ON THE TREATMENT AND UTILIZATION OF SEWAGE. 313 



is highly appreciated, and during the year copies of the same have heen 

 forwarded for public exhibition at Norwich and Exeter, and to the Harvard 

 University in the United States. Your Committee are desirous of making 

 further grants of such Mural Standards, but the funds at their disposal do 

 not allow them to use these efficient means for diffusing the knowledge of the 

 Metric System. Your Committee have much pleasure in reporting that 

 considerable stimulus has been given to the study of the Metric System by 

 the prizes offered to the students passing the examination of the Society of 

 Arts and the British and Foreign School Society on the subject ; and that the 

 prize of ^10 offered for the best school-book on the Metric System was gained 

 by W. C. Vaughan for an excellent treatise on the subject, which your Com- 

 mittee trust will soon be published and become extensively useful. 



Upon the subject of International Coinage no step has been taken since 

 the report of the Royal Commissioners, 



The Chancellor of the Exchequer, however, has recently enunciated his 

 views in favour of imposing a seigniorage of about one per cent., and of taking 

 it from the coia with the view that the sovereign may become identical with 

 the 25-franc piece. In his opinion, whilst the sovereign would still remain 

 as a current coin in this country of exactly the same value as now, it would 

 have the additional advantage that it woiild be identical in value with the 

 25-franc piece. The subject has been frequently before your Committee, 

 but they conceive that a general understanding on this and many other points 

 of extreme difficulty and magnitude should be arrived at by those conversant 

 with the practical administration of the mints in different countries before 

 the subject is deliberately submitted for the approval of the country ; and your 

 Committee content themselves in echoing the recommendation of the Royal 

 Commissioners on International Coinage, that another International Confe- 

 rence may speedily be held for that purpose. The question is weU worthy of 

 the attention of the British Association, and your Committee recommend 

 that the Council of the British Association should make a representation to 

 that effect to Her Majesty's Government. In conclusion, your Committee 

 are persuaded that their efforts have not been in vain in stimulating the 

 early realization of one uniform system of weights, measures, and coins in 

 aU countries, an object of the highest importance in the interest of science, 

 education, commerce, and peace ; but their task being far from complete, 

 and with a view to labour still further towards that end, they recommend 

 the reappointment of the Committee, with a grant of at least £50 for the 

 purpose. 



Report on the Treatment and Utilization of Seioage. Brawn up hrj Dr. 

 Benjamin H. Paul, at the request of the Committee, consisting of *J. 

 Bailey Denton, M.Inst. C.E., F.G.S., Dr. J. H. Gilbert, F.K.S., 

 *RicHARD B. Grantham, M. Inst. C.E., F.G.S., Chairman,W. D. 

 Harding, *J. Thornhill Harrison, M. Inst. C.E., *Dr. Benjamin 

 H. Paul, Ph.D., F.C.S., Dr. R. Angus Smith, F.R.S., and Professor 

 J. A. Wanklyn. 



Probably one of the most important results of modern scientific inquiry is 

 the general recognition of the fact that attention to the hygienic requirements 



* These Members only have attended the Meetings of the Committee. 

 1869. T 



