The Sun.
London, England, 1845-02-21 00:00:00

issuing from a factory chimney more than so many
minutes in a certain number of hours. Now, in the pre-
mises with which he was connected there were three
distinct mills and three distinct sets of boilers or fur-
naces, and the smoke from the whole of these escaped
by one chimney. It would be impossible for
the police to tell whose fault it was that opaque
smoke was seen issuing forth in the case
to which he referred. The House had often proved it-
self quite unab:e to manage such affairs, and he be-
lieved that all attempts to remedy the evil by Jneans of
legislation would be fruitless. lie assured the Hon.
Member that there was not a single clause of his Bill
of last session which he could not have set
at nought with the most perfect impunity.
The Hon. Gentleman was, he believed, in the habit of
visiting a near relative of his, who resided in a menu-
factoring district, and he might have thought that the
smoke from these chimneys was a nuisance. But his
near relative with his horses and his hounds, and
all the absurdities which arose from that system—
(Laughter) well, that was apart from the
subject altogether, and he would not pursue
it.—(flear, hear.) He had no desire to interfere with
the Hon. Gentleman, but he thought it would save a
great deal of time to the House if leave were not given
to bring in the Bill. He would advise the lion. Gen-
tleman to consult practical men before he tcok the sub-
ject in hand.
Mr. FERRAND said that two days ago he was speak-
ing to a very large manufacturer in Yorkshire, and who
was also a member of the Anti-Corn-law League, and
he told him (Mr. Ferrand) that he burned his own
smoke ; that it was easy to be accomplished, and asked
him to use his exertions in Parliament to compel every
manufacturer to do the same.

---
Sir. J. G VEST thought it was impossible to get rid
of smoke altogether.
Mr. RICARDO said he would give ovcry opposition
to the Bill. _ _

—..—....
Mr. AI ILNES said that he attended a meeting at
Leeds, which was attended by every respectable inha-
bitant, and there was not a single objection made to
the propriety of making some such attempts as that
made by the Honourable Member near him. Any
person who inspected the magnificent works of his
esteemed friend, Mr. Marshall, of Leeds, might see
how efficiently this nuisance might be abated. The
House would do well to apply itself to get rid of what
must be allowed to be a great nuisance, not merely with
regard to taste or appearance, but with regard ,to its
injurious effects on the health of the inhabitants of the
manufacturing districts.—(Hear, hear.)
Mr. P. BORTHWICK said that the Hon. Gentleman
opposite said that scientific and practical men should
be examined before any Bill was brought in on the sub-
ject. Now, the fact was, that scientific and practical
men had been examined before the Committee, and their
opinion was that the nuisance of smoke could be abated,
and that it might be effected without any considerable
loss to the manufacturers.—(Hear, hear) That
being the case, and no witness having come before
the Committee to show that it was impossible to annihi
late the nuisance, he thought the House ought not to
throw any impedient in the way of his Hon. Friend's
Bill, but should allow it to be committed.
Mr. HAWES said as this was the second time the
Bill was brought before the House, be wished to ask the
Noble Lord at the head of the Woods and Forests,
whether the Government had formed any opinion upon
the subject ? The question was one of importance, and
one in which the manufacturers and manufacturing dis-
tricts were deeply interests d.—(Hear, bear.) Before legis-
lating on the subject, they ought to inquire whether it
were practicable at all to annihilate the nuisance; and if so,
whether the Bill proposed by the Hon. Gentleman was
calculated to effect that object.—(Hear, hear.) He
agreed with his lion. Friend, the Member for Durham,
that the Bill was impracticable in its present state, and,
if entertained at all, should be referred to a Select Com-
mittee.
Lord LINCOLN said that the attention of the Go-
vernment had been turned to the subject. He had him-
self consulted upon it several practical gentlemen. and he
agreed with the Hon. Gentleman who spoke last, that
they had now to consider two points—Was it practicable
to abate the nuisance? and was the Bill before the House
adapted to the purpose ? As to the first question, he
thought it was possible to abate the nuisance.—(Hear.)
But he was at the same time disposed to think with the
Hon. Member for Durham, that the Bill would not be
effective.—(Hear.) The subject was one of great com-
mercial importance. He was inclined to think, under
the circumstances he had stated, it was impossible they
could allow this Bill to proceed.
Mr. MARK PHILLIPS thought the Hon. Gentleman
had anticipated the acquiescence of the manufacturing
interest in introducing this Bill. In the borough he had
the honour to represent, the corporation possessed power
to make experiments to suppress the smoke nuisance.
Tne power was given to them by a Bill introduced into
that House last session by his Hon. Friend the Member
for Durham ; but he was not aware whether the regula-
tions of the corporation had yet come into force. He did
not intend to oppose the measure of the Hon. Gentleman
opposite ; but he would suggest whether it would not be
better to postpone the Bill until the results of these ex-
periments were made known.
Mr. BECKETT thought the Hon. Menber was per-
fectly justified in proceeding with his measure. During
the recess the gentlemen of Leeds had several meetings
on this subject, and he took the opportunity of attending
them. Most of those gentlemen appeared favourable to
legislative enactments for the suppression of the smoke
nuisance, and he repeated the Hon. Gentleman was
perfectly justified iu proceeding with his measure.—
(Cries of " Hear, hear.") Experiments had been
made by several manufacturers, and he could
state that the results had been most satisfactory.
In conclusion, he would only observe that what had
taken place in Leeds afforded great encouragement to
the people of the town, and the results were expected to
be such as would lead to very satisfactory regulations.
Mr. MIINTZ said it would but very ill become him
to offer any objection to this Bill, considering that
be had lived in the midst of smoke all his life.—
(Laughter.) But this he would tell the House, that in
some trades smoke might be got rid of, while in others
it would be perfectly impossible. For instance, it would
be ruinous to the iron trade to do so, and therefore the
House ought to be very careful as to what Bill
they should introduce before they legislated upon this
subject. In the Bill formerly proposed, it was intended
to appoint inspectors to inquire into the extent of the nui-
sance ; but he would say that if the nuisance was so small
as to require inspectors, it could not be called a nuisance
at all.—(Hear, and a laugh) But let the House under-
stand this, 'that it was useless to expect to get rid of
smoke without an increase of the expense of fuel. lie
had tried many experiments, and had always found this
to be the result. The great difficulty that all masters
found was to make their men attentive.

Mr. G ILL said that both experience and reason
taught him that there must bo a considerable saving in
fuel by the consumption of smoke.
Mr. Alderman COPELAND said there was an appa-
ratus at present in operation at all the dockyards of the
country by which smoke was consumed.
Leave was then given to bring in the Bill.
PENAL ENACTMENTS AFFECTING ROMAN
CATHOLICS.

Mr. WATSON rose to bring in a Bill for a further
repeal of the enactments imposing pains and penalties
upon her Majesty's Homan Catholic subjects on account
of their religion. He expressed a hope that, if the Go-
vernment should permit this Bill to be introduced,
the discussion upon it would be taken on the second
reading. The Bill was similar in its operation to the
one which was introduced into the House of Lords list
session, on the same subject, by Lord Beaumont.
The measure had received the sanction of the Lord
Chancellor, and the principal law authorities of the House
of Lords. Ile did not imagine that there could be any
objection to the principle of the Bill, and the details of
it could be more advantageously discussed in Com-
mittee than on the present. occasion. He was per-
fectly prepared to go into the subject, if House
wished him to do so.—(Cries of " Move, move.") But
he thought lie should be better consulting the conve•
nience of the House by contenting himself with simply
moving for leave to bring in the BilL
P.OBPRT It GLIS v,isbed to Ilear some state-
r.7t,-;1 4,-;) Cie NIL

a.
..- the qaeaUon..
Ite begged to state deliberately, that at present he could
form no opinion whatever upon the subject of the Bill,
for he did not know to what penalties the Roman Ca-
tholics were exposed, or from what it was proposed to
relieve them. lie should like to hear the statement of
the Hon. Member before he decided upon the subject,
and for that reason he would suggest the propriety of
the debate being adjourned.
Sir J. GRAHAM (who addressed the House amidst
great confusion, which rendered him at times inaudible)
ex pressed a wish that he had had an opportunity of
speaking to the Hon. Gentleman on the subject before
he had addressed the House. The measure was only a
part of a larger measure which had received the
sanction of the other House of Parliament.—(Hear,
hear, and cheers.) The subject, however, was one
Which had been under the consideration of the
Commissioners for the Consolidation of the Criminal
Law. To that commission there had recently
been added Sir Edward Bryce, Mr. Richards,
and Mr. Amos, who had just returned from India.
The first great question which would come under the
consideration of this Commission was the penal statutes.
The Commission intended to 'consolidate tke statutes
into one great code, arranging them under two separate
and distinct heads. After this explanation it was for
the lion. and Learned Gentleman to say whether or not
he would persist in his motion. If the lion. and Learned
Gentleman persisted in his motion, he would not offer
any objection to it.
Lord JOHN RUSSELL was understood to express
his approbation of the course which the Commission
intended to pursue, and he was glad to hear that the
criminal code and the statute law were about to be con-
solidated. At the same time, he saw no objection to
the ietroduction of the Bill by the Hon. and Learned
Gentleman.

Lord J. MANNERS said, as the Hon. Member for
Kinsale did not propose to proceed any farther than
the first stage of the Bill before Easter, he trusted the
Right Hon. Baronet, the Member for the University of
Oxford, would withdraw his opposition to the measure.
Sir R INGLIS said he did not oppose the Bill ; he
only wished for a postponement to give time for conside-
ration. He would, however, withdraw his opposition.
Leave was then given to bring in the Bill.
THE BANDIERAS.
Sir R. PEEL said a question was put to him a short
time ago, which he had answered, stating that if he
were in error he would correct it to-morrow. But ho
was now desirous to correct an error he had fallen into,
before the debate on the Post-office began. He had stated
that the Consuls who applied to Lord:Seaton with respect
to the embarkation of the Bandieras at "Corfu were the
Austrian and the Pontifical Consuls, but he was in error
in this, as the Neapolitan Consul also made an applica-
tion, and this was the communication received from Lord