﻿Thomson, 
  — 
  On 
  the 
  Cleansing 
  of 
  Towns. 
  39 
  

  

  their 
  local 
  circumstances 
  and 
  wants. 
  These 
  I 
  found, 
  as 
  will 
  he 
  seen 
  in 
  the 
  

   sequel, 
  to 
  he 
  very 
  various 
  and 
  often 
  discordant. 
  

  

  First 
  of 
  importance 
  was 
  the 
  drainage 
  of 
  London, 
  and 
  to 
  this 
  I 
  had 
  free 
  

   access 
  given 
  me 
  hy 
  the 
  officers 
  of 
  the 
  Metropolitan 
  Board 
  of 
  Works, 
  wherehy 
  

   I 
  was 
  euahled 
  to 
  inspect 
  the 
  arterial, 
  side, 
  and 
  house-drains, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  

   outfalls 
  some 
  miles 
  helow 
  the 
  city. 
  I 
  had 
  also 
  several 
  papers 
  given 
  mo 
  

   describing 
  the 
  same, 
  and 
  to 
  these 
  I 
  shall 
  now 
  refer, 
  quoting 
  first 
  in 
  order 
  

   from 
  a 
  paper 
  by 
  their 
  engineer.* 
  Here 
  we 
  are 
  informed 
  that 
  the 
  " 
  subject 
  

   of 
  sewerage 
  received 
  the 
  attention 
  of 
  the 
  Legislature 
  at 
  an 
  early 
  date;" 
  

   and 
  that 
  "amongst 
  others, 
  a 
  proposal 
  by 
  Sir 
  Christopher 
  Wren 
  for 
  improved 
  

   drainage, 
  nearly 
  two 
  hundred 
  years 
  ago, 
  is 
  preserved 
  in 
  MS. 
  in 
  the 
  records 
  

   of 
  the 
  ancient 
  Westminster 
  Commission." 
  

  

  Again 
  : 
  " 
  Up 
  to 
  about 
  the 
  jeav 
  1816 
  it 
  was 
  penal 
  to 
  discharge 
  sewage 
  

   or 
  other 
  offensive 
  matters 
  into 
  the 
  sewers. 
  Cesspools 
  were 
  regarded 
  as 
  the 
  

   proper 
  receptacles 
  for 
  house 
  drainage, 
  and 
  sewers 
  as 
  the 
  legitimate 
  channels 
  

   for 
  carrying 
  off 
  surface 
  waters 
  only 
  ; 
  afterwards 
  it 
  became 
  permissive, 
  and 
  

   in 
  the 
  year 
  1847 
  the 
  first 
  Act 
  was 
  obtained 
  making 
  it 
  compulsory 
  to 
  drain 
  

   houses 
  into 
  the 
  streets." 
  

  

  Again 
  : 
  " 
  Prior 
  to 
  the 
  year 
  1847 
  sewers 
  were 
  under 
  the 
  management 
  

   of 
  eight 
  distinct 
  Commissions," 
  who 
  " 
  carried 
  out 
  (each) 
  its 
  drainage 
  

   works, 
  frequently 
  regardless 
  of 
  the 
  effect 
  thereby 
  produced 
  upon 
  the 
  

   neighbouring 
  districts 
  through 
  which 
  the 
  sewage 
  flowed." 
  

  

  Again 
  : 
  "In 
  the 
  year 
  1847 
  these 
  eight 
  Commissions 
  of 
  Sewers 
  were 
  

   superseded 
  by 
  one 
  Commission 
  termed 
  ' 
  the 
  Metropolitan 
  Commission 
  of 
  

   Sewers," 
  who 
  made 
  "the 
  adoption 
  of 
  the 
  new 
  system 
  of 
  drainage 
  com- 
  

   pulsory, 
  so 
  that, 
  within 
  a 
  period 
  of 
  six 
  years, 
  thirty 
  thousand 
  cesspools 
  

   were 
  abolished, 
  and 
  all 
  the 
  house 
  and 
  street 
  refuse 
  was 
  turned 
  into 
  the 
  

   river." 
  

  

  Again: 
  " 
  Similar 
  systems 
  were, 
  about 
  this 
  period, 
  to 
  a 
  large 
  extent 
  

   adopted 
  in 
  the 
  proviiicial 
  towns, 
  by 
  which 
  means 
  their 
  drainage 
  has 
  been 
  

   vastly 
  improved, 
  but 
  the 
  rivers 
  and 
  streams 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  have 
  become 
  

   very 
  generally 
  and 
  seriously 
  polluted." 
  

  

  Again: 
  "In 
  1852 
  the 
  fifth 
  Commission 
  was 
  issued, 
  (when) 
  fresh 
  ^olans 
  

   for 
  intercepting 
  the 
  sewage 
  of 
  the 
  metropohs 
  still 
  continued 
  to 
  be 
  heard 
  

   before 
  the 
  Commission, 
  and 
  were 
  from 
  time 
  to 
  time 
  examined 
  and 
  reported 
  

   on 
  without 
  any 
  practical 
  result. 
  In 
  1854 
  the 
  author 
  (Su- 
  J. 
  W. 
  Bazalgette) 
  

   was 
  directed 
  to 
  prepare 
  a 
  scheme 
  of 
  intercepting 
  sewers 
  intended 
  to 
  effect 
  

   the 
  improved 
  drainage 
  of 
  London." 
  

  

  Again: 
  " 
  The 
  sixth 
  Commission, 
  formed 
  in 
  1855, 
  continued 
  to 
  discuss 
  

   the 
  subject, 
  but 
  without 
  coming 
  to 
  a 
  joractical 
  result." 
  "But 
  it 
  was 
  not 
  

   alone 
  the 
  anomalies 
  of 
  the 
  old 
  Commissions, 
  &c., 
  which 
  compelled 
  the 
  

   * 
  " 
  Main 
  Drainage 
  of 
  London," 
  by 
  Sir 
  J. 
  W. 
  Bazalgette, 
  M, 
  Inst. 
  C.E. 
  

  

  