House of Commons
Tuesday, May 21, 1844
Minutes
BILLS. Private.—2°. Eastern Counties Rail-way Validity.
Reported.—Eastern Counties Railway Validity.
3°. and passed:—Sidmouth and Collumpton Road; Eastern Counties Railway Validity; Manchester Police.
PETITIONS PRESENTED. By Mr. B. Chapman, from Clonmelton, and MR. T. Duncombe from Hanley, and Shelton, against Irish Registration Bill.—By Lord Ashley, and many hon. Members (62 Petitions), against the Dissenters Chapels Bill; and by several hon. Members (4), in favour of same.—By Mr. O. Duncombe, from Solicitors of Yorkshire, in favour of Ecclesiastical Courts Bill.—By Sir R. H. Inglis, from St. George's in the East, for the better Observance of the Lord's Day.—By Mr. Goring, from a Rural Deanery at Leominster, in favour of a Bishopric at Manchester.—By several hon. Members (32), for Legalising Presbyterian Marriages.—By several hon. Members (9), against Union of Sees of St. Asaph and Bangor. —By Mr. Tennent, from Belfast Anti-Slavery Society, against Encouragement of Slave Labour Produce.—By Mr. O. Duncombe (103), from Yorkshire, by Sir W. Heathcote (54), from County of Southampton, against Repeal of the Corn Laws,—By Colonel Conolly, from Ballyshannon, for Reduction of Spirit Duty (Ireland).— By Mr. Borthwick, from London (2), Mr. French from Yorkshire (4), for Inquiry into Anatomy Act—By Mr. Thomas Duncombe, from Leicester, Hanley, and Shelton, for Mitigation of Sentence on Thomas Cooper.—By Mr. Greenal, from Wigan, against Palatine County Courts Bill, but in favour of County Courts Bill— By Mr. O. Duncombe, from York (2), for Alteration of County Courts Bill.—By Mr. Lockhart, from Dryden, for Repeal of Mines and Collieries Act.—By Lord Eliot, from Dublin, for Amendment of Municipal Corporation Act.—By Sir A. L. Hay, from Caithness, and Sutherland, for Alteration of Parishes (Scotland) Bill.—By Lord Eliot, from St. Columb Major Union, for Alteration of Poor Law Amendment Act—By Mr. Wynn Ellis, from Leicester, against Exempting Workhouses from Rates.—By Mr. French, from Galway County, complaining of a Poor Rate Collector.—By Mr. Corbally, from Kells Union, against Payment of Loan (Poor Law, Ireland).—By Mr. Bannerman, from Aberdeen, against Prisons (Scotland) Bill. — By several hon. Members (4), against Rating Owners of Tenements.—By Lord Eliot, and Mr. Pendarves, from Cornwall, for same.—By Mr. G. Duncan, from Dundee, for a Royal Dockyard in Scotland.—By Mr. Watson, from A. Von Sandau, for Enquiry.—By Mr. Tennent, from a Society, for Amendment of Slaughtering Horses Act.—By Colonel Conolly, from Ballyshannon, for Repeal of Spirits Duty (Ireland).—By Mr. T. Duncombe, from Airdrie, complaining of recent State Trials. —By Mr. T. Duncombe, from Aberdeen, for Regulating Tailors Trade; and from W. Wright, for Mitigation of Sentence.
Custom House Frauds
wished to ask the right hon. Gentleman the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when would the Report of the Commissioners for Inquiring into the Customhouse Frauds be ready for delivery to Members? He saw by The Times newspaper of that morning that that journal had got a copy of the Report, which it had made the subject of comment. Now, he did not by any means complain of The Times having got a copy, but it was not expecting too much that Members should have got the Report as well as the newspaper.
said, he had no knowledge whatever of how The Times had got the copy, but he would do all in his power to hasten the delivery of copies to Members. The Report was already in type, and would be delivered as soon as possible.
Anatomy Act
rose, pursuant to notice, to move for a "Select Committee to inquire into the operation of the Anatomy Act, and into the allegations contained in the Petition of Mr. Roberts, printed on the 25th of March." He assured the House that he would occupy as little of its time as possible, and that it was with that view that he had abstained from having the petitions which he presented read at length at the Table. The subject to which he was about to call the attention of the House was one which, for the sake of the poor—for the sake of science itself, required serious consideration. It was well known that of late years the competition of machinery with human labour had been productive of very many complicated surgical cases, which required a very extensive acquaintance with morbid anatomy. Much had been done by the Act of 1832, but much yet remained to be effected. The objects of which he would move for a Select Committee were twofold: one was to provide for science a supply of necessary materials and the other to secure the trade by which that supply would be available. With respect to the Petition of Mr. Roberts, on which his Motion was founded, it had been said, that that gentleman had sought to promote private ends under the guise of public advantage. No charge against any individual had less foundation, and if the House granted him the Committee, he would undertake to prove for the satisfaction of every Member of that Committee, that never was man more grossly abused and ill-used than Mr. Roberts. It was well-known, that for anatomical purposes a supply of not less than 600 bodies was necessary in the metropolis for one year, but it could be demonstrated, that by the use of the antiseptic preparation of Mr. Roberts, 200 bodies would be amply sufficient. The preparation of Mr. Roberts had been submitted to the examination of many of the most eminent surgical and medical men in the metropolis, amongst whom were Sir A. Cooper, Sir B, Brodie, Mr. B. Cooper, and others, who all concurred as to its powerful qualities in preventing animal substances from decay. The hon. Member was proceeding with his argument, when the House was counted; and only thirty-one Members being present, the House was adjourned at half past five o'clock.