6o JOURNAL AND PROCEEDINGS 



would bring it all sufficiently in contact with the air to oxidize the 

 organic compounds of the sewage, and render the water fully as free 

 from contaminations as if no sewage had been permitted to mingle 

 with it. It may be safely granted that under favorable circum- 

 stances such would be the case, but in so small a body of water as 

 Burlington Bay the favorable circumstances do not exist. Lord 

 oxygen is a powerful potentate, but like many other things, he can 

 only do his very utmost, and the surface of the bay is altogether too 

 small to permit him to cope with so large an enemy as the sewage of 

 the city. 



When it is remembered that the sewers of the city are, like 

 many of the ducts leading from the glands of the animal economy, 

 constantly discharging, it would seem to any one crossing the outlet 

 at the foot of Cathcart street (as I did not long since) that the 

 quantity of sewage flowing into the inlet at that point would be 

 sufficient to poison a much larger body of water than our bay, even 

 if the means of renewing its contents were much greater than they 

 are. But, to satisfy myself as to the correctness of the position I 

 have been contending for, and prove the falsity of the opinions 

 regarding the oxidation of the organic substances, I sent two young 

 gentlemen to the bay with eight clean quart bottles, with instructions 

 to fill No. I off the Hess street sewer, midway between Bastien's 

 boathouse and the western end of the railway pier ; No 2 off the 

 Desjardine's canal ; No. 3, midway between Bastien's and Rock 

 Bay; No. 4, midway between Bastien's and the powder magazine 

 wharf; No. 5, a half mile towards the Ocean House from the point 

 from which No. 4 was taken ; No. 6, a mile north from Murton's 

 dock ; No. 7, a mile east from No. 6, and No. 8 off Ihe mouth of 

 the Cathcart street sewer. 



The day proved to be very cold, with a strong northeast wind 

 blowing, so that only seven of the bottles were filled ; — the young 

 men became tired out with rowing and turned back without filling 

 No. 7. Before sending out the bottles T laid my scheme before Mr. 

 Dickson, who heartily approved of the project, and gave me all the 

 assistance in his power (giving me the use of his appliances, as well 

 as his time for several evenings), to enable me to get at the facts 

 with regard to the quality of the water. My object was not to obtain a 

 quantitative, but a comparative qualitative analysis of the water from 

 different parts of the bay, and I think we have done so to a sufficient 



