The Sun.
London, England, 1844-07-27 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS, July 26.
Their Lordships met at Five o'clock.
A message from the Commons brought up the Tra-
falgar-square Bill, and several other Bills.
CATHOLIC PENAL LAWS REPEAL.
Lord BEAUMONT gave notice, that on Monday next,
he should move that the report on the Catholic Penalties
Abolition Bill be brought up, and that the Bill be re-
committed.
ILLEGAL PROCESSIONS (IRELAND).
Lord WHARNCLIFFE moved the order of the day
for the Committee on this Bill.
The Earl of WICKLOW feared that his Noble Friend
would think him rather too pertinacious in his opposition
to the Bill. He was aware that at this season it was
quite vain to offer any opposition to the Bills which were
daily brought up in shoals. This Bill was merely to
renew a Bill already in existence, and, therefore, sub-
stantial amendments could not be with propriety intro.
duced into it. It seemed to him to be extremely unjust that
Parliament should pass such Acts as this, directed against
one class, as is this case the Protestants, or rather the
Orangemen or Ireland. Why should not the law ba
extended to all other processions accompanied by bands
of music, banners, &e.?, Last year, there were monster
meetings, processions, far more dangerous than the
processions of the Protestants which this Bill was to
repress. There were also the temperance processions,
which although harmless in themselves were turned to
a mischievous purppse, as had been foreseen by that
great benefactor of his country, Father Mathew, who
always set his face against temperance processions with
bands and banners —(Hear, hear.) Instead of passing.
this Continuance Bill, he thought the Government would
better consult the wishes and welfare of the people of Ire-
land if they allowed the Bill in existence to expire, and to
bring in next session a Bill applying to all kinds of pro-
cessions, if necessary. But he denied that, if the Go-
vernment of that country were carried on impartially,
there would be any necessity for Arms Bills, Coercion
Bills, and Procession Bills. He moved that the Bill be
committed that day three months.
The Earl of rtoDEN. seconded the motion, and
was very happy that his Noble Friend had expressed
himself' se openly and so ably on this subject. The Bill
was Mt by the Protestants of the North of Ireland to be
a eratuitoue insult to them, and especially at this period
when the time for their possessions had passed. What
reason, ho would ask, was there for introducing this
insult, this affront, this degrading and offensive
Bill? He thought that if the Government would take this
opportunity of withdrawing the measure, they would
give satisfaction to all parties ; for the Roman Catholics
themselves had petitioned against the Act, which Wag
odious to alt. Tie agreed with his Noble Friend that,
however beneficial the effects of temperance might
be, a mischievous use had been made of the bands and
processions, and it was notorious that these temperance
bands attended at all the monster meetings and repeal
processions. It was the duty of the Government, there-
fore, to put down all such processions as well as those of
the Irish Protestants.
The Duke of WELLINGTON said that the Noble
Lords who wished this Bill to be committed this day
three months forgot their own argument. They said that
the Bill was an insult and an injustice to the Protestants
of Ireland, and at the samo time that the other party
petitioned against the law. When the Bill came first
into operation some years ago, the greatest praise was
bestowed upon the conduct the parties whose proces-
sions this Bill was framed to repress. The Legislature
had every reliance in the loyalty of those people. But it
was thought necessary for the peace of the country to
stop the processions. His Noble Friends spoke of the
monster processions and meetings last year with banners
and bands of music. But he was not aware that those
who took part in those processions appeared in arms.
The attention of the Government was fur a lung time
directed to those meetings ; and those who were in-
strumental in calling them together, and disturb-
ing the peace of the countr), were brought to
trial. He thought the Government might claim
credit to itself for these trials, and they could now see
what the result had been. The country was perfectly in
peace, and at the assizes the courts had little to do.
There was reason to believe that there would be
no necessity for those extraordinary laws, but that
Ireland could be governed as England was, by the
simple operation of the laws as they were. The law to
which the Bill now before the House related, was already
in existence, and the Government did not think it would
be expedient to allow it to expire as yet. But the Go-
vernment wanted no new law. Hitherto the existing
laws had been sufficient for maintaining the
peace of the country ; but if the present law
should prove inadequate, then it, would be the duty of
the Government to extend this law to other processions
Which might appear dangerous to the peace. At pre-
sent, he repeated that the Government wanted no new
power, although they were unwilling to part with any
power such as that of the law now under consideration,
and which the Legislature had so many years entrusted
to them. He hoped the House would allow the Bill to
go into Committee.
The Marquis of CLANRICARDE said that although
usually opposed to the Government, he felt bound to
support them on this occasion. He quite agreed with
the Noble Duke opposite that the Government ought
not to give up the power which the Legislature had so
lung entrusted to them. If the Bill were allowed to ex-
pire, the Government could not but feel responsible for
any mischief that might ensue.
Lord WHARNCLIFFE assured his Noble Friends
(the Earls of Wicklow and Roden) that nothing could be
further from his thoughts than to offer an insult, or to
do an injury to the Protestants of the north of Ire-
land, whose conduct had been most praiseworthy,
and marked by loyalty and good order. It was certain
that the law did net apply to the temperance and mon-
ster processions of last year. But they were to recollect
that they had to deal with a man who boasted that he
could drive a coach and four through an Act of Parlia-
ment, and who had contrived to keep those meetings
within the verge of the law. Indeed, no Act could be
framed effectually to extend this Bill to such meetings
without preventing the people of Ireland from holding
any meeting whatever with music or banners.
The question was then put, the amendment was nega-
tived, and the Bill passed through Committee without
discussion, and was reported.
The Marquis of SALISBURY moved that the peti-
tion of Mr. Paton, an engineer, claiming compensation for
expenses incurred (as the petition alleged) by the order
of a Committee of the house, be referred to a Select
Committee.
After a few words from Lord COLBORNE and Lord
WHARNCLIFFE, the motion was negatived without a
division.

HEALTH OF THE METROPOLIS.
The Marquis of NORMANBY presented a petitic n
Prom medical men in Shoreditch, in favour of improved
sanatory regulations in the metropolis. The Noble
Marquis then moved the order of the clay for the coni-
deration of an humble address to her Majesty on the
subject of the sac atory condition of the people. The
unhealthiness of the large towns was on the increase,
and called for sanatory regulations. In 1811 the mor-
tality in Manchester was only 1 in 78, in the last year
it was 1 in 28, and fifty thousand persons perished an-
nually in the large towns from contagious diseases, which
sanatory regulations would have prevented. In the
meantime a great increase of the population of the large
towns had been occasioned by the transfer of a large por-
tion of the agricultural labourers to manufactures.
In the year alluded to the agricultural population was
double the manufacturing; but now the proportion was
reversed, and the manufacturing population was as two
to one to the agricultural. But, at the same time, the
mortality had increased ; and in fifty towns, with an
aggregate population of 2,051,799, upwards of 63,000
persons had died in three years of contagious diseases.
(The Noble Marquis then read a number of statements
_

from the works anti reports of Dr. Southwood Smith,
Dr. Arnott, and other gentlemen, to show the extent of

contagion in various parts of the metropolis, arising
from the want of ventilation and cleanliness.) He him-
self had accompanied some of those gentleman into the

worst parts of iVhitechapel, Bethnal-green, Shoreditch,
and Soho ; and he found all the evils pointed out by
those gentlemen existing in their most aggravated form.
The slowness of the progress made by the Commission on
this subject, and the pressing character of the evil, con-
vinced him that he ought to bring forward this motion

even at this late period of the session. The Commis-
sioners had only sat twenty-eight days for the examina-
tion of witnesses, and in their report they state that
they would proceed with the consideration which so im-
pttant a subject required. But they seemed to over-
look that it was a subject which called for action more than

consideration. They 'overlooked the fact that 156 persons
died daily in the metropolis from that class csf contagious
diseases, which sanatory regulations would prevent. (The
Noble Maronis then read statements from the evidence

to show what was the deficiency of the supply of water
in the poorer parts of the metropolis; and how easily and
cheaply that evil could be remedied.) Mr. Hawksley, of
the Nottinghani water-workF, stated that before the
establishment of those works, the people bought their
water at the rate of id., id., or d. per bucket, according
to the distance from which it was brought. But now he
SUPPlied 79,000 gallons uf water at a cost of 11. Now,
next to the supply of air, an abundant supply of pure
water was most essciitial to the preservation of health. I
He wished most earnestly to press this subject on the
attention of the House and the Government, for he be-
lieved that there was no equally industrious population in
the world undergoing so much physical suffering_ from
neglect of these matters than the people of the United
Kingdom. Of course in saying that he took into ac-
count the difference of climate which aggravated those
evils in the United Kingdom. But he had visited great
numbers of the huts of the negroes in the West Indies
during the time of slavery, and he could confirm that an
overwhelming outcry would be raised against any
planter who would lodge his negroes in such wretched
dwellings as he had visited within the last few days. In
one court in Shoreditch he found a woman with five
children ill of fever. She paid ls. 6d. a week for the
room. Six weeks ago she was confined ; five weeks
ago her husband died of fever ; and during the illness
of the parents the children had to procure water fr9m a
distance of a quarter or half a mile; for the water company
had cut off the supply of water from all the houses in
the court two years ago (in consequence of a quarrel be- I
tween the two landladies who owned the court as to who
should pay the rate. In that whole court, with so many
families, there was but one privy, and there was no sewer
within a quarter of a mile distant. He would not oc-
cupy the House with the many details of this kind with
which he was provided. He visited a place called
George-court, which surpassed all that he had seen
elsewhere. He might well say with the poet, that it
was a place .
" Where flags the noontide air, and as we pass
We fear to breathe the putrifying mass."
Bethnal-green was somewhat differently situated ; there
was not so crowd 4 a population, and one saw gardens
there which showed that they were capable of enjoying
amore refined state of life if they were protected. But
the awe deficiency and neglect produced the sale ails