The Sun.
London, England, 1866-11-16 00:00:00

THE LATE BANQUET AT GUILDHALL.

Mr. HEATH gave notice that at the next court he should
move that the arrangements for the banquet at Guildhall,
on the 9th of November should in future be placed under
the superintendence of a committee specially appointed for
the purpose. He said that he was induced to take this step
in consequence of certain proceedings that were represented
to have taken place upon the occasion of the last banquet.
(Hear, hear.)
DWELLINGS OF THE POOR IN TILE CITY OF LONDON.

The adjourned debate upon the motion of Mr. BEDFORD—
" That it be referred to the City Lands Committee to ascer-
tain whether, by the expenditure of a part of the corpora-
tion funds in the purchase of some of the worst portions of
the property in the City, inhabited by the poorest classes
of tho community, some relief cannot be afforded, without
loss to the corporation, a state of things that is described
by the leading journal as `shocking to humanity, and as
disgusting and horrifying beyond description.'"—was re-
sumed.

Dr. SAUNDERS spoke at some length in support of the
motion, and he said that the court ought, in kis opinion,
to endeavour to ascertain whether the Commissioners of
Sewers, upon whom the duty devolved,4tinder different
Acts of Parliament affecting the City of London, of pre-
venting this disgraceful condition of affairs from existing
had performed that duty in a proper manner. He believed
from what ho knew upon the subject that they had not
done so, and that a great deal of blame was attributable to
that body for their neglect of duty. (Cries of " Question.")
This was the question, and he said he should bo able to
show that the Commissioners of Sewers were responsible
for the existence of the disgusting nuisances that wore so
u e s t i oh
s. ")
opinion
tainfided in referring in the
jthusattlythceohmopnla. imneedmboof.r
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The LORD MAYOR interposed, and expressed‘Q
‘
manner he had done to the Commissioners of Sewers, and
that he was not keeping to the question before the court.
(Hear, hear.)
Mr. DE JERSEY, the chairman of the Commissioners of
Sewers, said he was quite ready, upon a proper occasion,
to meet any charge that might be made against the com-
missioners of neglect of duty. This was not the proper
occasion, and the hon. member was acting, in his opinion,
very unfairly in the course he had adopted. (Hear, hear.)
Dr. SAUNDERS said he was not surprised that he should
be interrupted by the Commissioners of Sewers who were
members of the court. (Cries of "Oh, oh.") At the last
court when the subject was brought forward, out of 150
members who were present there were 60 Commissioners
of Sewers. (Interruption.) He considered it was an in-
famous thing that gentlemen should be allowed to sit in
judgment upon themselves. (Cries of " Order.")
The LORD MAYOR interposed, and said he should put it
to the hon. member whether ho was acting properly in
making use of such language. He thought he was not ;
and, in his opinion, the Commissioners of Sewers had no-
thing to do with the question now before the court. (Hear,
hear.)
Dr. SAUNDERS said he thought he had been treated very
unfairly, and that his right to speak had been most impro-
perly limited.
Here there was a great deal of confusion, and there were
loud calls for Dr. Saunders to withdraw the expression that
ho had made use of. _ _

Dr. SAUNDERS at length said that, if he had put any-
thing before the court in an offensive manner, he withdrew
it. (Cries of " Oh, oh.")
Mr. DE JERSEY expressed his opinion that neither a fair,
honourable, nor gentlemanly retractation had been made
by Dr. Saunders, and.he called on him to distinctly retract
the expression he had used, that he had been treated un-
fairly. (Hear, hear.)
Deputy FRY said he did not object to the motion, but it
appeared to him that this court had nothing to do with the
opinions of a " leading journal," and that they were quite
competent to judge for themselves what was right. He
suggested, therefore, that the last part of the motion should
be altered by adding the words, after the word corporation,
"and with a view to remedy the increasing evil of over-
crowding in dwelling-houses in the City."
Mr. BEDFORD said ho had no objection to the alteration
suggested by the hon. deputy.
Deputy ELLIOTT doubted the propriety of tho motion
and said that the great evil arose from the existence of old
and wretched dwellings inhabited by the most dissolute
and filthy class of the community, and this was rapidly
being remedied by railways and other causes at the present
time. He saw by a report of Dr. Letheby's that no less
than 1,200 such buildings had been pulled down within the
last 10 years. (Hear, hear.) It should also be borne in
mind that it was an undoubted fact that, whatever powers
they might take to remedy the evils of filth and neglect
that now existed, there was a certain class of persons who,
if their dwellings were cleaned and made decent to-day,
would by their own neglect bo in the same condition of
filth and misery a month hence ; and he believed that in a
great many cases the poor themselves were alone to blame
for the miserable condition in which they found them-
selves. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. LAWLEY supported the motion upon the ground sim-
ply, as he stated, that although a good deal had, no doubt,
been done by the establishment of model lodging-houses
and other means to batter the condition of the poorer
classes, it was the duty of the corporation to see whether
more could not still be done to effect this object. (Hear.)

After some further discussion, the motion, as amended
at the suggestion of Deputy Fry, was agreed to.

THE COMMISSIONERS OF SEWERS.

Dr. SAUNDERS gave notice that at the next court he
should move for the appointment of a special committee to
inquire into the sanitary condition of the dwellings of the
poor in the City of London, and what precautions were
taken by the Commissioners of Sewers upon the recent out-
break of cholera to remedy the same.