The Express.
London, England, 1855-03-08 00:00:00

SOCIETY OP ARTS.-SEWAGE OF.LONDON.

A paper was read on this subject last evening by
Mr. J. B. Lewes. Colonel CitaHoner was in the chair.
Mr. Laws stated that one of the great difficulties in the
acoustical disposal of the sewage of the metropolis NU its
enormous bulk. Two hundred million tons of fluid passed
through the sewers annually, containing solid maitier
amounting to 200,000 tons. This east produce can only he
disposed of by a mud sale all over the country. But Dace
the cost of carriage steps in, and interferes to prevent the
essoess of the messures that have been taken to manufastese
the sewage into manure. A low-priced manure was not ne-
cessarily a cheap one. The question is not what is the price
per ton of a manure, but in what manner an the farmer bring
to his lands the constituents which ho requires. Mr.
Lewes then explained the astute of the experiments by
whisk be ascertained which of the various constituents of
ear agricultural plants it le meat important to supply by
manures. He grew a particular crop for a series of years
with different manurial mixtures, in some cases supplying
the various constituents separately, and in others a combi.l
modes of two or more of them. The tabulated results et
these experiments showed some remarkable facts. In aka
yeses, ley sang farm-yard manure, the produce of an nuns
rose hem 22 bushels to 41. By using minerals in 1844, ea I
muscle sad ammonia in 1854, the produce rose from
bash* to 44 bushels; but the quantity of straw proclaimed I
by theme of farm-yard manure was only 1,643 lbs., while that
give. by the application of minerals and ammonia was
5,803 lbs. Many other facts of the same nature were quoted.
The oonelusion to which he came was, that while ammonia
is by far the most important and valuable constituent in an
artificial manure, phosphoric acid is the second in this
respect. Another important fact, determined partly by
these experiments, is, that when the chemical composition
of a maestro is known, there is no difficulty whatever in
fixing the pries at which it will eventually sell, as compared
with other mimes. tie then adverted to the fact that the
human sunsuit must be considered as the main item in
any calculatios as to the value of London MIMI,
and gave a minute analysis of this substance. The
whets weight he estimated at 61,1 Set tons. Ws
sestets"' about 10,768 tone of assacais, sad
whisk, applied to corn land, would yield en imsessed per
due of 000,000 quarten. This is about ens.ffided of the
whets eseenenption of London. But to predece this is
mews, the sewage must be spread over 400,020 acres ; and
as the ammonia is unfortunately distributed through as
essessess bulk of water, the cost of carriage and sprinted=
weskit be laminae. lie did not thick, therefore, that the
smge was applicable to cereals; but he entered into mien-
ladies to show that it might be profitably applied le pin
♦ vitality of gram land, equal only to 20,000 ewes, meld
abut& the whole sewage of the metropolis. If this were
doom is the aeighbouthood et Loados, so that the cost of
soder vela be trifling, the problem of the application of
ens sewage might be solved.
♦ melt latiortedar disco des then arm. Mr. Sydney,
Mr. Chadwick, Mr. Morse, Mr. F. 0. Ward, and Mr.
Meek!, addressed the meeting, and brought forward a vast
eitantity of statistical information. Cafortunately no two
of the speakers agreed, a point alluded to facetiously by the
Oakum is his summing up. As a proof of the eztreme
diverges°, in opinion, it may be noted that one of the
epeakus expressed his belief that an Sae of land woad
require the manure from a thousand individuals, it having
bees perviouny averted that it would not regales more than
individuals to prods,* the requisite quantity of mature.
The steedng was crowded, and the most marked imitation
wee paid to the statements of the lecturer and the various
speakers.

SUNDAY 01111t1YANCE Its ILMICHMITZIL The
annual meelies of the Menelisoter Beemisal and Horti-
&tarsi Seelety was held in the large team of the Town
Bah en abaft lest, et eleven eels* ; eel the room was
wiNillhoiby the subscribers, shat 400 of Mow present
vedag. eseemblet(uanimlly monerooto) wee roused
by a allies maths Mr. James Aspinall Turner, that
the prime be spa snlooriben on a Sunday, seder
sash legulatime es the email might deem neemeary. A
imam meths wee bees& heward end rejected last year.
Mr. Tama bay*/ intratimed the subject, Mr. Bears
moved as as masaimeet, thel the gardens remain elated,
sod that the smell be
r:=l to dimmer as far so
t=e eiMes at o them ea Ilesday. A long
ormod. was sopported by Dr.
AIM" Mr. B. Romney, Mr. T. IldPosOrael Sir John
Paw. NM opposed by Kr. Robert Pritheem, Professor
11111Mmea, sad the Bev. Mr. The opinion
sr Illeposh bc was ultimo.* 1-bid by tk• foliowbly
MN sr the WO tamer of %May Graft 217 meet-
-Bwitissileg 266 votes ; sad spied it. 146 member,,
...
SDI votes. Bat although Mr. Turner's reoolatioir
;Mae serried by a majority of 81 votes, yet it remain,
is8P01.111“, in eassyssars of the mistime of a rule which
Edras 011111arreeve, on behalf of say cheep pro-
tipeiblias of the numbers amda...Mgoogoadr