x. T. W. KEELE. 
inches of rain) and the latter part of 1867 very dry, with only 9} 
inches in six months, which had the effect of starting inquiry once 
more. In September 1867, a2 Royal Commission was issued, 
appointing five gentlemen to take up the search for a more abun- 
dant and trustworthy supply of water.” 
On reference to the diagram, it will be seen that the 
ground water, which had been largely drawn upon during 
the period from 1848 to 1854, must have been at a very 
low level at the latter date, and the city was probably 
in a very bad way for want of water, the population being 
40,000 in 1849, and over 50,000 in 1854, would hardly 
appreciate the small addition of 150,000 gallons per day, 
which was pumped up into the Tunnel. So that when the 
water works were completed at Botany, and the pumps 
were started at the latter part of 1858, the people were 
probably saved from absolute water famine, for the 
diagram shows that the drought extended for another 
year, 1859, which marks the termination of a dry period, 
second only to that of 1839, when probably all the sources 
of supply, upon which the city depended, would have been 
exhausted. 
At the time the Royal Commission was appointed, in 
September, 1867, the state of the water supply was thus 
described by Professor Smith :— 
‘‘At Lord’s Dam, the drainage of nearly seven square miles 
falls into Botany Bay. The pumping establishment then com- 
prised three steam engines of 100 horse power each, two of which 
are generally kept going night and day. The total quantity 
pumped in 1866 was 956 million gallons. A 30 inch main about 
four miles long leads to two reservoirs, one at Crown Street, 139 
feet above the sea, holding 34 million gallons, and the other at 
Paddington, 214 feet above the sea, and holding 14 million 
gallons. As these reservoirs contain less than two days’ supply, 
and as the great defect of the system is the want of storage for 
