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where large quantities of water were running to waste, and he found 

 this eminently the case in the Lake District of Cumberland. The 

 Corporation took up the idea, and in 1879 an Act was passed for 

 obtaining a large supply from Thirlrnere by a conduit 100 miles long. 

 In this Mr. Bateman was associated with Mr. George Hill, of Man- 

 chester, by whom the works are now being carried out. 



Mr. Bateman 's knowledge of water supply involyed several points 

 of original scientific investigation. The chief one was on the subject 

 of rainfall and its accompanying phenomena. When he undertook 

 the work of the Bann Reservoirs, in 1835, he was surprised to find 

 how little trustworthy information was available as to the two points 

 of greatest importance, namely : (1) the rainfall upon the surface, 

 and (2) the proportion of this that flowed off in the streams and 

 rivers. With laudable zeal and industry he determined to remedy 

 this difficulty for the future by establishing on the ground a regular 

 system of observations on both points. After this time, in the course 

 of his Manchester practice, he was engaged, more or less directly, on 

 several other proposals or undertakings which had to do with water 

 supply in the neighbourhood ; and in every one of these he followed 

 up his enquiry either by obtaining the best records available, or 

 making new sets of observations entirely his own. 



The knowledge gained in these enquiries emboldened him to read 

 two papers before the Literary and Philosophical Society of Man- 

 chester, viz. : — 



" Observations on the Relation which the fall of Rain bears to the 

 Water flowing from the Ground" (read 6th February, 1844) ; and 



" Report of the Committee for superintending the placing of Rain 

 Gauges along the lines of the Rochdale, Ashton-under-Lyne, and Peak 

 Forest Canals. With observations, &c." (read 18th March, 1845). 



These early papers contained valuable facts, and showed consider- 

 able power of scientific reasoning upon them. But the subject was 

 a favourite one with Mr. Bateman during his whole career. He 

 seldom wrote a report on water undertakings without giving explana- 

 tions thereon, and, as late as 1883, he wrote a special paper for the 

 Victoria Institute, entitled "Meteorology and Rainfall." 



He Avas a great advocate for the use of soft water ; and one of his 

 later works, in the Colne Valley near Watford, was remarkable for 

 his successful application of: the elegant chemical principle of the 

 late Dr. Clark, for softening hard chalk water by lime ; a great boon 

 to the populations supplied. 



In 1878, Mr. Bateman was elected President of the Institution of 

 Civil Engineers, an office which he filled two years. In his opening 

 address, delivered loth January, 1878, in addition to the usual 

 professional topics, he enlarged on the subject of engineering educa- 

 tion, pointing out particularly the necessity for the cultivation of 



