﻿66 
  Transactions. 
  ---Miseeltaneous. 
  

  

  takes 
  place, 
  the 
  conflict 
  not 
  anticipated 
  in 
  the 
  early 
  years 
  of 
  its 
  application, 
  

   but 
  in 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  years 
  becoming 
  palpable. 
  It 
  is 
  no 
  other 
  than 
  the 
  ord- 
  

   nance 
  versus 
  iron-plate 
  warfare; 
  if 
  the 
  one 
  increases 
  in 
  force 
  and 
  magnitude, 
  

   80 
  the 
  other 
  must 
  be 
  fortified 
  in 
  ratio. 
  Thus, 
  if 
  ships 
  have 
  to 
  be 
  protected 
  

   from 
  their 
  assailants, 
  so 
  must 
  the 
  rivers, 
  estates, 
  parks, 
  seats, 
  and 
  castles 
  be 
  

   protected 
  from 
  the 
  other. 
  Hence 
  Corporations, 
  in 
  initiating 
  sanitary 
  im- 
  

   provements 
  for 
  themselves, 
  are 
  not 
  justified, 
  as 
  hitherto, 
  in 
  neglecting 
  the 
  

   interests 
  outside 
  of 
  then- 
  precincts 
  ; 
  and, 
  as 
  justly 
  observed 
  by 
  the 
  Glasgow 
  

   Deputation, 
  those 
  cities 
  having 
  a 
  natural 
  outlet 
  apart 
  from 
  all 
  other 
  

   interests, 
  are 
  fortunate. 
  

  

  This 
  latter 
  condition 
  is 
  oftener 
  the 
  case 
  with 
  seabound 
  towns 
  than 
  

   with 
  inland 
  ones. 
  Certain 
  it 
  is 
  that 
  the 
  idea 
  so 
  often 
  prevailing 
  amongst 
  

   sanitary 
  engineers 
  that 
  their 
  works 
  are 
  for 
  ever, 
  and 
  all 
  time 
  to 
  come, 
  must 
  

   be 
  abandoned, 
  and 
  then* 
  judgment 
  must 
  be 
  exercised, 
  not 
  as 
  now 
  to 
  create 
  

   works 
  of 
  magnitude 
  far 
  beyond 
  present 
  wants, 
  but 
  to 
  institute 
  systems 
  to 
  

   which 
  least 
  objections 
  can 
  be 
  taken 
  ultimately, 
  or 
  for 
  the 
  time 
  being. 
  The 
  

   wants 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  population 
  must 
  not 
  only 
  be 
  estimated, 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  

   future, 
  but 
  their 
  capacity 
  to 
  bear 
  the 
  burden 
  of 
  taxation, 
  hence, 
  though 
  

   ivorking 
  to 
  an 
  end, 
  and 
  on 
  just 
  principles, 
  the 
  consideration 
  should 
  be 
  as 
  to 
  

   what 
  was 
  actually 
  necessary, 
  and 
  no 
  more, 
  leaving 
  their 
  successors 
  to 
  

   continue 
  the 
  same. 
  Without 
  being 
  attentive 
  to 
  these 
  facts, 
  the 
  city 
  

   populations 
  may 
  pay 
  too 
  dearly 
  for 
  the 
  luxury 
  of 
  improvements 
  or 
  quasi 
  

   improvements, 
  and 
  property 
  may 
  be 
  overburdened 
  by 
  works 
  which 
  could 
  

   perfectly 
  well 
  be 
  held 
  over. 
  

  

  As 
  an 
  example 
  of 
  the 
  conflict 
  between 
  interests, 
  that 
  takes 
  place 
  conse- 
  

   quent 
  on 
  the 
  modern 
  introduction 
  of 
  town 
  cleansing 
  by 
  water-gravitation, 
  

   we 
  turn 
  to 
  the 
  greatest 
  city 
  in 
  the 
  world, 
  where 
  it 
  has 
  perforce 
  had 
  largest 
  

   development. 
  The 
  outfall 
  of 
  the 
  sewage, 
  till 
  recent 
  years, 
  was 
  into 
  the 
  

   Thames, 
  withm 
  the 
  precincts 
  of 
  the 
  city. 
  This 
  created 
  nuisances 
  which 
  it 
  

   was 
  found 
  desirable 
  to 
  remove 
  ; 
  hence 
  those 
  measures 
  were 
  taken 
  which 
  

   have 
  already 
  been 
  described 
  in 
  the 
  preceding 
  part 
  of 
  this 
  paper. 
  But, 
  

   besides 
  the 
  Metropolitan 
  Board 
  of 
  Works, 
  there 
  exists 
  a 
  Board 
  of 
  Conser- 
  

   vators 
  of 
  the 
  Eiver 
  Thames, 
  having 
  other 
  interests 
  than 
  the 
  population 
  of 
  

   London 
  to 
  take 
  care 
  of, 
  and 
  on 
  which 
  the 
  operations 
  of 
  the 
  former 
  Board 
  

   were 
  felt 
  to 
  act 
  detrimentally. 
  In 
  consequence 
  of 
  this. 
  Captain 
  Calver, 
  

   E.N., 
  F.E.S,, 
  was, 
  by 
  the 
  secretary, 
  directed 
  to 
  investigate 
  and 
  report 
  on 
  

   the 
  subject*. 
  That 
  gentleman 
  acknowledged 
  the 
  receipt 
  of 
  the 
  instructions, 
  

   to 
  wit 
  ; 
  that 
  he 
  should 
  direct 
  his 
  attention 
  to 
  some 
  recent 
  surveys 
  which 
  had 
  

   been 
  made 
  by 
  the 
  officers 
  of 
  the 
  Board, 
  of 
  that 
  section 
  of 
  the 
  Eiver 
  Thames 
  

   extending 
  from 
  Woolwich 
  to 
  Erith, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  to 
  analytical 
  examinations 
  by 
  

  

  * 
  Thames 
  Comnaissiou, 
  6th 
  June, 
  1877. 
  

  

  