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Board of Health, We find strewed in all directions 

 around Port Louis, enormous accumulations of stable 

 refuse intermixed with animal refuse of all descrip- 

 tions. — This refuse, under the influence of high tem- 

 perature and moisture, undergoes a rapid putreff^ctive 

 process, and every one who passes within a moderate 

 distance of these heaps is sorely annoyed by the noi- 

 some odours eipitted from them. In addition to this, 

 the night soil is exposed in pits near the Trou Fanfa- 

 ron purposely to undergo further putrefaction in order 

 to its conversion into manure ; and the carts and tubs 

 used for the conveyance of night soil are washed in the 

 Trou Fanfaron impregnating the mud of its shore. — 

 From these pits, the mud, the water, and the horrid 

 matters scattered around, arises a noisome odour which 

 is smelt and made a subject of complaint by the officers 

 of ships in the harbour. 



How all this cons(antly accumulating refuse is to be 

 disposed of, becomes a question of the greatest impor- 

 tance in relation to the sanitary condition of Port 

 Louis. The planters and gardeners do not think it 

 worth their while to convey it to the country districts 

 for manure, and refuse is at the simple cost of carriage ; 

 aad it is doubtful Avhether if they consented to remove 

 the refiise, the cost of removal would not be greater 

 than its value as manure. The only possible method 

 of ridding the town of this enormous nuisance is to be 

 burn out, as has been recently dqne in part by the Muni- 

 cipality; from which it is clear that the nuisance, if 

 any, of the burning and the refuse must be endured. 



Hut if by the conversion of this noxious refuse into 

 a charcoal possessing a full desinfecling power, it can, 

 instead of being absolutely lost, be again employed to 

 prevent the injurious emanations from the night soil, 

 and ultimately into a valuable manure which may, to 

 a great extent, be substituted for guano, and that can 

 be desired, will be accom])li'»hed at the smallest possible 

 cost, and the impurtati'iu uf expensive desiufectauts from. 

 Europe avoided. 



Objections have been raised that the refuse in the 

 process of carbonization, will give off gases that will 

 prove injurious to the h ulth of the inhabitants. There 



