The Sun.
London, England, 1845-07-15 00:00:00

HOUSE oF coitmoNs..7o,/ 14.

The SrIAKER took the Chair shortly after Twelve o'Clock.
Leave was givt n to the Committees to sit notwithstanding
the sitting of the House.
LUNATICS ASYLUM BILL.

The Lunatic Asylum and Pauper Lunatics Bill was reported.
Several clauses were brought up and added to the Bill,
among which was the following proposed by Mr. Wilson
Patten :—" And be it further enacted, that in case any super.

intendent, matron, or other officer or servant of any county
lunatic asylum, shall, from confirmed sickness, age, or infirmity,
become incapable of executing the office in person, it shall be law-
ful for the justices assembled at the generalor quarter sessions, and
they are hereby empowered to grant to such superintendent,
matron, or other officer or servant, such annuity as they in
their discretion shall think proportionate to the merits and time
of services of such superintendent, matron, or other officer or
servant, and may order the payment out of the rates lawfully
applicable to the building or repairing such County Lunatic.
Asylum ; provided always, that the annual amount paid by
way of superannuation or allowance to any retired superinten-
dent, matron, or other officer or any servant of any asylum,
shall not exceed the amount of two-thirds of the salary
payable at the time of his or her retirement.
Several amendments were alto made in some of the clauses,
and the Bill was ordered to be engrossed, and to be read a third
ime on Wednc,..da% rporitittg at twelve o'clock.
LUNATICS ASYLUM ('RELAND) BILL.

The House then went into Comsmittee nn this Bill.

Lord CLENIENTS had many objections to the measure,
believing that it was not only bad in principle but in detail.
If the Bill had been confined to criminal lunatics alone, he
should have had no objection to it. There were no less than
six Bills in existence for the protection of lunatics in lieland,
and this measure would make the seventh. He thought the
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland had already too much jurtsdicion
over lunatics in Ireland already, without having that juris-
diction increased by the present Bill. He was sure that,
as long as Sir Edward Sugden remained Lord Chancellor of
Ireland, lunatics there would be properly and most efficiently
protected, but, after he had retired from the Chancellorship, he
had no guarantee that future Chancellors or future Lord
Lieutenants would continue that protection.—( Hear, hear.)
He objected to the present Bill altogether, but he was most
anxious that there should be established better regu-
lated asylums for the reception of those poor
lunatics, as had been already recommended by the
Chairman of the Commissioners. He protested against
this additional attempt to carry out the principle of centraliza-
tion, and animadverted in strong terms on the constant inter-
ference of the Government with the local authorities in Ireland.
The machinery of this Bill was so bad that he felt bound to pro-
test against the measure being passed during this session.
Sir T. FRE ‘IANTLE felt obliged to the Noble Lord for
not detaining the Speaker in the chair by pressing the motion
of which he had given notice. There was nothing new in the
principle of the Bill; it merely, in certain instances, enlarged
the powers which the Lord Lieutenant already possessed.
He could at present do all that the Noble Lord
complained that he would have the power of doing by this B 11,
and having listened attentively to all that had fallen from the
Noble Lord, he really was of opinion that the Noble Lord had
made out no case whatever against the measure.
Then, with regaid to the argument that this measure
was a carrying out of the principle of centralisation,
be thought that Hon. Gentlemen opposite were much more
likely to attack and expose any mismanagement in these insti-
tutions if they were under the control of the Executive Govern-
ment than if they were left to the care of the local magistrates.
He hoped the House would permit them to proceed with
the Bill.

The Bill was then ordered to be read paragraph by paragraph.
Clauses up to 8 were agreed to without discussion.
On clause 8 hcing proposed
Colonel RA WDON urged upon the Government the ne-
cessity of providing superannuation allowances for the retired
officers of these asylums.

Sir T. FREMANTLE could not object to the principle
advocated by the Gallant Officer. The proposition, however,
could not be con veriently discussed upon this clause; but he
would be happy to enter into a discussion on the subject at the
proper time.
The clause was then agreed to.
Clauses 9 and 10 were agreed to after a few words from
Sir W. Somerville, Lord Ctewents, and Lord Claud Hamilton.
Clauses 11, 12, and 13 were agreed to without discussion.
Upon the reading of the 14th clause, which empowers the
Lord Lieutenant, under certain circumstances, to direct the
enlargement of asylums,
Sir W. SOMERVILLE complained that there was a great
deficiency of accommodation tor pauper lunatics in the Rich-
mond Asylum at Dubin. There were, at present, 41 appli-
cations for admi•sion from the county of Meath alone, which
could not be attended to, in consequence of the want of room.
Sir T. FREMANTLE would give his attention to the
subject, and endeavour to apply a remedy to the evil com-
plained of.

After a few words from Lord CLEMENTS and Sir R. Fan-
Gusonthe clause a as agreed to.

On the reading of the next clause,
Sir T. FREM ANTLE, in reply to a question from Sir
R. Ferguson, said that he did not think it would be advisable
to act upon the suggestion of the Member for Waterford
(Mr. V. Stuart), and to admit into the asylums persons who
could afford to pay. Ile- thought if that suggestion were
adopted the paying patients would be preferred to the paupers,
for whose relief the institutions were designed.
Clause 15, 16, 17, IS, 19. 20, and 21 were agreed to.
On the reading of clause 22
Colonel RA WDON said, that ahhough he thought the
delivering of clinical lectures was calculated to retard the cure
of lunatic patients, he would withdraw his notice of amend-
ment in the hope that a sound discretion would be exercised in
the application of the clause.
Sir T. FREM ANTLE said that the clause was drawn up
with a view to sufficient caution with respect to what the Hon.
Baronet opposile aliud'd.

After aiew words•froro Lord ASHLEY in support of the
clause, it was agreed to.

Oa the readii'lg of clause 23,