The Express.
London, England, 1849-10-23 00:00:00

SUPPLY OF WATER TO THE METROPOLIS.

A public meeting took plate last ensuing at the
Honorer-maws Asses, far the poems of **lag tato era-
siderstioa the heel sons *EMU wide water sup-
ply ef the easWepails, sod Ike albs centred
thereof is the hawk el the thawashas. It was
aaaosatwil la the plasma sessewbes the siosefai that Mr. J.
L. Tebbe/oar sod &dental)a fres the Illetrepolitaa Water
Supply Aseeelatise would be is atteerkwes M exposed their
pica fur the sttaisuest of the above Wryest. C. LINIIIING.
TOW, Fog., 352., presided. There was a crowded at•
tenders",

1 The CHAIRMAN said no one needed to be told that, for
some time pass, there bad been heavy complaint, of the in-
adequacy, impurity, and imeeinive demur of the water sop-
s plied to the metropolis. (Cheers.) II these complaintswere
welifounded, of which he had no doubt, it was the bounden
duty and obvious interest of lite inhatileate to seek • remedy
for an evil eo enormous. (Hear.) Common sense, prudence,
and social morality, alike forbade them to disregard them
Lets. The pestilence had now all but paned away, for,
which all mast feel grateful. (Hier, bear.) He was far
from thinking it a judgment ; it was rather the result of our
own improvidence sad want of care. (Sear, hem.) It had
desolated the city, and had caused Ismer to pervade every
district and every risk, though its severity had been more
especially felt by the humble claims, owing to the Mews
of thusly precautions to shield rhea from he hand of the
destroyes. (Hear, beer.) The Court of Sewers, and Mr.
Simon, the city medical officer. °Gemmed in attributing
much of the virulence of the disease to the want of a sufS•
tient supply of water. To secure to the public an exuberant
supply was the c.bject of this meeting. In March last, on
the: omission of the Henley Waterworks Bill, it had been
sated that there were 60,000 houses in the metropolis um
supplied with wain. Farther cake: jolts had Mown the
number to be between 70,000 and Br` dOO, of which worn
7,000 and 8.000 were in Lambeth. (Hear.) To remedy this
state of things, something energetic must be dons. The
public at large—not only the poor—called aloud for retie
from the evils caused by the present scarcity of water.
(Heru, bear.) Some scheme ought to be devised whereby
this country might be rescued from its present disgraceful
position in respect to sanitary arrangements. He came not
to that meeting to accuse particular bodies or individuals, or
to advocate say pi/neuter scheme. (Cheers,) He was de-
termined to set with impartiality, and to suspend his jade.
meet on the schemes proposed, as they must be brought
before the legidature. He hoped that any plan submitted
woald receive the impartial consideration of the meeting.
Dr. LANICBSTER was called on to mom the first reso-
lution. Tie subject of the meeting was one to which he
bad long taken an interest. The resoluttin he had to move
was:

That an abundant supply of pure water is one of the first
necessaries of life and health ; and that the present wafer
supply of the metropolis ia deficient in quantity, bad is
quality, sad obtainable only at such a price es practically to
preclude, in a great degree, its being made available for the
neceasitioe of the poor ; and that it had been proved, &goad-
ing to the most eminent medical testimony, that the present
detective supply of water has greatly aggravated the kasha
mortality by which this densely populated city has Wu
lately visited.

It was well known that a continued deficiency in the
supply ol water to the body externally cased a prodispui-
tion in the system to disease. (Hear, hear.) Another
source ol dimeue was the want of cleanliness in the houses
and dotting of the people, arising from the same deficiency
of water. Though he did sot go to the extent of some sani-
tarian. and Jay that foul air might engender such diseases u
cholera, there was no doubt of its creating a predisposition
for the disease. In London, at least 600,000 persons were
suffering from a deficient supply of water. The badness of
its quality might be proved from the sources whence it was
drawn. Prom the Tomes, into which all the impurities of
the City ware loured, the south of the nsetropolia was wholly
supplied. Other portions were supplied by wells, not sunk
very deep into the soil, and subject, therefore, to all
the impurities which percolated through the soil.
He thought it higkly desirable that the objest of this
meeting should be carried out, not by government interfe-
rence, but by commissioner appolatod by, and responsible
to, the public. (Cheers.)
Dr. ALDIS, in seconding the resolution, said It had been
calculated that 30 millions of gallons of sewage water were
diseberged Into the TOMOS every 24 hours to say
of other impurities, dead dogs and eats, &a. (Hear,ne=
Dr. ELLISON (a medical officer of the Whitubspol
Union) said he had recently taken charge of a district hay-
ing 70,000 inhabitants, and had been surprised at the ehs
reeler of the diseases there preys ling. In inquiring into the
emu, he was convinced the supply of water was not half
wallieient ; the inhabitants had not "sough to wash their
faces is a morning. (I. tughtar.) He was astonished to see
N easy clean farms present. (Great laughter.) In Whit*.
dispel the cholera bad prevailed very much in January sad
Mesas" lett. By great exertions he had obtained a better
supply of water for dm district, and the disease had subse-
quently been very mild.
The retolstimt was then put, and unanimously speed to.
TABBERNER was then called on, and said that be
should ree"mmead the Henley project, the Maidenhead pro-
ject, the Staines project, and the Telford project. Bat he
was urines to keep aloof from every particular plan, and to
assist in getting a bill through parliament to break down the
existing monopolies. (Caen.) This wee the grit thing to
he dory. Then a power of control mot be Netwad, by in-
corporltion the whole water supply of the enelcogolis tato one
public institution; the existing oompanbre to impeive a just
compensation, and no more. (Hear, kw.) A animbnies
should be establahed, ideated by the differ's:eV*, NM
as a controlling board, sad to appoint eel
and others. The New River Company mutt set egad
their shares would be purchased up at 62,0061. par anew r
but let their pipes and supply be yielded unto the seteigie of
the public at a reasonable price, to be fixed by artitratees
Sir CHARLES ALDIS trusted the proposal for a general
incorporation of the water supply would be carried out.
Thirty years ago, Dr. Lambe had broached the theory that
mother g but distilled water was fit for me; without going to
that extent he must express hie 4:Natation that nothing was
more injurious to the public health than the present impure
water of the meropohe. He was an advocate for the supply
from Artesian Wells ; be believed that a thousand auk
wells would supply the whole of the metropolis abundantly.
London was at present more pure on the average than may
country villages ; it would be much muse so with a wafiledeed
supply of water, and if they could get rid of Saltkliald,
and send it up to Islington. (Cheers.) Fee the NNW
supply of water, the charge ought oily to be shillings where
it was now pounds. At the public baths and wash-houes,
60 godless of cold water might be had for a penny, and of
warm water for twopence,—a proof of the cheap rate at
which it could be supplied. (Hoer, hear.) He had to
move—
That regarding water as one of the NNW eleumints of
life, this oszeja cordially approves of tbe priardrias adopted
by tbo Ma Water Arosai aolartida•
lag by @Luigi inquiry the most pure sad aboadost moon
of supply, and the best mode of emotes at the NM andlio
cost to the pablie, and of placing the comma and
meat thereof under a public, popularly eloativo, endr=
• disinterested board.
Mr. DARBY sesonded the resolution. _ _ _ _ _

/Ir. SAUNDERS, one of the overseers of St. Martin.la
the-Fields, said he had taken an active interest in procuring
a better supply of water in his own perish, sad was glad
when be hued • meeting like this was to be held. The
sesociaiim briseglis before the ametiag professed haven&
once of all pleas or companies; bat he hand their pme-
epeeists strongly stamped with a preference be the Waite
well system. The meeting, therefore, would de well to look I
with suspicion on the {normal. (Hose, hem-) It ante well
known that &Waage matter fouled its way tato the wells.
Besides, it could never be foretold beforehand what would
be the effect of sinking • well.
Mr. mar r rose to order. The meeting was called to
discuss the dedrablenese of a hotter supply of water, no to
consider the different plane. (Hew, hear.)
Mr. TABBERNER said the meeting ought *ow that
Mr. Saunders was a "Hiederernam* gentle:Ram
(Cries of " Oh, oh.")
Mr. SAUNDERS vela reined as the prospect* of the
association, and said he hag as emmezioa whatever with the
Henley scheme or say Whir mien* (Hoer. hear.) It ante
proposed that the &add mnicessias the general sup-
ply of water; bat * an the seeder *web* the al.
vantage, that had melted km rheas marks. The
efforts of the parishes might be beemisially dinged the
details of the apply, whisk weld met properly be Meta W
the great companies.
The Very Hee. the Dean of WESTMINSTER, who ante
received with load cheers, said he came there neftwo
important cmuideratioes—as a private hiedml
the metropolis, and se one charged with the MIS Mazleneke
property. (Hear, ham) He came to vie dr aeiM of, ao
years' experience as to the necessity of an almnient
of pure water, net only as the sestrepolie, bat as
in the empire. Oa nil ea hapermat widely he telltir7.4,
duty to eomeaseleato whatever isdermatien he had derived
from his large
.owlmisaeo. (Hear.) Shies when he
published bu Bridgwater Treatise," ea the supply of
water to every portion of the globe. sad ass MM deetsbudon
of which had beta controverted or
that
the
of supplying such a vast population as that Leadeadial:2
water from below the eurfase had been meter of Ithesey.
(Hear.) Though there had existed mattorel wells be seve-
ral years, it was a fast that every additional well Wet had
been *rid had lowered the level of toe *WM* tea seem
fifteen or twenty feet. (Hear.) On this odds* he would
appeal to his published opinions as well as to time ezpreseed
by the civil engineers of Englaiid, hi proof of the ha that
not a tenth part of ea adequate supply for Lemke wall be
obtaiaed from orteelan wells. (Hsu.) .The Wanted
Robert Stephenson, whom genius had fast gadded the
!demi Straits, had been applied to fer aa spidM. as as the
practicability of bringing the Coble watts fres Watford,

and, ineideatally snarling to artesian wells, he said he did
not believe they would yield the advantages which
were generally expected fr, m them. (Hoar, hear.)
While repudiating the idea of seizing himself
up with commerelal treasaetions, and eartag sot for the
Watford Company, or the Henley Conapaay, or any company
er mum, an the ate of troth, he held it a soigne duty I.
piees et the sapebkeseuland of the pub lie that sz
Ebb: hail had epeeial impartanitles ef soq sad
Mos le Mamas egaiset tbe pert et the
lesteßdniabeet asiestMe isgeky, sad refeeting
storage lalbesinspestes of the nrsiledse, which mated,
" That as 4fastWeisil iseshatatible waggly of pure warm
b provided be this gnat popubtise, ashes ten Sties mere
itsgMtade, is the webe-Wtsieg
semi
whisk tinder ow fest.' That wee as
whisk wee y false. (Hear, hear.) A pails
was sot the piste to diocese the question. He prontile
giving a imbue at the Regal Institution es Media wells,
sad he would thas &Awe all the engissess is the sventry
to disprove whistle should adverse', banded en the c
of sash seen se Humboldt, Aug.,i sad De la=
(Cheers.) Without amylase whether the Iwo, the Thames,
or the Coins yielded Me beet water, he would simply appeal
to mechanimil prinelpies as to the (ellipse water in the wells
se additional ones were dog. la short, it wee a physical
ice-
poesibilit7 for 60,000,000 gallons of water to be daily
extracted from the chalk stratum beaeath London. (Hear.)
If he were tomenessamestiMest it would be,thatthe passage
he had quoted abesid be summed from the prospectus that
had hiss laid helm Me issetiag. (Cheers.)
The CHAIRMAN esid it was rather irregular to notice
say peseta* of that pesignetus, u it was not properly before
the meeting. (Heat, beer.)
The DEAN said ha spud is the affirmation of the reso-
lution, bat ne wit opposed Is phial the control of the water
supply in this sameiedes. Ile would, however, withdraw
his anceadisent.

Afar some f;rther emmereatios
The reeolatiat wee put, and 'carried, with about belt
doses dissentients.
Mr. I. H. MANN, of St. Pancras, moved: -

That It is desirable that each of the metropolitan pariahs@
should organise a land movement In support of the Metropo-
litan Water lispply Association ; and also, that a pablis sub.
i lieriptios be forthwith entered into Mr the purpose of defray.
lag all necessary captives in carrying into offecive operation
tie propositions of Ms association.
Mr. J. N. WARREN moandod the resolution.
Mr. LUKE J. HANSARD moved
That the cordial thanks of this meting be presented to
Charles Lusbington, Eeq., M.P., for the readiness with
which ha accepted the invitation to preside over this meeting,
and for his urbanity in conducting it.
The resolution was seconded; and briefly acknowledged
by the challinan.
Ths proceedings terminated at a little after 10 o'clock.