UTILISATION OF SEWAGE. 
723 
viceable horses, and thereby escaped the diseases which 
afflicted the rest of the army. He further stated that at 
Vienna, Berlin, Hamburg, Altona, and other towns, horse¬ 
flesh is eaten not only by the lower orders, but by all classes 
of society. In order to confirm his theory by experiment, 
the lecturer concluded his address with ordering in a large 
tureen of broth made from horseflesh, and a dish of the latter 
flavoured with spices, of which the company partook with 
great relish.— Galignani . 
UTILISATION OF SEWAGE. 
The select committee appointed by the House of Commons 
to inquire into any plans for dealing with the sew T age of the 
metropolis and other large tow ns, with a view to its utilisation 
for agricultural purposes, have published their report. Its 
chief points are as follows: 
f£ The committee has come to the conclusion that it is not 
only possible to utilise the sewage of towrns, by conveying it, 
in a liquid state, through mains and pipes to the country, 
but that such an undertaking may be made to result in pecu¬ 
niary benefit to the ratepayers of the towns whose sewage is 
thus utilised. That benefit may, in a few years, be greatly 
increased; for the amount of artificial manures is even at 
present insufficient, and the sources w hence some of the most 
important are obtained will, in a few years, be exhausted. 
Other means of fertilising land must therefore be resorted to. 
The committee, having examined the chairman and engineer 
of the Metropolitan Board of Works, are of opinion that 
more might have been done by that board towards the 
profitable use of the sewage of London; and that the com¬ 
pletion of the outfall sewerage of the metropolis ought, at 
the earliest possible moment, to be followed by the adoption 
of a system which may convert that sew 7 age from a nuisance 
into a permanent and increasing source of agricultural fer¬ 
tility. Even if a pecuniary benefit were not to be secured, 
yet such a consideration should not deter local authorities 
from taking such steps as are possible to free rivers from 
pollution. There can be no doubt as to the injury which 
results from the practice of conducting sew 7 age and other 
refuse matters into the rivers, from whence numerous towrns, 
villages, and country populations derive their w ater supply. 
It is imperatively necessary that such a practice should be 
discontinued. No efficient artificial method has been dis- 
