§ MR. BUTLERsaid, in pursuance of the notice he had given, he begged to ask the noble Lord the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether it was the intention of Her Majesty's Government to introduce any measure for the appointment of local Commissioners of Sewers by the ratepayers of the Metropolis, and whether it was the intention of Her Majesty's Government to introduce any measure for the 1070 purpose of enabling the present Commissioners of Sewers to borrow money on the security of the rates?
§ VISCOUNT PALMERSTONsaid, the course which he should recommend the House to pursue upon that very important matter would depend very much upon the result of an undertaking which was planned by a private company. There was an association of capitalists, who had either brought or intended to bring, into that House a Bill to enable them to construct two great arterial sewers under the metropolis, beginning at some distance above, and ending at some distance below, London, one on each side of the Thames, which they intended to construct out of their own funds as a commercial speculation. If that project should be approved by Parliament, and carried into execution, it would obviously render unnecessary any loan by the Commissioners of Sewers for the purpose of constructing any great general system; and the decision with regard to what he might call the draining sewers would depend very much upon the result of this undertaking.