II. J. M. SMAIL. 



The newly formed City Council entered upon its duties in the 

 same year, but after a troubled existence and dissatisfaction on 

 the part of the citizens, the Council was abolished and a new 

 regime under three (3) Commissioners was inaugurated. The 

 Commissioners came into power in 1854 and had an existence for 

 three years, viz., to the end of 1857, when in turn they were dis- 

 placed by a second Municipal Council who assumed control of 

 the city affairs in the beginning of 1858, and at present controls 

 the civic affairs in a modified form. 



It was during the Commissioners' term of office that Municipal 

 Engineering in its true sense may be said to have assumed concrete 

 form. At the time they assumed control the water supply was 

 limited to the old "Busby Bore," which was constructed in 1824 

 by convict labour under the direction of Mr. John Busby, Mineral 

 Surveyor for the Imperial Government. During time of drought 

 the supply from the "Bore" was so precarious that the citizens 

 had to fall back on the supply from private wells, or obtain their 

 daily wants from the nearest pump, or await the arrival of the 

 water cart from which they could obtain a supply at 3d. per 

 bucket. The Commissioners initiated investigations for obtaining 

 a more abundant supply of water in the locality of Botany, which 

 included a series of earthen dams with timber cores and erection 

 of pumping machinery near the shores of Botany Bay. This 

 work was not, however, carried out beyond the initial stage by 

 the Commissioners. The most important municipal engineering 

 work the Commissioners commenced was a system of sewerage, on 

 what was then termed modern lines. Prior to this work being 

 commenced a trigonometrical survey was made of the city, as well 

 as a detail survey shewing every house, watercourse and other 

 feature of importance. 



The institution of select committees had at that early period 

 of municipal government to be reckoned with before the authority 

 could get to work, and a perusal of the evidence given at the 

 -committee, both in connection with the necessity for a trigono- 

 jnetrical survey, and mode of constructing the sewers as to form 



