The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1841-02-16 00:00:00

HOUSE OF LORDS.-FRIDAY

The Bishop of London presented a petition from Leeds in
favour of the drainage of buildings bill.
Lord ELLENBOROUGH said that the building of churches
and the endeavour to inculcate principles of religion and mo-
rality were all useless, unless they could give to the working
classes a home where they would enjoy some comfort. With-
out such a home, to talk of inculcating religion and morality
was absurd, and every exertion should be directed to improve
the condition of the poor as a first step to their improvement.
He had one objection to the bill—that it had no retrospec-
tive operation, and that it provided no remedy for bad venti-
lation. In the large towns much greater distress prevailed
than amongst the agricultural labourers. The landed pro-
prietor knew the poor on his estates and felt an interest in
relieving his necessities, but in large towns great wealth and
abject poverty were to be met beside each other, the great
manufacturers taking no such interest in the welfare of the
poor in their districts. No man, however, had a right to use
his property so as to inflict evil on the community. Avarice
had its rights, but so had humanity, and active measures
should be taken, at whatever sacrifice, to improve the physi-
cal condition of the manufacturing population.
The Marquis of NORMANBY, in moving the second mad-
ing of the bill, admitted that it was limited in extent—that
it was, in fact, but one step in a right course. The noble
marquis quoted a variety of documents, showing the preva-
lence of fever arising from deficient drainage in populous
towns and neighbourhoods, and mentioned instances in which
the moment the cause was removed, the pernicious effect was
at once put an end to.

The Marquis of SALISBURY thought that the only objec-
'tion to the bill was, that it did-not go far enough. He
thought, however, that the clauses had not been so well con-
sidered as they might have been, when it was remembered
that they interfered with private interests, and' suggested,
therefore, the reference of the bill to a select committee up
stairs.

The Earl of WICKLOW said the bill did not go far enough,
because in London as great evils resulted from burial grounds
in populous districts as from bad drainage. Considering the
number of people who lived in cellars in populous towns,
he thought the bill too stringent, and it was likewise too
stringent in fixing the size of rooms.

The Marquis of NORMANBY agreed that the bill should
be referred to a select committee, and it was accordingly read
a second time, and referred, after which their lordships ad-
journed.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.—FRIDAY.
Mr. LABOUCIILRE, in reply to a question from Mr. Ewalt,
stated that Government did intend to make an alteration in
the duties on Neapolitan oil, but he could not say what al-
teration would be.

Lord J. RUSSELL moved the order of the day for taking
the Queen's message into consideration.

Mr. liumE inquired whether the Government was aware
of a charge made in India against Lord Keane, of murdering
a native trooper, which charge was published in an Indian
newspaper. . _

Sir.J: C. HourrousE said that the Government at home
had never officially heard of the charge, which was a gross
and. groundless calumny, published in an Indian newspaper
under the anonymous signature of " Injured Innocence."
The noble lord vindicated the humanity of Lord Keane, and
instanced the fact that, during the advance of the army to
Ghuznee, not a single man, British or native, had been sub-
jected to corporal punishment.
Sir R. JENKINS and Mr. HOGG denied that any remon-
strance had ever been made to the East India Company on
the subject ; nor had they ever heard of it until they saw it
in the.newspaper alluded to.
After some further conversation the house resolved itself
into a committee of the whole house, and Lord J. Russell
moved that £2,000 a year be granted to Lord Keane and to
his two next heirs.

Sir R. PEEL observed that, according to the forms of the
house, a seconder was not required, or he would have been
happy to second the motion. He did not care whether the
authors of these calumnies were prosecuted by Lord Kearne
or not. Probably, the more fitting name for " Injured In-
nocence" would have been " Detected Cowardice." He
thought this proposal for a pension should have been brought
forward earlier; it ought to have followed immediately after
the peerage had been conferred. The right lion. baronet eu-
logised the importance of the services of Lord Keane, and
concluded by expressing his approval of the pension.
Lord Howicx paid no attention to the story from an Indian
newspaper, but appealed to the economical policy of Queen
Elizabeth, in the distribution of rewards, as an example
worthy of imitation. He commented on the profusion too
often displayed by the house, and of which they now felt the
elects. He disliked granting these pecuniary rewards, more