§ MR. PICKERSGILL (Bethnal Green, S.W.)asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, Whether his attention has been drawn to the fact that no fewer than eight bodies of infants were recovered from the River Lea during the month of August; whether special efforts have been made to ascertain under what circumstances the infants were placed in the River; and, whether he has any information on the subject which he can communicate to the House?
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE (Mr. MATTHEWS) (Birmingham, E.)I have made inquiry of the Metropolitan Police, and they inform me that only two cases are known to them of children found drowned in the River Lea during the month of August. One was the case of a female child found on the 27th ultimo, in which case the verdict was "Found Drowned;" the other was of a female child found on the 29th, in which case the verdict was "Stillborn." I have no further information which I can communicate to the House.