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"statement "on his own official responsibility," that the
"sanitary condition of Clerkenwell was "not only a dis"grace,
but a danger to the whole town "with its death
"rate, which is below that of the Metropolis generally, and
"his own statement in his letter to the Vestry, dated the
"24th March, that "It is undoubtedly true that the Farish
"is a healthy one."That he be asked to explain the state"ment
in his letter on the agenda "that the composition of
"the Sanitary Committee has now become similar to that of
"the whole of the other Committees of the Vestry, the com"position
of which will shortly be explained to the public
"at large." Whether, by this statement, he refers to and
"endorses the statement made in the House of Commons on
"the 8th instant, by Mr. G. Russell, Parliamentary Secre"tary
to the Local Government Board, on the same subject,
"as reported in the Times of the 9th instant, viz.: " In the
"Parish of Clerkenwell, in each of the five Committees a
"large majority were house-farmers, or closely connected
"with them. In the Finance Committee 10 out of 15, in
"the Works Committee 15 out of 20, in the Assessment
"Committee 15 out of 20, the Parliamentary Committee 6
"out of 15, and in the Sanitary Committee 9 out of 20 were
"house-farmers." That Mr. G. Russell be written to, ask"ing
him for his authority for the statement he made, as
"above quoted, the correctness of which the Vestry alto"
gether disputes."
The following Letters were written accordingly : —
Vestry Hall, Clerkenwell,
August 14 th, 1884.
Sir,
At the last Meeting of this Vestry the following Resolution
was passed, viz.: — "That Sir Charles Dilke's letter of the 9th ulto., as
on the agenda, altogether fails as a reply to the Vestry Clerk's letter to
him of the 7th ulto., it being a mere general statement, instead of a
reply to the direct denials of the truth of the specific statements made
by him. That Sir Charles Dilke bo asked to explain how he can