458 The Water Companies: [MAY, 



be a justifiable arrangement, or a " monopoly," such as ought to be 

 resisted and put down by act of parliament ? whether the Thames water, 

 drawn from any part of the river between "the Pool" and the point at 

 which the tide ends, be tit for the purposes of human consumption ? and 

 whether any benefit to proprietors or shareholders, or any valuable result 

 to the public, may be expected from the establishment of a New Water 

 Company in London? We do not add the farther question whether 

 the Grand Junction Company, or any other company, has fulfilled all the 

 " professions " which its agents may have put forth at the commencement 

 of its career ? because, in* the first place, we find that there are no means 

 of compelling such companies to carry on their business on the terms on 

 which they may have thought fit to begin it ; in the next place, because 

 we rather believe that they must shortly become extinct if they were com- 

 pelled to do so ; and, moreover, because we take the only matter prac- 

 tically worth considering without reference to the proposals of past new 

 companies, or faith in the professions of future ones to be, Is, or is not, 

 the supply of water which the metropolis receives from the several com- 

 panies, as good and as cheap as can be afforded ? 



The establishments, then, which supply London and Westminster with 

 water speaking here of the whole of the town on the Middlesex bank 

 of the river are five in number : the New River Company the 

 Chelsea the East London the West Middlesex and the Grand Junc- 

 tion. 



The New River Company, which was brought into operation about 

 the year 1015, takes the chief part of its water from the stream sufficiently 

 well known by the name of the " New River at Islington," but has an 

 engine also, which raises water out of the Thames at Queenhithe, for 

 the purpose of occasionally adding to its supply. This company, in Lon- 

 don and its suburbs, serves nearly sixty thousand houses. 



The Chelsea Company is the second in point of antiquity, having been 

 established in the year 1723 ; but its trade is not now very large. It takes 

 its water from the Thames, about a quarter of a mile on the London side 

 of Chelsea Hospital, and supplies, in Chelsea and Westminster, eight 

 thousand houses. 



The East London Company, which was formed in the year 1807, and 

 began to act in 1811, takes its water from the point where the River Lea 

 runs into the Thames at Limehouse, and supplies about thirty-two thou- 

 sand houses. A sharp struggle existed for some time between this com- 

 pany and the New River establishment. 



The West Middlesex establishment was formed in the year 1810. This 

 company takes its water from an excellent situation in the Thames as 

 high up as the Duke of Devonshire's seat at Chiswick, and supplies about 

 eleven thousand houses. 



The Grand Junction Company against whom (nominally) the strength 

 of the present proceeding has been levelled and whose arrangements 

 unquestionably, (we should say) require alteration takes its water from 

 the foot of Chelsea Hospital. It has the smallest' district, but a pro- 

 fitable one, owing to the high rate of the streets which it supplies ; and 

 serves, as nearly as may be, seven thousand houses. 



The companies which supply the town on the Surry side of the river, 

 as we have already observed, we do not at present take into consider- 

 ation. 



Than, to come at once to the affairs an<! conduct of the Grand Junction 



