Mr Falconer King on River Purification. 91 



Wednesday, l^th March 1876. — David Grieve, Esq., President, 

 in the Chair. 



The following donations to the Library were laid on the table, and thanks 

 voted to the donors : 



1. Jom-nal of the Linnean Society (Botany), Vol. XV., No. 82; Do. 

 (Zoology), Vol. XII., Nos. 60-62.— From the Society. 2. Proceedings of the 

 Royal Society, Vol. XXIV., No. 166. — From the Society. 3. Transactions of the 

 Royal Scottish Society of Arts, Vol. IX., Part 3.— From the Society. 4. 

 Proceedings of the Literary and Philosophical Society of Liverpool, Title-page, 

 Index, etc. — From the Society. 5. Catalogue of Plants for distribution by 

 the Botanical Society of Copenhagen. — From the Society. 6. Medical 

 Examiner, Nos. 7, 8, 9, 10. — From the Editor. 



The following communications were read : 



I. — On some Proposed Processes for River Purification. 

 By J. Falconer King, Esq. 



At the present time the subject of Eiver Purification is 

 one of very great interest to many people in this country. 

 Those who offend, and those who are offended against in this 

 matter, are alike interested, although on different sides of the 

 question. The peculiar interest which is at present evoked 

 is of course caused by the action which the Government seem 

 likely to take in the matter. Eegulations of too strict a 

 nature in regard to river pollution, would no doubt to a 

 certain extent affect injuriously the trade of the country ; 

 while on the other hand by having regulations too lax, or by 

 having no regulations at all, as seems to be the case at 

 present, a gigantic nuisance which is becoming worse every 

 year, is allowed to go on unchecked. That something must 

 be done by legislation to have the evil abated is pretty 

 generally agreed. What form the legislation should take is 

 the difficulty. I think it is a mistake to fix upon manu- 

 facturers and, without any previous inquiry, say to them, you 

 shall not on any account put such and such things into 

 rivers. To many a manufacturer such a command strictly 

 enforced simply means ruin. A much better plan, I imagine, 

 would be to appoint a body of scientific men to inquire fairly 

 into the matter, and to ascertain and report as to the pollu- 

 tions existing in each large river, and also to suggest means 

 for the amelioration or removal of such pollutions. 



In the neighbourhood of Edinburgh, many of the streams 

 VOL. IV. N 



