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

"Thus engraving exhibits the organic matter living and dead, especially the
Thames Paramesium, as supplied to the public by the Lambeth Com-
pany. Drawn with the camera lucid*, 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 DITTOS, 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
as
sliic thesupply derived from L
the h
worst
in Lnndnn,willbe anabh, denounced
discontinued.et

Let us inquire into the Thames water at Ditton.
Before it has reached this point it will have received
" the refuce•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 whore the proposed new sup-
ply from the Thames is to be taken, rushes the liamp •
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-
tassium, a nitrate of lime, a chloride of sodium, a

chloride of Potassium, a carbonate 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 hardness being, in fact, slightly
increased from evaporation in the boiling. We will
pass over the organw matter, as we have said and ahewn
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
taken from the
13(1131yATWTEURSEA) as of their investigation the engineer of the Southwark
and Vauxhall Company was examined. lie
Thamesdp e thata t t h thee
s a
m e waterpl a
cs
eu
hereto-
fore, adding that, in the course of a short time, the
supply would ba 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
but very little difference between the water got from
Chelsea and that from Thames Ditton, and as far
as the analysis goes, the water drawn at Bcttersea
at two hours' ebb, is as good as that drawn from
Thames Dillon, indeed he did not think the water at
Dillon would be preferred in any case except in that of
a new supply.
The chairman of the company was also examined.
lie stated that 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 water appears to be as good as the
Thames Dition, and the latter is as good as the
former—ergo, the Dittou must be as bad as the Bat-