DAY — WATER SUPPLY. 
87 
FTote. — Since writing the above I have been informed 
%y Mr. Meagher, the Superintendent of Public Works, 
that he visited the Montserrat Spiings on July 29th 
instant, after two months of rain, and found that the 
whole of the Springs were dry. He however collected 
a sample of water -higher up in the hills, from the 
Piparo Springs, and this was forwarded to me for 
analysis, I found that the sample was tuibid and would 
consequently require filtration before consumption, I also 
found that in all respects except the quantity of dis- 
solved organic matter it was less pure than any of 
the other samples from the same district. The quan- 
tity of lime pre ent in the form of sulphate and which 
constitutes what is known as permanent hardness was 
so great that it would render the water very injurious 
for human consumption and also cause the water to be 
of little value for washing and other purposes. The 
chloride of sodium also exists in large quantity and 
this together with the fact that nitrogen is present in 
the form of nitrates and nitrites shews that the water 
-after its descent to earth in the form of rain had be- 
come contaminated with a large amount of decomposing 
organic matter, most probably animal refuse. These 
impurities may however have been derived from the strata 
through which the water passed owing to the remains 
of fossil shells, &c., which contain large quantities of 
nitrates, and would be washed out by the water. For 
all these reasons I think that this water is not at all suited 
for the supply of San Fernando, or for use in any way 
as a drinking water. 
