33-i Air-pollution by Chemical Works. [July, 



will feel himself grievously wronged when, his trees being killed, 

 he is offered money in place of them. 



This might be said, however, in all eases where the sanctity of 

 private property is invaded. When a railroad is planned, which is 

 to cany a nation's traffic, it will disturb many an ancient hall and 

 many a cottage home. The money equivalent is paid the owner, 

 but in his eyes this is often no sufficient compensation. He must, 

 however, bow to his fate and give way before the greater good of 

 the many. So in the case where a man sees every year* the noble 

 trees vanish from his land, from the ancient domain that has been 

 held in quiet enjoyment by his family through many generations, 

 and feels himself driven from it by the advancing tide of manufac- 

 turers. He is much to be pitied ; for, let him be paid ever so libe- 

 rally for the damage actually done to the estate, he is not compen- 

 sated. Yet he must submit and suffer personal loss for the public 

 benefit. 



Fortunately, however, these eases are exceptional; generally 

 those interested in the land can be fully compensated in money for 

 all they lose. A farmer, who should get 100/. for the produce of 

 his wheat-field, is content if it brings him in only dOL in the market, 

 provided he can get the remaining odl. by vray of damages from the 

 neighbouring chemical manufactory. A question here at once arises, 

 "Will he have much difficulty in obtaining from the manufactory the 

 507. , the proved amount of his loss ? If the manufactory is standing 

 by itself, he probably will have no great difficulty. If the demand 

 is resisted, his course at law is plain. He proves that on a certain 

 day, or on many days, the smoke of the offending chimney was seen 

 to fall upon his land, that soon afterwards the crops were visibly 

 injured, in such a way as is known to be caused by chemical smoke ; 

 he also further proves, by the assistance of agricultural valuers, that 

 the amount of the damage done is an equivalent of the sum of 

 money he now claims. This chain of evidence is usually so con- 

 clusive that the farmer wins the day. 



Suppose, however, that in place of one chemical work being 

 near the farm, there are several in a group, from all of which 

 the smoke approaches simultaneously. These works may be of 

 different kinds ; there may be alkali-works and copper-smelting 

 works: glass-works and potteries, with chemical works whose 

 various processes and products defy enumeration, how shall the 

 fanner discriminate, or rather how shall he eliminate ? how shall 

 he fix on the culprit among such a motley crowd of evil doers ? 

 Let us suppose him calling on the first in order, and making his 

 complaint against him, as the one he thinks most likely to have 

 been the offender ; the manufacturer explains to him in the clearest 

 manner that from the nature of the processes he carries on, and the 

 care with which all injurious vapours are avoided or condensed, he 



