The Sun.
London, England, 1869-10-04 00:00:00

SEWAGE.

In the Health Department Dr. Carpenter furnished an
important contribution in some points in the medical aspect
and the physiology of sewage irrigation. The paper dealt
with the objections usually raised against sewage farms,
and ennunciated the theory of sewage irrigation. That
theory was that the sewage of a town might be applied to
land, that the rootlets of the growing crops should at once
seize upon the mischievous elements in the sewage,
change their chemical forms, fix a portion of
the elements in the plants, and render the rest
comparatively harmless. This change should be
effected before decomposition shall have advanced far
enough to escape into the atmosphere. If the application
to the land were properly managed the whole of the
materials supplied would be at least rendered innoxious,
and tile water perfectly purified. That theory being correct
the objections made against sewage farms were, it was con-
tended, groundless. The various points of the theory were
very carefully examined and the results of experiments
made were given. The paper was, in fact, a very valuabla
contribution on the general sewage question.
Mr. Bazalgette next read a paper on the sewage evil, and
other contributions of a similar nature were presented.

MARRIED WOMEN'S PROPERTY.

In the Jurisprudence Department the Married Women's
Property Bill was the subject of a discussion. The Hon.
Lawrence Beach spoke on the importance of the reform,
and the general opinion of the section was in favour of the
exact position of married women as to person and property
being better defined and more efficiently protected.

PROFESSIONAL CRIME.

The attention of the Reformatory and Repression of
Crimp Section was engaged by the subject of professional
criminals. Mr. Serjeant Cox urged that power should bo
given to magistrates to substitute flogging for imprison-
ment in the case of lads up to 20 years of age, and in all
cases of brutal assaults. He argued that the evidence of thieves
should be admitted against the receivers of stolen goods.
Tho learned gentleman further suggested that professional
criminals found guilty of a specific offence should be
indicted immediately afterwards, and if the jury
found satisfactory evidence that they wero habitual
criminals, sentence of penal servitude should be
inflicted. Sir Christopher Rawlinson, an old Indian
judge, and Mr. Saunders, Recorder of Bath,
expressed the opinion that great care would be needed
in re3eiving the evideme of the police that a man
was an habitual criminal. Sir John Bowling,
Colonel Ratcliffe, and others joined in the discussion.
A rezolution was passed as a recommendation to the
Council that the Habitual Criminals Act of last session was
not sufficiently comprehensive to repress professional crime,
and that it was advisable to give magistrates power to
flog juvenile offenders instead of sending them to prison.
Miss Carpenter adverted to the results of labour in connec-
tion with street Arabs, and urged the need of supervision
over young persons after leaving reformateryand industrial
schools. Mrs. Meredith dealt with the treatment of
women criminals. The discussion on these last two
subjects will be resumed on Monday.