The Sun.
London, England, 1868-05-27 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT

HOUSE OF LORDS-LAST EVENING.

The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat on the Woolsack
at five o'clock.

VOTE OF THANKS TO SIR ROBERT NAPIER.
The Earl of MALMESBURY announced to the house
that the vote of thanks to Sir Robert Napier, for the ser-
vices rendered by him in Abyssinia, would be postponed
until after the Whitsuntide holidays, in consequence of no
official despatches having been received.

CONSECRATION OF CHURCHYARDS AND
RELIGIOUS SITES BILL.

On this bill being committed,

Lord STANLEY of ALDERLEY moved as an amend-
ment to one of the clauses that the clergy of various de-
nominations should at a fixed time be allowed to come
into the churchyard to perform the burial service app..r-
taining to their denominations.

The Bishop of OXFORD entirely o'ijectld to this; ho
thought it would be highly inexpAlient that the clergy of
the other denominations should bo allowed at a fixed time
to come into the churchyard and perform a service.
Therefore he trusted that their lordships would not enter-
tain his noble friend's amendment.

The bill was then passed throtk7h committee.
THE REFORMATORIES OP IRELAND BILL.
This biil was read a first time,
ARTIZANS AND LABOURERS' DWELLINGS
BILL.

Lord CHELMSFORD moved the second reading of this
bill, and said that it was with great pleasure that he in ,ved
it. The evil which it was to mitigate was daily and daily
increasing. It was calculated confer happiness
upon a very large number of the inhabitants of our large
towns. Several bills on the subject had been introduced,
but although read a second time, none of them had passed,
although tho last one passed without a division.
Ono of course of the objectors to this bill
would come from those who owned a largo portion of these
buildings, but ho would refer their lordships to some of
the statistics referring to these localities. In one
statement was to be found the particulars of
fifty-seven persons who had been sleeping, eating,
and living in tho same tenement. and when one unhappy
sufferer died the corpse was left there, while his wife and
family were sent to the wcrkhouSe. It was for the well-
being of the country that these horrible and not sin-
gular condition of the dwellings of the labouring
classes should be ameliorated. He knew that it was a
painful recapitulation, but it was beyond doubt necessary
that the very worst phases should be fully exposed.
Ile would refer to three great towns, Manchester, Liverpool,
and London. In them the overcrowding was so great that
it was found that 56 adult daughters slept iu the same beds
as their parents ; and in another that in 99 instances adult
sons slept in the same room as their mothers and sisters, and in
37 instances in thesame bed. In one most notorious instance
in the same room two eons slept with the mother, and the
husband, wife, and daughter in the same bed. In one
street (Lord-street) in Manchester through this over-
crowding there were 200 cases of typhus fever in nine
months. In 89 houses there were 3,050 persons. After
reciting and justifying the provisions contained in the bill,
Lord Chelmsford referred to a suggestion that had been
made to refer the measure to a select committee, and,
although himself opposed to such a course, said he would
consent to the reference, fearing he could not successfully
resist it if it were pressed.
Lord SHAFTESBURY spoke in confirmation of the
evils at present existing and the absolute necessity of some
such measure as was now proposed, which was continually
becoming more urgent in consequence of the incessant de-
molition of houses for improvements and the ever grow-
ing numbers of the population in all large towns, espe-
cially in the metropolis.
The Duke of SOMERSET thought the bill might bo
made more effective by a reference to a select committee,
and pointed out how the poorer classes suffered from the
proceedings of trades' unions, which objected to cheapen-
ing the cost of erecting houses.
The Bishop of LONDON warmly approved the bill.
Lord PORTMAN was prepared to oppose the bill in its
present shape, but thought that it might be made into a
useful measure by the labours of a select committee. He
instanced several points in which the bill was deficient
or vague to prove that it required more careful con-
sideration.
The Duke of MARLBOROUGH approved the principle
of the bill, and concurred in the reference to a select
committee.

Lord DERBY expressed a similar opinion, indicating
one defect in the bill in its present shape, that it did not
deal with overcrowded dwellings, but only with dwellings
that were unfit for human habitation. He also suggested
other points requiring further consideration than could be
given in commitee of the whole house.
After a few words from Lord PORTESCUE, the bill
was read a second time, and was ordered to be referred to
a select committee.

The Sea Fisheries Bill passed through committee, after
some objections expressed by Lord Clauricarde on behalf
of the Irish firshermen.

The other orders having been dispose 1 of, the sitting
was concluded at 25 minutes to nine o'clock.

HOUSE OF COADIONS—LAST EVENING.
Tho SPEAKER took the Chair at 4 o'clock.
NEW WRIT.

On the motion of Col. TAYLOR a new writ was
ordered to issue for Dublin in the room of Sir B. Guinness.

BURIAL CERTIFICA.TES.

Mr. T AYLOII asked the Secretary of State for the
Home apartment whether his attention had been called
to the following passage in a charge to the Grand
Jury at Liverpool in March last by Mr. Justice Mellor :
"In conclusion the learned judge referred to frauds
recently practised upon burial societies, and said
that in many cases he feared that the registration of
death was a mere farce. In one of these cases, he said,
the doctor had given a certificate of death without being
aware that the person was dead, and if such was the usual
practice, and he was told it was, the sooner it was changed
the better."

Mr. HARDY said his notice had not been called to the
matter until the motion had been placed upon the paper,
but ho made inquiry into the subject, and ho found that it
arose in consequence of two persons making declarations
in the presence of the registrar, and also bringing with
them the certificates of two medical mm who had for-
merly attended tho two persons represented as b3ing dead,
but who were then alive. The making a false declaration
before the registrar was punishable with penal servitude;
but ho had received no complaint that such false certifi-
cates hal been used, as far as London was concerned, but
he had received such an intimation from Manchester. He

did not think that any new system could be adopted without a
reconstruction of the Registration Act; but he thousht if
proper vigilance was used the dangerous practice could
be put a stop to.
THE IRISH REFORM BILL.

In reply to Sir C. O'LOGIILEN,
The Earl of MAYO said it was proposed to proceed
with the Irish Reform Bill on Thursday fortnight, who n
it would stand as the first order of the day.