May 29, 1879J 



NATURE 



lOI 



New Form of Heliostat. C. F. Chandler— A New Polariscopic 

 Method for the Detection and Estimation of Dextro-glucose in the 

 Presence of Cane'Sugar and Inverted Sugar. A. Graham Bell — 

 Vowel Theories considered in the Light of Recent Experiments 

 with the Phonograph and the Phonautograph. Elias Loomis — 

 The Winds on Mount Washington Compared with the Winds 

 near the Level of the Sea. Henry L. Abbot— The Ignition of 

 High Tension Fuses. Alexander Agassiz — Report on Dredgings 

 in the Caribbean Sea by the Coast Survey Steamer Blake, 

 Commander, John R. Bartlett, U.S.N. C. F. Chandler— On 

 Two New Diazo Colours from Coal Tar. G. J. Brush — On a 

 Mineral Locality in Fairfield County, Connecticut. H. A. 

 Newton — On the Influence of Jupiter on Bodies passing near the 

 Planet. J. S. Newberry — On the Great Silver Deposit recently 

 Discovered in Colorado, Utah, and Nevada. Simon Newcomb 

 — On the Recurrence of Solar Eclipses. F. A. P. Barnard — 

 Report of the Committee on Weights, Measures, and Coinage. 



NATIONAL WATER SUPPLY 



THE Society of Arts has again done useful work in 

 bringing together a jury of experts on the question 

 of water supply ; for though the subject has engaged 

 public attention for nearly half a century, has been 

 investigated by Royal Commissions, and inquired into by 

 committees appointed by scientific societies, we still find 

 ourselves face to face with so costly and cumbersome a 

 system of legislature, that although the country receives 

 a rainfall which has been amply demonstrated to be far 

 in excess of all the requirements of human consumption, 

 manufacturing interests and purposes of canalisation, we 

 see large districts suffering all the ills due to a polluted 

 water-supply, whilst in other areas excessive rainfall is 

 passing to the sea in devastating floods. 



It is obvious, from a consideration of this fact, that there 

 exists but one remedy for this state of things — the creation 

 of a central authority, with power over the whole water- 

 rights of the country for all purposes whatsoever ; and 

 upon this point there is a most striking unanimity of 

 opinion in all the speakers attending the Society of Arts 

 conference this year and last. Whether this authority 

 should be placed over the whole of the 215 river basins of 

 England and Wales, or whether they should be sub- 

 divided into groups, each presided over by separate 

 bodies, is a question of detail, and it is necessarily one 

 which allows of a very large amount of difference of 

 opinion, varying with the special knowledge and tenden- 

 cies of the individual propounding the scheme. 



Sir Henry Cole last year suggested a division into seven 

 districts, each under a local commission, assisted by a 

 well-known engineer, together forming a united board, 

 for the discussion of general questions. 



Mr. Shelford pointed out that 158 river basins are con- 

 tained in one county, and might be presided over by 

 county boards, while only eleven rivers are situated in 

 four or more counties, for which he considers special 

 legislation would be necessary. Mr. De Ranee would 

 divide the country into six groups of river basins, Mr. 

 Conder into ten, and he suggested the formation of a board 

 similar to the Hydraulic Works Department in Italy, who 

 at once take charge of the area and population of each 

 province, the altitude of the ground, the volume of the 

 rivers, and the amount of rainfall. 



To elicit information as to the best means of dividing 

 the country into separate watershed areas, having regard 

 to the wants of the population and the geological and hy- 

 drological conditions, the Society of Arts offered for com- 

 petition, at the Congress just held, a gold and three silver 

 rnedals. No paper, it appears, has been judged of suffi- 

 cient value to entitle the author to the gold medal, but two, 

 of the seven papers selected for printing, have been 

 thought worthy of silver medals, contributed by Mr. F. 

 Toplis and Mr. J. Lucas. The former proposes that the 

 country should be mapped out into watershed districts of 

 one or more river basins, governed individually by a 



body of commissioners, assisted by competent legal and 

 engineering advisers, with charge over all rivers, and 

 power to acquire all existing water-works and canals, 

 acting under the direction of a Minister of Health. 



Mr. Lucas divides the country into northern, midland, 

 and southern districts, with the idea of giving the 

 commissioner presiding over each area a similar disposi- 

 tion of mountains and plains and constituent geological 

 strata. 



Other authorities propose still other subdivisions, and 

 we cannot but think that the legislative creation of a 

 numerous body of commissioners, in various districts, each 

 with varying requirements and conflicting vested interests, 

 would for the present only tend to increase the existing 

 confusion ; for, as we stated last year, quoting Dr. Child, 

 "the bane of all local government in England is the 

 chaos of different and often conflicting authorities, ex- 

 isting each for a special purpose." It is difficult to see 

 how this state of things would be improved by the large 

 powers proposed to hi given to a number of new local 

 governing bodies. For ourselves we are more inclined to 

 agree with Capt. Douglas Galton, that all existing infor- 

 mation should be brought to one focus, and though this 

 information lies scattered over many departments, the 

 Local Government Board is the legitimate focus for it ; 

 and that whether or no it is considered necessary 

 that a Minister of Health be appointed, the prelimi- 

 nary step which can at once be taken is to place the 

 heads of departments who hold information in official 

 relation with the Local Government Board. The de- 

 partments he specially referred to, being the Geological 

 Survey, the Ordnance Survey, the Register-General's 

 Department, and the Rainfall Committee. 



The maps of the Ordnance Survey that would be most 

 useful for hydrological purposes are those on the scale of 

 six inches to the mile, published for the six northern 

 counties, part of Flintshire, and for the neighbourhood 

 of London ; but unfortunately for those who have re- 

 cognised the practical value of the maps on this scale, 

 for economic purposes, the Directors of the Ordnance 

 Survey have given priority of appearance to the larger 

 25-inch maps, which in addition to the objection found 

 to their use, from the small area they include, do not 

 contain the contour lines of equal level, which give to 

 every 6-inch map the usefulness of a model The 

 Ordnance Survey are, however, bringing out a new issue, 

 brought up to date, of their i-inch map of England and 

 Wales, reduced from their 25-inch map ; this new l-inch 

 map has no hill-shading, which so often obscured the 

 topography of the older editions, but in its place con- 

 tains the principal contour lines. This map will form an 

 admirable basis for tracing the watersheds and other 

 hydrological purposes for which the published Ordnance 

 Survey Catchment Basin Map is far too small. 



The information collected by the Geological Survey, 

 consists of geological maps of a large region on the scale 

 of one inch to the mile, and of maps on the six-inch 

 scale in the northern counties, coloured for the geological 

 formation, and "stippled" for the superficial clays and 

 sands with which they may be overlaid ; sections across 

 country on the six-inch scale, showing the thickness of 

 the various permeable and impermeable formations ; 

 memoirs descriptive of districts, and including the more 

 minute details of the strata, and particulars of the well- 

 sections. On the latter head we would specially allude 

 to the exhaustive detail of wells, given in the memoir of 

 the London basin, by Mr. Whittaker, which has furnished 

 so practical a basis for the useful investigations of Mr. 

 Lucas, who has added to them, from personal examina- 

 tion, the level of the underground water in the metro- 

 politan area. 



From information supplied by Mr. De Ranee to the con- 

 ference, it appears that the pervious water-bearing forma- 

 tions occupy about 22,000 square miles, absorbing on an 



