The Sun.
London, England, 1865-05-17 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT

HOUSE OF LORDS—LAST EVENING.
The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat on the woolsack at
the usual hour,

PRIVATE BUSINESS.
The following bills were read a second time ::---Rattray's
Estate; Wynne's 'Estate,yeald of Kent Railway, Gains-
borough Water, West .... Railway, and Farnham Gas.
The following bills were read a third time and passed—
Glasgow and South-Western Railway (Kilmarnock Direct),
Gosport Gas ; London, Brighton, and South Coast Railway
(St. Leonard's Line and Deviation), Rastrick Gas, Glasgow
and South-Western Railway (City of Glasgow Union).

SEWAGE UTILISATION BILL.
Lord RAVENSWORTH, in moving the second reading
of this bill, said that the object of the bill was of great im-
portance in a sanitary point of view, and he adverted to
the reports presented to Parliament as confirmatory of
that statement. The population of the metropolis was
increasing at a given ratio, and it was a natural
result that the sewage should also increase in a correspond-
ing degree. The reports presented in 1861 showed a fear-
ful state of the impurity of the water of the metropolis by
the sewage discharged into it, which was stated to be at
the present time affected by the sewage of no less than
800,000 persons. Theimpurity of the water was not confined
to the metropolis, but extended to the great manufacturing
cities and towns of the country ; and he cited the dictum of
several scientific authorities who had analysed the Thames
and other great rivers, from whose statement it appeared
that several of those rivers would not sustain
fish, and the sequitur was that they would not
sustain human life. It could not be doubted that
the subject had attained a magnitude that enforced it
on the attention of Government, and called for some
remedy. The bill which he had the honour to propose
was not of a compulsory character, but merely pro-
posed to give to local authorities the power to adopt mea-
sures for the utilisation of sewage when such could be
practically carried out. He referred to China and Japan
to,show the better system that prevailed in those countries
In respect to this question of sewage.
Lord REDESDALE said that he would not oppose the
bill, but at the same time he considered that it should re-
ceive careful attention in regard to its different provisions
before it received the sanction of Parliament.
Earl LONGFORD thought the bill ought to be passed.
After some further discussion the bill was read a second

time.
METROPOLITAN HOUSELESS POOR BILL.

Earl DE GREY and RIPON moved that this bill should
go through committee, and entered into some details to
show the necessity for legislation on this subject.
The Earl of OARNARYON believed that the act of last
session had in many respects worked satisfactorily, but, on
the other hand, he thought it was defective in some points.
When the guardians had shown a liberal spirit it had been
attended with good results, but in the many places where
the guardians had exhibited a churlish and illiberal spirit,
it had been almost a dead letter. There was even now the
great inequality in the relief given to casual paupers in the
different metropolitan unions. The meals given to them
in some unions were far better, both in quantity and qua-
lity, than in others. There was the same inequality in
the amount of labour exacted from the paupers. In some
of the unions no regular casual wards had been fitted up ;
and in numerous instances the ventilation was very defec-
tive. He also noticed that in some cases boards of guar-
dians had refused to give relief to persons belonging to
other metropolitan parishes. That was utterly unjustifi-
able. The natural result of this inequality of treatment in
different unions was that, while some of the casual wards
were crowded, others were nearly empty. He did not oppose
the present bill, but he trusted that the Poor-la,w Board
would carefully watch its working, and take care that it
was not rendered a nullity by the niggardliness of boards
of guardians.
The Earl of SHAFTESBURY bore testimony to the
satisfactory working of the act of last session, and said he
believed this measure, if efficiently administered, would be
a real and permanent blessing to the poor.
The bill then passed through committee.

The Commons' amendments to the Lords' amendments
to the Private Bills Costs Bill were considered and agreed

The District Church Tithes Bill was read' a third time
and passed.

OXFORD UNIVERSITY (VINERIAN
FOUNDATION).

The Earl of DERBY, in moving the second reading of
this bill, explained that its object was to enable the Uni-
versity of Oxford to alter one of the statutes regulating the
application of the funds of the Vinerian foundation. Th•
principal purpose in view was to obtain a resident profes-
sor of law.
The bill was read a second time.
Tho report of amendments on the Married Women's
Property (Ireland) Bill was brought up and agreed to.
The Isle of Man (Disafforestation) Compensation Bill
was road a third time and passed.