A SEWAGE FARM 75 



meadowland on the opposite side of the river, 

 and not sufficiently far away to prevent our get- 

 ting the full benefit of the effluvium arising from 

 it, as the wind happened to blow precisely across 

 to us. I know nothing about the management 

 of a sewage farm, but under ordinary circum- 

 stances I was under the impression that all ob- 

 jectionable smells were effectually nullified by 

 certain antiseptic processes, which entirely coun- 

 teracted putrefication. 



The borough councillors in their wisdom 

 seem to have adopted some new theory, sup- 

 posed to be superior to any other, but which 

 apparently did not work ; the filtering machinery 

 must have got choked, and one of the conse- 

 quences has been that it became quite impossible 

 to angle or even walk down either side of the 

 lovely river when this wonderful sewage hap- 

 pened to be windward of it. It will probably 

 cost the town some thousands to put this bad 

 beginning right. The remedy has hitherto proved 

 worse than the disease, for tainted air seems to 

 me to be as bad as tainted water, or worse; 

 from the former there is no escape when one is 

 to windward, whichever way the wind blows, 

 but one is not obliged to drink sewage water. 

 I have only stated a fact, in no cavilling spirit. 

 I sympathize with the local authorities for the 

 great mistake they have made, and I am sorry 

 for the ratepayers, who will have an additional 



