The Sun.
London, England, 1854-08-01 00:00:00

DRAINAGE OF LANDS BILL.

On the order of the day for the committee upon this
bill,

Lord PORTMAN strongly objected to it, as giving
extraordinary powers over property to the commissionary
whose duty it would be to carry it out, and equally ex-
traordinary exemptions from its operations in favour of
parties who had•the means of defending themselves. He
moved, as an amendment, that the bill be committed
this day three months.
Earl GRANVILLE denied that the bill gave either
extraordinary powers or extraordinary exemptions, and
urged that it would prove a most useful measure.
Lord REDESDALE objected to the bill.

Their lordships then divided. The numbers were—
Contents
Non-contents
Majority
The bill was consequently lost.
The reports on the Valuation of Lands Bill, and the
Youthful Offenders Bill, were received and agreed to.
The Convict Prisons (Ireland) Bill, the Indian Ap-
pointments, ste., Bill, the Admiralty Court Bill, and the
Friendly Societies Acts Continuance Bill, were severally
read a third time and passed.
The Land, Assessed, and Income Taxes Bill, and-the
Standard of Gold and Silver Wares Bill, passed through
Committee.
Their lordships then adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMM
ONS—(rESTERDA Y.)
The &Ras= took the chair at 12 o'clock.
Mr. WICKHAM ent:.7l a petition from the retail
PETITION.
brewers and beersell Bradford Yorkshire,
favour of an alteration ofAtchTepresent licensing syitem. in
AMENDMENT
the second read.
PUBLIC HEALTH
Lord PALMERSTON, o
said, health ntonathoving
to
Wee labouring
in heaRILL.
ing of this bill,
health they Weren
was existence itself. While they population
enabled to perform work useful
ficial to the country. The requirementsthemselves and belle.
later days all tended to compel
mento of society in
in large masses, and therefore precautions together
serving the public health were rendered agishfor pre.
necessary. Tne noble viscount, after describing
more
formation and functions of the General Board of Health
the
:established by Act of Parliament in 1848, said the functions
of that act would expire at the end of the present sea-
. sion. He reminded the house that they were on this
subject dealing with the interest of millions of their fel-
•• low-subjects—the moral, commercial, and local interests
of their fellow-countrymen. He did not wish to excite
alarm, but the truth ought to be known, and the truth
"was that that formidable epidemic, cholera, had been lin-
gering in various parts of this country for the last twelve
months. Every one remembered its ravages at New.
castle last year; it had been very severe at, Glasgow and
other places, and there was too much reason to believe
it had now made its appearance in the metropolis. He
repeated, he did not wish to create alarm by this state.
ment, but the contrary; tor terrible a disease as the cho-
lera was, there was no disease that yielded more
2stea%liiY to medical treatment, if taken in its early
that treatment (Hear.) But there must be direction to govern
lievedreawtinent ; and one of the most efficacious, he be-
He therefore trusted
found in a house to house visitation.
:tinue the Board
the house would consent to con-
he believed the of Health with the amendment which
that the present
en t bill would introduce. He pro-
posedtrol of the Secretary of of Health should be under the con-
who, in his opinion, as ISltate for the Home Department,
he might say, as Minister of the
Interior, was peculiarly et
the general health of the eted by his office to look after
his place in Parliament ~„°
_untry, and who would be in
4nativer
on that subject that might. arise as to any questions
tie persons composing the present(Hear, hear.) Is to
pliced their appointments in his board, they had all
He felt bound to state this, in .u.sz.nds. (Hear, hear,)
J Ice to those gentle.

men, because a very considerable amount of clamour
and prejudice had been raised against them in the dis-
charge of a very important and difficult duty. (Hear.)
Lord SEYMOUR, in rising to oppose the second
reading of this hill, said he was actuated by no
feeling of opposition to the Government; but the
Board of Health Act being on the point of expir-
ing, this was a proper occasion for reviewing its ope-
ration. He did not deny that there ought to be
a Board of Health Act, but the value of such an act
must depend upon the manner in which it was adminis-
tered, and he was now prepared to show that the board,
as it at present existed, had not worked for the public
advantage. This was no new opinion of his ; because
while in office, he repeated it to his colleagues on every
occasion that offered this act, coupled with the
Nuisarvaes Removal Act, enabled the Board of Health
to interfere with every trade in the country, and such
a power ought only to be entrusted to men who would
acts with great caution, great judgment, and great for-
l'Aearance. The Board had two powers entrusted to them,
namely, to advise as to the best sanitary measures to he
adopted, and secondly, to administer the emisting law
with justice and discretion. He was prepared to show
that in neither of these cases had tht: present Board
given satisfaction. The noble lord then proceeded to
enumerate a number of instances where the advice of
the Board had either proved mischievous or abortive.
The noble lord condemned the constitution of the Board,
which would always be defective so long as it embraced
amateur members, or was not properly under the con-
trol of the Home-office ; and, therefore, before the end
of the next session the powers of this act, as well as
of the Nuisances Removal Act, should be thoroughly
revised. As an executive as well as an advising body
the existing Board had failed ; and since it had entirely
lost the confidence of the public it h_4l become absolutely
necessary to reconstruct it, It was necessary that the
house should refuse to read this bill a second time, in
order that the Board should be reconstituted, with some
one at its head in whom the house and the public should
have confidence, and therefore we should move the usual
amendment at this period of the session, namely, that
the bill be read a second time on this day three months.
Sir B. HALL seconded the amendment.
Mr. M. MILNES supported the second reading,
and contended that the existing Board was composed
of both honest and skilful men. Mistakes they com-
mitted, no doubt—who was free from them ; but the
good they had done greatly counterbalanced the evil.
Mr. HENLEY said the Board of Health hitherto had
wasted their time to no purpose. The fact was, they
were a cleansing board, but the manner in which they
had proposed to carry out their cleansing operations had
proved so objectionable, that in many instances the
people had preferred to remain dirty. The board had
been condemned alike by the Government and the coun-
try ; and even from the nature of this bill, it appeared
that the executive did not approve of their proceeding-4.
A public board could not have got into such universal
disfavour unless it had grossly mismanaged its affairs,
and believing that it retarded rather than advanced
cleansing operations, he must object to its being con-
tinued any longer in its present form. All that this
bill proposed to do was to transfer the control of the
Board from the First Commissioner of Works to the
Secretary of State for the Home Department, but that
could not remedy its defects, and the best course for the
house to pursue was to adopt the amendment. Let
there be a short continuance bill, and in the meanwhile
the Government could consider the best mode of re-
modelling the hoard.
Lord J. RUSSELL said it was admitted on all hands
that a board of this sort was necessary for the safety of
the public, while there appeared to be very little dif-
ference of opinion as to the powers which it should
possess ; what objection then could there be to the pro-
posal of his noble friend, which was that they should
adopt this bill, limiting its operation to twelve months,
and that next session a committee should be appointed
to inquire into the whole subject of reconstructing the
board. No doubt the existing board had too much
despised the feeling which prevailed in the country in
Eavour of local self-government, but at the same time it
should not be forgotten that local authorities were occa-
sionally dispo.4ed to neglect their duties, and in such
cases the board had exercise.l a very judicious influence.
In some instances the board might have rendered itself un-
popular by its proceedings in that respect, but there were
very important matters in which the merits of the board
had been greatly overlooked. Their cholera reports
were of the highest importance, and conferred a lasting.
benefit on the community, in pointing out the best man-
ner of treating that dreadful scourge, while in TiO less than
180 towns they had established a system of local govern-
ment for receiving the health of the people, which had
been found to work exceedingly well. It could not be
said then that the labours of the Board had proved abor-
tive ; but, on the other hand, it was urged that the
Board was not composed of proper persons. He, how-
ever, could not concur in that opinion, for while no man
had done so much to benefit the poor as the Earl of
Shaftesbury, his coadjutor, Mr. Chard wick, had confer-
red great advantages on the State by his inquiries into
the poor-law, the police, and the crime of the country.
With regard to Dr. Southwood Smith, it was absolutely
necessary that there should be a medical member on the
board, and since no man was more familiar with the
proceedings of Boards of Health, he thought a better
medical member could not readily be found. Under
these circumstances he trusted the house would adopt
' the limited proposal of the Government to pass this bill,
and leave it for next session to decide in what manner
the board shoul,l be.permanently reconstructed.
' Mr. HAYWARD added a few words in favour of
Mr. Chadwick, and read a letter from the Dean of
Ely to support his views. He stated that the medical
advisers of \lr. Chad wick had reciannended him nut to
remain in the board.

Air. HUME said if the Government would under,
take to reiuove Ir. Ci.i4ciwick, he wouli vote for the
bill.

Lord PALMERSTON- said all the three members
had placed their resignations in the hands of the Go-

vernment, to be dealt with as they should think fit, but
with regard to Mr, Chadwick, be believed the state of
that gentleman's health would not admit of his remain-
kg on the board any longe.
Sir T. D. ACLAND said, while a rod was hang-
ing over themselves, they should not press with two se-
vere a rod upon others.
The house then divided, when there appeared—•
For the second reading
Against it... 74
Majority
The bill was accordingly thrown out.
MILITIA BILLS.
The Militia (No. 2), the Militia (Scotland) and the
Militia (Ireland), were considered and ordered to be
read a third time to-morrow. The Cinque Ports and
the acknowledgment of Deeds by Married Women, were
read a third time.
PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS.
In reply to a question from Mr. SPOON ER,
Mr. HUME stated that it was not his intention to
proceed with the motion of which he had given notice,
as follows :—"That, in the opibion of this house, it
would promote the moral and intellectual improvement
of the working classes of this metropolis, if the collec-
tions of natural history and of art, in. the British
Museum, the National Gallery, and Marlborough-
house, were open to the public inspection after morning
service on Sundays, at such hours as public houses and
gin shops are allowed by law to open on thoce days."
The reason for his postponing it was this, he was
anxious that the evidence of the Public House Com-
mittee should be published before he brought it on,
and, therefore, he had no alternative but to postpone it
until next session.

ROYAL COMMISSION-.
Mr. PIILMAN, the Yeoman Usher of the Black Rod,
appeared at the table, and summoned the house to
attend at the bar of the House of Peers, to hear the
Royal assent given by commission to several public and
private acts, for which see Lords' report.
The sittings were suspended at four o'clock.

The house resumed at six o'clock.
THE CASE OF MR. KENNEDY.
Sir J. SHELLEY gave notice that early next session he
should move for a select committee to inquire into the cir-
cumstances of the removal of Mr. J. F. Kennedy from the
office of Commissioner of Woods and Forests and Land
Revenue of the Crown.
ENCUMBERED ESTATES (WEST INDIES) BILL.
In answer to Sir J. PAKINOTON, •
Sir G. GREY said he would fix Monday next at twelve
o'clock for proceeding with this bill.
NEWFOUNDLAND.
Sir J. PAKINGTON said that the Duke of Newcastle,
when colonial secretary, had sent out a dispath containing
the conditions upon which he should be willing to grant a
responsible government to Newfoundland. Those con-
ditions had been rejected by the House of Assembly, and
a deputation had since been sent home to learn the inten-
tions of the right hon. baronet on the on the subject. He
(Sir J. Pakington) now wished to ask the right hon. gen-
tleman if he proposed to abide by or to recede from those
conditions?
Sir G. GREY said the right hon. gentleman was under
a misapprehension when he stated that the colonial legis-
lature had rejected the conditions of the noble duke. In
point of fact, the three most important of these conditions
tad been agreed to. The first, as to making compensation
o certain existing officers, had not been opposed by any
Party in the colony, the only difference of opinion having
electoral districts, I%robaeart:f the amount. As to the second, namely, the
with members, there was no difference at all ; and
regard to the third, namely, the subdivision of the
been
subdivision. a bill had been passed carrying out that
Both the Legislativ
arisen Was
upon whole difference of opinion that had
magnified
atters of detail, and he thought they had
delegates beyond what their importance deserved.
differences which ha
to
the
se: Council and the Assembly had sent
not be found insuperal ry of State, and he hoped that the
arisen betweenthe two houses would
rence to all the Duke insuperable.
Without expressing his ad-
no
hesittion in statin h. Newcastle's conditions, he had
.general concurrence in them ;
and there was certainlg
Newfoundland without sible government to NY n°
intention
of
netninygeoanrdeistpoionns-
at
"'THE CANADIAN LEGISLATURE BILL.
Sir J. PAKINGTON wished to know when the right
hon. gentleman intended to take this bill 9
Sir G. GREY said that if the Russian Securities Bill
was disposed of at a reasonable hour a
would take it immediately afterwards—if ll W-` ne6"Y he
ON gave netiCe that when the bill
not, on the fol•
loswiirng M
J. onday at
GI2T.
came on, he should move that it be read a second time that
day three months.
THE BIRMINGHAM GAOL CRUELTIES.
Mr. M. MILNES begged to ask his noble friend the
Secretary of State for the Home Department whether it
was the intention of the Government to institute legal pro-
ceedings against Lieutenant Austin, governor, and Mr.
Blount, surgeon, of the Birmingham Borough Pri•on, for
their treatment of the prisoners there confined, as reported
to th.', house by the commission appointed to inquire into
c,a(iition and treatment of the prisoners in that prison ?
Fie 3119 wished to ask the reason of the delay which had
taken place in presenting the report of the commission to
the house ? In consequence of that delay an opportunity
had been afforded to the parties—of which he regretted to