88 Reviews — C. E. Be Itance's Water Supply. 



In the second chapter, which is chiefly taken from the 6th Eeport 

 of the Eivers Pollution Commission (1874), the composition and 

 varying character of waters as derived from or flowing over 

 different geological strata, are successively described in relation to 

 their hardness, soluble contents, and organic impurities, accompanied 

 by a table of analyses of water deinved from Oolitic rocks, from 

 which it appears, that although these rocks for the purification and 

 storage of water are equal, if not superior to the Chalk, the analj^ses 

 show that great care should be exercised to cut off surface contami- 

 nation in deep wells, and that shallow wells are absolutely unsafe, 

 (pp. 41-44). 



Much useful information is given in this chapter as to the solid 

 impurities and hardness of different waters from various rocks, and 

 their fitness for domestic purposes. "While the use of hard water 

 for washing and the generation of steam is a disadvantage, it may 

 be noticed that the presence of sulphate of lime in the Burton 

 water is believed to give it a pre-eminence in the manufacture of 

 beer, and it is estimated that the gypsum derived from the water 

 used in brewing 1000 barrels of ale would be 250 lbs. (p. 112). Of 

 the water derived from the Burton Valley gravels, and used in various 

 operations of brewing, probably not less than 1,050,000 lbs. of 

 gypsum will be disposed of, which Mr. Molyneux considers will not 

 represent one-tenth of the actual amount of gypsum being annually 

 carried to the sea (p. 113, and Burton-on-Trent, 1869, p. 208). 



The following chapters (iii. to xxxiv. pp. 47-575), forming the 

 body of the work, are devoted to the special description of the river- 

 basins of England and Wales. For the 215 river basins delineated 

 on the Catchment-basin Map of the Ordnance Survey, various 

 groupings have been suggested, especially in the papers contributed 

 to the Congress before mentioned by Messrs. Lucas, Atchison, 

 Penning, and Prof. Ansted. In this work Mr. De Eance has 

 adopted 13 main groups or drainage areas, the distribution of which 

 is shown on a coloured map (p. 47). Under each of the great divi- 

 sions the included minor basins are fully described, — giving the 

 length of the streams, their area in square miles, the rainfall and 

 highest point of watershed, together with the chief towns situated 

 within them, their acreage, population, amount of water supply and 

 rateable value. 



Throughout these chapters there is a great amount of statistical 

 data, very useful for reference, but difficult to abstract, interspersed 

 with much interesting information, — on the different water-partings 

 of the country and their importance (pp. 47, 135, 174), on the 

 limestones and sandstones of the Permian rocks (p. 59), on the 

 relative value of hard and soft water on health, and even on the 

 death rate (p. 39), on rainfall received in one basin flowing under- 

 ground into another (pp. 100-102), on the Lower Greensand as 

 a source of water supply (pp. 24, 43), on the London water supply 

 (pp. 179, 184, 194, 243), on the area of the Cretaceous rocks, and 

 their water-bearing capability (p. 136), and on Artesian wells, — 

 besides noticing many localities where these wells are used, Mr. De 



