of this
motion, bat those who spoke against it, all tend to the same
tasn.e,eltesion, viz.—that the subject is of sufficient interest to
b‘ll, inquiry, and therefore that the proper course would
Lo refer it to a Select Committee, so that the House might
'sve fuller and more ample grounds fork ts discussion.
e Lord SEYMOUR could assure the House that with regard
o this building he had no other feeling in the matter than
a desire fairly to fulfil the engagement into which as a mem-
ber of the late Government he had entered.—(Hear, hear.)
'e
Would not refer to the speeches wade iu 1830, but if ho
,id, l
they would show that unless a promise were given to
remove this building after the Exhibition closed, the building
The
never have been allowed to be erected.—(Hear,
ittie position he (Lord Seymour) then occupied necessarily
raPlieated him more than any other individual. He had an
application made to him by a body of gentlemen who had in-
Vested a large amount in house property in that locality;
pad when they told him they feared an excitement would be
tot 11P—petitions being easily manufactured—and every
emus used to retain the building, he (Lord Seymour) re-
red, that they had the strongest pledge they could have—
bearletY, the character of the nobility, that such should not
the calm; therefore the nobility were .pledged to the re-
V"eval of the building. The case of these gentlemen was
is :—Sestne years since, the House might remember, there
tool '
alow range of buildings where Prince's Gate
now stood' The Government was anxious to remove
hem, but the cost was very great. A number
°lre gentleman joined with Government, and the
property was finally purchased. Now he asked the House
pee it fair, after these gentlemen had subscribed some
locality,
and expended it in building and improving the
ciliese"tY7 that that House should turn round and block up
t
e's very luiuses?—(Hear, hear.) Such a transaction
could be • decidedly dishonest, and such as no individual
Member of that House would be guilty of on his own private
property—(Hear, hear.) He (Lord Seymour) could not
derstand the consistency of the Earl of Carlisle in doing
ieealreetly what he did not wish to do openly.—(Hear,
;Pet) Though the Commissioners were well affected towards
eu retention of the building, he yet should say they were
benche compromised by their architect and secretary.—(hear,
hear.) ' Sir Joseph Paxton had sent round the entire
l'eeemeetry a 'pee of alarm, in order to defeat the object of
the uommissioners' obligation.—(Hear, hear.) Sir Joseph
Ileum complained that his evidence before the Corn-
eeiesionere was not sent to him as . in the case of others.
Now when he (Lord Seymour) saw that statement he in-
quired of the secretary what foundation there was for
It, and the secretary replied that "he could make a decla-
ratione of his having sent a copy of his own evidence to Sir
_roseph Paxton."— (Cries of" Hear, hear.") Sir Joseph
Paxtotrenbsequently admitted that, instead of 12,0001. per
year, it would cost 20,000/. to maintain the building; He
understood now that the building was to be self-supporting.
Be had made in
the building wgittrY, and had learned from Mr. Cole that if
night as a place of recreation:
berself.suetaining it should be open at
pettin eation.e.-(Laughter, and Hear, hear.)
It was talked oe
tees ; but were these ftil
itteunder the management of trus..
parks? es of Sir Joseph Paxton to inter-
fere with the royal
, of
hear.) The edification
of the people bad been
the
ef
anxious to promote the edifi •: He (Lord Seymour) was
stem and education of the
people, and the House had alwaca
•
n tnutl thattb
ed ibduinl
building
reseveinced a similar disposi-
tion on proper occasions, but MP
--Tear, hear.) They had bee
great trade collegactpiwils;
admirably adapted for a
but, then, these trade collections
Hear, hear.)
generate into bazaars, which, ie wore apt aPt to de-
fered with shopkeepers and tradesmen.. turn, inter-
It hid been admitted by Mr. Cole that the —a
alecturebuildingme ti
11;11
batno t
warehouse until( Rear, better
seated for, the purpose of a museum or
that it would answer as a
eOlll4 be found. Now he (Lord Seymour) objected to
2,0 acres of the park with a .warehouse —(gear,
inested the House would persevere in rejecting
at once, and settle the question for ever.—sneer7Zet n
Mr. WAKLLY said the Noble Lord who had just sae down
aPpeared: to be actuated by very strong feelings on this
subject. ,A glass house, at all events, did not appear to be
irefil.leirelngd
fit plain for the Whigs.—(A. laugh.) He could not under-
Stand why the Crystal Palace should be immoral in Hyde.
peril- and moral in Battersea.--(Hear, and laughter). He
could not conceive, indeed, how such a building could lead
;es immorality anywhere. The Great Exhibition had done
'to bring into harmony the various peoples of the
World who had congregated there, and he altogether depre-
cated the destruction of the building, to which they all owed
so mach.
GEACH, amidst loud cries for a division, supported
me Motion
After few in from Lord J. M
le a words explanation
'ert dN -
S, ' •
Sir re
ese-PEcetzne and Mr. J. Eva vs supported the motion.
ti ter a few words from Lord SEYMOUR, also in explana-
ea-p in which he said that the inquiry to which he was a
Jeenly had reference to the applicability of the building
teeattpurposes, and did not at all touch the question of
r• esdeciseese
that Yea.. moved the adjournment of the debate until
. aY Week.
Sir
the
• PEEL said that his opinions against the retention
• `ue die mg had undergone a change.—(A laugh.) He
net: think old(' just:, the edifice was of that lasting character which
• thia.,
7 its permanent.retention, but his views generally
Duet.,
_ubject bad. become modified. He trusted that the
,shied faith of the Noble Lord (Seymour) would not prove
114aTeeelestacle to the retention of this edifice.—(A laugh.)
Pleeee!l"sle• as might be the admiesion, Parliamentary
eilanag;.nuefed not form any very formidable obstacle to a
be formed `opinion.—(Laughter Pledges, indeed, might
ketzt. and fashioned according to the caprice of the mo-
oeie. .I'o- -elm how easily faith was changed he need
be ••T Point .do the conduct of the Noble Lord the Mem-
feS Lot
n, who one day voted for and another day
lee_"The Alilitiaßill.—(Hear, hear, and laughter.) He
beeee Bete on supporting themotion for the Committee,
`4llse he
diet should
believed that by the maintenance of that build-
e ffaaie Y . be promoting the interest of the people, and
lebiehl§ tibeee a means of social and physical improvement
111 r, e 9 ought) a 8 far as possible, to endeavour to secure.
ter, and es for
Who rose amidst loud derisive cheers, laugh-
denyr th a division, said he believed no one could
Metropolis w4S- desirable that there should exist in this
a lar •°' art ge edifice devoted to the reception of objects
se, and of ip d
"eats if 'even th ° es of our mechanical skill. He hoped
rue edifice would at motion were rejected, the erection of such
. trEy‘,):lot be lost tight of.
" wuuD
was wee d replied. He thought that the pledge which
p— en ea
witheen • • given in that matter had been
-t-ey fairly dealt w
!.anowledged the bY the Earl of Carlisle, who had
cist, . -pledge, but hadadded that it would be
ri "Ise on the part
e lie Of the aristocracy to insist on
eltereees of • eYweod) should further that if the
tivert ally parties could be • observe,
UZI/ from that 1 injuriously affected by a
pledge, the
Proposed Committee would

I ;v~ L. .

be most ready to listen to their complaints, and even to
award them compensation if it could be reasonably claimed.
He preferred Hyde-park to Battersea-fields as a site for the
building; and he should, therefore, press his motion to a
division.
The House then divided, when there appeared—
For the motion
agliust it
Majority against the motion llB
• COLONEL OUTRAN.

Mr. ANSTEY moved for copies of the papers and corre-
spondence concerning the investigations made by Colonel
Outram, C. 8., into the existence of corrupt relations between
the Guicowar or his subjects and certain officers of the Bom-
bay Government; and also concerning the removal of the
said officer from his post of resident at Baroda.
Mr. HERRIES said that the lion. and Learned Gentleman
was entirely mistaken as to the groundwork of his motion.
Those documents that have been referred to had not as yet
come into the hands of the Government. The Court of
Directors had not as yet had time to deliberate upon the
case. It was, therefore, quite premature for the Hon. and
Learned Gentleman to make such a motion as the present.
The question was not in such a state as to be made a fit
subject for discussion in that House. When the documents
were received, and in such a state as they could be produced,
the Government weuld be ready to lay them before the
House.

Lord JOCELYN said that he considered the explanation
given by the Right Hon. Gentleman as satisfactory. He,
however, thought it was a question in which the honour of
the East India Company was deeply concerned. It was due
not only to the Company, but to the honour of the Gallant
Officer referred to, that these papers should be produced as
speedily as possible.
Sir J. HOGG defended the course pursued by the Bombay
Government in reference to the subject before the House.
He could not, however, be induced to enter into a discussion
of the matter.in the absenca of those papers which would
inform the House of the real facts of the case. The Hon.
Member had been told the documents had only arrived by
the last mail, and that some of them were under considera-
tion. After such a statement, he believed the Hon. Member
in proceeding with his motion had taken the course most
likely to produce the result he complained of. He felt called
upon positively to deny the assertion of the Hon. Member
that any of the civil or military servants of the East India
Company had either been accused or convicted of the cor-
ruption imputed to them. He had shown the Hon. Member
the passage in the letter of Colonel Outram, in which, alluding
to the fxt that corruption, had been imputed by the native
subordinate servants for their own purpose, he stated
that he had laboured to bring to punishment the indi-
viduals through whose means attempts had been made to
tarnish the name of the British Government, and that he
had brought those miscreants to merited punishment. With
regard to the case of the widow alluded to, it was one
of greater oppression than had ever occurred even is the
East. The child, which was said to be spurious, was taken
from her, and died; but it was not murdered, and she was
deprived of her fortune. Colonel Outram, on hearing the
rumours that had been raised, instituted an inquiry, and
had the individuals who raised them signally punished, the
principal delinquent having been sentenced to eight years'
imprisonment. The woman was restored to her caste—the
injury she had sustained was proclaimed, and all was done
that could be done by Colonel Outram, whose conduct had
received the approbation of the Bombay Government. He
had not yet had time to read the memorial, but the atten-
tion of the Court of Directors would be given to it. The
impression created by the remarks of the Hon. Member was
that the civil and military servants of the company had been
guilty of the corruption imputed to them. If the Hon.
Member had any such charges to make, he should make
them openly, and not by dark and vague insinuations.—
(Hear, hear.) If there was any scandal at all in the case it
was in casting imputations on men discharging their duty at
a distance. (Cheers.)
After a few words from Mr. Scholefield, Mr. Baillie, and
Mr. G. Thompson,

Mr. ANSTEY, in reply, said he was not the person to cast
an imputation on any one where he could not make a charge.
What he had said was that imputations had been cast on
officers of high rank in the Company's service, and that Colonel
Outram thought they were of so a grave a nature as to elll
for an inquiry. After hearing the statement of the lion.
Gentleman he should not press his motion to a division.
The motion was then by leave withdrawn.
➢ir. ANSTEY next moved, " That it be an instruction to
the Select Committee on Indian Territories that they do ex-
amine Colonel Outram, C. 8., touching the alleged corruption
of officers of the Bombay Government with bribes from
Baroda."

Mr. HERRIE3 hoped the Hon. Member would sea that
this motion also ought to be withdrawn. The House was
not in the habit of giving instructions to a Committee which
had been appointed for a specific purpose, unless some docu-
ments or facts were first laid upon the table which justified it
in doing so.
Mr. G. THOINIPSON thought that the circumstances
which had been stated in connexion with the name of
Colonel Outram constituted a sufficiet reason for the motion.
Mr. HERRIES said that it was no doubt within the
scope of the instructions to the Committee that they might
undertake the investigation of this subject, inasmuch as it
had been referred to them to consider the mode of adminis-
tration of all the affairs of India, and he dared to say there
would be no disinclination on their part to investigate any
subject which was of public interest. But as the Committee
had power to take this course if they thought right, it was
quite unnecessary for this House to instruct them further,
unless some particular facts and documents had been laid
before the House to warrant it in taking such a step.
The SPEAKER said the Committee had full power, under
the order issued by the House, to take the subject referred to
in the motion into their consideration; but no rule of the
House could be clearer than this that no instructions could
be given to a Committee to do that which they could do
without such instructions,

Mr. ANSTEY, after the statement of the Right ion,
Gentleman, would not press his motion to a division.
The motion was then by leave withdrawn.
FRIENDLY SOCIETIES.

Mr. SOTHERON moved the appointment of a Select Com-
mittee to inquire into the operation of the law relating to
friendly societies. He trusted it the House acceded to his
motion, that tho roeult of tho inquiry would be to put the
House in possession of such a body of evidence as would ma-
terially assist it in placing these popular institutions on a
just and proper footing.
After some conversation the motion was agreed to.
On the motion of Lord J. MANNERS, leave was given to
bring in a Bill, intituled, " An Act for Registering Births,
Deaths, and Marriages in England."
On the motion of Mr. AGLIONBY for the third reading
of the Enfranchisement of Copyholds Bill,
Sir J. STRICKLAND moved that the Bill be read that
day three months.

After some discussion the hotise was ordered to be cleared
for a division, but the amendment was withdrawn, and the
Bill was read a third time and passed.
The Friendly Societies (Salaries and Expenses) Bill was
passed through Committee.
The Repayment of Advances (Ireland) Bill was read a
third time.
The Episcopal and Capitalar Revenues Bill was brolight'in
and read a first time.
Adjourned at One o'clock. •

Colonel Clifford paired off in favour of the retention of the
Crystal Palace, With Sir Charles Douglas against.

DOUSE OF LORDS, April 29.
Lord REDESDALE presided in the absence of the Lord
Chancellor.

CRYSTAL PALACE.

The Marquis of NOR,MANBY presented several peti-
tions in favour of the retention of the Crystal Palace.
The Noble Marquis added that he dissented from the
prayer of the petition, considering that such a step would
involve a breach of public faith.
INSPECTION OF NUNNERIES.
The Earl of RODEN presented petitions from several
places in Scotland praying for a measure to place
nunneries under Government superintendence.
GENERAL ROSAS.
Earl GRANVILLE rose to put a question to the
Noble Lord at the head of Foreign Affairs as to what
his Lordship termed the extraordinary honours which
he saw by the public papers had been paid to General
Roses on his arrival at Plymouth on Monday last. He
wished to know whether these honours had been paid to
General Roses in accordance with official instruction.
The Earl of MALMESBURY said that until he
had that morning received a communication from the
Noble Earl he had not heard a word on the
subject of his reception. Certainly no order had pro-
ceeded from the Foreign-office, and he might say from
the Treasury. The only communication which the
Government had had with General Rosas was to
ask leave to resido in this country as quietly as
possible as a private individual. He could not, there-
fore, tell why the authorities had received Gene-
ral Roses in the manner they had, except it was
from a very natural feeling which animated them, to
show kindness to one whose conduct in his own country
had always been of the most kindly disposition
towards British merchants. That certainly was a feel-
ing which he could not blame, because, though we might
not be able to pity the fate 'which his own conduct had
brought upon him, yet, as he came to this country as a
fugitive, and seeking an asylum, it certainly was not the
time to remind him of his faults, and to seek to visit them
on him.
ThaTho
EMararelott s of CLANRICARDE inquired if there
had been
Rosaea
c,ff any Twf
iehAaozittryseEosartßdceuhrainysdansdaeuildt yto pass Genera)
any great amount of
aware, but it was?that he was not
mistake to suppoe probable. It was, however, a
at General Roses was possessed of
e tvry
wealth; the fact was that he had
sleet poverty.
in a state of
fled to this country almcfst destitute, and
Eln answer to a Nout,E'L
The Duke of NoßTti.",9an,
particular order bad auaII3ERLAND said that no
General Roses on board'a'l32Bued for the reception of
was a general order to tale all
h mrinsof-war, but there
the lives of those who might bemeans possible to save
ger.—(Hear, hear.) placed in imminent dan-
Lord BEAUMONT said that while the
subject he would take the opportunity of uttt:nr eon this
tion to the Noble Lord relative to the ramouredgtra ques-
tion of Monte Video by the Brazilian troops •
and whe-
ther that occupation was merely intended as a temporary
any
matter of police, or was likely to 'be attended by -
important political results.
The Earl of MALMESBURY said he believed it was
correct that there had been such an occupation, and that
Monte Video was now in the possession of the Brazilian
troops. He was informed, however, by the Brazilian
*
Minister that this occupation was only intended as a
temporary measure.
The subject then dropped.
EXCHEQUER BILLS' BILL.
This Bill passed through Committee.
SHEEP CONTAGIOUS DISORDERS PREVEN-
TION BILL.
This Bill also passed through Committee.
SANITARY CONDITION OF THE METROPOLIS.

he
the raotropoits
tElia3trithoef-SsalinAXEeSo of to
move
a'
reso-
lution T
re-
quires the immediate attention and interposition of her
Majesty's Government. He would then proceed to state to
their Lordships the consequences of the present condition of
the many thousands, both in a moral and sanitary point of
view. lie believed that, if legislation did not interfere, the
Australian Emigration-office, before long, would take the
very flower and vigour of their rural population, whilst the
remainder would flow into the towns, where they were cer-
tain to undergo the
.deteriorating process, until premature
old age took them oil, in many instances leaving a sickly and
useless offspring.—(Hear, hear.) The population of this
metropolis, as also of all great towns, depended altogether on
provincial supply. The census of 1851—not yet fully pre-
pareci—would exhibit wore striking rat than thole of
•

0 1841. No great town could sustain its population from its
own resources. The population of the metropolis was sus-
; tained by immigration from the rural parts, which, if diverted
; away, the population would become extinct in a very few
years. In the parish of St. Luke, by the census of 1841, the
number of those bora in country as compared with those
born in the parish was 81 par cent. ; in St. Giles's, 42;
Marylebone, 5 Pancras,
Lambeth,39 ; Kennington,at ;
Newington, a 3 London,4s.
In
40 ; Westminster,l;
atblienotsotwedv,erby iatnsitaanctbee hcatailf
ntthr:sre..poipau• i‘laiatidocuawesatesrntobtebeournt-eifn-
town births, as compared with the town, were 35 per
cent ; and in Liverpool, 44. As regarded the mortality,
very' much the same might be said. So that with mortally
to such an extent, simultaneous with the.emigration drain,
there could be no doubt that the result would be as stated---
a tvery
beenc on s i de ra b
remarkedl
buyc t
ai onn a
mi
ntehnet mu.aataotiantt otfb
ap
to piu, 111 itobne.
Imetropolis were surrounded-with .a wall of brass, so as to ex-
. elude all ingress, the . population would become extinct in
some 20 years." It was, therefore, for their Lordships to
consider the Matter' otherwise the result might be a positive
scarcity as regarded all the great civil, social, industrial, and
military purposes of the country. By the return of the Re-
gistrar-General it appeared that the deaths in the first six
years between 1840 and 185 both included, were of scarlet
fever 9,872, whilst in the second six years they reached
11,798. The deaths by diarrhoea in the first six years of
the same period were 4,200, and in the . second six years
13,659. Of scrofula, in the first six years, 3,098 ; in the
second six years, 7,016; and these were altogether inde-
pendent of the deaths resulting from cholera. By the report
of last year it would be seen that there were received from
all parts of the metropolis 877 cases of fever; and of these
there came from one side . alone of Gray's Inn-lane 211
cases. One house in that lane had 12 eases, and another
20 cases ; so that Gray's Inn-lane alone furnished
one-fourth' of the mass of disease in that year. In the
towns of Cheshire and Lancashire, which were also fed
from the country districts, the mortality was even greater
than in London. In Lancashire there was an excess of
deaths over births, and the same might occur in London.
These evils are conimed • to great' towns, and were sure to
exist in thickly-populated districts, where sanitary arrange.
ments did not prevail. In the towns of York and Selby
mortality had been very great of late years; and here in the
metropolis—where parties crowded in courts and alleys,
having neither water nor drainage—hundreds imbibed
disease and death.—(Hear,
_hear.) Let them look at the
present state of our intramural 'interments. He believed it
was universally' admitted that that was an execrable
practice; and yet, nevertheless,. it was continued, and was
still decimating 2,000,000 of her Majesty's subjects. Recent
inquiries proved that those graveyards were exhaling an
amount of mephitic gas which was most pernicious to all
who came within reach of it. It should be recollected that
those masses of dead bodies not only poisoned the air, but
pervaded the soil, and tainted the supplies of water.
Sir James Macgregor, who. had attended the army in
Spain, gave an illustration of the mode in which the de-
composition of dead bodies affected the health of the
living. He said, that on one occasion about
20,000 bodies had been interred in the space of two or
three months, and that the remit had been, that
the troops who had remained in the neighbourhood
had been generally attacked by fever and dysentery.
In this metropolis there were annually interred, in a space
of 218 acres, not less than 50,000 bodies. In Bunhill-fields,
one of the oldest of our graveyards, which consisted of an
area of less than four acres, there had been interred, according
to a register which had been very imperfectly kept, between
the years 1713 and 1832, not less than 107,461 human bodies.
In the ground attached to St. Pancras Church, of which one-
half had been used as a' burial place for at least six cen-
turies, there had been deposited-the remains of more than
twenty generations; and assuming thirty Years as the life-
time of each generation, there must have been interred there'
1,500,000 dead bodies. He would next pass to the question
of drainage. Many portions of the metropolis were most im-
perfectly drained, or had no system of drainage whatever. In
the neighbourhood of Whitechapel, and in several other dis-
tricts, it was easy to find by the smell the ill effects of the detec-
tive arrangements upon that subject. A survey had been made
of what might be called the subterranean works of London
and the result of that
_survey would, he felt assured, startle
any one who might be made acquainted with it, because it
revealed the portentous danger to which we all, and more
especially the poorer classes, were exposed, from the presence
of an intense and deadly.poison in our atmosphere. It ap-
peared from that subterranean survey that there was accu-
mulated in undrained cesspools in this metropolis an amount
of matter which would cover an. area of 700 acres to the
depth of six inches. From these cesspools there was neces-
sarily thrown out every moment an enormous amount of
mephitic gas.. Many of the cesspools were under houses, and
Some of them were only separated by a boarding from rooms
in which nine or ten persons spent a large portion of the day
and slept by night. But it would be impossible they coule
have a good system of drainage unless they had a good sup-
ply of water. The great subject of complaint on that head
was the defective distribution of the water. There were
resultsa r
forw a s
health.
thousands of people who had no water at all, except what
they fetched from a considerable distance, But an abun-
dant
of the
not only
of.dofarn t
the
cleanliness
ssupply
beneficial. a
bwn instanceAsconatnrary
prac-
tice, of affording people an abundant supply of
water, he would refer to what had happened in the city of
Hamburgh. Not many years ago a large portion of that
city had been burnt down; and those who had been.charged
with its re-construction had shown the most earnest and en-
lightened desire to make the best possible provisions for the
health and comfort of the inhabitants. They had sent over
here for an engineer who might have the most complete ac-
quaintance with the principles affecting the sanitary condi-
tion of the people, and they had resolved on entrusting to
him the management of the supply of water in their city.
Mr. Lindley had accordingly gone over to Hamburgh, and
he had taken the necessary measures for supplying every
room, from the bottom to the top of every house, in that city
with a constant and unlimited flow of water, at a cost to each
occupier of something under a penny a week. And what
had been the result of that supply of water in Hamburgh?
Why, it appeared from a statement of the medical men
of that city, that since that supply had been furnished
cutaneous disorders, which had previously been cow-
men among the working classes, had become almost
entirely unknown. The supply of water in London was
of a far more unsatisfactory character. He had him-
self visited a court here. to which a flow of water was fur-
nished at irregular intervals, and where the inhabitants
had been in the habit of losing hours in waiting for it,
until they had at length stationed an old woman at the
top of the court and paid her sixpence a week for giving
them notice when the supply should have begun to flow, and
when that time arrived the people rushed to fill with the
water every variety of vessel.— (Hear, hear.) He said that
such a state of things was a disgrace not only to this
country but to the age in which we lived; and he hoped
their Lordships would not allow the session to close without
recording their anxiety to remedy those evils. The
city of Paris stood in a ,much better position in that
respect than Loudon. The late King, Louis Phi-
lippe, had de%oted much time and • attention to
that subject; he had
.got a turncock placed •at the corner
of almost every street in Paris, and the water which was
so supplied had previously_ been well filtered • As far as
the supply of water was concerned, the people of Paris
. . condition than a
were fully fifty per cent. in a better large
portion of the inhahitante of London. He would next
proceed to consider the state of our courts and alleys, and the
general condition of the dwellings of the poorer classes in the
metropolis. In the year 1848 a survey of those dwellings had
been made in anticipation of the coming cholera; and Mr.
Grainger had made a report,. after having conducted that in-
quiry. From that report it appeared that according to the
uniform testimony of medical men, the dwellings of the in-
dustrious classes in the metropolis were in a most deplorable
condition.; that they were filthy, ill-drained, ill-ventilated,
and deficient in every arrangement demanded. by decency,
health, and comfort ; and that, there prevailed in them ex-
treme misery, sickness, and mortality. According to the
evidence of Mr. Lloyd, a surgeon, the interior of
those houses were in a.. most neglected condition,
and were filled with an impure atmosphere; and there were
cases in which as many as ten persons slept in one room.
Then there was the state of that famous place called
" Jacob's Island," in which the houses were built over a
stagnant pool, from which the inhabitants drew their sup-
ply of water. There were
.several other districts which
.sere hardly better circumstanced;. and it was no wonder
that the cholera should have ravaged such . districts. Let
him show them the effect of even a slight attempt at re-
medying those evils. In one of those districts the parish
engine had been brought to bear, for.the purpose of cleansing
it; and when the sewers and. cesspools had been emptied,
and lime-wash had been applied, the cholera had instantly
abated. There was another place called Tindal's-buildings,
in Gray's Inn-lane, which was well deserving of notice, be-
cause it exhibited almost all the evils to which he was refer-
ring. He had received last year a statement with respect
to the condition' of that locality so stroug, that he
had thought it desirable to visit it himself. He
had gone there with Dr. Southwood Smith ; and he
could state that what they had seen there had far exceeded
anything it would be in his power to describe- That was
the more remarkable, because it was a place which at first
sight would not strike. one /le being peculiarly filthy and
unwholesome. It was a narrow court, with..a tolerably
clean pavement ; and it was (nab, on. going into the houses
that one saw the length and breadth. of all the misery and
mischief there. In one, of those houses not less than twenty
cases of cholera had occurred. He would state the condi-
tion of a single house, which was by no means one of the
worst. The interior was dirty, filled with a foul stench from
a cesspool; the floor of the cellar,which was below the level
of the main sewer, could not bp drained, and to remedy that
a hole had been dng, which was tilled with impurities that ;
could only be removed by baling them out. Some of the
houses had been in so filthy a condition that it had been
utterly impossible for him to examine them, because he
could not, even fur one moment, have endured the intensity
of the horrible stench within them. He believed those
were fair representative cases, and he would undertake to
show that what he had stated with respect to those houses
was true with respect, not to -100 or 200, but with respect
to 1,000 or 2,000 houses in the metropolis, and with
respect to the condition of several. hundreds of
thousands of its inhabitants. There were other nui-
sances equally great and detrimental. In some of
the densest portions of. London numbers of works
were carried on of the most filthy and pestilential character.
There-were, for instance, in Lambeth the bone-boiling fac-
tories; there were the lay-stalls in Whitechapel ; and there
were in Bethnal-green the night -yards and places where ha-
-man ordure was manufactured into manure for exportation,
All these processes very prejudicially affected the health of
people living in the neighbourhood where they were carried
on. He had frequently heard complaints made of those nui-
sances, and made in terms calculated to excite one's com-
passion. He had seen in Bethnal-green a large pond, about
an acre in extent, into which the cesspools of a great portion
of the neighbourhood were emptied, and which presented an
enormous exhaling surface; and the complaints made by
persons exposed to that nuisance were perfectly heart-rend-
ag-; A labouring man had at one time fallen into that pond;
bury) that
although the poor man could not have
remained in it more
broughs out than a second, he had been
of the poisonous quite dead, so powerful had been the effect
such as lie hads gases he must have inhaled. Factories
they ought not toeslieribellt might be necessary; but
populous districts. —(gear,
bowed to stand in the centre of
suddenly occurred in these ear.) Outbreaks of disease had
wind having changed and istrif? in consequence of the
or 50 children bad in that blownway beenom these factories, and 40
night. Many of these disgusting struck down in one
they not by Englishmen but by foreigners,proces s were carried on,
because in ne other capital in Europe wouldw had come here
to establish thein.—(Hear, hear.) Then tbeey;e was the
be allowed
smoke nuisance, which he believed might be put
an
with advantage to all parties. A person had teldbim tendba
to
°
by consuming his smoke ho saved not less than 3001. aeart
It was impossible to go among the poorer classes and to see
them in their dwellings. without being struck with the per-
nicious effects—moral, social, and physical—produced by
these evils. In their moral effect they created discontent,
exasperation of spirit, recklessness, indifference to cleanliness
and to order, and extravagance. Hundreds and thousands,
male and female, Young and old, were driven to the gin-palace
and the pot-house by the want of domestic comforts ; and those
parties should hot be visited with too severe a condemna-