Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-10-09 00:00:00

THE NORTHERN TIMES. LIVERPOOL, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 0, 1857.

they contribute to our material comforts and
enjoyments—when, and not until we do this, we
can approach the Deity, and with consistency
ask Him to give us power and strength to destroy
that portion of the human family called the
Bengal Sepoys.

THE Water Committee held a protracted
meeting on Tuesday last, but, as usual, came to
no definite resolution as to the future dispensation
of the Pike water. The Committee are evidently
all abroad—at sea, without either compass, chart,
or pilot. Their Chairman very wisely declines
the responsibility of " belling the cat," and
throws the onus on the other members ; these,
again, are evidently in a quandary. One is in
favour of a project which finds no favour with
another : hence they may be truly compared to a
house divided against itself. On one point, and
on only one, we believe all are agreed—namely,
that, in its present state, the Pike water is unfit
for the wants of the town ;116ut what is to be
done with it ? There is the difficulty, and it is
a difficulty which none of the members appear
to possess the moral courage to grapple with.
SOLOMON says, that "in the multitude of council-
lors there is safety." The proverb may apply
in many cases, but certainly not as regards the
Water Committee, where the multifarious
schemes propounded by would-be philosophers,
if not positively dangerous, are at least exceed-
ingly perplexing and annoying ; and they have
the present effect of completely bewildering the
.Committee, many members of which still cling
to the hope that something may be discovered to
render the Pike water less distasteful to the
inhabitants than it has hitherto proved. We do
not wonder at rulr do we condemn, the existence
of such a feeling—drowning men catch at straws ;
and it is not surprising that when the well-
meaning but mistaken advocates of the monster
job contemplate the ruin they have wrought,
they should stand aghast at the results of their
misplaced confidence, and gladly grasp at any
suggestion, however visionary, which holds out
the most-di-Stant-Prospect' of mitigating the dis-
:aster. Hence :we find, the process of filtration,
as recommended Messre' SP. ENCtR,' ITAIVICES-
; LEy, and DU,N.CA., patiently entertained :13y the
perplexed Water Committee. And although we
have over and-oVer again shown the utter futility
of these emperical projects, yet the Committee
still cling to hope,- Viand sanction other trials.
They want the resolution to say " out on all
further trifling," we will have no more of it.
Mr. DUNCAN now proposes to discolour the
water by filtration, through a mMiurn compO'sed
of cake, Nine, gravel, and we know not what
else. Mr. HA WKESLEY'S panacea is peat or other
vegetable charcoal; while the Town-hall philo-
sopher still adheres to his protoxide of iron.

Amid all these vagaries, the Committee are
completely bewildered ; not knowing which to
,b'vose, tney nave resolved on trying the whole,
and them submitting the water operated upon
to the analysation of some independent chemist.
But what beneficial result can the Committee
really expect from that which any unprejudiced
person conversant with the subject knows to be
an impossibility ? Time and money will both
be wasted—nothing else. What says that great
authority, Mr._SPENCER, on the subject of filtra-
tion ? In a letter which he ,addressed to the
Mercury, in 1818, is the following passage :
"Any schoolboy knows that the most perfect
system of filtration known deprives water of its
mechanical impurities only ; but those 'far more
dangerous, yet subtle impurities, arising from
the decomposition of animal matters, which
abound in waters fl )wing from populated districts
(like the Pike), but which are not so easily dis-
covered, with our usual methods of observation
and analysis, although their dAiterious effects on
the animal system are infinitely greater than
those of minerals ; and I have found water so
impregnated retain a portion' of its impurity
after being thrice distilled."

So much for \Tr. SPENCER'S theory of filtration
in 1848 ; and yet in less than ten years, he
comes forward and tells the Wator COmrnittee
that his former views were erroneous, and that
he has now discovered a process of filtering such
water, so as to be perfectly pure. Can the Com-
mittee have faith in his opinions ? They may;
but, assuredly, others will not. We repeat our
former assertion, that it is worse than fully for
the Committee thus to trifle with and baulk the
expectations of the people of Liverpool linger
than has been done already. We are sick of
jobs and experiments of whatever kind, but we
fear the Committee are so far committed to this,
that, or the other project, that they redly cannot
act independently, and emancipate themselves
frorxf the libyrinth in which they have got
involved. The further consideration of the sub-
ject has been postponed until Saturday next,
the Town Clerk, in the interim, having received
instructions to prepare a report, setting forth the
present position of the Co:nwittee, for the infor-
mation of the Council. We shall be curious to
know the nature of that report. In the meantime,
we would call on every one to be up and doing
All, that is now necessary is one strenuous effort
on the part of thrise Who really wish to prove
themselves the friends of the people, in order to
secure that which all have so long and ardently
craved—the resto:ation, forthwith of our well
water. This we repeat, irrespective of big jobs
or little ones. All other considerations can
remain quietly in abeyance, but let us have the
refreshing draught at once. And we do trust '
that, for their own credit, the Committee will
delay no longer in their decision on this the one
question of the day.