The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-11-03 00:00:00

EXPENSES OF PROSECUTION.

The return called for by Mr. Earle, of all the persons who
were committed for trial in this borough, between Jannary,
1839, and January, 1840, with certain particulars, and the
costs of prosecution, was laid on the table. After some
conversation, in which Mr. Rathbone and Mr. Case spoke of
the utility of a similar return for the county called for by Mr.
Earle, at Lancaster, 200 copies of the book were ordered to
be printed. Mr. Rathbone, in remarking on the great ex-
pense of county prosecutions, exdressed a hope that, when
the difference in the expenses of prosecutions in this borough
were made known, it would offer a useful lesson to those who
conducted county prosecutions.

THE LOCAL LAWS: HEALTH OF THE TOWN.

The TOWN-CLERK said, the council had had laid before
them the report of the Watch Committee on embodying in
our local acts some of the valuable provisions of the Metro-
politan Police Act. The subject stood over in consequence
of some arrangements for consolidating our local acts. The
time had now come when it was necessary to give the parlia-
mentary notices as regarded the local bill. The application,
as to the embodying certain provisions in a public bill, might
stand over, but the notice as to the local bill must be given
at the Gazelle-office, on the 10th of November.
Mr. CASE said, as the Town-clerk had stated the necessity
of giving this notice forthwith, he wished to call the attention
of the council to a subject which had attracted no inconsi-
derable attention. He alluded to the number of persons in
this town who resided in confined courts and cellars. The
registrar-general had alluded to the subject in his remarks on
the health of Liverpool. There was not less than 50,000 of
the inhabitants of this town living in cellars, which, no doubt,
contributed greatly to the ill health of the people. Liverpool
was peculiarly situated from the influx of the lower class of
Irish, who came over in a diseased state, and communicated
disease to the inhabitants by being confined with them in
low, damp apartments where there was no ventilation. All
he wished was, that such notice should be given as would
enable them to avail themselves of any opportunity that
might occur during the ensuing parliamentary session. In
the meantime, he would give notice of the following motion
for the next council :—" That a committee be appointed to
make all necessary inquiries, and to take into consideration
the subject of inhabited cellars and small dwellings in back
courts, with reference to the health of the town and the com-
fort and convenience of the poorer inhabitants, and to report
to the council thereon, with any recommendation that may
seem proper to such committee."
Mr. RATHBONE expressed his gratification that Mr, Case
had brought this subject forward. It had been his intention,
if re-elected, to move, in the re-appointment of the Com-
mittee on Baths, that they should take the matter also into
consideration. .

Mr. THORNHILL said, he had made considerable inquiries
on this subject, and he found that there were numbers of poor
persons, in many districts of the town, who had no conve-
nience for the deposition of the dirt which accumulated in
their dwellings. This, from the inquiries which had been
made by his directions, he had reason to believe, was pro-
ductive of much ill health, as well as the more obvious in-
conveniences which attended it. To remedy the evil as far
as practicable, he had ordered that their dust-carts should go
through these districts at an early hour in the morning, and
with a bell summon the inhabitants to deposit their dirt in
them that it might be carried away. This was made known
to the people, and it was, for a time, the cause of much im-
provement. (Hear, hear.) The poor people, however, got
it into their heads, that the corporation were making a large
profit out of their morning contributions to the carts, and
many of them had, on this ground, declined contributing any
more. (Laughter.) He had, however, given strict orders to
the police-constables to lay informations against all who
threw dirt into the streets, and Mr. Rushton had expressed
his determination to fine all who were convicted of offences
of this nature.
After some remarks from Mr. PLATT and Mr. CuittuE, it
was agreed, that the Town-clerk should insert notices on this
subject with his notices for the Local Bill.