1867.] On the future Water-supply of London. 57 



Pass by tunnelling, and from thence through the districts of North 

 and East Lancashire, North Staffordshire, and Warwickshire (avoiding 

 all coal-fields), to a large service reservoir to be constructed to the 

 north of Harrow, from which the water is to be supplied at an 

 elevation of 220 feet above high- water mark to the houses of the 

 Metropolis, utilizing, as Mr. Bateman proposes, the present com- 

 panies' means of distribution. The entire area of drainage is over 

 177 square miles, at altitudes varying from 500 to 3,200 feet above 

 the sea, the mean being 1,400 feet; with an additional area 

 remaining for increased supply when it becomes necessary. 



The disadvantage of this scheme as compared with that of 

 Mr. Bateman is the greater distance of conveyance, besides the 

 driving of a tunnel of seven miles in the very hard rocks of which 

 the mountains between Windermere and Ullswater are composed, 

 which of itself is estimated to cost 350,000/. The total expenses 

 is placed at 9,650,000/. as against 7,500,000 of the competing 

 scheme ; but the former is subject to a deduction on account of a 

 proposed distribution of 50,000,000 gallons per day to the populous 

 towns of Lancashire lying along the line of the aqueduct. This 

 we consider a valuable feature in the scheme. 



It is well known to those resident in Lancashire, that many of 

 the large populous towns are ill-supplied with water for household 

 and manufacturing purposes. Some of these towns, such as 

 Liverpool, Blackburn, Bolton, and Wigan, owing to the rapid increase 

 of population, are likely in a few years to be reduced to great 

 straits ; and even now during very dry seasons, such as the early 

 part of last summer, some of these towns are put on short supply. 

 The introduction therefore of 50 millions of the pure and soft 

 waters of the Cumberland lakes to supplement the present sources 

 would be a very great boon to these districts, and the rental to be 

 derived therefrom would, we have little doubt, more than com- 

 pensate for the additional outlay which the plan of Messrs. Hemans 

 and Hassard would involve. On this ground, therefore, we prefer 

 the larger scheme. 



But there is another advantage. There is no doubt that the 

 great drawback to Mr. Bateman's plan is the construction of a 

 number of large artificial reservoir's, subject to the accidents of all 

 such constructions, however skilfully planned and executed. On 

 the other hand, in the Lake district, nature herself has constructed 

 rock-basins and reservoirs, altogether free from any such objections. 

 It is true that in the proposed plan of Messrs. Hemans and 

 Hassard the Thirlmere and Haweswater are to be raised by arti- 

 ficial embankments 64 and 42 feet above the present levels respec- 

 tively; but these will be of less elevation than the embankments 

 proposed by Mr. Bateman, which are not to exceed 80 feet, and 

 are not of equal moment in reference to the general scheme, as it 



