§ THE LORD MAYOR OF DUBLIN (Mr. SEXTON)(for Mr. W. O'BRIEN) (Cork Co., N.E.)asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether his attention has been called to the Report of the analysis of the brown bread in use in Waterford Prison made by Sir Charles A. Cameron, Dublin City Analyst, which gives the following result: water 40.90; albuminous compounds 9.28; starch, dextrine, &c. 45.80; woody fibre 2.52; ash 7.50; total 100.00; and also to the statement of Sir Charles Cameron, that the bread is—
Decidedly inferior in quality, and it contains an excess of woody fibre or bran. The loaf when I received it was very soft and plastic—like mortar, in fact. I should not like to eat such bread continuously;and, whether the Prisons Board will institute a medical inquiry as to the propriety of using bread of such quality as the only food of prisoners suffering from diarrhœa?
THE SOLICITOR GENERAL FOR IRELAND (Mr. MADDEN)(who replied) said (Dublin University)The General Prisons Board report that it is the case that the May or of Waterford stated that he had sent to Sir Charles Cameron for analysis some bread taken from the prison; but neither the Board, the Governor, nor the medical officer is satisfied that the bread analyzed was the bread supplied to the prison, the usual steps for securing a proper analysis not having been taken by the Mayor. The Governor of the prison reports that he has no fault to find with the bread supplied to the prison, which he considers very good. 1750 The Visiting Justices have also frequently examined the bread and other provisions, and have never found fault with any of the supplies; and the Visiting Committee, reporting on the 4th of this month (that is, a few days after the bread was alleged to have been sent forward for analysis), stated that they had examined the quality of the bread and found it satisfactory. It is further the case that at no time has any complaint been made by a prisoner as to the quality of the bread. The Board add that there is no foundation for the inference conveyed in the last paragraph. As a matter of fact, there is always a supply of pure white bread for prisoners who, in the opinion of the medical officer, require it.
§ In reply to a further Question,
§ MR. MADDENsaid, there was no imputation that the Mayor had designedly submitted the wrong bread for analysis; it was probably the result of a mistake.