Mr Ki7ig on Recent Modes of Water Analysis. 35 



upon wliicli the town is built is very liglit and sandy, and as 

 far as I could learn, the system of drainage is by no means 

 perfect. The town being supplied with water from wells 

 situated in the streets, often in close proximity, I imagine, to 

 the sewers, there was every reason to suspect bad water, as in 

 point of fact most of the samples proved to be. They almost 

 all showed, on being properly analysed, distinct signs of being 

 most seriously contaminated, and still some of them miglit 

 have been considered as ordinary good waters, by any one 

 who in examining them confined his attention solely to the 

 estimation of the saline matter, and the amount of " organic 

 matter," as ascertained by noting the loss suffered by the 

 residue on ignition. I might cite many more instances from 

 my own experience, giving further proof of what I have said, 

 but I think those I have given are sufficient. I pass over 

 some very curious and well marked cases of water pollution 

 which I had in a town in Aberdeenshire, where in the light 

 open soil on which the town was built, the wells for the 

 supply of water for domestic purposes, and the cesspools con- 

 taining all the refuse and sewage matter, seemed to be placed 

 pretty frequently in the most favourable circumstances for 

 an interchange of contents ; also one from Wigtonshire where 

 a like arrangement seemed to have prevailed; to mention 

 specially, and in conclusion, a case which occurred in Fife, 

 where the water of a well which had been used for years, had 

 suddenly been suspected of being bad. This w^ater I analysed, 

 and finding signs of serious contamination, I reported that it 

 was impure. I was told, however, with tolerable plainness, 

 that I must be wrong, as the water had been used for many 

 years, and had never been found wanting, and, moreover, that 

 it was beautiful water, and had nob been changed nor inter- 

 fered with in any way whatever. On making inquiry, I 

 found that the conclusion I had come to was perfectly correct, 

 for though the water had for long been of excellent quality, 

 and even then exhibited outwardly no appearance of being 

 contaminated, I found that a small dungstead had been 

 erected, a considerable distance from the pump whence the 

 water was procured, but nearly or directly over the well, and 

 the drainings from Avhich heap filtering down, clear and bright 



