The Sun.
London, England, 1856-11-24 00:00:00

extent of 19,000,00 10 !" Mr.. WILSON now holds
an important office, ►a Secretary of the Treasury.

He may be unable to pursue an independent
course ; but surely h= its opinion must have con-
siderable weight with th' Government of which
he is a respected and influential member, and he
ventures to assert t' hat they will not be withheld
whenever " the pressure from without" shall
foroe the all-important question on the considera-
tion of the Cab hint

In accordance with the advice given in these
columns to the population down the river, the
Erith Drainage ,Committee and the people of
Gravesend are i- a arms about the sewerage of the
metropolis. T'aey very naturally object to have
the filth of Loudon emptied in their neighbour-
hood, and call upon Government to interfere on
their behalf. The Erith Committee are about to
urge by deputation on Lord PAL3IERSTON the
propriety of appointing a scientific commission to
take the subject of the metropolitan sewerage into
consideration, with due regard to the future, as
well as the present. Further, they are about to
seek the co-operation of the authorities of Graves-
end, which, no doubts they will secure. The more
combined and resolute the movement, and the less
the delay, the better for all parties.
That the Metropolitan Board will agree to the
amendments on the plan B suggested by Sir L EN-
JAMIN HALL is exceedingly likely. The Board
will undertake no more on its own responsibility
than it can help ; and the Chief Commissioner
having stated the minimum to which he can give
his assent, that minimum is pretty sure to be
adopted. The result will be what the people of
Erith and Gravesend dread, unless Government is
moved by pressure from without to aid ih carrying
the sewage to the sea, the only proper outlet.
What encouragement can be given for Government
interference becomes matter for careful considera-
tion. Chancellors of the Exchequer are not easily
convinced in questions of outlay ; and It will be
well to show what aid the population, including
the proprietors of the marshes, down the river
can render towards the accomplishment of their
desire. Liberality on their part will do them no
harm, however good their case. If they give
proof of their desire to contribute a fair quota to
the expenditure required the better chance they
will have of success. All that can reasonably be
demandel from the inhabitants of the metropolis
we are quite sure will be ungrudgingly conceded.
One thing they will not assent to, and that is any
unnecessary delay ; and in this they are perfectly
right. There is not a man of sense among them
but would gladly see the sewerage carried to Sea
Reach—that, in the general opinion, being the
proper point of outfall. The course to be adopted
is therefore quite clear, and we trust it will be
pursued with promptitude and energy.
One thing in connection with the drainage
question should not be overlooked, and that
is the sewage discharged into the Thames above
the metropolitan boundaries. This notoriously
affects the purity of the stream in an injurious
manner at the present time. The population is
rapidly increasing, and it will never do to have
the Thames relieved from metropolitan impuri-
ties, and suffer impurities nearer to the fountain-
head to be discharged into it. We draw atten-
tion to this subject because it is in danger of being
overlooked at a time when it should enter into
engineering calculation, in order to provision for
the future. The sewerage question may turn out
greater than it is believed. Of course, the
drainage of the metropolis is the primary con-
sideration, and must first be attended to. This,
however, is no reason why when it is to be done
it should not be done with an eye both to present
necessities and the probable requirements of the
future. On the contrary, it goes to prove the
wisdom of harmonious consultations, and of giving
the Government, so ably represented by the Chief
Commissioner, every legitimate encouragement to
lend its aid. As we have intimated before, with

an outfall at Erith, the great Drainage question
would be very imperfectly solved. To this we now
add, the same remark will in a minor degree apply
to any scheme which overlooks the sewage dis-
charged above the metropolitan boundaries
into the Thames. We really wish the able and
active Chief Commissioner of Works had reserved
more controlling power to himself in reference to
the drainage at the outset of the Board. We
should have had better hope of a perfect system
of drainage if he had. The Metropolitan Board
has shown itself, so far as yet, " very young."