The Sun.
London, England, 1847-07-03 00:00:00

th• Noble Lord to Jose no time in bringing forward a
measure to prevent interments in crowded towns.
Mr. HORS MAN protested against the statement of
the Noble Lord, that he wished to obstruct the business
of the House. This be considered was the most im-
portant part of the whole subject of sanatory improve-
ment, and he could not but think it strange that provi-
sions with respect to it had not been inserted in the Bill.

Lord MORPETH had no intention of addressing the
lion. Gentleman in an uncourteous manner, but the rea-
son why he did not deal with the subject of burials at
present was, the physical difficulties which he found in

his way.
Mr. MACKINNON trusted the Noble Lord would
redeem the pledge he had given—that as soon as he
had passed the present measure, he would bring for-
ward, next session, a measure for the regulation of
burials in towns—and that being the case, he hoped the
House would allow the Bill to be proceeded with,
After a few words from Mr. P. BORTHWICK,
Mr. HENLEY objected to the Nobie Lord charging
them with delaying the progress of the Bill. Hon.
Members only adopted the course which was legitimately
open to them, in calling attention to subjects that ap-
peared to them of importance.
The House then resolved itself into Committee.
Upon clause $ being proposed,
Mr. SPOONER proposed a verbal amendment, with
respect to the propriety of the notices referred to in the
clause being posted up on all the churches.
After some di,cussion,
Lord MORPETH said he had no objection to insert
the words " on the door of one or more churches."
The clause. so amended, was then agreed to.
Colonel SIBTHORP would like very much to know
what sort of persons these inspectors wei e to be, and.
what salaries they were to hise ; for, as the duties they
were to discharge were of an inquisitorial character, the
public should have the information he required. If the
Noble Lord refused to give him a satisfactory answer,
he would repeat the question at every clause till they
came to the 59th—(Laughter)—but he hoped he -would
not give him that trouble.—(Hear, hear.)
Lord MORPETH hoped the Hon. and Learned Gen-
tleman—(Laughter)—the Hon. and Gallant Member
would not ask him to travel over again the se.me ground
he did last night when he replied to that question. Ho
then said that the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury
would fix the salary when they were aware of the
amount of duty the inspectors would have to discharge,
and he could not say till then what amount they would
think sufficient remuneration for the services to be
performed. The Hun. Gentleman talked of 100 inspectors
being appointed, but he had already stated that he did not
think more than half a dozen at the utmost would be
requirc d.
Clause 9 was agreed to, the words from " or," in line
19 to line 21, being left out.
Clause 10 was agreed to.
On clause 11,
Mr. HENLEY objected to that part of the clause pro-
viding that the offices of the town clerks should be open
for one month, for the inspection of the plans, without
remuneration.

The ATTORNEY-GENERAL defended the clause,
and said that the admission of the principle laid down
by the Hon. Gentleman would lead to the greatest abuses.
After some discussion the clause was agreed to.
On clause 12 being proposed,
Mr. SPOONER moved as an amendment that the
Act should only be extended to such towns as really re-
quired it, whether under the management of a corpora-
tion or not. He should propose that only in cases where
three-fourths of the rate-payers of any town petitioned
that they should be included in the operation of the Bill,
the measure should extend to them.
Lord MORPETH said that this subject had been
very gravely considered by the Government, and they,
taking into consideration the many interests at work in
towns, determined that this Bill should extend to all.
He could not, therefore, think of altering the clause to
meet the wishes of the Hon. Member for Birmingham.
Mr. HENLEY said that the Noble Lord was running
counter to the opinions he had always promulgated, that
the subjects of this country should have the right of
choosing their own representatives. Now he said that
these towns were not fitted to choose their rulers for
themselves.
Mr. AGLIONBY said that while he fully agreed in
what had been said by the Hon. Member for Oxford-
shire, he, at the same time, did not agree with him—
(Laughter)—because he believed that in every town
there were parties at the head of those towns who were
not prepared to take such care of the health and come
torts of the inhabitants as the Government would.
After a few words from Mr. NEWDEGATE,
Mr. J. COLLETT wished to know if this Bill was
intended to extend to Wales, because he saw by the title
that it was designed for England.
The ATTORNEY GENERAL said that all legal
documents which stated in the title that they were for
England were understood to include Wales also ; and,
therefore, the Hon. Member would not again, when
scanning an Act of Parliament, require to be informed
upon this point.—(Laughter.) While he was upon his legs
he might say that this amendment of the Hon. Member
for Birmingham was altogether without precedent.
Great privileges had been conferred upon towns on the
simple petition of the inhabitants, but the idea of rate-
payers was altogether a novel one.
Mr. SPOONER suggested that the amendment could
be very easily altered to the inhabitant hoeseholders,
and that perhaps would obviate the legal scruples of the
Learned At t orney-General.
Mr. WAKLEY said this Bill was intended particu-
larly for the poor, but if the householders were only to
be taken into consideration, the Bill would not reach the
classes under them at all.
Colonel SIBT1I0111? said that he opposed the Bill.
I le had no doubt there were many filthy places in Fins-
bury—(Laughter)—and the Hon. Member was, per-
haps, milt in advocating it. ; but they required nothing
of the kind in Lincoln.—(L-ud laughter.) The Hon.
Member for Finsbury laughed ; if the people of Lin-
coin were mustered and compared with the people of
Finsbury—(Roars of laughter)— not only would they be
found cleaner than them—(Laughter)—but no cleaner
people would be found to exist.—(Laughter.)
The House then divided, when there appeared—
For the amendment
For the original clause
Mejerity tor the original clause -46
The clause was then agreed to.
On cleuse 13 being proposed, which excluded any
place within ten miles of St. Paul's,
Mr.I)UGDALE said that if supported by any Mem-
ber of the House, he should move that this clause be
expunged.
Mr. REDHEAD YORKE supported the last speaker.
Mr. KEMBLE said that if it were moved that this
clause be expunged, the Bill would never pass
(Laughter)—he meant not pass this session—(Con-
tinued laughter)—and therefore he should support the
retention of this clause.
Mr. HUDSON could not understand why one of the
Members, connected in some degree with the metropoli-
tan district, should vote for this clause. He thought it
came with a very bad grace from him.—(Hear, hear,
and laughter.) Fever abounded in London, and yet
London was to be excluded from the operation of this
Bill. Fever did not abound in York, and York was to
be included. The Bill would be unjust to one portion
of the kingdom and partial to another, and its ultimate
effect would be to stultify itself.
After a few words from Alderman HiIsrPHERT, and
in answer to two questions from Mr. SpooNER,
Lord MORPETH said that he had extended the cir-
cuit around the metropolis from four to ten miles, in
order that the waters which had their springs generally
speaking, at nine and ten miles off, might be included ;
and the answer to the second question was, that he
could not include London, because he had been informed
from every quarter that, if he wished to do anything
at all, he must exclude the city of London. The very
association which had taken the greatest interest in all
matters cot templated by this Bill, had waited upon him
when he had framed his Bill, to include the city of Lon-
don, and bad said that in trying to get all he would lose
all. Fur these reasons he was induced to exclude the
city of London from the operation of the Bill.
Mr. ROEBUCK said his Hon. Friend made him (Al-
derman(Laugh t
el
rl)u—ni
apn d t
he ryh )e
grepresentht
Hon. one
Secretaryr a t ceoprppoo,ria
opposite (r.
Hudson) represented another large association
n.Gentl
Laughter)—but the Right H en s corporation
was was rather smeller than the corporation of the Hon
Member beside him.—(Roars of laughter., induced by
,tn po
the rather pointed allusion to the corpulency of both
the Hon. Members.) He
,i however,neither,
but trust to
r thatoratn
he
Noble Lord would pa., attention
his own good sense, and taking what he could get now,
would, at the first opportunity, introduce a special Act
for London, which would have the effect of improving
trustte toodn
e
its sanatory condition.
After some observations from Mr. NEWDEGATE and
Mr. VVILLIANs,
Lord JOHN RUSSELL said that Hon. Members
argued as if it were proposed to exclude London from
all sanatory measures. Their object was to give a mea-
sure to the rest of the country, and to bring in a Bill
for the City of London in the next session of Parlia-
ment. They had not included London, because the
insertion of clauses affecting the metropolis w' uld
only lead to further discussion, which would defeat this
Bill altogether, and he was sure that the Hon. Gentle-
men opposite, if their zeal for sanatory improvements
was any criterion, would be extremely sorry if this were
the result.
Mr. WAKLEY said that he intended to vote for the
expulsion of this clause, and he believed that all his
constituents were agreed with him. The opposition did
not arise from the metropolis, but from the city of
London alone.—(" Hear, hear," from Mr. Hudson.)
He might be allowed professionally to observe eto
nt would
Hon. M e
ember for Sunderland that his t.
asxcaidevice without
do him no good.—(Laughter.) Id t
niph
ve
would add to it
a fee—(Continued laughter)—
by informing his Right Hon. Friend that if he did not
take care, he (Mr. Wakley) as coroner, and the Righ t
Hon. Gentleman, might be yet better acquainted.
Some further discussion took place, in which Mr.
RT ok art
HENLEY and Viscount EWpo
s cleared, and the House divided, when
The gallery ea
there appeared—
For the amendment
For the original clause
Majority for the clause ---42
The clause was then agreed to.
On clause 14 being proposed,
Mr. P. BORTHWICK objected that the clause, taken
in connexion with the preceding one, was not easily
understood. It was, in tact, capable of two meanings,
and would, if not amended, give lull employment to legal
rntletnen in another place.
Lord MORPETH said that he should consult with his
Hon. and Learned Friend the Attorney-General, and if
the clause should bear such conetruution, as the Hon.
Member for Evesham seemed to ascribe to it, be would
amend it.
Mr. P. BORTHWICK—I have not another word
to say.
The clause was then agreed to.