The Sun.
London, England, 1852-02-12 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

ROUSE OF COaLTIONS, Feb. 11.
(Continued from our Afternoon Edition of yesterday.)
AtTSILOUTLI AND GOSPORT WATERWORKS
BILL
_ _

Me. GEACH moved the second reading of this Bill.
Si- F. BARING opposed the motion, on the ground
teat the Bill interfered with the local board of health,
who had powers conferred upon them to supply the
teems 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. Lie bad charge of a peti-
tion, signed by all the influential inhabitants of Ports-
mouth, preying 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 wee connected whh 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 compensatioa
from the Board of Health, who were empowered to
make the compulsory purchase of existing waterworks.
Sir G. STAUNTON also opposed the Bill.
Mr. RUME thought the House would do right to
;Aegean(' the motion for the second reading.
Lord EBRINGTON hoped the Howe would not
pass the Bill, especially after the statement of Sir F.
Baring.
The amendment was egreed to, and the Bill was con-
several? thrown out.
WEXFORD HARBOUR IMPROVEMENT.
This Bill was read a second time.
EXCHEQUER-BILLS. /a
The House then went into a Committee of Supply-
Mr. C. LEWIS moved a vote of 17,742,800/. in Ex-
chequer-bills.
Mr. HUME 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, in 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.
Mr. C. LEWIS said the absence of the Chancellor of
the Exchequer was owing to his attendance being re-
quired at a Cabinet Council.
Mr. W. WILLIAMS thought the Howse 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.
Tho 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 ventilatian
of the House. He observed that the subject was of
vary great importance coeaaaering the wear
3-"Z1, tear which the constitution of a con-
siderable per-centago 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
railway 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 most 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 he taken to improve the at-
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 ()sing
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
ego 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 eff-cted 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
scarcely 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.—
(Loud 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 t wo degrees.—(Hear.) Tne strangers'
gallery was one of the most 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 was that the lights contracted 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.—(Loul 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 be would call them—who so
ably reported the debates.—(Hear, hear.) The an-
noyance 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 bird-cage 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 for them to brea•he. Their convenience
h been sacrificed to Mr. Barry's ideas of the
Gothic, as if they were to be bricked up like ladies in a
monastery.—(Laughter.) Dr. Reid told him that he bad
no persoual quarrel with Mr. Barry, and that their only
difference had reference to questions of sc'enec.. But
ecience was no reason why Members should at one time be
roasted, at another boiled, and another frozen.—
(Laughter.) Therefore, on behalf of Members and the
public, he called upon the House to entrust the ventila-
tien, warming, and lighting of the House, to one respoa-
sible person. The resolutions which he proposed were
three in number; first, that Dr. Reid be authorised to
complete such 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 Huse, with
an estimate of the probable expense, stating
especially what plan he proposed for lighting the
in4tice—(Loud cries of " Hear. ') [We may as well
the reporters' gallery is very great, owing to its close
cent • igutty to the lamps, continually thrown a strong draft of cold air is
behind
OR down from some apertures
Their positioa e heads and backs of the reporters.
tion is extremeerer the present system of ventila-
experience is conCr
unpleasant, and as far as our
observations which felld we are inclined to
fort e
from the Hon. Member
Mid-
dlesex on the subjset.
The resolutions having b
Sir J. PAKINGToNneeM Pot,
Litre would cordially second
the motion of the Hon. Mern
was very much hadebted to
helatHe thought the House
for the praiseworthy
and able manner in whiclgir,a. hrad inquired into the
matter. There was very treason for the entire
peared t:o be
system of ventilation being eeahvd
The Hon. Mem-
".)wbsutehPe
Could
not
conceive
to.
her had said the wind
Couldnebeeiveunder
evade the window-tax,
char,ed
what sort of window-tax windows
with duty which gave no ligt.—(A
auhter.)
laugh.)
The windows were the first he had ever seen which gave
more light at night than in the day time.---(L
Sir J. Pakington bore testimony to the excellent
venti-
lation of the old House of Commons, and said
he saw no reason why the new one should
not be placed under the same management.—(Hear
.)
Lord SEYMOLTR at once admitted that both the ven_
tilation and the lighting of the House were exceedingly
defective, but he had personally- had nothing to de with
the arrangements since November last. It was impos-
sible, however, to place the whole of the building under
the control of Dr. Reid, because the House of Lords was
already in the hands of Mr. Barr;. This House. how-
ever, was under the charge of Dr. Reid, and for the
pu-pose of carrying out his
plans two less than 57,8001.
had been expended, besides an annual expenditure of
1,300/. for Dr. Reid's Previous
stalf.—(Elear, hear.)
to the meeting of the House this sesaion, Dr. Reid in-
formed him that the machinery which had been erected
under his superintendence were 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
proposed system of ventilation was this—he collected
the air at the summit of the clock tower, which was
carried down to chambers nine feet below the level
of the Thames, and he doubted much whe-
ther the air which passed through such a
channel could be such as the House ought to breathe.
The lighting of the corridors had been altered and the
closing of the chambers had been carried out as Dr.
mid suggest-A, but the matter of ventilation, as pro-
ter, by Dr. Reid, was of such a complicated charae.
r, that he doubted h 12 it could be accomplished.
--(Rear,
hear.)
et Cr
to ear.) The question, however, for the House '
consider
(Hato., hewas, what should be done for the future.--
ansuse ar) If they placed the library as well as the
under the control of Dr. Reid, it would in-
v't,lve the
in cperation sacrifice of the machinery already
expenditure of nrl4r Mr. Barry, and a very large
tilecing this bPial-le2..l%n°Y.—(llc'er, hear.) For ven-
gethar expended 204'0 er. Barry and Dr. Reid had to-
to decide whether the' °I-11; and it was now for the House
extravagant course. Yaille°l-11d still proceed in the same
tree House sanctioned tees la hear.) He hoped before
ire pers e resolutions they would call ,
some independent
that 011 to det,qmine what ought to
be done ; and with
down.—(Hear.) recommendation he would sit ,
Mr. DRUMMOND contended
l that all the
ement
chamber;
under 4
manag This question was
an
st t az
hc
eh ell
eouusgeh
ittsoe alf.—icieeda
rudr the same
,
not so difficult as
Dr. Reid and
w
mass it, but he believed architects
fivarryished
nothing wha
the
to
-
reheme4mended
av that
ever of ventilation, and therefore
ventilation should be placed in the
he man who thoroughly understood tae by rain scien'
Mr. BOOKER suggested that Sir Ile -"nY Do
Wolhtahte British Museum, should be cello • aßecht,
ought to be done. La to decide