MR. HUMEsaid, he begged to ask a question of the noble Lord (Lord John 723 Russell) which was important at the present moment, when the Custom House regulations were under consideration. It would be in their recollection that in the year 1850 several petitions were presented respecting the quarantine laws, and the noble Lord then at the head of the Foreign Office (Viscount Palmerston) said, that in consequence of a conference being about to be held at Paris by deputies from different States of Europe respecting the quarantine laws, they had thought it better to defer any measures on the subject until a Report was made. They knew that the conference had met, and that deputies from this country had attended it. It sat for several months, and came to certain resolutions, which it was understood were to be signed on the part of the different Governments. From that period they had heard nothing more of the matter: it was therefore desirable that the noble Lord should, if possible, give them some information respecting it. He therefore begged to ask the noble Lord what had been the result of the conference respecting the quarantine laws held in Paris in the year 1851?
§ LORD JOHN RUSSELLsaid, the result of the conference at Paris was, that the persons in attendance had agreed upon a convention respecting sanitary regulations, which were submitted to the several Powers who had appointed deputies to attend the conference. On those sanitary regulations reaching this country, they were referred by the Secretary of State to the Board of Trade. The matter was one of great difficulty, and was still under consideration with a view to arrive at some convention which would be agreeable to all the Powers who had taken part in the conference, as also to all the maritime Powers that would be affected by it.