The Sun.
London, England, 1848-05-10 00:00:00

THE

Mr. EWART presented a petition from Dumfries in I
favour of the Scottish Church Sites Bill.
SANITARY CONDITION OF THE METRO-
POLIS—WESTMINSTER.
Sir H. WILLOUGHBY said he had been informed
that in the immediate vicinity of Westminster Abbey,
and, therefore, not far from the place in which they had
assembled, that a malignant description of fever, not
unlike typhus, had broken out, which was stated
to be traceable, in some degree, to the che-
mical experiments that had recently been made
on the drains in the neighbourhood, in which
operation too great reliance had been placed
upon the process of deodorizing the poisonous discharge
which eliminated from the drains. He had also been
informed that traps had been opened into sewers in other
parts of the metropolis, which had been the means of al-
lowing noxious vapour to escape, to the serious detriment
of the health, if not the lives of the inhabitants of the
locality. He had said that too much reliance was
placed in the principle which recently obtained so much
favour—namely, clarifying or deodorizing fasted matter.
Why, not long ago an engineer, who was examined
before a Committee of the House, stated that he could
clarify and deodorise a quantity of foul water. He did
so, and the water appeared perfectly free from all ob-
noxious matter, but when one of the gentleman present
—a Gallant Admiral—drank a glass it instantly acted as
an emetic.—(Roars of laughter,) He wished to know
it the Noble Lord could give him any information on
the subject.
Lord MORPETH replied that there was some truth in
the statements of his Hex. Friend. A considerable arnount
of fever prevailed in the precincts of the Abbey
no sewer in the locality had been opened since February,
he did not think it could be traced to that, but was owing
to the warm state of the weather. He had been informed,
since the hot weather had set in, that noisome smells had
prevailed in other parts of the metropolis. In the pre-
cincts of Parliament he feared the drainage was defi-
cient. He was not able to trace the fever to any
operation being carried on in connexion with the
drainage in the neighbourhood. Dr. Mitchell, who
was the medical attendant of the school in West-
minster, could not trace fever to any operation of the
kind. Recently 6,535 cesspools had been emptied in the
metropolis, and he was told not only that the sanitary
condition of the districts in which this had been done had
improved, but that the inhabitants had expressed great
gratitude.—(Hear.)
Mr. BANKES inquired when the Noble Lord pro-
erpect to the
EXPENDITURE.nhotis name
leisure
h
posed to introduce his Bill to improve the sanitary con-
dition of London and Westminster.—(Hear.)
EpEmodc
should
f repliedintroduceor
returns
i t h
a wesi
t ul d
as
d rbd 13
u t
1e T
and opportunities enabled him to do so. a
Mr. HU
public expenditure in connexionwith soono
es
the navy and
ordnance.

BRITISH MANUFACTURES.-THE DRAWING-
ROOM.

Lord G. BENTINCK rose to put a question which
might either be styled a protectionist or free-trade one,
but which at the present moment was one of the deepest
importance. He need not remind the House that
an announcement had recently gone forth of a desire on
the part of her Majesty—(Cheers)--that the ladies
who intend to be present at the drawing rooms should
appear; under the present depre=sion of commerce and of
trade, in no attire—(Roars of laughter)—except the—
(Laugh ter)—except that which was the produce of British
industry.—(Cheers.) No doubt her Majesty's heart
was breaking at the distress that prevailed around her—
at the distress which was overwhelming the weavers
of Spitalfields, the ribbon manufacturers of Coventry,
and the lace and silk manufacturers of Nottingham,
whilst hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of
goods were constantly entering our ports from
France and other countries, driving out of the
markets the produce of her own people.
In the port of London alone silk goods of foreign manu-
facture had been imported exceeeding the value of
400 000/., which was sufficient to give employment to
31,000 weavers.—(Hear.) Foreign lace to the value
of 20,0001., and needlework to the value of 20,000/.
had also been imported, which two amounts were suffi•
cient to give employment to 40,000 of the needlework-
women of this country. There had also been imported
7,000 dozen of boots and shoes, which would have given
employment to 1,200 workmen in England; and he would
ask the Noble Lord (Lord J. Russell) whether he had come
to rescue the country from the measures of that party
which his Noble Friend had so well described as the phi-
losophers of the country; or whether the recommendation
to appear in British attire emanated.from her Majesty,who
had always lived in the hearts and the affections of her
people? He would ask whether it was an emanation
of her own heart. and whether it was intended to include
gentlemen as well as ladies, because he considered they
were bound equally on the grounds of gallantry and
loyalty to carry out that recommendation. Perhaps the
Noble Lord had advised her Majesty to issue that re-
commendation, and if so he wished to know whether it
was to be held as indicative of a change of opinion in
her Majesty's Government ?—(Laughter and cheers)—
that they were now going to retrace that course in which
they had gone so far, and by which they had brought
the country into its present state of distress?
Lord J. RUSSELL said the Noble Lord had certainly

made a speech—(Laughter)—but with regard to the
question of which he had given notice, and which he had
so involved by his speech, he understood it to be, whether
her ,Majesty had given commands to the ladies of
England that they should be attired in dresses exclu-
sively of British produce and manufacture. Certainly, it
was true that her Majesty had given commands that the
Court should appear in dresses of British manufacture,
but he believed that there was nothing new in such an
order.—(Hear, hear.) In former reigns such orders had
been issued for the purpose of benefiting persons en•
gaged in the production of manufactures. The Noble
Lord then went on to ask whether the advisers
of the Crown had changed their opinions
with regard to the admission of foreign manu-
factures, and whether the order of her Majesty
was to be looked upon as indicative of such a change
of opinion. With regard to that, he considered
that the point immediately in question was in
the confidence of the Lord Chamberlain ; but
he begged to say that he had offered no advice
to her Majesty. With regard to the foreign articles
which had been introduced, he was of opinion that
a great quantity of silk manufacture did not come
through the Custom-house, but was smuggled into this
country. He believed that the introduction of foreign
manufactures tended greatly to improve the manufac-
tures of this country ; and, in the next place, he
believed that though a class of persons found
that distress ensued from the introduction of
foreign goods, yet still the introduction of such goods
stimulated the production of our English manufacturers,
and led to the exportation of a greater quantity of Bri-
tish goods, in exchange for those imported from foreign
countries.—(Cheers.)
Mr. BRIGHT would not attach any undue import-
ance to the recommendation of her Majesty, but he
thought that the Government and the House should not
he too anxious to do anything that would lead to
the supposition among the working classes in this
country, that they would derive benefit from the ex-
clusion of the manufactures of other countries.—(llear,
hear.) The working classes of France had driven
out from that country some hundreds of the workmen
of this; and he could see very little difference between
that and her Majesty commanding the wearing of
articles of English manufacture at the drawing-room.—
(Cries of " No, no.") There could be no objection to
?adies forming themselves into associations to wear only
English manufactures, but he had the greatest objection
to the Government recommending the Queen to adopt
a course that was calculated to deceive the working
classes of this country.
Sir DE LACEY EVANS would take that opportu-
nity of expressing a hope that the Government of the
country would adopt some course to represent
the claims of the English work-people who had been
suddenly expelled from France, to the French authori-
ties, in order that something might be done for them.
neodurbaeeez
Lord PALMERSTON said that the subject had
been represented to the French authorities, and he
?oan_ld assure the Hon. and Gallant General that it
no doubt the
received in
ci the most humane manner. What
issued earlier,
he
bad as intended to be adopted he could not say, but
subject would meet with the consi-
derationmove an address•tiot anyll
Mr' RANKF e •
.S regretted that the order had not been
effect. believinghowever, if now that it would have but little
order she had Member of that House would
made.
her Majesty, thanking her for the
Mr. lIUME e
w(huld most heartily second it.
would be would
most mischievt e adoption of such a course
ill.wips, as it would be calcu-
lated to create
among
afraid that the recommendation shw nations.
edthat He
ee
Lord
a
e
Chamberlain was a Conservative
econorsist.—(A laugh.) , and not a political
Mr. NEWDEGATE, as the representative
sense of the poor people who had been alluded
of the
course of the discussion, would be to is the
duty if he did not rise and aenting in his
gratitude to her Majesty for ti:Preir his
she had exhibited in the order. The kindness
of the district which he represented was great
beyond measure—men, women, and children were daily
;rowing lean in their struggles for a bare existence,
while others were absolutely dying of famine, and what-
ever political economists
might say, he could assure the
Majesty
House that this kindness of her had sunk deeply
into the hearts of the people.—(Hear, hear.)
l THOMPSON said—Sir, it is clear that
Colonel
rties to this question, who
there are other pa .
ntioned. My constituents ofhave not yet been mo
d waistcoat piece Brad-
ford,manufac-
Sir, are pantaloon a`
on and they say and believe
turers for foreign consume
,
d pantaloons are virtually
that these waistcoat pieces an
trucked against the from rnce
ladies' petticoats .
~
is
If that be the case, then is there any charitF ya—
is t
there any humanity—is their any justice here anyn
this
policy—is there any common sense i
tilities to
ho
order in representing or recommending e
wards one portion of the manufacturing classes of the
ceuntryi at the expense of another? and the recommen-
dation coming too from such a quarter, I am sure no
one wishes to spoak without the utmost affection
and reverence,—(H,ar, hear.) This, Sir, must have
been the doing of some Court Polonius—(Litughter)—
or of some Noble Lord who fills the responsible office, of
black or white stick in waiting, but at all events it is not
the act of any lady. I have too great confidence in the
ladies
to fancy they have any hand in it. No, I believe
the ladies would have wiser
been ; for there is not a
girl in England that wears a pair of French gloves
that does not know that
.of Bri-
tish industry has
purchased them.—(Loud cheers.)
With respect to the question
of distress there
is enough of it in Bradford. Privations are suffered
there of the most terrible d • • description. I have . seen in-
stances of it with my own eyes; but is there no privations
or distress in Birmingham ? I asked the tiro
o Members