The Sun.
London, England, 1844-07-30 00:00:00

P'
ittnin C
_„

LONDON, TUESDAY, JULY 30, 1844.

In the Lords: a number of Bills received the royal
assent, among others the Sudbury Disfranchisement
Bill, Actions for Gaming Discontinuance Bill, and
the Irish Marriage Bill.

The Debtors and Creditors Bill was read a third
time and passed.
The third reading of the Unlawful Oaths (Ireland)
Bill was postponed till Friday.

The Duke of BUCCLEUCH moved the second read-
ing of the Metropolitan Buildings Regulation Bill.
Lord CAMPBELL opposed the second reading, on the
ground that the House had not had time to consider
its provisions, and moved that it be read a second
time that day three months. After some conversation
a division took place, when there were for the second
reading 31, against it 8 ; and the House adjourned.
The Commons met at Twelve o'clock, when the
House went into Committee on the Merchant Sea-
men's Bill ; all the clauses were agreed to, and the
report was ordered to be brought up this day.
The Criminal Justice (Middlesex) Bill was read a
third time and passed.

The Art-Unions Bill-was read a second time, and
ordered to be committed this day.
Sir J. GRAHAM moved the second reading of the
Charitable Donations and Bequests (Ireland) Bill.
Mr. MORE O'FERRALL opposed the Bill, chiefly
because, it was the first attempt at legislative interfe-
rence with the Catholic religion, and he- would re-
commend the Government to pass those clauses only
which related to the charitable boards, and to leave
those clauses which interfered with the Catholic reli •
pion to another session; for the Government had had
ample time to consider the effect of the measure, while
the parties interested had not had sufficient time
afforded to consider what would be the effect of the Bill.

The Earl of ARUNDEL said the Bill evinced a dispo-
sition' to conciliate the Catholics of Ireland, and he
would support it.
Sir R. PEEL heard with great satisfaction the re-
marks of the Noble Lord, and said her MAJESTY'S
Government had no other object in view than to cor-
rect what they had understood from Catholics was a
defect in the present law with respect to bequests.
Mr. SHEIL, Lord STANLEY, Mr. WYSE, and some
other Members, addressed the House, when a division
took place, and there were for the motion 71, and
against it 5. The Bill was ordered to be committed
on Thursday.
After some routine business the House adjourned
at Half-past Ten o'clock.

The second reading of the Metropolitan Buildings
Regulation Bill was moved in the House of Lords last
night by the Duke of BUCCLEUCIL In explanation of
the character of this measure, his Grace observed that
it provided for the proper width of streets, alleys, and
courts ; for the secure building of houses, for the con-
struction of drains for every house, for ventilation,
the height of rooms, and the spaces between the rear
of houses. Moreover, it provided means for prevent-
ing the erection of dwellings in the metropplis unfit
for human habitation, and required that all sur-
veyors should pass an examination as to their
qualifications for the office. The principle of
this Bill is undoubtedly good, and some such
scheme has long been wanted—and every succeeding
year has increased the want—for the improvement of
our crowded and overgrown metropolis. At least one
half the diseases that occur among the lower classes
in London and its suburbs, may be directly traced to
defective drainage, and an inefficient supply of air.
Innumerable are the courts and alleys, and even
streets, to which free ventilation is an utter stranger,
and in which mephitic vapours and unwholesome
smells are of constant occurrence owing to the into-
lerable state of the drains, to which the inhabitants
by long habit have become indifferent, and which no
one seems to have thought it worth his while to en-
deavour to remedy, on the principle, we suppose, that
what is everybody's business is nobody's business. In
a medical report presented some --few years since to
Parliament, the accounts given of the numerous deaths
originating in the two causes we have just alluded to,
were really appalling; and sure we are that the
evil has not diminished since then, but on the contrary
has annually increased, just in proportion to the in-
crease of metropolitan population. A little sedulous
attention might long since have removed the sources
of these frightful periodical visitations, but in mat-
ters of this kind Government is proverbially slow to
move, and seldom interferes until the matter has be
come one of pressing necessity. However, better late
than never, and we are glad to find that the question
of drainage and of a free ventilation of air has at
length attracted the notice of the Legis-
lature. The secure building of houses is also
a subject to which they have most justly turned
their attention, for who is not aware of the scanda-
lously inefficient and insecure manner in which build-
ings are run up now-a-days ? The timber used is

often wholly unfit for any useful purpose, harbouring
nests of vermin, shrinking, after it has been laid
down but a few months, and leaving large gaps and
apertures so as to cause a constant succession of tho-
rough-draughts, which however acceptable they may
be in the hot summer months, are apt to be somewhat
inconvenient when the atmosphere is impregnated
with the fogs of November, or the keen, searching
east-winds of March are blowing; the walls in many
instances—indeed we almost say in the majority—

are but of the thickness of a single brick ; and it not
unfrequently happens that the whole crazy concern
either stands in need of general repair, or comes
down with a crash, before the landlord has called for
his second year's rent. Yet, however inefficient for
the purposes of comfort and convenience these
buildings may be, they are invariably showy
and attractive to the eye ; hence they are
no sooner completed than they are let, and
are no sooner let than they are vacated, the
unhappy tenant finding, in addition .to the incom-

parable facilities which they afford him for catching
cold by the huge`yawnings in the doors and windows,

arising from the shrinking of the timber—that they
smoke like- a brewery, and are by no means immacu-
late in the matter of drainage. The reason of all

this is, that the houses are frequently run up by
greedy speculative adventurers, ignorant of the first

principles. of architecture, and utterly regardless of
every consideration, except that of getting an imme-
diate return for their outlay of capital. It is high

time that this system should be checked, if not put a
stop to ; and if new buildings are necessary, that

such buildings should be erected under the superin-
tendence of competent architects, so that they may

be rendered available for the purposes of human

habitation.

The advices from Cuba, which have. reached this
country by the Patrick Henry—just arrived from
New York—represent that fine island to be in a con-
dition of disorganisation and terror, such as it seems
to be the fate of every possession of the Spanish
Crown, in its turn, to experience. The evil genius of
the home Government—which contrives to paralyse
the energies, to blast the prospects, and to exhaust, in
bloody factions, the resources of one of the most
powerful States, by nature, in the Old World—has
evidently infused itself into the counsels of its colonial
administration. With NARVAEZ supreme in power at
Madrid, and O'DONNELL exercising an uncontrolled
autocracy at Havannah, it were strange indeed if
affairs did not travel post-(haste to some dreadfacon-
summation. Often as we have had occasion de-