﻿60 
  Transactions. 
  — 
  Miscellaneous. 
  

  

  Again 
  : 
  " 
  Eesults 
  worked 
  out, 
  aud 
  still 
  being 
  worked 
  out 
  in 
  the 
  Thames, 
  

   by 
  sewage 
  discharge, 
  are 
  evils 
  of 
  great 
  magnitude, 
  and 
  seriously 
  detract 
  

   from 
  the 
  general 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  MetropoHtan 
  sewage 
  arrangements. 
  If 
  certain 
  

   foul 
  accumulations, 
  formed 
  near 
  to 
  the 
  old 
  sewers 
  at 
  London, 
  led 
  the 
  reporters 
  

   of 
  1868 
  to 
  declare 
  that 
  the 
  evil 
  had 
  attained 
  such 
  proportions 
  as 
  to 
  render 
  

   it 
  essential 
  to 
  the 
  well-being 
  of 
  the 
  Metropolis 
  that 
  means 
  should 
  be 
  taken 
  

   for 
  its 
  permanent 
  abatement, 
  what 
  would 
  they 
  say 
  of 
  simUar 
  features 
  on 
  a 
  

   more 
  gigantic 
  scale 
  lower 
  down 
  the 
  river 
  ? 
  Observing 
  that 
  the 
  present 
  

   channel 
  in 
  Mid-Thames 
  is 
  through 
  banks 
  of 
  fetid 
  matter, 
  that 
  the 
  water 
  

   in 
  the 
  channel 
  is 
  loaded 
  with 
  material 
  in 
  a 
  state 
  of 
  putrescence, 
  and 
  that 
  it 
  

   daUy 
  oscillates 
  within 
  the 
  Metropolitan 
  area, 
  with 
  its 
  teeming 
  population, 
  

   and 
  contaminates 
  the 
  atmosphere, 
  they 
  would 
  probably 
  admit 
  tliis 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  

   state 
  of 
  things 
  altogether 
  detrimental 
  to 
  the 
  public 
  interest. 
  Though 
  it 
  may 
  

   be 
  very 
  true 
  that 
  the 
  action 
  of 
  land-floods, 
  and 
  the 
  frequent 
  passing 
  to 
  and 
  

   fro 
  of 
  the 
  steam-traffic 
  of 
  the 
  river, 
  wiU 
  always 
  maintain 
  a 
  navigable 
  passage 
  

   through 
  its 
  foul 
  reaches, 
  yet 
  the 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  channel 
  and 
  the 
  contiguous 
  

   foreshores 
  must, 
  of 
  necessity, 
  become 
  more 
  foul, 
  and 
  to 
  a 
  greater 
  distance 
  

   from 
  the 
  outfaUs, 
  as 
  the 
  population 
  increases 
  and 
  the 
  water 
  is 
  more 
  highly 
  

   charged 
  with 
  the 
  accreting 
  matter 
  which 
  sewage 
  contains." 
  

  

  Again 
  : 
  " 
  Nothing 
  can 
  be 
  possibly 
  more 
  unsatisfactory 
  than 
  the 
  present 
  

   condition 
  of 
  things." 
  

  

  I 
  may 
  add 
  that 
  no 
  effectual 
  remedy 
  is 
  suggested 
  by 
  Captain 
  Calver, 
  

   though 
  he 
  anticipates 
  that 
  "experimental 
  research 
  and 
  discovery" 
  may 
  

   bring 
  about 
  " 
  a 
  successful 
  solution 
  of 
  this 
  pressing 
  question." 
  

  

  The 
  report 
  concludes 
  a 
  re-iteration 
  of 
  what 
  has 
  already 
  been 
  advanced, 
  to 
  

   the 
  effect 
  that 
  the 
  " 
  foul 
  and 
  offensive 
  accretions 
  have 
  recently 
  formed 
  in 
  

   the 
  channel 
  of 
  the 
  Thames; 
  " 
  and 
  that 
  a 
  *' 
  material 
  portion 
  of 
  these 
  accu- 
  

   mulations 
  are 
  in 
  the 
  neighbourhood 
  of 
  the 
  metropoUtan 
  sewage 
  outfalls;" 
  

   and 
  he 
  recommends 
  that 
  the 
  Metropolitan 
  Board 
  of 
  Works 
  be 
  caUed 
  on 
  to 
  

   dredge 
  away 
  those 
  portions 
  of 
  the 
  accreted 
  matter 
  which 
  interfere 
  with 
  

   the 
  convenience 
  of 
  navigation, 
  and 
  that 
  they 
  be 
  requested 
  to 
  adopt 
  such 
  

   arrangements 
  as 
  are 
  calculated 
  to 
  prevent 
  similar 
  accumulations 
  in 
  future." 
  

   He 
  further 
  hopes 
  that 
  the 
  " 
  noble 
  metropolitan 
  river 
  " 
  may 
  be 
  *' 
  freed 
  from 
  

   a 
  drawback 
  which 
  is 
  impairing 
  its 
  commerce 
  and 
  usefulness*" 
  

  

  The 
  report 
  of 
  Captain 
  Calver 
  is 
  met 
  by 
  a 
  lively 
  rejoinder 
  from 
  Sir 
  J. 
  W* 
  

   Bazalgette, 
  C.B., 
  Engineer 
  to 
  the 
  MetropoHtan 
  Board 
  of 
  Works, 
  supported 
  

   by 
  other 
  scientific 
  men, 
  in 
  which 
  he 
  premises 
  that, 
  " 
  when 
  it 
  is 
  considered 
  

   that 
  the 
  report 
  in 
  question 
  purports 
  to 
  be, 
  not 
  the 
  exaggerated 
  statements 
  of 
  

   an 
  advocate, 
  but 
  the 
  calm 
  and 
  deliberate 
  conclusions 
  of 
  a 
  scientific 
  man, 
  

   upon 
  a 
  matter 
  involving 
  the 
  most 
  serious 
  and 
  vital 
  interests, 
  adopted 
  and 
  

  

  