Northern Times. — Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-08-10 00:00:00

TOWN COUNCIL The adjourned meeting of the Town Council was held in the Concert Reom, Sr. George's Hall, at eleven o'clock on Saturday. The Mayor, Francis Shand, Esq., presided. The Mayor stated that he hid received a telfg:aphic communication the previous night, to the effect that the Committee of the House of Lords had been all day discus sing the proposals and the counter-proposals, and had adjourned until Wednesday night in order that clauses might be prepared. In tee meantime, Mr. Hartley and Mr. Brunell had agreed upon the plans. (Hear hear.) He had received a letter from the Tewn Clerk with a copy of the proposals and counter-proposals, bat as these were -wide?' consideration, tie did not think it would be con venient to enter upon them. (Hear hear.) Their con clusion seemed to have reached the public in some way, inc3rrectly, he understood, in many points, as would neces sarily be the case under such circumstances. He had received a letter from tie Town Clerk that morning, in which he stated that their opponents had agreed to the articles which rela•ed to the Town Dues, and to the transfer of Birkenhead. What was very material was that Mr. Brunel had agreed to accept Mr. Hartley's plans without any alteration except what 21Ir. Hartley himself proposed The engineers' had also settled the location of the Great Western Railway; and thus it would appear that the questions about which so much discussion had taken place had been settle I in a few hours. A hope was felt that this important question might be set tled this session. (Hear, hear.) TUB WATZR COM3IITTES. The proceedings of this committee centained the f,l - recommendations :—" Recommendation that Mr. Thomas Morris, Mr. William Bryan, and Mr. William Jones, jun., be promoted from the rank of third-class collectors to that of second-class collectors, and that their respective salaries and poundage be cllculeeed at the rate of £lBO per annum ; that Me. J B Roberts and. Mr. Charles G,bson be promoted from the rank of second-class to that of firse-class' coiectors, and that their respective salaries and poundage be calculated at the rate of £230 per annum, and that the respective salaries and poundage of Mr. Thomas Ashcroft Ald Mr John Jackson be cal culated at the rate of £220 per annum, the consideration of which was postponed at tha last monthly Council, pur suant to the standing orders. Recommendation to accept the tender of Messrs. D. Y. Stewart and Co. for a supply of pipes for extending the supply of water. Recommenda tion to accept the tender of Messrs. John and Matthew Chester for the Cottages at the Rake Embankment for £453 6s. 10d , Heapey Embankment for £472, and at Knowsley, Rivington and the Filter Bads at £383 13s. 31 each ; and the tender of Messrs. Lyon and Greenwood f)r the cottages at Aspull £347, Mountry House £591, and Prescot a 467, and the Superintendent's house at Horwich at £1,207." The proceedings also contained the following reports TO JOSEPH COOPER, ESQ., CHAIRMAN OF THE WATER COMXITrEII, TOWS HALL, LIVERPOOL. 20, Devonshire -street, Manchester, Ju'y 24, 1857. Sir,—l received the resolution of the Water Committee, desiring Mr. Spencer and myself to report on the progress we have made in our experiments on the filtration of water. I confess" was quite unprepared for such a sudden demand. The subject was by no means new to me ; I had made frequent experiments, and I knew the difficulties. I may aid, also, that I had not had time to get myself disentangled from my engagements sufficiently to allow me to devote a certain time entirely to the suhj .ct, and this of course I shall feel it necessary to do before venturing to report on such an important subject to a body such as the Liverpool Corporation. I have, however, been engaged, in co .junction with Mr. Spencer, in waking certain experiments at Horwich. On these experiments it was my intention to send a report jointly with Mr. Spencer. I found, however, that his mind had already been turned to the subject by the Liverpool Corporation, and that as far as his own invention was concerned he had made experiments previous to our joint ones. On these experiments, therefore, I thought it better that he should report, and that I s'too'd take none of their credit. I have read Mr. Spencer's report, which you will receive by the same post as this, and as far as our operations at Horwich are concerned, I believe he has characterised the result of his discovery in correct terms. The water passed through his small filter was perfectly colourless, and all the objectionable taste removed. This filter was used almoe, daily for nearly a fortnight, and its power seems scarcely diminished. It must, however, be carefully compared with every known plan which is found successful, as well as with others not hitherto tried ; and it is our wish to have all the best operations side by side, that we may come carefully to tha results. The artificial filters have bsen fully, and, I believe, as to some of their properties, finally tried, as Mr. Spencer reports. I should have wished to be somewhat further advanced be for3 s nding ev,in this short account of our progress, as we labour u .der the dia Lvantage of appearing to give prominence to one particular plan before others are compared with it. But that we should begin with it is not to be wondered at, as it is the most novel and peculiar, besides promising great success. I must, however, refrain from giving any opinion at presen that may not be altered by the result of the inquiry.--E am sir, your obedient servant, ROBaItT ANGLS SMITH, F R.S. TO THE CHAIRMAN OF THE WATER COMMITTRE. London, July 24 1857. Sir,—ln accorclarce with the several resolutions of the Water Committer, conveying instructions to Mr. Hawksley, Dr. Smith, and myself to undertike such experiments as might be found necessary for the better puri3cation of the Rivington water. I commenced the j)int operations for this purpose on the 3rd instant, at the corporation works at fior wich. It may be necessary to state that previous to this, on the passing of the first resoltrion, which placed the matter in the hands of Mr. ilawksly, I made a series of laboratory expe riments by his direction, wi h samples of water forwarded to me for that purpose from Rivington. Specimens of the water then purified have been already laid before the committee. The results of the preliminary experiments have been of considerable value in guiding those on a still larger scale. So many experiments still require to be made on a variety of subs ances, however, that at this stage it would be altogether premature to make a definite recommendation in favour of any one plan of purification over ano her, though in compliance with the recent resolution requesting a report of the progre-s made up to this period I now furnish the following brief state ment : Before commencing the experiments at the works, as a preliminary step, I mule myself fully acquainted with the quality of the materials used, and the results of the mode of filtration now in op-ration. As tar as a system of mechanical filtration goes, with th materials and mode no general Emit can ba found, though observed some trifling matters of data '1 which are susceptibl of improvement, but to which it is unnecessary to do more that allude at present. With regard to the results, I can only say that en making several examinations of the water filtered by the present plan, as taken from the pure water tanks, I found it perfectly free from supended matter, tlkongh retaining that slight tinge of colour the removal of which forms the chief object of the present inquiry. Before the latter can be fully seen, however, it is necessary to examine a considerable volume of the water, an ordinary drinking glass hardly showing it. The rcsalt of experiment shows the colour to be slightly due to the sub merged portion, peaty earth, in the bed of one of the reservoirs, though chiefly to soakage of the equally submerged vegetation in all of them. 1 may remark, at the samo time, that whilst the colour of the vegetable matter thrived from both sources is considerably heightened by combination with a trace of iron, yet the same circumstance renders vegetable matter, when found in this state in water, comparatively harmless as regards health. On finding the ordinary fi'tering operations to this extent ccmplete, the whole of my attention was directed to devise tome additional means of depriving the water of this tinge of colour. It may not beont of place to remark here, that ever since the period when the increased requirements of the population of the towns began to compete with the manufacturing operatinns on the banks of the smaller streams in the country, a mode of de 'riving water of a tinge of colour analogous to that in question has remained to this moment a problem prac,ica!ly unsolved. The whole of the present .experiments, th ere f ore , have been made with a view of arriving at some means of effecting this important object. It the commencement of my own inquiries I was RlM eently aware that any subs!ance to be substituted for or com bined with mud and gravel, and to be equally available for filtering and decolourising purpose•, must at the same time, like them, tomprie simple application on the largest *wale, a n d also be aveaded with little cost ; moreover that it should in itself be incapable of imparting any forego property to the water it decolourised. Up to 'his period, to a certain extent, charcoal is the only known substance possessing 'he decolourising property sought for, though it is hardly necessary to add that, apart from its first cost, in addition to its wear and tear,' several practical difE culties attend its nee even on a scale of moderate magnitude, but which would be much increased in operating on one so ex tensive as that at Riving'on. These have always had the effect of preventing its general use. In a subsequent report, howev‘r, the extent of the decolourising powersof this subs'ance will be set forth as compared with the others to which I am I about to refer. The substance which at present appears above all others to best effect the purification of water, in the sense now required, is the magnetic piotoxide of iron. .A . fter mAing anurnerous and lengthened series of experiments on every substance that gave 2. reasonable promise of effecting this object, those made with this oxide have been so satisfactory to vll who have witnessed the results, as to leave no doubt of its capabilityof effecting the thorough diseolourisa , ion of this or any similarly tinged water, whilst in addition it is found to im part an unquestionable improvement to its flavour. Indeed, experimentsmy go to show that water with a much deeper tinge than that found at Rivington, may be rendered br 7 ght and colourless almost instantaneously. From the melt of a series of carefully made experiments I am enabled to add that none of the ordinary noxious gases are retained i❑ water that has passed through this medium. I have the strongest reasons for believing that the presence of this substance in certain rocks and soils effects the change known to take p'ace in water during its passage from the tarrface to those points where it is found to issue as " spring water" In a word, I believe it to be the chief agent in the formation of spring water, proporly so called, as, among other indications of this view, in the vicinity of rocks abounding in this sub stance I have always found the water to be the purest and least coloured. The same even applies to surface water found in similarly constituted formeiens. Hitherto my experiments have been made with this sub stance in its crystalline state, in vadable proportions, mingled among the sand used in ordinary filtration. Whether those intended to be made will eventuate in showing this to be the beat mode of using it, I am at present unable to determine. It must be borne in mind by the committee that as the properties and applications cf tWs substance, as a purifying agent, are altogether new, and that consequently other chemists haze had no opportunity as yet of determining the peculiar action it exercises on water, I am therefore at present limited to referring to my ow❑ experiments—as witnessed, however, by Mr. Hawks!ey, D Smith, and others. At the same time, I have every reason to believe that these gentlemen agree as far as they have seen, that I have not over-estimated its pro perties, thouch they very properly concur that, before ventur ing to recommend its adoption, other experiments will have to be made to determine its practicability and cost on a large at ale. It will be obvious that in the matter of cost our caknla tions will he less with reference to that of the material i.sclf— the maximum of which leas been alrearly ascertained—than to those items which may accrue out of its necessary or inci dental waste in - the course of practice, together with the altera tion or erection of auy works which may be found necessary, and any increase of labour entailed by its use. As far as we have gone, no formidable difficulties of this nature have pre sented themselves; at the same time, the solution of these questions is only to be arrived at by larger and more con tinuous exp?ri-nents The principal point of the future inquiry will he directed to ascertain how far the peculiar derolourising powers of this or any other substance which we may subject to experiment may be retained without cleansing or renovation. All ob- viously will depend on this. As a proper check on my own conclusions with regard to the magnetic oxide, I am grateful to the committee for having associated me with Dr. Smith, as, notwithstanding what has been advanced favourable to its employment, it is by no means improbable that .he experiments we have in preparation may result in showing some prac tical objection to its use which have been hitherto overlooked by myself. I must not omit to mention that the white proto.carbonate of iron, in its native state, possesses similar decoloutising pro perties, though in less degree than the protoxide. It is pasifie, however, that cur subsegent experiments may show the former to possess advantages over the latter. Both of these substances have been recently found in this country in a singularly pure state. To these natural sub stances I may add chit the magnetic oxide of iron, prepared artificially, possesses prop?rties analogous to the same oxide as found in the natural state. Several other substances have been suggested and tried in the course of tho experiments, but not having been found to answer it is unnecessary to enumerate them heie. I have now to add a - few words in reference t() the artificial_ stone filter patented by Mr. Ran'ome, of Ipswich. This gentleman having forwarded twelve flags of this mateaial to Harwich, for the purpose of experiment, a tack, 8 feet by 6, was erected for them, of Staffordshire brick and cement, in the bed of the Byewasla stream. The filtering flags which formed its bottom were carefully j ined together by us with Portland cement. This scale was considered sufficiently large to enable us to fairly estimate the merits of this 'mode of filtration. After several experiments this artificial material wts found to perform the operation of mechanical filtration very well, though not better than , he natural steno filter patented by Mr. Foster, of Liverpool, which latter had been previously tried by me with socimens of Riviogton water in London. Whatever may be the relative merits of these filters for de priving water of matters in suspension, and apart from their relativ cost, on a scale commensurate with the rtquirements of the Rivington supply, it is sufficient to state that they possess no power of theoleurising the water,with which we had to deat, and are, therefore, considered inapplicable. In the latter respect, the filter beds now in operation are, by a comparison of results, evidently superior. 1 shall report the resui•s of the experiments we have now in prep.-460n 4t snore length lu my next report; and, I trust, by the time they are completed, to be able to jointly recommend some definite plan capable of surmounting the diffieulty. To meet my engagements, I have been obliged to return for a fel , dap, to London, but shall shortly resume the experi mants as Norwich, for which purpose matezials are in prepara- Hi hero the experiments at the works have been attended with some inconvenience and delay, from the difficulty we experienc , d at first in obtaining a proper head of water at a Vac° in other respects fitted far them. These we scarcely expect will occur again It mast not be forgotten that our experiments were made in the bed`of a stream, and in the open air, subject to the chances of wet or dry weather. I have the honour to be, sir, your very obedient servant, Joseph Cooper, Esq. THOMAS SPENCER. Mr. Alderman COOPER Moved severally theree mmenda tions contained in the proceeding-, which were seconded by Mr. Hodson, and agreed to. A memorial was read, signed by forty waeherwomere resident in the neighbourhood of Lodge-lane, complaining that since the introduction of the Rivington water they could not make the linen they washed as white as before, and that the parries who employed them complained of the appearance it prefen ted. Mr. Alderman COOPER, in moving the confirmation of the proceedings, expressed his regret that the committee were unable to lay before the Council the complete reports which they expected to have, but declared his belief that in a week or two the reports would be prepared, and would be laid before the next Council. He therefore hoped that the Council would agree to postpone the question for one month. Mr. Ilonsois seconded the motion. Mr. Alderman BENNETT said, before he proceeded to remark upon the general subject he begged leave to refer to the supply of wat er g i ven t h rough the fountains recently erected in the town. Mr. C. P. Melly deserved the thanks of every inhabitant of the town for the weal facilities he had given to the poorer classes to ob.ain a draught of water as they proceeded along the street. (Hear, hear.) Ail those who had watched the working of that philanthrophic effort must feel gratified to see the hundreds and thousands of labourers and others who, instead o f go i ng i nto t h e a l e h ouse for their pint of beer, sari fled themselves at the fountains lately erected. The quantity of water thus consumed was a mere trifle as regarded the general supply, yet it was amply sufficient for the drinking wants of scores or thousands who availed themselves of the facility thus afforded. It was a great boon to tile poorer classes of the public, and Mr. Melly deserved the thanks of all the inhabitants of the town. (He.ar, hrar.) He believed that gentleman had spent hundreds of pounds in carrying out his scheme, and he did not think the money could have been spent in any other way which vvculd have produced o ie-tithe of the benefit. (fear, hear.) In reference to the general proceedings, Mr. Bennett said that whatever might have been his inclination, there wee very little room for com ment; for although a resolution was passed in the month of May, that the wat er w a s no t fi t t e d f or dietetic purposes, still, in the month o f A ugus t , th ey had nothing before them, in any peacticd form, to comment upon. The farther they went into the matter, the more intricate did it become. The water in January last was admitted into the town pipes f u r d r i n ki ng purposes, the comm i ttee having no precaution whatever to ascertain whether it was salubrious or st all fitted for the requirements of the public. The water in many paits of the town was wholly unfit to drink. That which he received in his own house was frequently of so slimy a n d so ropy a character, as to be rendered entirely unfitted for all purposes connected with the stomach, whether . in l's raw state or after being boiled. The complaints of the water were n ow a ll b ut general. The samples of water which were sent to him made his cflice seem like a chemistry laboratory; and thi s was not only the case with him, but many specimens were sent to others also. He had specimens containing a large quantity o f vegetable matter ; h e h e I samples containing a large quan tity of animal matter, and others again with a mixture of both. He believed Mr. Woodruff had a sample sent to him, the same as one he had himself received of a nasty, thick milky hue. The party who tent it told him the water was drawn cut of the main after it had run for two hours. Ile had himself been drinking spring water from the Sohs-street well, since the introduction of the Rivington water int) Liverpool. As this was very troubleso . me, re qu i r i ng h i m to send a man there every morning for the water, and as he was anxious to know whether the pike water, irrespective of its colour, was safe for the drinking p urposes of t h e family, he emptied his cistern, and sent a portion of the sediment to a chemist, The report Di the chemist was that ho fognd THE NORTHERN TIMES.----LIVERPOOL, MONDAY, AUGUST 10, 1857. the water to yield a more decided evidence of the presence of lead than the sample which he had examined a few months since. Now, in point of fact, although the Own was only supplied with half the water from Bivington, and half from the wells, the Corporation were actually selling to the people of Liverpool poison. (Hear, hear, and Oh, oh.) All the water passed through lead pipes, and received some of the poisonous properties. He contended that even the saving effected by the Riwington water was but trifling. Since that water had been introduced, the enormous leakage which had been found in all parts of the town required 120 plumbers a•day some days to repair If these leakages were stopped. and the pipes rendered com p eratively tight, the 45,000,000 of gallons, which were insufficient through the leaky pipes, would be more than amply sufficient. For although the sheet produced at each day of meeting showed 74,000,000 or 75,000,000 gallons of mixed water, admitted into the reservoirs, still they knew that almost every gen tieman had his cistern emptied three or four times a week, and that there was an enormous waste of water emptied through the plugs. What was the sating by the admission of Rivington water? Merely £5OO in the half year. The Rivington reservoir now stood something like eight feet below its level, although there had been a great deal of rain. He heard, with surprise and astonishment, Mr. Hawksley say at the Water Committee, a short time age, that he never told anybody there could not be abundance of water obtained from the red sandstone. He appealed to Me. Woodruff whether Mr. Hawksley did not say so. Mr. WOOD a lIFF : I understood Mr. Hawksley to make that statement. Mr. BENNETT said that for the most paltry outlay they might obtain twice forty-five millions of gallons from the red sandstone which they all so highly prized. Far batter for them to leave the Rivington water to the bleachers and others for whose purposes it was suited, and get the well water again. If the memorial which was just read were not a trick upon them—it looked uncommonly like a trick—the only advantage which was proposed by the bringing of the Rivington water to Liverpool—it being a soft eveter, .which would save, as some gentlemen said £50,000 a-year in the use of soap—appeared not likely to be realised ; for the very parties whose interests were so much mixed up with the use of soap, to the number of forty, in a very limited neighbourhood, now told them that the water did not produce the effect which had been anticipated, and the parties who employed them in wash ing —the very purpose for which the water was so strongly recommended—were to so large an extent objecting to it. Then let them consider the baths. One of the principal medical men of Liverpool, a physician, speaking to him upon the subject the other day, said that he went fre quently to - Cornwallis-street Baths, and often could not bathe on account of the water being so filthily dirty. The man who attended at the baths often said to him when he went in, " The water will not suit you to-day, sir; the water is very dirty to-day." It "as not fit to wash the outside of the body, and yet the committee persevered in considering it fit to be drunk. That seemed rather preposterous. (Hear, hear.) Yet they were only re ceiving half Rivington. What would be the effect if the Committee dared, as they had been taunted for not daring, to let the Rivington water without any mixture come into Liverpool. They all knew what the conse quence would be very well. Neither the quantity nor the quality would be for one day tolerated. (Hear, hear ) Everything which had been said up in the subject by those who, like himself, had advocated the home supply, was more than fully borne out. He stood there—and he felt proud to stand there —as one who had truly prophesied in regard to that unfortunate scheme in all its aspects. They were neither receiving the quantity nor the quality promised to them, andohe water was now becoming so distasteful to the inhabitants that, in a very short time, they would rise up es one man and protest against it. If there were any good qualities in it, did they think the tact and sound sense of the chairman of the Committee would not have pointed them out? But did he attempt to show that it was fit for use? No ; and he (Mr. Bennett) knew that there were several members of the Water Com mittee who were thoroughly disgusted with it, and not only themselves but their wives and families too. Why could they not have the courage at once to come forward and say that they had committed a fault, and had done wrong in recommending that unfortunate scheme? They saw now that even their engineer who led thorn into it told them to their faces that they had always had an ample supply under their feet. After having told them before that the wells were being pumped dry; that year after year the quantity was lessening, that it was limited ; that it was percolating over a surface area, he now told them, told the whole committee (foe ho believed nearly all the members were present at the time) that he never said there was not an abundant supply of well water for the use of the inhabitants. What, then, had the Council been doing but spending money most lavishly in carrying out a perfec ly useless scheme ? Mr. Alderman /10LAIE : I hope I may be allowed to say, that if Mr. Bennett has nothing in the world to do bat to waste time, he should have remembered that others here have theiy time fully occupied. Mr. BECKWITH : I should not mind listening to a speech of five hours' length, if we arrive at anything definite, but this is about the sevetry-third speech I have heard from Mr. Bennett on the water question, and I am just as wise to day as I was at first. (Laughter, and hear, hear ) The MAYOR said he could not prevent Mr Bennett from speaking so lung as he was in order. Mr. BENNE T, after a few further remarks, concluded his .address. Mr. JEFFERY thought it very much to be regretted that the Council had not had anything like a report from the Water Committee. Mr. Alderman George : We reg et it as much as you do. Mr. JFFITRY thought it disrespectful to the Council and he community out of do mg, who were constantly complain log of the state of the water, that the committee who sought, at the hands of the May council, fir an eaten ion of time for another month, should be still, in the month of August, unprepared with their report. (gear, hear) On that occasion, he believed, Mr. James Holme, the real organ of the committee, said that if the weer did not, after a specified time, prove acceptable to the eemmunity, it should come into the town unmixed, and it should then be for the public to decide whether they would rective it or not. Now, after so decided an expression en the part of so prominent a member of the committee, he thought it was due to the Council that a repo r t s h ou ld be presented by the committee, earefally prepared, embodying the im pressions made upon their minds down to the present, and asking plainly far whatever farther extension of time they required, and it would then be for the Council to say whether that 'extension Onald be accorded. Were the members of the Connell to be treated as though they had no influence there, then their opinions unheeded, their remonstrances uncared for ? Were the appeals from out of doors based upon experience, to be totally disregarded in that Chamber ? He held in his hand several notes received from parties bearing their signatures, and among them he would just read a parag-raph from one or two. A letter dated Duke-streer, Edge-hill, July 15th, said, " How long are we to be afflicted and puuishcd by being com pelled to use the Pike water? I have a large family, their daily ccmplaint is We cannot drink it.' Can nothing bo done to avert it ? I am sometimes inclined to make use of very hard expressions towards the promoters of one of the most nefarious jobs which was ever con cocted in this or any other town." He had received a letter from a gentlemen iu Wavertree, who suffered severely from the effects of the water upon lead. He would not trouble the Council with the letters now, but he ,would take care that some of them should be published. He did think the Water Committee had treated the Council with marked disrespect in not having produced a report which the Council could deal with. If the committee per sisted in pursuing such a course, he would leave the fines. tion to the public out of doors to take it i n t o t h e i r own hands, and deal with it as they thought fit. If the com mittee persisted in their course, it would become the duty of the minority in the council chamt er to move that the whole of that committee resign their appointments, and that a new committee be appointed, that they might see whether new ideas could be formed upon that important question—important as involving health and lives—the health, certainly, of ell, and the lives of not a Litv, who were obliged to partake of such water. (Hear, hear.) It should be tested whether new ideas could not bo brought to bear, and, he was going to say, more sincerity ; for cer tainly here had been an amount of reservation upon the part of that Committee which the Council had never ex perienced on the part of any committee bef ay. ("Hear, hear," and "No, no.") Ag and again ho said that such treatment of the Council by a committee ought to be deprecated, and that steps ought to be taken to prevent a repetition of it. (Hear, hear.) M. HODSON defended the committee on the ground tha t the delay of the report was owing to circumstances over which they had no control, and that by the next Council he had no doubt the report would be prepared. He declared, and he dared any scieatific man to confrVict him, that a more healthy water could not be possibly dis tributed. He appealed to the state of the town, as evi denced by the report of the dispensarie?, proving how healthful the water was, Ho pointed our, amid much laughter, the inconsistency into which Mr. Bennett had fallen when he said Mr. Charles Melly de•erved the th inks of the whole town for distributing ev3ry day to thousands of persons that water which he immediately afterwards declared to be absolutely poisonous. Mr. KITCIIEN said that a short time since he had occasion to send for his surgeon, a gentleman who stood very high in the medical profession in Liverpool Before leaving, he asked him (Mr. Kitchen) what was being done in regard to the witer. He (Kr. Kitchen) replied that the Water Committee were going to report on it ; whereupon he hoped that something would be done, "for," said he, "the medicines which we may mix th's morning be so bad next morning that wa must throw them away." (Laughter.) Such a circumstance never occurred with the old water. Mr. BECKW.TII said that some three or four months ago he had a great many complaints in his district of thewater, but at present he heard no complaints whatever against it. As to the water getting foul at the end of the pipe, owing, as Mr. Bennett alleged, to themixture of Rivington, all he (ir. Beckwith) could say was, that the a.me change took place in the old water whsn allowed to stand in the pipe from Saturday till Monday. In his opinion, there was no necessity for complaint. Wherever he went the water was good, and was in every respect fit to drink. Mr. Sum, observed that those who used the words " clear and beautiful," as descriptive of the mixed water, gave to them a meaning and an application the very opposite of what people generally intended by them. (Laughter.) There could be no question that the water was not pure and beautiful, but whether it was injurious or not be was not prepared to soy. What he now rose to complain of was the tardiness of the committee in report ing, in accordance with the instructions of the Council. More than two mouths had elapsed since they were instructed to report upon the quality of the w iter, and though that was quite sufficient time to gat a report in a country like thif, where men of science were to be had in every quarter, which would place the question beyond dispute, they yet thought fit not to do so. There was a remark made in one of the reports which bad been read which was exceedingly doubtful in itself. The gentleman reporting said of the water, " it is comparatively inocuous." Did he mean to say it was inocuous as compared with arsenic or prussic acid ? aughter ) He (Ur. Sheil) did not mean to say that it was injurious to health, but he knew that it was vary disagreeable to be obliged to drink it. Animals, it was said, knew by instinct what was good for them. His horses would not drink the present water, but preferred rain water. Mr. Alderman PARKER said he felt convinced that there was not a member of the Water Committee who would not say that he was deceived and disappointed in this mat ter Mr. Alderman S Hoene : I beg Mr. Parker will give his own opinions, and not put forth what are not mine. Mr. Alderman Coorea : I am (ratite satisfied with the water that comes to my house. Mr. Alderman PARKER continued to say that the water was sometimes good, but more frequently bad ; and because of th's changing he, as a manufacturer, felt great difficulty in dealing with it. Mr. WOODRUFF thought that no gentleman could charge him with having been partial to the Pike scheme. From the very first to the last moment that there was a chance of preveu ing it, he had opposerl it, but whoa it had received the sanction of parliament, he felt he was only doing his duty in seeing that the scheme was carried out as speedily and as economically as possible. (Hear, hear) Mr. Bennett had alluded to a sample sent to him by Mr. Roth well. That sample was of a very filthy description, but when Mr. Duncan inquired into the matter, it was fOU'ld that extensive alterations were being made in the premises and that new pipes had been laid down. Hence the quality of the water. He had received two other com plaints, but in them also it was found that the badness of the water was attributable to local circumstances. In one case, indeed, it was found, in the same house, fat while in one part the water was good in another parr it was bad. He denied there was any disrespect intended towards the Council by the committee. The Water Com mittee were, one and all, anxious to do their duty to the town in this matter, and he would not submit to the im putations which were attempted to be thrown on them byMr. Jeffery, who had failed to raise an agitation on the ques tion either in the Council or the town. The majority of them believed the water was much better than what it was represented to be, and they were.prepared to give it a fair Mr. A. C. Sr=Aar remarked that if the water were bad, the delay of a month would be to strengthen the hands of the opponents of the committee ; if, on the other hand, it turned out rod, no one, he was sure, would more rejoice than they would. Mr. Alderman COOPER said that the water delivered in J u ly, 1857, am-noted to 332,573,669 gallons ; in July, 1856, 182 918,292 gallons, being 140,624,377 gallons excess over 1856. In the month of July the proportion of Itiv ington to well water was as follows : —First week, 5 to 4; second week, sto 4 ; third week, 6 to 5 ; fourth week, nearly equal parts. In July, 1836, the complaints of water ware 204; in July, 1857, only 122. The proceedings were then confirmed. LIBRARY AND MUSEUM COMMITTEE. The proceedings of this committee included the report of the special committee appointed by the Couacil on the 11th of May, relative to the levels in the neighbourhood of St. George's Hall and Shaw's Brow. Mr. Plcrox moved the confirmation of the promed ings. He said that n )thing special arose out of them, and he w mid not, therefore, detain the Council long. The committee had b)rrowed some £5,000 daring the month, but that had been authorised by a resolution of the Council long since. The only material part in the p:i.ceedings was that which related to the works on Shaw's brow. Ths Special Committee, consisting of the members of the Law Courts Committee and the Library Committee, met, and went very carefully into the subject of the library. Mr. Picton here explained a plan, showing a new line of levels which would have to ba adopted should ever the scheme of a high level bridge over Wnitechapel be carried out. At present the committee only asked that the sub-structure of the new building—the library—should be elevated to such a height, that, whether the high-level bridge was carried out or not, the building would be more conspicuous, and would be better situated in every respect than on the old foundation. It would stand on a platform, and would have a more commanding appearance. With regard to the construction of the platform, the surveyor proposed to use the old materials of the buildings which would have to b© taken down on the site, and it the Council sanctioned that pro ceeding, ho would immediately commence to use them for that purpose. The additional expense would be about £2,000. Mr. BANNER : Has it baon submitted to:Mr. Brown ? Mr. PICTON : Yes. Mr. A. C. SrEwART : And b)th co nmittees have agreed to it. The proceedings, including the recommendation, ware then confirmed, as were also those of the Hackney Carriales, Baths, Gas, and Birkenhead Docks Committees. The Coroner's account, amounting to £54 ls. 91., was passed. Mr. J. R. JEFFEW said that a they were now in a transition sta'n in regard to their financial position, and as the Finance Colimittee did not intend to make any change in salaries until that position was determined, he thought it better to withdraw, for the present, his motion for an investigation into the system of audit of the Corporate accounts. Mr. Kurcusx asked if the determination of the Finance Committee, in regard to salaries, applied to all committees ? Me. Picrox replied that the Finance Committee had only the Corporate fund to deal with. They could not bind the Health, the Water, or the Library Committee, who had distinct funds to deal with. TIM MAYOR'S COMMUNICATIONS. A letfer was read from the Rev. Mr. Lawrence, praying that an organist might be appointed to Sc. Luke's Church. Mr. BECKWITII mooed that it be referred to the church warden's of the church, who had guaranteed the organist's salary, provided the Council accepted their recommenda tion. Mr, W. JEFFREYS said that the churchwarden's had repeatedly ofnred the salary to Mr. Smith, but he would npt accept it. He wished to be the servant of the Council ; and seeing that he had given his services ratuitouQly for six months, he thou, , ht the Council should now elect him. BANNER : He has been appointed already by the Council. The Mina : Bat the condition has not been complied with. Mr. PICTON : Yes, it has. Mr. J. B. BRANCKER : The only way is for Mr. Smith to resign, aiad then the comm:ttee can recommend some gem 'Oman. The letter was referred to the Church Expenditure Committee, Mr. Banner pi °testing. A memorial was read from the Corn Porters, setting forth their present distressed condition, and praying the Council to gra .t pecuniary relief, and to obtain from the corn merchants a more equitable regulation in regard to their employment. Mr. HonsoN observed, that the memorialists' condition was very painful, but he did nDt see what the Council could do in the matter. Mr. Alderman S. 11 0, LNIM raid, that even were they so disposed, the Council had no funds for the purpose ; and if they had it would be illegal to so apply them. On the other hand, it would be a most dangerous principle if the Council interfered between the employers and employed, as to the way in which *hey shou►d conduct their business. The distress of the memorialists was to be deplored, but however much they might deplore, it was impossible for the Council to give them the Toilet' they asked for. The Council then separated. 1 THE WEEKLY PRESS. The visit to Osborne of his Imperial Majesty the Emperor of the French is announced to be strictly private, " but it is quite possible," observes the Press," that'questions of grave importance will be discussed at Osborne during the next few days. Ministerial journals assure us that the French alliance-is safe, and that, though the governments of the two countries differ in opinion upon minor matters, upon all great questions of foreign policy their views are identical. The crisis at Constan tinople indicates, in the most unequivocal manner, that, though the action of the governments may itf general be harm:Miens, yet upon some essential points, such as the Danubian Principalities, the opinions of France and England are diametrically opposed. The Anglo-French alliance may be in no danger from this difference of opinion, but it must be clear to any man of common understand ing that the restless enemies of that alliance must derive considerable consolation and advantage from the antagonism revealed in the steps recently taken by M. de Thouvenel at Constantinople. Lord Palmerston may rest assured that the people of this country have adopted the principle of the French alliance from deliberate conviction, not from temporary distress, and they will not permit the responsibilities of that alliance to be lightly cast aside. One object of the present visit to this country , of the Emperor of the French may be to place that alliance upon a closer and more solid foundation than would appear at present to exist." The Saturday Review thinks that "there is nothing more remarkable, as we are at present . informed, in the history of th e I n di an mut i ny than the utter absence of anthing like proof of the intervention of any leading mind. No movement of so formidable a character has ever made pro gr, ss so long and so successfully without evoking the energies of some individual men, and raising them abotre their fellows. The enterprise seems to be wholly without headship, Brahminical or Mogul. There is no symptom of organisation, We suspect that a very large portion of the mthineers are not only astonished at their own position, but mightily alarmed e'en at the sound themselves have made.' If the wires had been moved by an unseen hand, it is by the hand of a remote agent. If the move ment be attributable to Mahomedan influence, so much the better. The Mahomedans constitute but a comparatively small portion of the population of British India. It is not difficult to persuade the Hindoos that the Mussulman master hi more into lerant than the Christian. We shall sooner re establish our ascendancy in this case than if the Brahmins were at the root of the matter. We be lieve, indeed, that our old safeguard, the conflict of faiths, the mutual mistrust of Hindoo and Mahe medan, will soon be again working mightily in our favour. The seeds of internal dissolution will be sown in the rebel cause, which will full in time as much from the effects of its own inward weakness as from our outward efforts to suppress it." The Weekly Dispatch asks, " Are our Lambeth friends satisfied with their exchange of Wilkinson for Roupeli? Are they quite sure of their ground, or of his principles? What were his pretensions to the suffrages of one of the largest of the metro politan constituencies ? Were his antecedents so superior to those of his predecessor ? Had he any political life to appeal to ? Had he proved by his abilities that he could do good suit and service ? What ability has ho shown since ? What we want to know is, what pretence had a lad fresh from colleee to represent a great constituency, and what reason can Lambeth render to the country for such a choice ? It is this caprice, and this miserable want of public principle that makes the metropo litan electors coatemptible in the eyes of men of sense, and furnishes but too cogent an argument to the enemies of democracy against the extension of the franchise. The fact is, notwithstanding all the gloss put upon it, the election was carried by sheer dint of money, and, we add, that Mr. Roupell is no more a Radical in prin c ipl e an d b y sympathy than Mr. Newdegate or Mr. Spooner. Look at his vote on the Divorce Bill; that will show better than general professions what the gentleman really is—Mr. Roupell voted against the Divorce Mo." The EconoiaLt, commenting upon the state of ;he money market in France and England, remarks that white in England there has not for some years been a time when speculative enterprises pressed less upon the trading means of the country, such is our intimate corm_ ction now with France, and especially in monetary transactions, that the causes which produce pressure in the former, necessarily extend to the latter. Again, the enormous increase of our legitimate trade in this country, wholly apart from speculative undertakings, has led to a great absorption of capital. This increase of trade is telling in two distinct ways. "In the first place, the capital required by the home producer is much larger than usual, for no t on l y is his trade in quantity much larger, but the money value of every thing ho buys is much higher, and thus a much greater value in the whole is locked WO during the pry cuss of manufineure, , nd, again in the lengthened credits which in many cases ho gives. and especially in the foreign trade. 2. The larger quantities and increased price of our imports, which must be provided a long time in anticipation of the exports which proceed from them, increase enormously our foreign payments in advance. No doubt, finally, the exports must balance the imports. But as in our case the latter precede in general the former, a large capital is always embarked in the intermediate period. It is in this latter way that our imports from India and China have reJently led to such extensive shipments of silver in order to liquidate not only the direct claims upon this country on the part of India, but also the indirect claims which India and China have upon us in respect to credits established in London by Aus tralia and the United States for imports from India and China, and created by their exports to England. The continued small stock of almost all the chief articles of foreign produce, and the consequent high prices, induce to the fair assump tion that these causes of scarcity of capital and its high value will continue " Austria, England, and Turkey are opposed to the political union of the Principalities under one government; France, Russia, Prussia, and Sardinia are in favour of it. The three Powers object that the union would be injurious to the Ottoman empire; the four Powers deny this. "But of what value," says the Leader, " is the Austrian objec tion ? Has not Austria, under the signature of the Treaty of Paris, secretly proposed to Russia a joint occupation of Moldavia and Wallachia, a challenge in the face of all Europe, a rupture of the Paris Convention? And did not Russia betray this proposal to the participating Cabinets. We may sus pect the policy of Russia, but it does not foll2w that we should confide in Austrian in,egrity. We believe that the union of the provinces is &sired by the inhabitants themselves, chiefly upon the ground that it would erect them into a free and indepen dent state, with a capacity for self defence, but connecting itself with the public law of Europe, by acknowledging the modified sovereignty of the Porte. No doubt the assemblies elected last month are hostile to this project ; but they are the mere mouthpieces of Prince Vogorides, an agent of the Porte, who is known to have expressed his con tempt for popular suffrages, and to have said that as the Emperor of the French nominated his can didates to seats in the Assembly, and manipulated the elections, he, as Cairtmican, was justified by precedent and by example. Public opinion, in truth, has not been allowed to act, and the returns took place amid the protests of the majority." " In one point, we must own," says the John Bull, " that the declaration of the 9,000 clergymen against the Divorce Bill is laid open to the sneers which have been so plentifully levelled at it by the ministerial journals. It abstains, and to all appearance advisedly, from boldly avowing the doctrine on which alone the remonstrants can rely, namely, that of the absolute indissolubility of merrier. Uulcss marriage be indissoluble they can have no pretence for saying that the new bill imposes any hardship on their consciences. Of all the absurdities which have been uttered on this unhappy subject, the most monstrous is in the mouth of those who, granting that the marriage tie may be dissolved, consenting that it sh a ll b e dissolved on the grounds specified by the bill, nevertheless wish to forbid the re-marriag e of one or both of these parties to an annulled contra°. t to restrain a person thus rendered single from n le , entering into matrimony. W e cannot h e lp till °k d ing that had it n o t b een f or t h e uncerta i n sou! , thus given by the clergy o n so i mpor t an t a point II a point, too, on w hi c h th e f ormu l ar i es o f t h e c har° appear to be so une qu i voca l i n t h e i r expres si° ll,. much of the mischi e f o f thi s o b nox i ous m easure might have been cleared away from it." THE LUCEIY OF LANCASTER. MR. BERTOLACCPS CASE. tpublishtee appointed i rlpuliarcee into the therep ofort petitionthper e S s c e n t ?: b C y oWm M ine r. Bertolacci to the House of Commons, as auditor the accounts of the Duchy of Lancaster. By that reP,l lB it would appear that Mr. Bertola cc i h a d b een un der b i , t influence of some mental obscurity i n hi s c h arges , brollgu i against several of the superior officers o f th e D uc hy; en d his evidence has been smothered over with a d e gree 0 tenderness, showing that the committee do not wis ll t6 in-pate to this gentleman any i m p ro p er motives ill `.• charges he has brought forward. Th e comm ittee i l , composed of five members, nam e ly, M r . B rams t o n, ft : Coningham, Mr. Sotheron Esecourt, Viscount Godell e i: Mr. J. Hans Hamilton, and Lord Harry Vane. The so. dance of the committee ex ends over a considerable spac e ; but we fled not the slightest referenc e t o th e f a cts e e io tamed in it in the report of the co mm it tee ; an d it is t 0 this respect that the subject is one w hi c h concerns the public ; for it is only by a knowledge of these facts the , 0 correct idea can be formed of the management of the Cre ic ao property, and it is here that Mr. Bertolacci becoraes de , instrument in developing the truth. It s i gn ifi es b a t lit f ; therefore, whether the committee have adjudged bit 11, mistaken or a misguided servant of th e C rown . l b e ) however, desirable to examine how far M r . Bartels , " deserves the op;niens formed of him by the committee. 0 From the evidence, which has been printed, it apPa a that Mr. Bertolacci bad been engaged in the public serl ic , twenty-one years ; and being a shrewd man at figures, ."1 was installei into the Duchy as auditor, in consequence o f his efficient services connected with the investigation the public accounts, by Lord Belper, who was then Cha n o cellar of the Duchy. Previo us t o hi s appo i ntmen t • l ,, ' „ office of auditor had been a sinecure; the last office if which we think a man should be thrown upon the sh e ° until called upon to receive hi s s ti pen d . S uch, ho wever , was the case until Mr. Bertolacci was called to the oifiee' when he was informed by th e th en Ch ancellor, that it a' , ,7 0 to be " a working offic e ," w ith a spec i a l charge that be was to " look into the accounts w ith re f erence to arrears % rent due to the Sovereign, an d th at h e should endeavour remodel the system of the Duchy accoun t s genera ll y, so as Jo present them to Parliament in a more intelligible form O af a heretofore." It seems that Lord Belper also instrtlo l him to see " wile' her the large am oun t o f ren t then 10 arrear, and yearly brought forward in the Receiver` General's account, was irrecoverable." Now all this appears perfectly l eg iti ma t e on t h e par. 0 Lard Belper in appointing th e n ew au dit or • but it vi li f certainly highly desirable to know w h e th er the arrears ~( 70 rent due, and carried forward f rom year to year, should:o written off as a bid debt or not ; an d also to show f : the defaulters were. We d o not k now of any other des' cription of tenants th a t wou ld b 3 a ll owed to occupy es tate" from year to y e a r w ith out t h e payment of rent ; yet '"„- appears to have been the case with the favoured tenants.; the Duchy of Lancaster, up to the Vale of Mr. Bertolsae l s , appointment : there was th ere f ore c l ear l y an obvious dll to perform : th e "si necure " au di torship was to cease, 11, , Za ,7 0 " a working office" was to succee d . C ommon sense e ; easly decide the difference betwe en th e t wo. M r. Bert ' h "; lacci's first attack appears t o h ave b een made upll accounts of his somnolent p re d ecessors, and by this mead, he aroused the ire of the Clerk of the Council, by denla„ 11 1 ing the vouchers f or cer t a i n expen !hire, and the warre n , for such exp enses , as we ll as the perus d of the minu t e book, without which his office would be a nullity. It .4, at this time that hi s p a t ron , L or d Belper, in June, I°4 resigned the Chancellorship, and was succeeded by rt Granville, who, it appears was a tenant under the Delc' e f e The information necessa r y t o a complete audit o f t'.. 1 1 accounts was positively r e f use d b y th e C lerk of the Coullel# as well as the minut e -b oo k o f t h e C ouncil.* This coll!,1"; tutee the principal ch arge aga i nst M r. Bertolacci, lchlcd gradually ripened until it led to his discharge from 1 (0 office by an order f r om th e E ar l o f H arrow b y, who Wci appointed Chancellor o f th e Daelly, in March, 1855, any who, in May of the same year, wrote to inform Mr. Beo e , e i lacci that he had decid e d u p on appo i nt i ng an auditor tor"' his place. In examining the evide nce , w hi c h, as we have sta ted e before, contains the substance of what concerns the publi°9 independently of Mr. Bartolacci as auditor, we find att exhibition of the private working of parliamentary influence: It appears from this, that while Earl Grenville wo g appointed to the Chancellorship of the Duchy, he was con' siderably in arrears for re n t, w hi c h may partly account for; the opposition made to M r . B ert olacci's rigid system inquiry. Lest this should be thought an incorrect stat e ' ment, we give the langurge of the evidence. Q. 135. "On the 21st of June, 1854, was Earl Gra ll ' villa debtor t o t h e D uc h y f or a large sum on acconnt of.arrear of rent? " At the time his Lordship became Chancellor, he was ir!, aunt a considerable s um , w hi c h I can prove on the face of is booke," Q. 137. " When did you first ascertain that Earl Granvil ltr was in arrear of rent to the Duchy ?" "I was first made acquainted with that fact when I wag examining the Re cc iy er -G enera i' s account, in Sep! ember, 1854. • Q. 138. " Who made you acquainted with it ?" " Alr. Gooch, a clerk in the Duchy office, who receiveg and pays money, and makes out the account of the Receiver`: General." Ai a point cf such importance requires to be fully 6004 we give ale following financial statement of Earl Granville deficiencies : e. d. A , reais from 1350 Rtntal, 1851 Total due Michaelmas, 1851 6.885 3 1 Received 4,665 6 11 Rental in 1852 Total due MicliaeltuaF, 1852 7,408 13 3 Received in 4 sums 3,408 13 3 Rental in 1853 Total due Michaelmas, 1853 Received 4,442 8 5 Rental i❑ 1851 Total duo Michaelmas, 1854 , 8 943 6 6 c3ived. 5,412 5 5 Arrears due. 3 5Ol 18 1 Those figures will b? ,found not strictly accura t e , but we have given thOm as they stand in the accounts. As we have before observed, this is not so much a (neg.. - tion whi c h concerns 4 r. B ertolacc i as the publie, though justice should ha d o n e t o hi m ; for it is impossible to real the evidence without a full conviction that the prop er ty of the Duchy has been shamefully mismanaged, an d th a t It can only be rectified by pursuing that rigid course of examination which he has had the courage to introduce. There is, however, a singular incousistency in the report which accuses Mr. Bartolacci of r. fusing to complete tha audit, while it passes the highest compliments upon birci for his integrity. We aie sorry to see that the report make° n t o e m r reference : b e i n g che intooffice, the gn,: becausech argeswe think f againstorth e ir s2v sakeseralgeni; would have been more satisfactory to the public as well a 5 just to themselvcs. * Mr. Bertolacci states in his petition, that the entries in the Minute Book wore not made nt the Council, but were wade afterwards by the Clerk of the Council. THE DIFFICULTY IN TURKEY. FURTHER RUPTURE of DIPLOM iTIC RELATIONS On Saturday the Korning Pose published the followla despatch : ct CONSTANTIN,IPLE, August 6.—The Porte having re• fused to annul the late tlections, the Ministers of Frances Russia, Prussia, and Sardinia, have broken off their ( 14310' matic relations with that power." The same paper also published an artic'e on the present state of affairs at Constantinople, arising out of the gees" tion of the Danubian Principalities. The Porte wishe§ naturally to have two provinc , :s which she can controls rather than a new state ; of sufficient strength to be always troublesome and danger•ilis, 4 and yet so weak as to be is the predicament of constantly seeking aid from Russia. Auatria regards sack a state as virtually a new annexioni to the Russian empire. England spent £S),000,000 and 3 , 100,000 liv es i n a war which b?gen with the rescue of these very Danubian Priacipalitias from Russia. Russia' advocates the union et all cost of the Principalities. pruso sia who did not fight for Turkey, who is re7aote from: the scene of interest, and who habitually makes Russian r easoo Prussian reason, does so now. Sardinia p obably finds a justification for the part she takes, in the fact that it ig opposed to the policy of Austria. With regard to France, M. Thouvenel may be acting in error, but he is acting 00 behalf of a government honest in its policy, and amenablO to reason.