The Sun.
London, England, 1834-03-14 00:00:00

NORTH ANIERICAN POSTAGE BILL

The Duke of RICHMOND, in moving the second read-
ing of this bill,stated that its object was to giye permission to
the local legislature of Canada to reduce their rates of post.
age, to allow them a moderate postage upon the transmission
of newspapers, and to destroy the privilege of franking
newspapers, which had existed in that country in the
post-masters from time immemorial.

The bill was then read a second time, and ordered to
be committed.

The Bishop of LONDON presented petitions from pa.
riches in the counties of Glamorgan, Montgomery, Den-
bigh, and Norfolk, praying for some legislation to enforce
the observance of the Sabbath.

The Earl of DURHAM then rose to present the peti-
tion of which he bad given notice; it was from 76 physi-
cians practising in London, and within 7 miles of it, who
were licentiates of the College of Physicians, complaining
of the by-laws which were acted upon by the Fellows—
their exclusion from the library and museum of the Col
lege, &c. The noble earl said the petition was signed
by more than one half cf the physicians who were
practising within the seven miles. While upon such
a subject as this, it was worth the attention of the

house, to see how London was supplied with the higher
branch of the profession, as compared with other capitals;
hat was a subject that naturally forced itself upon one's
attention, when the petition set forth that the public were
the sufferers by the number being limited, on account of
the working of the by-laws. In Lonrlon, where there
was a population of fiiteen hundred thousand, there were
only one hundred and eighty practising physicians—in
Berlin where there was a population of 249,000 there were
228 physicians,while in Paris,with its population 0f935,000,
there were no fewer than 925 physicians in full practice.
It might be said that Paris was too well supplied, but
that was not the question ; it was rather to see whether,
by the operation of the bye-laws of the College of Lon-
don the public were not forced to go to a lower grade of the
profession than they would otherwise do, if there was a
more liberal supply of the higher. The charter of the
college was granted so long back as the 10th of Henry
the Eighth, and if it had been acted upon, the
college would have been rni-st beneficial ; but it had
been allowed to fall into disuse, and the corporation
was now entirely governed by the by-laws complained of.
He under-tood that in the 300 years that the college had
existed it had only published eighteen volumes of its
transactions, while another society, which had been
relused a charter through the interference of the col.
lege, had also published eighteen volumes within a period
of 30 years. He (the noble lord) wished only that the
profession should be open to all of any persuasion, and that
the fellowship should not be confined to the graduates of
Oxford and Cambridge ; be also wished that there should
be a just superintendence of the whole medical profession
throughout the kingdom. As the petition was one of
very great importance, he would take the liberty of moving
that the petition be read by the clerk.
The petition was then read at length. The principal
points were embraced in the observations of the noble earl.
Lord MELBOURNE said that without giving an
opinion on the various points that had been stated by his
noble and learned friend, or upon those contained in the
petition, he thought it was due to the medical ttody in London
that s imething should be done with regard to the medical
profession, and probably their lordships would be aware
that there was a committee appointed in order to take the
whole matter into their consideration, and if his noble and
learned friend was desirous of embarking their lordships
into a similar inquiry, he for one should offer no opposi-
tion to it.—( Hear, hear.)

. -
The Earl of DURHAM said he had another petition
to present, which was from the medical practitioners of
Sunderland. With regard to what the noble viscount had
stated, he did not know whether the medical gentle
men who had intrusted him with their petition ,would
consider it necessary to have a committee of their lord-
ships upon the question. They had stated they were
perfectly aware of the existence of a committee of
the other house of parliament, but they wished that
their case should be brought before their lord-
ships. If any further request should be made
to him by those gentlemen, he would take the first oppor-
tunity of cotrimunieating it to their lordships.
Lord ELLENBOROUGH said it appeared to him
from the statement that had been made, and from the
little information that lie possessed on the subject,
that this was a question as to the convenience
rather of individuals than the public, for it aliotud, in jus-
tice to the medical profession, be stated that the average
mortality in this metropolis was very much smaller than
either in Berlin or Paris, in which it was supposed the wants
of the community were better adaiinistere I and attended to.
Io London the average was one out of 40, in Paris one out
of 32, and in Berlin one out of 35.
The Earl of DURHAM observed that if the noble baron
pushed the matter to that extent, the feeling would be de
cidedly in favour of apothecaries practising to the exclusion
of physicians, because there were by far a greater
number of apothecaries practising in those places than
physicians ; and, therefore, according to the noble baron's
statement, the cause of the mortality being less there than

if was in London, Would be owing to the apotbsearks
heint superior to the lAysicians.
Lord ELLENBOROUGH confessed he was in, oalue-
tent to form an opinion upon that subject, inasmuch as he
had never consulted a physician in the whole course of his
life.—(Hear, hear. and laughter.)
The Maritime Mutiny BPI went through a committee,
and was ordered to be read a third time to morrow.
Th, Suear Duties Bill and the Bristol Railway Bill
were read a first time.
The house then adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS, :Motor 18.

The SPEAKER took the chair at five o'clock.

Mr. BARNARD presented a petition from a person
named George Jones, against the Southampton Railway
Bill.

Mr. GUEST presented petitions from the dissenters of
Merthyr Tidv 1, Glamorganshire, and Cardiff.
Mr. MAXWELL presented a petition from the pa-
rochial schoolm,sters of Lanark, in Scotland, praying
fur an increase of their salaries—(Laughter)—which were
disproportioned to their services. They submitted that
the sum of 601. annually was a fair minimum, and 751.
the maximum.
Mr. LEWIS moved that a new writ be issued for the
b0r01,211 of Thirsk, Yorkshire, in the room of Sir R.
Frank land.

Alderman WOOD presented a petition from a congre•
gation of Dissenters in Barbican, City of London.

Mr. GILLON gave notice that on the 6th of May
he should move for a committee of inquiry regarding the
ce•tific.ites for the sale of wine and spirits.

Sir HENRY HARDINGE presented a petition for the
repeal of the malt tax, from the parish of St Mary Mag-
dalen, Cornwall.

Mr. WILBRAHAAI presented a petition from the
Dissenters of Morpeth, county of Chester.
. . .

Colonel DAVIES asked whether the evening sitting was
a proper time for the presenting of petitions?
The SPEAKER said that the house commenced sitting
at five o'clock, and until it was prepared to enter into the
business of the evening, it was arranged that petitions
should he presented in the interval.