The Express.
London, England, 1859-06-29 00:00:00

CITY SAFFIERS COMMISSION.

The Commissioners of Sewers met yesterday at
Guildhall., Mr. Deputy CHRISTI, presiding.
DR LETI4IIIT'S QUARTERLY REPORT.
Dr. Letheby, medical officer of health, presented his
quarterly report upon the sadtary state of the City.
Ia the quarter which ended on Saturday last there were
630 deaths among the inhabitants of the three districts of the
City. Of these 338 were males and 292 females, and the
deaths were distributed as follows, as.: 232 were in the
eastern division, 166 in the western, and 232 in the central.
These are in the annual proportion of 20.8 per 1,000 of the
inhabitants of the first district ; 23.1 of the second; and 16.3
of the third; the total death rate of the City having been
19.4 per 1,000. This is a favourable result when contrasted
with the death rate of other places. Of the 630 deaths these
were 245, or nearly 39 per cwt., among infants; 131, or
nearly 21 percent., amongst permits of 60 and upwards; 100,
or 16 percent., among young people of from 20 to 40; end
115, or about 18 per ant., front 40 to 60; nearly
all these numbers being below the average. In the
CAN of persons at from 10 to 16, and from 20 to 30, the
average had been exceeded, but the diminution of mortality
infants has betn very considerable, especially in the
re:ut Lend, n Union, where the deaths have fallen from 131
to 90. Altogether the sanitary condition of the Ci'y during
the lad quarter has been very satisfactory, for ft is no small
advantage to bare reduced the mortality of the season to the
extent ot about 15 per cent. below the average of the last ten
years. The sickness amount is also favourable, for, with the
exception of small-pox sad sand fever, there has been no
Mamas, but rather a falling off of nymotlo damns. The
number of births resister, d during the qoarter 1.1197, of
which 408 ere be and 389 girls. The average P
for the quarter is 872, and the falling off haa been n
in
the central division of the City, where the number has been
reduced from an average of 298 to 242.

VISE STATiOI THE RIVER THAMES.
The water of the Themes has not been unusually wan_
Its tempaatnre has ranged from 46.3 deg. to 67.5 deg. The
highest temperature of it In April was 51 dog., and in May
49 deg., and in, June 67 deg.; the mean of the whole time
being about 65 deg. The tam fall has also been about the
average. In the three months it bee amounted to rather
more rho 6 inches ; and on 14 moutons the quantity was
from newly lof an inch to of an inch in 24 house. le the
middle of the third week of May there was a succession of
heavy showace, which amounted in three days to upwards of
li inch of rainfall. These, ea I have already said, delugtd
the water eionnesand *toured out the stagnant matters from
the sluggish rewire. The river at once became offensive,
and has remained so until the present time. I have thought
it right to continue my inquiries into the state of the water
at London-bridge, in °trio, thet • comparison easy be nods
with the analytical molts of different season. Last
year I commenced my inquiries on the 20th June, when
the river was exceedingly °fleeces, and from that time until
the 17th July it was regularly examined. The phenomena
which have been observed on the two eccsatoes are v. ry
similar. There MIR REII, a continuance of dry weather; then
• succession of heavy rain corms. These occurred at
the limo of low tide, so that the ably matters that were
scoured out of the stagnant sewers were carried upwards in
the Course of the river. Tte previous drought had filled the
bed of the river with i.e or breckish water, and then a tired
temperature to about 60 degrees set the whole of the corrupt
matters in • state of active fermentation. The amount of aw-
moniacal vapour and foetid gases evolved from the water hss
been enormous; as much as fifteen cubic Ochs, of the
latter and • grain and a half of the forma lave been ob-
tained from • gallon of the water, by simply beating it; and,
although the Icetid pees do not contain • trace of sulpbu-
rotted hydrogen, they contain a putrid organic. vapour which
is in the highest degree offensive. Last year the soluble
organic matter in the Thames et high tide ranged from 10 to
20 grains per gallon, and the insoluble from half •
grain to 6 groins. This year it has been from
4 to grain., and the insoluble from half •
grain to 8 groins. The condition of the river has not,
therefore, reached Its maximum of impurity. It was in its
worst state In the week ending on the 21st of May, when the
soluble organic matters amounted to rather more than 7
grains per Belles. From thot time until the week ending
the llth of June it gradually improved, and the proportion
of organic matter fell to about 4 grotto per gallon; bet
since then it has been steadily Increasing, and lest
week it contained more organic matter than I hays yet seen
in it. I expect, therefore, that when the final conditions of
putrefaction are present, the river will spin put on Ito most
offensive appearance, nor will the lime which is now being
cast into the sewers at their outfalle have the least protec-
tive influence; for, though it may check putrefaction for
a time, by fixing the organic matters in an in-
soluble form, yet the precipitate which is thus
produced will be cot upon the foreshores of the
river, and will then peas into • state of active denim
poeiiton. At Leicester and Tettenhaui, where this process
of defircation is carried on, the greatest tare is taken to pre-
vent the organic precipitate from flowing into the rivers ;
because experience has moved that lime will not prevent
putrefaction but will nierelphieder it, and that the precipitate
which it forms with the organic matter of sewage will soon
take on the most disgusting kind of decompoeition. I have
had bottles blown to pieces by the force of the foetid gems
set free during the putrefaction of the lino-slush contained
in them ; and woo who have visited Leicester or Tottenham
must have seen hew soon the lime precipitate takes on the
putrefactive charge if it is not epeedily aciparat-d from
the clear liquor. and dried. That which is required,
therefore, in the treatment of the Thames at the
preeent time, is some wore radial remedy than the
MVO palliative influence of lime, which may, perhaps, in the
end be worse then web s& I make thie remark because I
know that a false confidence will be placed in the protective
powers of lime, and because it has been stated that the
remedy is of my suggesting. If lime is used at all ss a de-
tonating egent, it lost be employed In the proportion of not
leas than 12 pains per gallon of sewage, and the me cipi-
tate moat be eareluity see crated from the clear liquid ; if not,
it will sesursoily ferment in a short time, and rhea there will
have been • useless addition of many too of insoluble matter
to the already turbid liver.