The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-01-13 00:00:00

water so constituted is unwholesome iu a high
degree as a beverage, as dissolved organic mat-
ter, whether animal or vegetable, when con-
stantly used, deranges the system, and leads to
the same complication of diseases which follow

the too liberal use of the mineral waters of the
Continent. All decomposed vegetable matter
produce acidic gases, which, in connection with
carbonate of lime, corrc,de lead with a degree of
rapidity only known to the modern chemist.
Carbonic acid gas, brought in contact with blue
lead, at a temperature of 80° Fahr., will convert
tons of that metal into white lead in the short
space of eight or nine days.

We have, consequently, the cheering prospect
before us of finding our cisterns and pipes con-
stantly giving way and ultimately deposited in
our stomachs as white lead. But the majority
of the Council cannot, surely, expect the Rate-
payers of the Borough to run such risks on the
report of their chemists alone ; and if they do, a
Town's Meeting should be held without delay,
and steps taken to stop themraby injunction. This
can be done in a very summary way, and a
moment ought not to be lost in putting the law
in force. Time is required to obtain further and
more satisfactory investigation from chemists
employed on the spot. The examination should
take place in Liverpool, openly and above board.
Nnd unless this be agreed to, an immediate
application should be made for an injunction to
arrest the daring spirit of our Corporate majority
until the public's fears are removed, and all
danger has been provided against. The Corpo-
ration are entitled to a certain licence in supply-
ing the wants of the Borough, but they have no
right to set up their dicta in otikosition to the
unanimous voi,e of the community on a question
wholly devoid of political or factious prejudice.
If the water be fit for dietatic purposes it
should be trmsparent and colourless, destitute
of smell, and without any taste capable of being
clearly defined ; and will any one of the 37 gen-
tlemen who had the hardihood to oppose Alder-
man BENYETT'S Amendment, dare to say that
the contents of the Rivington dikes resembles
that pure and indispensible element which every
schoolboy knows ought to be what we describe
it ? Finally, we should have far more respect
for Dr. TAYLOR'S opinion had he in CooK's
poisoning case, sustained that high reputation as
an analytical chemist which he previously en-
joyed. But remembering his failures upon that
occasion, we cannot wonder at his want of
success in detecting those poisoning properties in
the Rivington water, which Dr. MUSPRATT, so
?ointedly and positively, says are to be found.

THE saving of life at sea is a subject affecting
so large a portion of mankind, that Liverpool, the
focus of all European commerce, groans under
the lamentable loss entailed by the late
severe gales. We are justified in this conclusion
by the prompt and manly energy with which a
large snbicription has been realised for the relief
of the widows and orphans of the brave fellows
who, in attempting to save others, so miserably
perished in the Point of Ayr life-boat' a few days
since.

We gave, in our impression of Saturday last,
a copy of a pamphlet written with reference to
the question of life-boats, and entering deeply
into the subject; so deeply, indeed, that the
whole difficulty seems to have been probed by
one having certainly a perseverance and com-
petency equal to the task. Without assenting
to, or dissenting from Mr. SAXBY'S " axioms,"
and holding ourselves aloof from any advocacy
of particular plans or private interests, the broad
question of " Which is the best life-boat r'
seems now to be narrowed to the question of
" What is a life-boat ?" By casual mention of
private interests we would not for a moment
insinuate that the question referred to has such,
or intends to have any. We believe that with
ourselves he is only ready for any exertion which
can assist the public in preventing accident at
sea. The difficulty of entering upon the ques-
tion does not diminish when the precise nature
of these accidents is considered. We cannot help
suspecting that we are beating the iron at the
wrong end. The enormous excitement which
has pervaded the maritime community at times
since 1851, tells us how hopeless is the attempt
to produce a real life-boat under popular notions,
for all the " hammering " of late has failed to
alter the shape of the question ; nay, has it not
resulted in condensing and hardening into
rigidity the bar it was intended to fashion !
The subject of life-boats has. baffled all our
naval authorities ; it still occupies the attention
of a " Royal National Institution" established
for the purpose, and it is followed up by that
institution with a perseverance and feeling, cre-
ditable alike to the institution itself, and to those
who support it. Government have, as Mr.
SAXBY'S pamphlet informs us, employed the
talents of their best artisans in the construction
of a life-boat ; but, alas ! we of Liverpool discard
it as a failure; even in smooth water, and it is
furthermore rejected on some parts of the coast
as no better (to say the best) than boats of ordi-
nary construction. Moreover, we have in addi-•
tion to the fact of the " regulation" life-boat
remaining bottom up in our docks, and nearly
drowning two of her crew, who were caught
under her, the recent distressing occurrence of
the Point of Ayr Life-boat drifting bottom upwards
and drawing all her crew ! Might we not, with
all our boasted science and refinements, go to
the South Sea Islanders, or to the Malays, and
examine their canoes, their bamboo buoy,mcies,
and their rude life-preserving precautions ? Shew
them our huge unwieldy Northumberland and
modified contrivance, even after all the care and
liberality which have been ungrudingly bestowed
upon it, and tell them it is intended to launch
it from a lee shore, to pull it head to sea, head to
wind, and to inspire confidence in her crew, in a
heavy mountainous rolling surf—would they
believe you ? The Board of Trade has regulated
the carrying of life-boats in all passenger ships,