Mk. W. M'Faelahe on Sewerage. 99 



rocks at Barrhead, described in a paper in the present volume ; but here 

 it is not in such quantity, or at least so arranged, as to render the work- 

 ing profitable. Rich veins occur also in the coal formation in several 

 places, associated with fossil plants ; but a feeling prevails that they 

 cannot be profitably worked. 



The facts now brought forward are drawn chiefly from the excel- 

 lent work of Mr. Dawson, entitled Acadian Geology (Oliver & Boyd, 

 Edinburgh, 1855). Some additional information has been kindly supplied 

 by Mr. Carswell, now of Glasgow, some time resident in Nova Scotia 

 in connection with the mines. 



April 8, 1857. — Mb. Bbtce, Vice-President, in the Chair. 



Mr. AValter MTarlane read a paper " On a new system of Sewerage, 

 and other Sanitary Arrangements for converting the Liquid Refuse, 

 Dry Garbage, Ashes, &c., of towns, into their most valuable uses." 



Mr. MTarlane observed, that in our large towns most of the people 

 are now confined to so small a space, that it is absolutely necessary that 

 arrangements suitable for this new order of things should replace the 

 customs and rude contrivances of a past age. How to purify and dis- 

 pose of our town sewage is a problem that has been prominently before 

 the public for many years ; but it is still as far from a practical solution 

 as ever. He imputed much of the excessive mortality in our large 

 towns to the effluvia evolved from accumvdations of excrementary matter 

 in middensteads and privies. The plan of sewerage proposed by him 

 proceeds upon the principle of separating the watery from the excre- 

 mentary constituents. The watery class, being composed of the under- 

 ground drainage, rainfall, and waste water of the community, is harmless, 

 and of no value. The excrementai-y class, consisting of water closet 

 discharges, liquid refuse of public works, slaughter houses, &c., is valu- 

 able, but destructive to human life, if allowed to lie for any length of 

 time amongst the population. He proposed to adopt two separate sets 

 of sewers for the removal of these matters. The water sewers would 

 be wholly confined to the conveying away of the underground drainage, 

 rainfall, and waste water of the community, and would require no change 

 in the present system. The excrement sewers would require to be 

 entirely new, and would be wholly confined to the carrying out from the 

 midst of the population water closet and such other liquid refuse, as 

 from its nature is destructive to health, but may be converted to 

 useful purposes. The sewers he would arrange in such a manner as that 

 tlie solid portion would be retained by intercepting ordure tanks, whilst 

 th(! liquid parts would flow off, b}' means of pipe sewerage, to some 



