70 DR. R. ANGUS SMITH ON THE EXAMINATION 



" Even where total oxidation has occurred_, a little muddy 

 matter remains. It consists chiefly of earthy bodies,, which 

 may float until they obtain a suitable place for deposit. 



^^ It would be interesting to find the time needful to 

 perform this change on the organic matter of Glasgow. 

 We see that the great bulk of the purification is per- 

 formed in the fresh water. At Dumbarton it must be rare 

 indeed that anythiug can be known to exist in the water 

 from its smell. When the Clyde passes into the estuary, 

 which may be said to begin at the Rock of Dumbarton, 

 the change is eff'ected by spreading the water over many 

 square miles, and preparing it eff'ectually for those who 

 enter the sea- and Loch-regions below Helensburgh. Below 

 this point it is not a river on which we are, but an arm of 

 the sea, protected on all sides from oceanic waves. 



'^ The water bears the qualities of coast-water in pro- 

 portion to its excessive length of coast. This quality must 

 exist more or less on all coasts which have fresh springs 

 running into them. In cases where the rivers are large 

 or numerous, the evil of the meeting of fresh and salt 

 water is well known. On the Firth of Clyde no large 

 bodies of fresh water are found after we leave the mouth 

 of the river portion of the Clyde ; and, as observed, these 

 streams are remarkably pin*e, or, if coloured, it is only by 

 peat-water. The absence of great rivers is therefore an 

 advantage of an important kind to this coast. 



" I was extremely glad to be able to speak thus favour- 

 ably of the districts which are so agreeable to me j but I 

 am certainly desirous of speaking still more favourably of 

 some which are too much aff'ected by Glasgow. They may 

 be constantly deteriorating. This is a very serious matter, 

 not merely for owners of property on the Firth, but for all 

 the inhabitants of Glasgow, who are favoured more than 

 those of any other large city in the Kingdom by a ready 

 access to this wonderful sanatorium. 



" In making these remarks, I take for granted that the 

 air above the water will be pure in inverse proportion to 

 the amount of volatile oxidizable matter. 



