The Sun.
London, England, 1852-06-17 00:00:00

'matt VlVitton

SUN OFFICE, Seven o' ClocA.

TA TTERSALL'S.—T HIS EVENING.
Six o'cLocx.
_ _

Nothing doing.

IMPERIAL PA RLIAAIEN T,

(THIS DAY.)

HOUSE OF LORDS;

The Royal Assent was this afternoon given, by Corn
Mission, to the following Bills:
it:lulu:tip Duties (Ireland) Continuance.
Turnpike Roads (Ireland).
clamation for Assembling Parliament.
Law of Wills Amendment.
*ll,gistration of Births, Deaths, and Marriages.
Apprehension of Deserters from Foreign Ships.
Law of Evidence (Scotland).
Public) Works.
Kennington Common, &c., Impronment.
Belfast Custom House.

Sixty other Bills, of a local and private nature, also
received the Royal assent.
The Lords Commissioners were th© Lord Chancellor,
the Marquis of Salisbury, and Earl Fortescue.

The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat on the Woolsack
at Five o'clock.

MR. MATHER'S CASE.

Lord BEAUMONT gave notice that he should, on
'Monday next, call tho attention of the House to the
c.‘rrespond3rica which had been lately laid on the table,
:dative to the recent assault on Mr. Mather, at Florence.
The Earl of HARROWBY presented a petition from
the Chamber of Commerce, at Liverpool, praying for
an amendment in the Passengers' Act.
Lord BROUGHAM presented a petition in favour of
copyhold enfranchisement.
The 'Bishop of WINCHESTER presented a number
petitions against the Maynooth grant.
-I;CGLESIASTICAL COURTS
_(CRIMINAL) JU-

RISDICTION BILL.
Lord WODEHOUSE moved the second reading o,
'this Bill.
The Bishop of SALISBURY opposed the Bill. He
illowed that reforms were necessary, and professed him-
desirous of seeing them carried into effect, but he
did not think this Bill calculat:A to bring about any re-
t-Tm. He thought, in dealing with this subject in a
fragmentary manner, they might trench upon principles
which it was desirable to maintain intact. The Right
Rev. Prelate concluded by moving that this Bill be read
a second time this day six months.
Lord CAMPBELL rose and was
(LEFT SPEAKING.)

HOUSE OF COMMONS.
The SPEAKER. took the Chair at Twelve o'clock.
PRIVATE BUSINESS.
The Lords' amendments to the Blackburn and Preston
Road and Bridge, and the Preston and Garstang Road
Bills were considered and agreed to.
BRITISH ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH COM.
PAN Y'S BILL.
On the motion for the third reading of this Bill,
Mr. BERNAL called attention to the fact that an
amendment had been introduced into the Bill, for in-
creasing shares from 101. to 201, and suggested that the
House ought to lay down some rule by which Commit.
tee 3 should be guided in questions relating to the liability
a shareholders in joint-stock companies.
Lord HO num said the Committee and all the par-
ties to the Bill had consented to the alteration.
Mr. B. DENISON said the question of limited
liability was far too important to be disposed of hastily,
and he hoped the Houso would require that it should
be investigated by a Committee betore they moved in
the matter.
Mr. WALPOLE was also of opinion that the question
ought to be reserved for a future occasion.
The Bill was then read a third time and passed, as
were
Hawkins's Divorce.
Grar.d Junction Waterwotk3.
6oe.thwark and Vauxhall Water Company.
PETITIONS.
_ _ _

Mr. C. BRUCE presented a petition from a place in
the county or E!gin, against the Maynooth grant.
Sir J. Y. BULLER presented a petition from 1,194
cccupiers of land in the county of Devon, praying the
House to take steps to secure the guano trade of Lobos.
Lord JOHN MANNERS presented a petition from
North Shields, complaining that railway companies do
not furnish lights, and praying the House to remedy
the evil.
Mr. SCOTT presented a petition from Roxborough,
nraying the House to take steps to secure the guano
trade.

METROPOLIS WATER SUPPLY BILL.

Lord JOHN MANNERS, in moving the committal
et' this Bill, intimated that the Bill as it now stood was
isite Bill introduced by his predecessor in office, as
emended by a Committee, and the Government did not
hold itself responsible for all its provisions, but it
eeknowleged the principle of Government control, and
with those principles Government perfectly concurred.
Mr. MO WATT said this was a question of vital im-
nortance to the metropolis, and as the Bill was exceed-
ingly defective he must move that it be committed this
day three months. The omissions in the Bill ,were
most extraordinary, while it had been dealt with in a
eery restricted manner. The whole question of water
supply had not been referred to a Select Committee, but
this particular Bill had been investigated by a Com-
mittee who felt that all they had to dispose
of was simply to decide whether or no the
13i11 was such as the House ought to pass.
The public, therefore, was not heard before
that Committee, and the consequence was their interests
had been neglected. What was it that the public had
been so long complaining of ? Why, first, it was the
source whence their water was supplied; secondly, the
mode of distribution; and, thirdly, the price. The third
objection was of minor importance compared with the
two first, but he was sorry to say that this Bill removed
none of the objections. The question of supply as against
the Thames had long ago been settled; all the authori-
ties who had written or spoken upon the point, with only
two exceptions, concurred in stating that the Thames
es aid not be safely used as a source of supply.
Dr. Conyers Smith had, at the instance of the
Government, examined the quality of the water in the
Thames, not only in the neighbourhood of the metro-
polis, but above bridge as far as its source, and he was
satisfied that it was saturated with decayed animal
and vegetable matter, that no filtering process could
r ender it fit for human consumption, and yet this Bill
eoatinued this objectionable source of supply. Other
authorities of equal eminence, such as Dr. Hooper, Dr.
Harris, and Dr. James Johnson, and a great many
others were unanimous upon this point, but the evidence
taken before the Committee which sat upon this Bill
was of a very different character. It was paid for, and
the views of the parties from whom the fees were re-
ceived were supported by the witnesses. Besides all
the other impurities of the Thames water, no less than
sixteen grains of carbonate of lime were contained in
every gallon of it, showing thus that twenty-six
tons of carbonate of lime were contained in
every daily supply of water to the metropolis.
It was estimated that three to four millions of money
were lost to the inhabitants of London annually in con-
sequence of the hardness of this water, which rendered
necessary three-fifths more soap and tea than would be
required under other circumstances. Hops, malt, and
dyes, and every other article which was to be
held in solution in water were likewise affected
by the hardness of the Thames water. When
the consumption of these articles had so much effect
upon the comfort and well-being of the people, he
thought the House ought to do something to cure the
evil. No less than 15,000 and 16,000 deaths in London
every year were attributed to preventable causes, and
the two main causes were an imperfect and impure sup-
Vy of water and bad drainage,
One reason, perhaps,
o the absence ore compreshensive system of legisla-
tion was the fact that between 70 and so Members were
leterested in water companies. r
et might he said in
reply to this, that a great number
of members were
al 10 concerned in railways; but there was this difference
between railway and water companies, the former were
,
generally in direct competition with each other, but
efece the termination of the great water struggle in 1817
the latter had divided and
parcelled oat the metropolis
as completely as it they were their own private domi-
rains. He next came to the consideration as to what
remedy was to be devised for securing a better supply
of water. The scientific gentlemen appointed by the
Beard of Health to consider the subject came to the
conclusion that we had within reach water which was
not only divested of every one of the vital objections
hick attached to the Thames, but could be intro-
deceit into Landon at a mere fraction of the ex.
Pause now paid for water. It was evident to com-
mon sense that it was much better to go, if Pos"
3iole, to the tops of hilts for water than to the
the bottom of valleys, which operated to a great extent
as main sewers to the surrounding country. If a per-
feet and pure supply of water were combined with a
complete system of drainage we might have water almost
for nothing, the manure which would in that case be ob-
tained from the sewers being sufficient to meet the whole
expenses; for it would be as valuable as that which was
brought at great cost from the South Sea Islands. He
considered that neither with regard to economy
nor sanitary regulations could the two branches—water
supply and sewerage—be dealt with separately. In re-
ference to the price of water, ho said the Bill gave power
to the company to make what he considered an exorbi-
tant charge. In fact, it proposed to tax the great bulk
of the metropolis at the rate of 5 per cent. on the rental
for a wretched and impure supply; whereas the Board of
Ilerilth stated that pure water from the best sources could
e supplied at 2d. a week to each house for domestic par-
es, and that including the cleansing of streets and the
tlsu..shing of sewers, &c., the charge would not be more than
d The House could not have the remotest idea of the op-
preisive powers, both in a pecuniary and other senses,
which the Bill gave to the company. It enabled them
to raise from a million to a million and a half, and he
ealcnlnted the metropolis would have to pay to them
abou'6 600,0001. a year. Besides that they had compule
sore/ powers to make every house have water from their
mi.the.—(Hear.) Under these circumstances he thought
it would be much better to submit to the existing
vents, terrible as they were, for the few months that
would intervene before the re-assembling of Parliament,
than to pass the present Bill, 1,
"'each, while it did not
deal with the monster evil, would have the injurious
effect of staving off sine die any legislation on the subject
of a comprehensive character. He should feel it his duty
to divide the House on the Bill.
Tho gallery was then cleared for a division, but none
'took place. On re-eutering the gallery we found