VENTILATION OF THE HOUSE—DR.REID. (Hansard, 18 July 1854)

§ MR. G. DUNDAS

said, he begged to move for copies of the correspondence between the Board of Works and Dr. Reid 382 from the 1st of June, 1852, to the 10th of February, 1853. He was desirous of bringing this question before the House, believing it to be due to the character of Dr. Reid, that some explanation and inquiry should be made with regard to his most unwarrantable dismissal from the position he held in connection with the House; for which he had abandoned an honourable and lucrative profession. He was not biassed in Dr. Reid's favour by any personal feeling, but his opinion of the case had been gathered from documents from which he should give extracts bearing on the case, and he trusted that he should be able to establish such a case of hardship as to induce the House to grant an inquiry into its circumstances. He would shortly state, with regard to the antecedents of Dr. Reid, that he was for many years a practical chemist in Edinburgh, and bore a reputation as a lecturer on chemistry, and he had made a number of successful experiments in ventilation in his own lecturerooms. In 1834, after the Houses of Parliament were destroyed by fire, and the new ones projected, the question of the ventilation of those buildings came under consideration, and in consequence of the evidence given by Dr. Reid, he was desired to make further experiments, and the temporary House of Commons was placed under his care and ventilated in such a manner as to call forth from lord Duncannon, then Chief Commissioner of Woods and Forests, in a letter written by him, an opinion that the experiments of Dr. Reid were most satisfactory. Dr. Arnott, about the same time, had given an opinion in favour of Dr. Reid's system. In 1840 Dr. Reid entered into an engagement to ventilate and warm the new House of Parliament, and the nature of that engagement had been much misapprehended. Dr. Reid understood that his services would be required until the new buildings were finished; and nothing less would have induced him to give up his lucrative occupations in Edinburgh. But the engagement as interpreted by the Treasury bore a very different aspect to that in which Dr. Reid viewed it. He (Mr. Dundas) believed the right hon. Gentleman (Sir W. Molesworth) differed from the view of that engagement taken by Dr. Reid, and that he interpreted it to extend only to such time as the Houses of lords and Commons remained untenanted. [The hon. Member here read portions of a correspondence between Dr. Reid and Mr. Mills, tending to show that 383 the engagement was supposed to extend to the management of the whole building.] Dr. Reid's system was a large and comprehensive one, and embraced the whole pile of buildings. In 1844 his duties were extended to the superintendence of the lighting of the House. The Duke of Newcastle, then lord Lincoln, and the other Commissioners of Works at that time, expressed the highest opinion of Dr. Reid's capabilities; and urged that, as he had been so successful in warming and ventilation, he should also be intrusted with the lighting of the House. However, misunderstandings arose between Sir Charles Barry and Dr. Reid. He (Mr. Dundas) would say little about them; but would content himself by stating two instances of misunderstanding between them, which he thought would place Dr. Reid in a different position in the eyes of those who now thought he was to blame. He had no desire to depreciate a gentleman who had produced a building like the Houses of Parliament; but he must say, that he regretted that he had not lived at a period some hundred years antecedent to the present time, when very different views were entertained with regard to the comfort and usefulness of buildings like these. The first misunderstanding arose in consequence of the many changes made by Sir Charles Barry in the great central tower. All Dr. Reid's air-passages and channels were connected with the central tower, and the alterations proposed by the architect in that tower entirely confused all Dr. Reid's operations. In 1845, in consequence of the disagreements between the architect and the ventilator, a conference was proposed with the view of settling their differences. This conference, in Dr. Reid's view, partook of the nature of a private conversation; but some time afterwards Sir Charles Barry sent in to the Board of Works a paper which he called "Minutes" of what took place at the conference. The accuracy of those Minutes was, however, repudiated by Dr. Reid. In 1852, when lord John Manners was Chief Commissioner of Works, he recommended that Dr. Reid be appointed for life; but Dr. Reid found it impossible to accept this offer, subject to those thwartings which had been practised upon him. Difficulties occurred, and Dr. Reid received notice that, on the 1st of November, 1852, his services would no longer be required. He was, however, directed to get his arrangements ready before the meeting of Parliament in November. He set to work with 384 great energy, and employed a great many men. Up to this time he had had very little control in directing the arrangements to ventilate the House. Four days, however, before the opening of Parliament, his office was taken possession of, his works put a stop to, the young men whom he had been training up were dismissed, and the whole matter placed in the hands of a man whom he had no confidence in whatever. Dr. Reid threatened to go to law to assert his rights; but an arbitration was proposed, and after some delay he consented to it. When the reference had been gone into, however, the arbitrators were informed that if they gave any decision which could not be supported in a court of law, they would subject themselves to heavy penalties. The result was, that he received only a small sum compared to what he was entitled to. Sir John Forbes, one of the arbitrators, stated that if it had not been for the restrictions placed on the arbitrators, he should have awarded a much larger sum. On these grounds he trusted that the House would agree to the production of these papers.

Motion made, and Question proposed— That there be laid before this House, Copies of all Correspondence, Documents, and Communications between the Board of Works and Dr. Reid, from the 1st day of June, 1852, to the 10th day of February, 1853: And, of the Evidence taken last year at the Arbitration between the Government and Dr. Reid.