74 Dr. FranTcland on Water Snpply of London. [Feb. 21, 



be unimpeachable, To secure these benefits for the future, storage 

 must be gradually provided for 11,500 millions of gallons of water, 

 judiciously selected in the Thames valley, and a proportionate 

 volume in the basin of the Lea ; whilst filtration must be carried to 

 its utmost perfection by the use of finer sand than is at present 

 employed, and by the maintenance of a uniform rate during the 

 twenty-four hours. 



There is nothing heroic in laying pipes along the banks of the 

 Thames, or even in making reservoirs in the Thames basin. They 

 do not appeal to the imagination, like that colossal work, the bring- 

 ing of water to Birmingham from the mountains of Wales ; and there 

 is little in such a scheme to recommend it to the mind of the 

 ambitious engineers of to-day. Nevertheless, by means of storage, by 

 utilising springs, by sinking deep wells, and by such comparatively 

 simple means, there is, in my opinion, every reason to congratulate 

 ourselves that, for half a century at least, we have at our doors, so to 

 speak, an ample supply of water which, for palatability, wholesome- 

 ness, and general excellence will not be surpassed by any supply in 

 the world. 



[E. F.] 



