The Press.
London, England, 1853-12-17 00:00:00

MR. MECHUS BALANCE-SHEET.

THE annual meeting of the Coggeshall and United
Parishes' Agricultural Society, which came off last
week, presented all the usual features of such
gatherings. There was a ploughing match, with
twelve competitors ; an exhibition of roots and
vegetables; a very creditable display of cotta ge-
garden produce ; and a gratifying distribution of
prizes by way of wind-up.

At the dinner Mr. Mecnt was one of the guests,
and made a speech afterwards. He enforced the
necessity of building sufficient eottages to enable the
agricultural labourers to live near the lands they
tilled, and calculated the average number at live
able bodied men to every 100 acres. lie proceeded
to recommend the advantages of draining and irriga-
tion, when combined into a scientific system. Con-
gratulating himself that the number of persons who
" thought Mr. Mechi a fool " had gradually dwindled
down to a minority, and that these were found prin-
cipally in the remote and less advanced districts, he
embarked upon his own especial topics—high culti-
vation and steam machinery :
" lie felt every hour that we wene tin the eve of a very
great change in our mode of cultivation. When some of
those present had visited hint during the summer, the
thing was in its infancy, hut now it had grown up almost
to maturity. 111 another week they should have a machine
put together• and tried privately : and he must say that the
nearer it advanced toward completion the more satisfied
he was that it would succeed. lie was nut in a position
to say that it would entirely displace the plough, but it
would entirely knock on the head their tormentors,
grubbers, searifret•s, and clod-crushers; and he did think,
if they could concentrate the 10-horse power, as they
would most likely do, in two tons weight. they should he
able to do more work with Ilk a they than they could with
horse-power for :tos ; and, theretiore, this would ie another
great matter of economy to the farmer. With regard to
the American thnothingmachine, many of those present
had seen it at work, and all agr.•ed with hint in the. op• •
that it would tend greatly to &Tont 111 l ise the expenses of
farming. The machine was now before the world.
There wets an aversion on the part of those who hatl the
old implements to change them for the new ones ; bat he
was satisfied the force of public opinion would compel its
adoption."

Mr: Mechi concluded by detailing some of the
financial results of his farming operations. His
balance-sheet, he said, hail been made out this year
from a valuation by Messrs. May and Brodie,

" and on making up his books he found he should
make an improved rental and profit of :a;01. Wear.)
Now, that was very sat isfaetory to his feelings. (Laughter.)
That result did mot arise so notch from the increased price
of corn or stock, although it slid partly, of course, but he
found the main ditteissnee in his live-steck aceonnt : for
under his system of irrigation he was 11.111110104.1 to keep two
animals whore he used to keep only ono before. on the
same acreage of pound and, therefore, the effect was to
double, not only the amount of meat, but the amount of
manure upon his laud, we that it would rte doubt have an
iutlucncc npOtt his corn creep also. ( Cherrx.) 'There Was
one other point to which he would refer. It seemed to
him an important question. as they were getting steam-
engines around them as thick as blackberries, who was
to repair them if they got nut of order ? ( Hear.; A new era
had arrived, and country blaektoniths must become a
different race, in order to meet the new class of work
which would come to them, unless they wished other
mechanics to step in and take their places. Ite‘erting to
hid own farming, he must sny that his irrigation rendered
him more independent ; he bid defiance to wire-worm and
slug, for it Was a elusions fart that, while solid IMIIIIIEPS
would breed slugs in abundance, the liquid uuuuut
would destroy them ; so that in getting rid of these enemies
the process of irrigation accomplished a great thing for
him. ( Ilear.)"
Mr. U. PArrissos asked whether Meeln
to say that he was deriving it profit of as temust, or
whether it included the rental?
Mr..ll4:cm: 1 think I stated fl.• IrtnalOr4l amt tenant.
That is, I have received '2 lift. as my improved rental, at
atis. an acre, and then I have received in addition nearly
flint. as farming iemtit. (Beer.)
Mr. l'Arrissox : Then as tenant yon are deliving a profit
of 8411. a 3ear ?
Mr. Mt:e•ut : Yea ; and I wish tee repeat that the increase•
i, principally owing to the ineremed number of live stock
I can keep on my farm.
Mr. MI wished to ask Mr. Piper what was the result
of !hi this tear as compared with the general
seeding of the country ?
Mr. PIPPft was sorry to say that lie was like other people :
he quite expected six quarters per acre, but was forced to
make shift with four. (Laughter.)
Mr. Mccin: That is a large creep. flow many trees to
the acre?
Mr. PIPER: 55. It has been wls at in succession for
nine years, and the land has not Leen ploughed for ten
years.
Mr. Darns: Have yon calculi' •d the profits of your
land
Mr. PIPER : Yes: they have le.. ed. 1,..r cwt. f.er several
el taps (Laughter, and ''.ll(m.

THE PRESS.

Mr. Mr.citt said Mr. Piper stated a filet. and he prows trtl
against their laughing at a fart. k Hear. hear. 1

In a paper which Mr. Meehi subsequently read
at the weekly ►neeting of the Society of Arts, held On
Wednesday evening, he thus specifies the it cuts
whereof his balance sheet is eomposed •

'_1)11.—l'o valuation, Oct. 31. lh:0•2-11ora..4. :

I 131. t2s. lid. ; sheep, .203/. ois. ; cattle and eows, 0/. i im-
plements, :00/. lls. ; tillages, buy, 1.e.. :cwt. mat of
chapel land, -la; tithes, rates, IN.: iaibolit , including
engineer. bailiff, Sc., VT/. ; guano. bones. and m4441,1'00-
I:4ltate of lime, liPt/.; seed cont and seeds. 4:0/. ; ‘ittek
MOW 1,1,t401.; cont sad cake lsumlit for feeding
horses' keep, de., 114,41 ; coals for etazine, t radestuett's hills.
A'e.. 1301.: uty improved rent, 34;5. per *etc, 111. ; profit,
3131. ltis. 3d. : toted, 4,9751. the. titl.

t's.--Ity valitatiOn, Oct. 31, ISM—Horses, 71/. ; pigs,
65.; 5hi...ep.448/.; cattle and cows, •::19/. 10s.: int.
plements.:l9o/. Ila. ; tillages, hay. 171/. I 55.1141. ; wheat.
:te quarters per acre-1U acres. 630. ; barley, 5 quarters
per acre-11 urea, 111/.; beaus, quarters per aere-13
acres, 1401.; oats, 101. ; prkslitee of euws and poultry, ;i0 1.:
hay sold, ; horse work, labour, hay, manure, ,r c., for
private establishment, OW.; live stock and wool sold,
•2,01 r:/.; three stacks of old straw, 401.: total, 1,117 A/. Os. 9.1.
Live Stook Account. —&'u.; To valued' . 1/451, 7'031.
Ss. 641.; corn, cake, and feeding stunk bought, 111 W.: live
stook bought, 1.160/.; protit. or miler price paid for pro.
duce of hum, 337/. 7%.1141....-3,01t44. IN. 11r.: Ity valuation.
1,01111. 166.; live stock stud wool sold, 1,00:1.-
3,01t4/. Vs."

CHOLERA AND THE WATER SUPPLY IN
THE M ETROPoLIS.
Tut: presence of cholera in the metropolis, albeit in
a subdued form, during the present winter sewson,
has furnished occasion for several commentaries
which the Registrar-General trou► time to time has
appended to his periodical returns of metropolitan
mortality. In the last of those official esu►)s, which
appeared a few days since, the subject is treated
from the point of view suggested by the nature and
quality of the water supply in different districts.
From a mass of interesting details contained in this
supplement" we extract the following :

lu 1549 cholera destroyed 11,1:17 persons in lion
out of a liopulation of nearly aho lived, iu wane
parts thickly planted, in ethers widely ilithised, on an ales
of 122 square milt a. The rats of mortality was not imi-
Conn over this surface. Taking an eetuul number of lido'
bitants, say 111,909, the epidemic was fatal to more persons
in sumo places than in others, the numbers varying from
•:114 at Rotherhithe to k in the regions of Ilatiover-square,
Mayfair, and Paddington. This difference betwds,. two
extreme rates of mortali is great, but is not more re.
markable than the disparity that immediately strikes the
•d in the whole life and comfit' of the two chaise* of
popitlut ion—the former swarming on the water's edge, en.
veloped iu smoke and dirt; the latter oceitoing a e
elevated site, breathing a pitivr ioniesidicee, commanding
better water, better drainage, and all appliancili by %lads
siWellillga are Mail.' %hole,. nod eoloroit able. It must
lie an object to trace the shifting rate of tidily through-
out its entire range, and to ascertain to what extent its
diversity of effect is priabieed by appreeiable causes—by
elements which unite in proportions, IdWaya C 1114111414 with
locality, to Germ physical condition. It has already been
shown that elevation of soil was the most isaistant and
/striking in its results, and that the influence of water sup.
ply, density of population, and wealth could also be die
tested iii the progresa of the epidemic. that it is evident
that, to estimate exactly the value of any of these forces, it
is necessary to obtain similar litmus sa regards the
real: for etaiiiple. I. mg-amine the effect of good or bad
water supply, it is requisite to find two classes of inhabi-
tants living on the same level, moving in equal space,
.laying an equal share of the means iiisubsistenee, engaged
in the same pursuits, but differing in this respeets—that
sine drinks water front Itatterisea, the other (nail hew. Of
impure substances, which, having been previously eatreded
from our habitations as mitit to he retained among living
Isings, ate thrown back a 11111 l igst um, mix.sl with die water
intended fur iliailestie awes, it is certain that such misma-
nagement will not be favourable to health. In this case
also the effects will be localised, and will lee read, it nay
he expeetvil, in the register-hooka of the ilistriet. The re-
sults of investigation sin this point in Isis/ are summed up
as follow% :—The mortality tarot cholera was lowest in ilia•
tricts which have their water chiefly from the Thiuncii so
high as Hammersmith and Kew. The rtality was
greatest iii districts which derive their water from the
Thames so low as Hanel sea and Ilmigerfonl-bridge. The
districts of the New I:iver eislipied an intermediate sta-
dia,.
Since lsl9 piddle attention bar been much drawn to the
importamee of obtaioilog a better supply of water Istee the
inetmpolis, and in lied and Per! select isimmittives of the
Home of Ciannions were appointed to inquire into the
subject, Oier the foliller of %hid, Sir James Witham pre.
sided, over the latter Mr. Heekett. A large must of evi•
deuce was obtained from parties faviouraLle to the existing
state of things, anal from others who adteeca4d an entire
&lunge, by wind, the numerous independent companies
W mold have been superseded, and the metropolis subjeeted
to a uniform st stein of water supply. As the result of in-
quiry, an act (1:1 and Ili Viet., cap. µI) was obtained by
Government in "to make better provision respecting
the supply of water to the metropolis." It enacts that
after the of August. lteik it shall not be ban ful fur
d nosy company to suppkv Louden with witterfrom tiny part of

writ)
I I t 1

the Thames balow Tethlington•lock. or from am part of
it.: tributary streams below the highest tibial point. An
extension of the perhal for ono ysar it grante.l to the Ch.+
Si.* Company. AU avbieribbir. fir storing water for ,lowestio
IMIIII *l'4 within a distatiee of tiro nines front St.
init‘t eAbrereti. except those containing water *Nell,
after it bli.eliary,teti, will he boilbjeeteil to pn.per fihralgoli.
All water for ilomeatie aw itiboa bo eominete.l through

or e:Aerril and, tltllxz,k It lin. burn
intitiped (ruin nen% into covvreil resorroiri or sattednetn,
It town be sitt.jeete:l to rtfretiiill filtration below it is
]wired into the pipes for ilintrilititi:in. 11 lien the moureen
of :Agility Ale chaugril, thr MUM' 11111%1 1w IlliprOle4 hl the
Trnae if tuetity lionwholilern tliking in the
limier of tiny cOllll4lll il,l%lres, at 111.111011111 10 this Word,
eollll,lilillll 04 of the iiiinntity qiinlity of the %Ater, the
board Hill I 4111,x rut ingitiry to be trust.' into the ground* of
complaint. The overmeer.: of iho poor in any parihh, wish
eon ent of the vei.try, 11111 1141111'0 011ineres ur 000upieni
I wwt 10 rEOelllO M 1•111 Th of a *tor at s role not 1.1.
eeviling :1,1. I•er ni•ek for reeoveratile 11.oun the
owner. tiller M iledllelloll lill,t iYI by Ow ,„hipany 0(10 pin.
cent.

VeNteil intere.tii remain uudiann ht d ; hul the question
of iptiblie health is 1/11111 1111 l 11111 ; ruwpinlu are ~1% their
tisial, anti the retention of their p,imer% will ilepetia nit the
gots' will awl ability with whieli they tliselierge a
tntst. The plagno whieli has swept }'tints'for the third
time has revisited our ~horeo, nll4 threatens the country at
1111111 V I,lllllt/1 11'4/111 Ltllllloll 141 Arbroath, smut if it And
air itiaries within the lines luny einiquer a pornument
mitlement tine itself. .

From inquiries made by the Resistriustieneral it appears
111111 cholera finds Loudon, ad evgdx,b, water, iu the
whichlieu iu it left it. This holds true still ieference to
all except the Lambeth Waterworks company, who
charged their source of supply neatly two „g„ trout
Lambeth to name, I bitten ; 111111 itsi aseertainogi that the
ninths of the present em.lemie in the districts %applied by
that conilsoi, as enisiptireti with some others, are rather
more satisfactory than they weiv iiiiiirovetnent
which, it is hoped, In the further course of events will be
maintained. .

It is it twil-ktiowit ftiet that the Sewylb, bleb receive the
*lt illg4 10f the usteiclooscleo, cesspools, ♦♦tool totlll•r sink,"
itliltillit) iu11•1111114111,1111W jut./ the et' If 'ninnies
and the it.. it 1.1. c. where, idler dilution in the (Wool waters,
they lire ill V111+1)104 pn111111•t11111M tilted, 0,1,1 iu
/41.1111• ca*l'. tilt. Tea, taken the tapes of the sitter
companies, ,tnol pumped into the hetetes 01, the tithohttitikte
of the tii4.114•1•••111% 611 41011,•.,11.•
It is also " (set, well cootalolisliell by obsevtothon, that the
cans• ot• cholera in an cloilletioie nets more or leko On the
%holly of thu population, but that its bears a eel••
lain 'Asti to the impurity of the soil, the %Mil', and
the suf. _

slit ty wsitvr HMI dilly sit' sink IOWHItIs OH. In .1 Into of
the Louduu Ln.in. RIM) 1110 .h.. 11111 .endnp
'lank %upon's; sod it has been shown that, when IHIgo
iiiii ishers are taken. so till to *looter otlscr eirrimintaiirs.a
nearly espial, the mortality deems's.% progressively in Ilse
dwelling% at 4111111.41 d eleyal .
After correcting thu table* of cholera for the
of aviation, it is Could that a large residual nisittality
remains, *lslet' is fairly referable to the impurity of
the water ; fur it is least where that' waster is knows' to
sweetest, greatvst where the waler is known to he the most
impure.
After the great Issas of life in INV), awl the pativio iii•
vestigatisatis of two al•le cssluuktee.. of 11w Homo. of
Commons, the present wider companies were left in the
undisturbed posseasion of the tnonopuly, which itsuy rispay,
of selling the lassple of !Amason water. In this present
state of toagineerang and sanitary actions., purer waters
front gotta risig•grottiala, or from opting*. mild prubsidy
be pnisoireil, and Ie supplied at elivaper rates by new cum.
!smiles, sir by the Mesa porated ratepayer*. lint this would
dislaub ths• values of huge masses of Miserly(' capital. To
avoid ouch a *slush, ehaats the *apply is Lett
in the hands of the existing eulllpa sii s; bast by net of
Parliament Hwy ale prohibited troll
from the tidal witting of that' and Iva., after ell tont
Axed (lutes. It, however, imfortoinutely isapp.sos ling in
the invasion of cholera, with which Vi NM 11114•111elit at
ncxl year, every parish, except those is loch the Imati,stit
'minivan)? supplies, niny I cosi% a• 'H HI. llf us 141.1 a• 4
those of Islll without a flit vet violassuil 4,f the act ~t
Parliament. !.
Hut the water companies will Jo will to Lear in missal
that the slats '4 its tile nil 111.' a %t 11'111a hi Ulils fli alias
iteyttild It 11411 tlsey coils supply I Indult 14 1111 'Owne
water without a direct 'tantalum sl the I.IW. They
may complete the works in half Ilse time. They east
necelerate tlaeU. progress. And the I t 111111 H V. lila It they
have furnished will CHINO 114 In 11111/Irtittit. their Aral
mill spirit ill the public service mulct. taut a tirivistlislary
toilet genev.
Inateasi of the distant slates of fist of August, It'll
Ituriat, and Peel, which WITO fixed 110. return of
cholera Irma not 1•011141111111116 A, the esompaniess Woods' Hato
wt supplying I Arndt/11 with the water wheels tiov 111 111.11
SMOISIRI tat furnish, at a slate not later than the Ist I.t July,
Veil. This would pudialsly be the means of saving tbioi•
sands of lives, nth(l entitle the directors to tlati piiblle spat

Date* after which it will not be "lawfUl " for the wstvr
companies to 'Ripply waters from the mania snorers, or of
the same quality, sh at present, to the inhabitant,. of
lanidon

New lliter :loth dune, IN:o7.
Cortina .lunation '11.4 August, 1w.3.
Chcl►ea 3l►l August.
Weal Niddlrs. s :ll.t August, IKi3.
East London %twist, 1,401
Southwark 'flat August, 1565,
The 4 ituudJunetion I tier Southwark t!tastpantra Sint*
that tI pro .t to votottolete their works in 1t5:J4,.4 ytair
hunt prt..)cril;ttl I.y do; Legialatutv.

. • •

774

buign ant Colonial Inttilignut.

`..11 the hour of ;piny to press, the letter 4 our
Poi is t'orrespoittleitt hod not arrived.

FRANCE,

Magnificent dinner parties and evening receptions
were given on Saturday last at the Tuileries, the
l'alais Royal, and by the great officers of state, in
order to celebrate the anniversary of the Dix be-
eenibre. It was in all respects a great day for the
Parisians. Among other spectacles there was the
formal inauguration of the new Boulevard de Stras.
Bourg. At this ceremony the Emperor was expected
to preside, amid some MN) lochs ems otssenilded at no. am
to witness the scene. His Majesty, however, never
came—the Prefect of the Seine, the subordinates of
his department, and the engineer of the works, hoeing
left to do the duty, which was accomplished with very
little parade. The absence of the Emperor on this
occasion gave birth to many rumours touching the
discovery of a new plot against his life, in which the
emispirators had intended, it is said, to seize the op-
pertimilies afforded during the inauguration of the
boulevard to make their treasonable attempt.
Those rumours were partially corroborated by the
fact which shortly transpired, that a number of fresh
arrests, including, it was stated, thirty persons, had
been effected. Some of these persons were, however,
charged merely with having been implicated in the
clandestine distribution of pamphlets printed in
foreign countries, and particularly the last work of
M. Victor lingo, printed and published in Jersey.
This new work, which is said to be just as violent
against the existing state of things in France us any
of the writer's previous publications, has been sold
in Paris, it is affirmed, to the extent of I,:osai copies
within a few days, the price being six francs. The
police have made descents iu several houses, but
without being so fortunate as to make any seizure.
It is reported that the officers called on ore person
who was strongly suspected of selling the work, and
arrived just live minute.: after his last copy had been
dispwed of.
There is no positive slate yet fixed for the corona •
Lion, but the preparations are going on with such ac-
tivity that it will probably nut be long delayed. The
dresses of all the members of the Imperial household
who are to take part in the ceremony are already pre-
pared. The carriages are also in a forward state.
The Bulletin der Lois publisher a decree granting
a supplementary credit of 10,1m8,90f., of which
m,osayasif. arc to loe distributed as homilies OH the
exportation of French merchandise.
The Miele having, in its number of Dec. 9, repre-
sented the arrest of M. Hubbard, one of the advo-
cates who defended the 'pent 'omiopie conspirators
on their late trial, as an interference w:th the free-
dom of defence usually allowed to prisoner:* counsel,
whereas in reality that person was arrested under the
charge of being affiliated to a secret soelety, the
Minister of the Interior has given a first warning to
that journal "tsar having misrepresented an act of
ordinary judicial proceedings, and tended to excite
hatred and contempt against the public
The cowl, of Cessation has rejected the appeal
made against their sentence by the thirteen persons
condemned for having taken part in the affairs of time
Opera Colitigne and I I ippodrome.
Placards appeared in the streets of Paris on Mon-
day announcing on the part of the administrators of
the royal domains the sale of time chillean and estate
of Rainey, belonging to the Ideal's family, in virtue ..t'
the eMilkelal. decree of the 11sol of January, 15:.2.
The upset price is 1,:94:1,09m4f.