66 Transactions.—Miscellaneous. 
there can-be no question that London, having adopted the water-gravitation 
system for cleansing its precincts, within practical distance, no sites could 
have been better chosen for the outfalls than Barking Creek and Crossness, 
as here the country around is devoid of population, hence the works, if not 
altogether inoffensive, are placed where they are in a position to give least 
offence. : 
Having thus discussed the Home sewage question in its various phases, 
and noticed the opinions drawn from experimental enquiry, as well as from 
long experience, we will now turn to the subject as it presents itself in this 
Colony. Referring to the report published by the Sanitary Commission of 
Dunedin, dated 25th January, 1865, we find this town principally built of 
wood, at that time containing 15,037 inhabitants, and whose bad sanitary 
state was graphically described by.the city engineer, the late John Millar, 
Esd, FBA. 
The remedies submitted to the Commission by several engineers were as 
follows:—One assumed, as a matter of course, that the sewage would be 
“ hurried into the harbour," though ultimately the outfall might be on to the 
ocean beach. Another propounded a scheme of irrigation, conducting the 
sewage over or through two dividing ranges to the land between Dunedin 
and Saddle Hill, and in which the Taieri Plain might participate. This 
was to be effected by a series of pumping engines. Another suggested 
that the sewage should be discharged at the Lawyers’ Head, by means of 
hydraulie pressure on the drains. Another scheme was to submit the 
Forbury Flat to a system of high-class farming by the application of liquid 
sewage. 
From this it may be surmised that there was great diversity of opinion 
amongst engineers as to the proposed measures; but in saying this, it cannot 
be said to be more so than is or was existent amongst engineers in England 
at that date. The fact of the matter is, the subject is a growing one, in 
which time makes changes, and matured experience, we have seen, has’ 
suggested alterations. 
In this case of Dunedin, we see one engineer proposing to direct a 
system of irrigation over a plain, which ten short years have converted into a 
town. Another proposes to fertilize, by a similar scheme, an agricultural 
district, separated from the town by two ranges of hills, at ten miles 
distance, a project worthy of the greatest cities in Europe, and only prac- 
ticable to them. Another proposes to send it into the sea; another into the 
harbour. It is worthy of note that none proposed a dry system of 
treatment, 
Now it would be wrong to infer, from the want of unanimity in the 
T Pee that iod were n professionally. On the setup 
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