§ MR. WODEHOUSEsaid, there were two questions he wished to put to the right hon. Gentleman the First Lord of the Treasury, if he would indulge him with a moment's attention. One was, whether he would consent to take into consideration the expediency of placing the whole sum required under the head of medical relief to the poor upon the same footing? The Poor Law Commissioners had intimated, that in the agricultural districts the authorities were apt to give a less liberal salary than those in the manufacturing districts, and therefore it would be well, as such an unhappy collision between the two classes had arisen, that on nice questions and cases some persons eminent in the profession should be always at hand. The other question had more immediate reference to a person with whom the right hon. Baronet was personally acquainted—a very eminent person, known in the literary world as a great linguist, having edited French, German, and Spanish grammars, and also brought out a work on the use of the globes; his name was Rowbotham. That gentleman had drawn up a curious analysis of the relative taxation of land and houses; and the question he proposed to the right hon. Baronet was simply this — whether Mr. Rowbotham was not for some time employed by him as a teacher in the 489 minor branches of the mathematics, and more particularly arithmetic?
§ SIR R. PEEL, in answer to the first question, observed, that while proposing that a part of the salaries of medical officers should be borne by the Treasury by means of a Vote of Parliament, he was very anxious that there should be a local check against an improvident expenditure, by the ratepayers bearing a portion of the expense, as well as by the revision incidental to an annual Vote in Parliament. Provision for medical relief would, no doubt, be most willingly made by whatever body had the control of it; but there was a tendency to abuse in such cases, and therefore the double check was proposed. However, perhaps if the hon. Gentleman could have assured him of his cordial support of the other portions of the proposed measures, he might have endeavoured to yield upon this. As to the other point, he really could not say that he had any recollection of employing the individual whose name had been mentioned in the way supposed by the hon. Member.