The Sun.
London, England, 1844-02-29 00:00:00

PRISON DISCIPLINE.

Mr. MACKINNON gave notice that he would, on
this day fortnight, move for a Select Committee to in-
quire into the state of discipline in prisons, with a view
of making such improvements in their management as
might be safely adopted.
Mr. Sergeant MURPHY presented two petitions from
the municipality of Cork, complaining of certain parts
of the Municipal Corporations Act for Ireland, and
praying the House to amend them.
Sir G. CLERK presented a petition from certain pa-
rochial schoolmasters in Worcester, praying for an
alteration of the system under which parochial schools
were conducted.

Mr. lIUTT presented a petition from certain parties
engaged in an action in the Court of Exchequer, brought
against them by the corporation of Sunderland. The
petitioners stated that some returns had been made to
that House which were important evidence in the cause,
and they therefore prayed that the officer of the House
might be permitted to produce the said returns on the
trial of the cause. The Hon. Member moved that the
petition be printed with the Votes of the House, and
gave notice that, to-morrow, he should move that the
officer of the House be ordered to comply with the
prayer of the petitioners.
MANAGEMENT OF THE REVENUE.
Mr. HAWES wished to ask the Noble Lord opposite
when the labours of the Commission which had been
appointed to inquire into the management of the reve •
nue, were likely to be brought to a close.
Lord GRANVILLE SOMERSET said, the inquiry
wasot say progressing as speedily as possible, but he could
n
ow long it would be before it would be termi-
nated. . _ _
r

ESPARTERO.
Sir HOWARD DOUGLAS said a paragraph in a
newspaper had just caught his eye, in which it was stated
that he had charged General Espartero with want of
personal courage. The courage of that officer was un-
questioned as it was unquestionable. His (Sir R.
Douglas) observations had applied to the corps d'armee.
He had great pleasure, therefore, in availing himself of
this opportunity of giving this explanation with respect
to an individual who was absent and in adversity.
RAILWAYS.

Mr. WALLACE wished to know whether any clause
that should be introduced in any_Railway, Bill brought
forward during the present session, would be held to be
binding, as well with respect to the branch and exten-
sion lines as the old lines?

Mr. GLADSTONE said he understood the Hon.
Gentleman to ask, whether a clause that was recom-
mended by the Railway Committee was to be inserted in
all Railway Bills brought before Parliament this ses-
sion, and whether that clause would apply only to junc-
tion: lines and extension Imes, or in each case to the
entire line ? Llis answer was, he believed that in all
cases were railways were brought before Parliament by
Bill, in which any new powers were to be given, those
Bills would be brought under the operation of the clause.
He need not now explain what the purport of the clause
would be, but as he understood it, it would apply to the
whole line in each case.

BUILDINGS IN THE METROPOLIS.
Lord LINCOLN rose to bring in the Bill of which he
had given notice for regulating the construction of build-
ings in the metropolis and its neighbourhood. The
numerous reports which had been laid before the House,
not only from commissions and local authorities, but from
Committees of Parliament, must have made such
an impression Upon Honourable Members that it
would be useless for him to recapitulate the statements
of those reports, or occupy the time of the House by
making extracts from them. In 1840 the Hon. Member
for Newark introduced a Bill upon this subject. It was
a measure not only of essential, but of para-
mount importance, and the first Bill brought
terminated. time,
in by a Noble Lord in the other House was read
a
second
but it
Inwas carriedlBn4ottthe B dwasth through ough
again when the
session
brought
in, was read a first time, and reached the second reading
in
.this House, but in consequence of the dissolution of
Parliament it made no further progress. - In 1842 a
Bill was again introduced, but by the consent of all parties
it was referred to a Committee of the House of Lords.
The Committee sat the whole of the session, but came
to no resolution further than to publish the evidence.
By the advice of his Right Hon. Friend the Secretary
for the Home Department, he (Lord Lincoln) had
undertaken to look into the Bill, and to prepare a mea-
sure on the subject. For that purpose he had consulted
eminent and experienced builders and carpenters, and
looking to the number of towns which would be affected
by so general a measure, many of them having already
local Actsj for the] same objects, he thought it was de-
sirable to bring in an Act for the metropolis alone, and
wait to observe the effect of its operation. here, before
it should be extended to the rest of the country. With
that view he brought in a new Bill in 1843 ; but the
pressure of business during the session prevented its
being gone through with. He did not regret that, as it
gave him Tan opportunity of introducing improve-
meats into the measure ; and he hoped that in
its present form it would be likely to be effi-
cient, and productive of great public advantage.
The House was aware that the Act which was at present
in existence for the purpose of regulating the buildings
in the metropolis had been passed seventy years ago.
In the present extended state of the metropolis it was
obvious that many of the provisions of that Act must
be inapplicable to the present state of things. He pro-
posed to repeal that Bill altogether, and to introduce
a separate measure, embodying the provisions of that
Act relating to the prevention of fire. It would be
unnecessary to trouble the House with the technical de-
tails of the measure, which would be not only uninteresting
but unintelligible. The House
would find that the
greatest possible care and attention had been taken in
the framing of those details, and he had every reason to
believe that they would be palatable to the parties con-
cerned. In the Bill of last year, provisions had been in-
troduced for the general regulation of draining. He had
omitted those regulations in the present Bill, because
the great question of the drainage of the metropolis and
of other large towns, and also of affording an adequate
supply of water to populous places generally, was now un-
der the consideration of the Commissioners who had been
appointed to consider the means to be adopted for pro-
moting the health of populous places, and he hoped to
be enabled to introduce a general measure for the regu-
lation of drainage, founded on the Report of those
Commissioners. The only regulation he had intro-
duced into the measure on the subject of drainage
was, that for the future no house should be erected
without a proper provision being made to se-
cure adequate and proper drainage. The mortality
produced among the poorer classes by the want of pro-
per drainage, and by the over-crowding of their habita-
tions, was exceedingly great,. and he proposed to pro-
hibit the use of cellars as habitations, except under cer-
tain circumstances. lie also proposed to introduce a
1 clause prohibiting the carrying on of dangerous trades
which might occasion fire, or trades noxious to
health in crowded localities. He proposed to have dis-
trict surveyors appointed by the magistrates. Such sur-
veyors not to be under thirty years of age, and not
to be magistrates ; and he also proposed that
the appointment of surveyors should be confirmed by
the Secretary of State, so as to secure the services of a
superior class of officers. Although he objected to
making new officers, yet he felt that it was absolutely
necessary, to prevent expensive litigation, that official
referees should be appointed, to determine disputes, and
he, therefore, proposed to appoint them by this measure.
There was a provision for extending the operation of the
Act round the metropolis ; but not further than twelve
miles from Charing-cross. There was also another pro-
vision, new to this Bill, and which was not in the Bill of
last year ; it was one for vesting the power of
deciding on the report of the official referee in the
Commissioners of Woods and Forests, in cases where
any exceptions were taken to his reports. He earnestly
hoped, that though the Bill was of a technical nature,
and therefore not of anature to command the attention of
the House, that it would receive its best consideration.
On the question being put,
Mr. DUNCOMBE said h e did not wish to oppose the Bill
but he wished to call the attention of the Noble Lord to
a petition he had presented from a portion of his consti-
tuents. complaining of the dilatoriness of the Woods and
Forests in rebuilding houses, in some cases whole
streets, which they bad pulled down for the purpose of