﻿Thomson, 
  — 
  On 
  the 
  demising 
  of 
  Towns. 
  63 
  

  

  mud 
  aud 
  aewage 
  mud;" 
  that 
  "sewage 
  does 
  not 
  work 
  its 
  way 
  up 
  the 
  river;" 
  

   and, 
  finally, 
  that 
  " 
  the 
  muddy 
  condition 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  is 
  caused 
  principally 
  

   by 
  the 
  unprotected 
  state 
  of 
  its 
  banks," 
  

  

  Here, 
  then, 
  we 
  may 
  pause 
  and 
  exclaim, 
  How 
  doctors 
  differ 
  ! 
  

  

  Captain 
  Calver 
  supports 
  his 
  statements 
  by 
  numerous 
  tables 
  and 
  analyses, 
  

   and 
  Sir 
  J. 
  W. 
  Bazalgetfce 
  does 
  the 
  same 
  in 
  treble 
  volume, 
  hence 
  his 
  

   chemical 
  referees 
  (^[uaintly 
  conclude 
  then- 
  support 
  of 
  then' 
  employer 
  by 
  a 
  

   remark, 
  viz., 
  conclusions 
  of 
  a 
  few 
  samples 
  only 
  (by 
  Captain 
  Calver's 
  

   analysts) 
  must 
  be 
  looked 
  upon 
  with 
  great 
  distrust 
  ! 
  

  

  The 
  report 
  of 
  Sir 
  J. 
  W. 
  Bazalgette 
  is 
  accompanied 
  by 
  an 
  appendix 
  con- 
  

   taining 
  letters 
  and 
  reports 
  of 
  other 
  authorities, 
  besides 
  plans, 
  charts, 
  and 
  

   sections 
  of 
  the 
  Thames 
  and 
  its 
  estuary. 
  The 
  evidence 
  of 
  Faraday 
  is 
  

   brought 
  out 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  former 
  foul 
  state 
  of 
  the 
  Thames 
  within 
  the 
  city 
  pre- 
  

   cincts, 
  and 
  apart 
  from 
  the 
  question 
  before 
  us 
  the 
  charts 
  of 
  the 
  saltings 
  or 
  

   erosions 
  of 
  the 
  banks 
  of 
  the 
  Thames 
  estuary 
  are 
  interesting 
  to 
  the 
  physical 
  

   geographer. 
  And 
  here 
  we 
  may 
  take 
  the 
  liberty 
  of 
  pointing 
  out 
  that, 
  as 
  

   these 
  aU 
  take 
  place 
  below 
  the 
  sewage 
  outfalls, 
  extending 
  for 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  20 
  

   miles, 
  from 
  which 
  Sir 
  J. 
  W. 
  Bazalgette 
  ascribes 
  the 
  muddy 
  condition 
  of 
  the 
  

   river 
  above 
  — 
  from 
  this, 
  his 
  own 
  principle, 
  we 
  have 
  a 
  difficulty 
  in 
  clearing 
  

   him 
  fi-om 
  contradiction, 
  when 
  he 
  ignores 
  Captain 
  Calver's 
  statement 
  in 
  the 
  

   same 
  direction, 
  viz., 
  that 
  the 
  filthiness 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  above 
  the 
  outfalls, 
  

   extending 
  up 
  to 
  London, 
  little 
  more 
  than 
  10 
  miles, 
  is 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  sewage 
  

   deposits 
  of 
  Barking 
  Creek 
  and 
  Crossness, 
  which 
  is 
  but 
  a 
  corollary 
  to 
  his 
  

   own 
  theory. 
  

  

  But, 
  in 
  truth, 
  the 
  controversy 
  is 
  of 
  a 
  kuid 
  in 
  which 
  one 
  throws 
  his 
  filth 
  

   into 
  a 
  neighbour's 
  bed, 
  so 
  complete 
  equanimity 
  is 
  not 
  to 
  be 
  expected, 
  on 
  the 
  

   contrary, 
  perturbations 
  from 
  the 
  true 
  mean 
  of 
  sound 
  judgment 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  

   looked 
  for. 
  It 
  is 
  open, 
  therefore, 
  to 
  the 
  enquu-er 
  to 
  suppose, 
  that 
  as 
  the 
  

   sewage 
  issues 
  from 
  the 
  outlets 
  into 
  the 
  Thames 
  with 
  the 
  ebb, 
  weightier 
  

   particles 
  will 
  be 
  the 
  first 
  to 
  descend 
  to 
  the 
  bed 
  not 
  far 
  fi-om 
  the 
  outlets 
  ; 
  

   hence, 
  may 
  it 
  not 
  be 
  supposed 
  that, 
  when 
  the 
  advancing 
  flood 
  of 
  the 
  heavier 
  

   salt 
  water, 
  forcing 
  itself 
  beneath 
  the 
  lighter 
  fresh 
  water, 
  yet 
  ebbing 
  at 
  the 
  

   surface, 
  arrives 
  at 
  the 
  outlets, 
  these 
  weightier 
  particles 
  will 
  be 
  carried 
  

   up 
  the 
  river 
  to 
  certain 
  distances 
  ? 
  In 
  the 
  notesof 
  experiments, 
  on 
  either 
  

   side 
  of 
  the 
  question, 
  we 
  do 
  not 
  detect 
  that 
  sufficient 
  investigations 
  have 
  

   been 
  made 
  on 
  this 
  point. 
  It 
  is, 
  therefore, 
  yet 
  unsettled, 
  and 
  can 
  here 
  only 
  

   be 
  alluded 
  to. 
  

  

  But 
  to 
  the 
  general 
  public 
  this 
  subject 
  carries 
  httle 
  interest 
  with 
  it, 
  for 
  

   to 
  those 
  acquainted 
  with 
  the 
  Thames 
  near 
  London, 
  25 
  years 
  ago 
  aud 
  now, 
  

   the 
  enormous 
  improvement 
  in 
  the 
  cleanliness 
  of 
  its 
  waters 
  is 
  palpable. 
  

  

  