The Sun.
London, England, 1851-12-10 00:00:00

"This engraving exhibits the organic matter living and dead, especially the
Thames Parantesium, as supplied to the public by the Lambeth Coin.
pany. Drawn with the camera lueidn, and magnified 220 diameters."

No other testimony than these can be necessary to
satisfy the most incredulous of the deleterious cha-
racter of such water, containing, as it does, this
heterogeneous mass of horrid impurities living and
dead.

The foregoing drawings " represent only a very
small portion of the organic matters, living and dead,
contained in the samples taken of less than a quart
each."

But sufficient is'adduced to convince any one that the
presence of such creatures as are there shown, must
render such " water wholly unfit for human con-
sumption !"
On this point it would be simply a waste of words
and argument to offer another observation.
An Act some time previous to the last cholera
epidemic, was obtained by the Lambeth Company,
authorizing it to supply the south district with water to
be taken from the Thames at THAMES DITTosi, near
Kingston, and the company have recently been ac-
tively employed in laying down the mains and con-
structing their works there; on the completion of
which the supply derived from Lambeth, denounced
as the worst in London, will be discontinued.
Let us inquire into the Thames water at Ditton.
Before it has reached this point it will have received
" the refuse-outpourings of upwards of 200 cities,
towns, and villages," and we can readily conceive
that such outpourings, consisting of the living creatures
seen in the engraving, would float on and on, increas-
ing in number with the outpourings from each town
and village.
Just above the point where the proposed new sup-
ply from the Thames is to be taken, rushes the Damp.
ton Court Sewer, adding to the already numerous
excremental accumulations of the other cities and
towns, that of the Hampton Court District—and no
small addition is this !
We have before us the report of the Government
Commission of the 23d June, 1851, on the chemical
quality of water. The Thames Ditton water was
analyzed by these Commissioners ; and what does the
analysis declare? That this Ditton water -contains—
a sulphate of lime, a sulphate of soda, a sulphate of Po-
tulip]) a uitrate of lime, a chloride of sodium, a

chloride of Potassium, acarbonate of lime and a car-
bonate of Magnesia, Silica, Iron, Alumina and Phos-
phates, Ammonia, and last, not least, organic matter ;
and all these impurities after the water had been
filtered; for the sample was taken " from a main in
Surbiton, near the'company's works."
What do these Commissioners say about the sul-
phates and chlorides? That. the sulphates remain in
solution although the water is boiled,
imparting per-
manent hardness ; the h
hardness being, in fact, slightly
increased from evaporation in the boiling. We will
pass over the organic matter, as we have said and shewn
enough for all reflecting minds to dwell on.
During the last session of Parliament the water
question was referred to a Select Committee, consist-
ing of Sir James Graham and other distinguished
Members of the House of Commons. In the course
of their investigation the engineer of the Southwark
and Vauxhall Company was examined. He
deposed that the water supply was taken from the
Thames at the same place (Berrinisits) as hereto-
fore, adding that, in the course of a short time, the
supply would be taken from Thames Ditton. It also
appeared in evidence that the Chelsea Water Com-
pany likewise obtained their supply from a place near
the Red House, BATTERSEA.
There would, said the engineer, he conceived, be I
but very little difference between the water got from
Chelsea and that from Thames Ditton, and as far
the water drawn at Battersea
oats
two
oe
haonuarlyesiesbbgoe,is; as good as that drawn from
Thames Dillon, indeed he did not think the water at
Ditton would be preferred in any case except in that of
a new supply.
The chairman of the company was also examined.
He stated tbat he was of opinion that there is no ap-
preciable difference between the water drawn even at
Henley, and THAT AT BATTERSEA !!
It is clear, therefore, from the evidence of these
gentlemen, that they conscientiously believe the public
will derive no advantage by the proposed new supply
from Thames Ditton.

The Battersea ;;Cer appears to be as good as the
Thames Ditton, and the latter is as good as the
former—ergo, the Ditton must be as bad as the Bat-