146 Chemical Examination of Waters. 



This scheme would supply nearly the whole of Sydney and all 

 suburbs, excepting Paddington, the upper parts of Woollahra, 

 and Waverley. The reservoirs could be increased to double or 

 treble their capacity at from £4000 to £8000 extra. 



The Commissioners in their report have added the capitalised 

 cost of pumping when taking this item into account, but the loss 

 of interest for about twelve years upon the extra capital required 

 in supplying the amount that will probably not be required in 

 less than eighteen years, would be more than a set-off for the 

 cost of about sixteen years' pumping. 



Aet. X. — On the Results of the Chemical Examination of Waters 

 for the Sydney Water Commission, by Professor Smith, M.D. 



[Read before the Society, 17th November, 1869.] 



Last year I opened the discussion of the water supply of Sydney 

 by a paper on the history of what had been done up to that time. 

 I now offer a further instalment towards the development of this 

 important question in the shape of a chemical examination of 

 various waters that came under the notice of the late "Water 

 Commission. The report which I gave to the Commission on 

 these waters has been printed in the appendix to the general 

 report of the Commission, but as few will take the trouble to 

 wade through that voluminous publication, I am desirous of ob- 

 taining for this investigation the further publicity of discussion 

 by this Society. I will, there, make a liberal use of my report to 

 the Water Commission, believing that it may be found to be of 

 more than mere local or ephemeral interest. 



With the assistance of Dr. Thomson (Professor of Geology in 

 ihe University), I examined about fifty specimens of water for 

 the Commission, of which forty-four are tabulated in the appended 

 Bummary. Eleven of these represent the water supplied to 

 Sydney ; seventeen other specimens are derived from the drainage 

 of sandstone districts ; seven represent the drainage from 

 Wianamatta beds ; and nine are of a mixed or doubtful character. 

 The sandstone waters differ little in composition and are all re- 



