116 THE CANADIAN NATURALIST. [A^ol. ix. 



ON THE WATER SUPPLY OF lAIONTREAL AND ITS 



SUBURBS. 



By J. Baker Edwards, Ph.D., D.C.L., F.C.S., Professor of Chemistry, 

 University of Bishop's Collegre, and Public Analyst. 



(Read before the Natural History Society of Montreal, April 28th, 1879.) 



In order to render this review as complete as pos.sible, I will 

 commence by quoting the analyses of Dr. T. Sterry Hunt, in his 

 report to the Water Committee of this city in 1854. 



The samples were collected io the mouths of March and April, 

 and gave the following amount of mineral matter per imperial 

 gallon after destruction of the organic matter by heating to 

 redness. These results are interesting for comparison with more 

 recent analyses : 



R. Ottawa St. Lawrence Lachine. Old City 



Ste. Anne's. Cascades. Water Works. 



Mineral matter I 3-3 ^^.^ g ^^ g_g2 

 per gallon. j 



Dr. Hunt, in his report, states that the amount of chlorides 

 found in the city water taken from the old works on Commis- 

 sioners street always contained an excess of chlorides over the 

 water of the St. Lawrence, showing local sources of impurity, 

 probably due to the drainage of the city. 



The nature of the organic matter does not appear to have been 

 very closely investigated ; but it is suggested that it was of a 

 veo-etable and harmless character. 



In the very valuable and elaborate reports of the G-eological 

 Survey, published in 1863, Dr. Hunt furnishes us with fuller 

 analyses, and makes the following "comparison" of the waters 

 of the Ottawa and the St. Lawrence : 



" The comparison of the waters of the two rivers shows the 

 following differences: the water of the Ottawa, containing but 

 little more than one-third of the solid matter of the St. Lawrence, 

 is impregnated with a much larger quantity of organic matters, 

 and contains a large proportion of alkalies uncombined with 

 sulphuric acid or chloi-ine." 



The organic matter determined by loss after ignition was esti- 

 mated as follows : 



Ottawa R. St. Lawrence. Lachine. River front 



of City. 

 Grains of organic | ^^^^ gg j^^g ^ 39 



matter per gallon, j 



