Mr. C. Grantsaid, he wished to make a few remarks, in consequence of the many misrepresentations that had gone abroad upon the subject. The present bill was founded upon the report of the committee of Foreign Trade, which sat last session. From what had been circulated abroad, it would seem that the committee had investigated the subject of contagion, and had denounced the established system of guarding against its introduction from abroad. So far from this being true, the bill adopted as a principle, that the present system of Quarantine laws was to be adhered to. The last committee had altogether avoided inquiry into the subject of contagion, but had taken their data from the report of the committee of 1819. That report assumed, as a datum, that a system of caution should be observed, and the recent object of inquiry was, how far the present system could be modified with advantage? The committee had gone against the advice of those medical men, who declared that contagion was not a subject of apprehension. The former punishment for violating the Quarantine laws was death; and it had struck the committee that a milder punishment would tend to the better enforcement of the law. In point of fact, the committee had recommended nothing more than had been advised by the medical gentlemen who had been consulted upon the subject. One medical gentleman was of opinion, that during six months of the year the Quarantine laws might be greatly relaxed; and others went so far as to say, that during three months they might be done away with. altogether. Dr. Granville was of opinion that sixty days, including the voyage, would afford sufficient security against that disorder. But, no matter how the opinions of the medical men varied upon certain points, upon one they were all agreed; namely, that it was right to modify and amend the 1037 Quarantine laws, with a view to the reduction of the number of days during which vessels returning from certain ports were to be detained. In regard to clean bills of health he thought it would be sufficient that. vessels arriving with such bills should be visited by proper officers, who would report to the privy council; and upon favourable answers, which would be received by return of post, such vessels might be admitted. It was the intention of.government to appoint some experienced and able medical inspector, whose duty it would be, to overlook all the reports made to the privy council, and to advise them thereon. It would be desirable, also, that he should inspect all the quarantine stations.
§ Sir Isaac Coffinsaid, his object in rising was, to do away with the idea that the plague never manifested itself to the northward of Cape Finisterre. Every man acquainted with history must know, that the plague had made its appearance in England four times, and had swept away 116,000 persons. His own apprehensions about the possibility of its re-appearance in these parts of the world had been more than once (as we understood) seriously excited. The gallant admiral read a letter of a physician, in which the writer stated that a friend of his, a strong noncontagionist, had thought proper during his sojourn at Malta to shut himself up in the island of Gozo, when the plague had declared itself there. in a few days his temerity cost him his life. He was surprised that the same fate did not overtake Dr. Maclean, who ventured to reside in the pest-house at Constantinople, among the plague patients confined there.
Mr. Secretary Canningsaid, he was anxious that the House should understand that the doctrine of non-contagion had not received any countenance from his majesty's ministers. The mischief which had been produced by the unreserved declarations that had been made by the disciples of this doctrine, was much greater than gentlemen were aware of. Already at Marseilles, Genoa, and Naples, a much longer quarantine was imposed on British shipping, than on the shipping of other European nations. Under these circumstances, he hoped these gentlemen would keep such opinions a little more to themselves; or, if they would continue their experiments, he trusted they would be made in corpore vili, rather than upon subjects which involved the general welfare of the community.
§ Mr. Humeagreed that the mischief adverted to had been considerable, and he thought it was but right that ministers should do every thing in their power to contradict the opinion that had gone abroad, that our present Quarantine laws were about to be repealed. But, he had to complain that this declaration was not made when the bill was first introduced. He could not help observing on the lecture which had been read by the right hon. gentleman, to the hon. member for Westminster (Mr. Hobhouse) and others who thought with him on the subject of contagion; in respect to whom the right hon. Secretary had expressed a wish that they would keep their opinions to themselves. Now, he was himself by no means satisfied that the principle of contagion did exist, to the degree in which it had been long supposed to exist; at any rate, he believed that the discussion of the question could not be productive of any harm. With regard to the appointment of the medical officer, he thought it ought not to be left to the discretion of any one man to replace, in this respect, that system of examination which had gone on so well for so long a time.
§ Mr. Huskissonfelt assured, that if the hon. gentleman would only consider the responsibility which attached to the Board of Trade, he would see that it was desirable they should have the assistance of some officer, possessing the advantage of having visited countries where the plague raged; and whose observation and judgment might guide the board in all questions of quarantine. For his own part, he thought this sort of appointment a most important object. He regretted that reports and loose assertions had gone abroad, that government intended to do away with all precautions. He had also read in the newspapers, that a lazaretto was established in Sheerness, in consequence of the contagion having been communicated; when, in point of fact, all the crews were in perfect health. This intelligence spreading to the continent, induced foreign governments to put the Quarantine laws in force against us.
§ Mr. Denmansaid, he rose merely for the purpose of stating the opinion of an individual on the subject, which might have some weight with the House. He had had the opportunity of looking over the papers of the late Dr. Baillie, and amongst them he found one which showed that he had examined the subject with 1039 great care, and the result of that inquiry was, that it would be unsafe to remove the precautions against infection.
The bill was read a third time.