THE EARL OF MILLTOWNasked Her Majesty's Government, Whether, considering that a Bill upon the subject was read a second time in this House last Session and referred to a Select Committee, it is their intention to introduce this Session a Bill for regulating the sale of poisons? The noble Earl said, that a feeling of very considerable uneasiness had existed in the public mind for some time in consequence of the great laxity of the regulations prevailing with regard to the sale of poisons. This laxity gave not only great facilities for the committal of crime—murder and suicide—but also, in many cases, led to accidental death. His feeling in the matter had been considerably intensified of late by a case of a very remarkable nature now before the public. All he intended to say about that case was, that it disclosed the extraordinary facility which persons, who were absolutely unknown to the vendors, had for obtaining the most deadly poisons. His noble Friend (Lord Car- 1350 lingford) introduced a Bill on this subject last Session, and after Petitions had been received from nearly every town in England praying their Lordships either to reject the measure or refer it to a Select Committee ho agreed to adopt the latter course. For some reason or other the Committee was not appointed, and the Bill was allowed to drop. He ventured to hope that the noble Earl the Lord President of the Council (Earl Spencer) would re-introduce either the Bill of last Session, or a similar Bill, which would contain provisions regulating the sale of poisons by apothecaries, general practitioners, and veterinary surgeons, as well as by chemists.
§ THE LORD PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL (Earl SPENCER)said, he must confess that he was relieved by the speech of the noble Earl of a difficulty in which he found himself placed when he took up the newspapers that morning and read that the noble Earl (the Earl of Milltown) had last night introduced a Bill dealing with poisons, and that it had been read a first time. He felt as if he were to blame personally for not having, while sitting on the Front Ministerial Bench, heard the noble Earl's speech, nor the announcement that he introduced such a Bill. With regard to the Question of the noble Earl, he might say that the Government were now considering the subject; and in a very few days he hoped to be able to inform him whether they intended to introduce a Bill. He would undertake, if they did introduce the Bill, to give a convenient time for its consideration.
THE EARL OF MILLTOWNsaid, that the Bill which he ventured to present to their Lordships yesterday evening and which was read a first time had nothing to do with poisons. Quito the reverse; it was a Bill for the prevention of the sale for building purposes of the sites of City churches. No doubt he had been indistinctly heard in the Reporters' Gallery.