The Sun.
London, England, 1858-03-12 00:00:00

THE MEf.BOURN.PI WATERWORKS.

On the last day of the year, which is about Mid-
rummer-day in Australia, the Yan Yean Water-
works were formally opened, and Melbourne is now
supplied with a constant and, there is every rea-
son to believe, an inexhaustible supply of a pure
limpid water, of the very highest chemical quality.
The Yan Yean reservoir is an immense lake formed
by three hills and an artificial embankment. The
valley lying between these hills formerly consti-
tuted the channel through which all- the drainage
of a surface of nearly 5,000 urea in extent flowed
into the rivers Plenty and Yarra. The outlet being
thus walled up, the waters have covered the whole
surface enclosed. To obviate the chance of a defi-
ciency in the supply,
an open cut and tunnel have
been constructed, of the length of44oyards, connect-
ing the reservoir with the river Plenty, which can thus
be turned QZI or stopped as occasion requires. To
prevent the danger of the water ever rising so high
as to overflow the embankment, a by-wash has been
constructed by means of which the water, after it
has risen within five feet of the top, escapes from
the reservoir. This surplus water is carried by a
charnel back into the river Plenty, so that no
waste or damage can occur. The reservoir is about
two miles in diameter, and 10 miles in circumfer-
ence, and the average depth is about 19 feet. The
most important engineering work, up to this time,
is the construction of the lake wall or embankment.
The slope towards the water is 3to 1, and that on
the landward side 2to 1. At the base the embank-
ment measures 170 ft., and diminishes gradually
to 20 ft. at the top. n the centre of the embank-
ment there is a solid wall of masonry running along
its entire length, the base of which is 30 ft. of solid
stone, dlininishing to to ft. at the top. This pon-
derous mass has been carried 10 ft. down below the
surface. Tue necessityfor such extraordinarystrength
will be understood from the necessity of providing
not only for the security of the works, but for the
lives and property of the village and entire neigh,
bourhood.

The reservoir is situated at a distance of 16 miles
from town, and the water is cotiv.yojithrough iron
pipes to reservoirs erected at the highest part of the
city.

The ceremonial of opening consisted of a proces-
sion which was intended to escort his Excellency,
Sir H. Barkly, to the various points at which the
cocks were to be turned. In consequence V the
illuessof the Governor, however, this duty devolved
on Major-General Macarthur, commander of the
forces. At the moment the cocks were Turned jets
of water were set playing at the int ;rsections of the
principal streets, and the effect was novel and
curious to Melbourne eyes. Tiler() wax not much
beauty in the spectacle, but it sugge-ted pleasant
visions of fountain* to o me.

Of the importance of this great work, which may
be considered truly a national one, one of the com-
missioners-rat water supply thus speaks :--
" With respect to the distance from whence the water
is conveyed, the Yan Yean takes rank as the fifth
among thegrsatfet hydraulic works of themodern world;
but with rezpect to the magnitude of its reservoir, and
the additional means within its reach, if ever necessary,
the Yan Yean ranks as the first in the world, I consi-
der this -national work under two aspects—what it is in
itself; and secondly, the influence it will exercise
over the hydro-dynamic science throughout these
colonies. With the success of the Yen Yean scheme is
involved, not only an unlimited and continuous supply
of water for every house in Melbourne immediately (and
for its suburban localities as soon as we can obtain the
pipes from England)—not only is involved a supply for
public gardens, bathe.and fountains (some of which foun-
tains may easily be caused even to gash out of a wall in
any of the street:), not only a supply for private gardens
and baths, and, as a cheap means of engineering power,
on piers, wharves, and is warehouses and future facto-
ries—not only are all these advantages involved in the
success of the Yan Yawl works, but that suttees will
incite the denizens of the gold-fields, and of the arid bush
generally, either to construct hydraulic works, by which
the water from rivers some miles distant may be carried
to a given locality, or else cause them to adopt the must
obvious means of arresting and preserving the water so
bountifully sent us by Providence every winter. Ido
not only allude to this influence with regard to the gold-
fields, but equally with a view to health in the bush, to
irrigatieu, and the progress of agriculture."
In poinf of fact, Melbourne possesses now an
unlimited supply of the purest water at an elevation
which enables us to apply it at almost nominal cost
to fountains or any other ornamental or practical
purpose, which may be deemed advisable.
The immense utility of a water supply under the
enormotis pressure afforded by this elevation has
already been evidenced in the case of several fires
in the city. The first of these occurring within a
day or two of the opening of the works, furnished
a very striking illustration of the powerful means
of repressing conflagrations now placed at our
disposal. No sooner had the city fire-bed sounded
the alarm than a great body of flame , way leen
to issue from a house in one of the principal streets,
and almost in a moment, afterwards the fire
was effectually put out, quenched by the vast vo-
lumes of water poured on it. ;Tile Yan Yean works
have been some years in course -of construction,
and under all the circumstances of the case, consi-
dering their own magnitude and the magnitude of
their cost, we may by excused for regarding their
opening as a great incident in our biAory,—Afel-
bourne Argus.

MORAL, _RESULTS OF NEGRO EITANOI-

PATIOIV IN JAMAICA.

Feb. 4, as well as th
1 The Watchman, or Kingston Free Press, of
population.
which nantly the wholesale Indian
West
Indi e Jamaica Morning Journal,
and other
character, and condition papers, deny most indig
" beastliness" mputations of laziness and
the Times has cast upon the
free negro Tile Watchman says :
~ We grant that there
',every unprejudiced individual we are prepared to is much in the habits, and
and deplore ; but !Felon of our people to condemn
prove,
contend—whet
and what we are sure
recent history of Jvidual acquainted with the
emancipation a most Jamaicae must admit—that since
wonderful chaugefor the better
has taken place anion
those who were subject our peasantry. When we
reflect upon what raj:.
confess that we are filled and what it made
troYiwtsaheell-bore influences—
andattenadt
when we call to mind what Jamaica was 30 or
40 years ago, and rheril
look around us now, we
place in this once be
with astonishment, at
Jamaica history,
grandeur of the With wonder, overwhelmed
the greatness and moral
revolution which has taken
in the condition
try, and at the changeeighted and miserable coun-
having
which has been wrought
stands unpfarreaellmeleend ieTh
emancipated slaves.
the
nc character of the lately
rated from the bout:ls
witnessedwhy, wwe have
i n J
sees attending
taking
account, a l l
What have we
half
the last 20 years ?
and suddenly invest a hard and bitter servitude,
odf a million of people libe-
rated
place in theirwith all the rights and pri-
vileges of
Christian influence of
scarcely any preparation for the great change that
previously undergone
irii
e positiong e e havean d
never circumstances;
been
abused
those rights and
by there. We E seen these people, under the
ing in oblivion the an 'teaching and example, bury.
years of oppression
engendered by long
cheerfully i and cruelty, and as free
slaves.
labourers,
We have seesn'tahking the place they filled as
dif-
ficulties incident to em struggling with the dif-
and with admirable theirpatience new position as freemen,
cling their way onward to
and perseverance plod-
dence and humble comforts comparative indepen-
tary. We have seen thesm°f a peasant proprie-
their comparatively scanty contributing out of
thousands of pounds during menus hundreds of
years, for the building of chapels the last twenty-five
residences, the erection of Pels and ministers'
the maintenance of ministers schoolhouses, and
And we now find tens of thousands
and. schoolmasters.
nection, as members and otherw of them in cou-
rant religious denominations throughout with the diffe-
try, the. greater part of whom (v(inghout the coun-
try,
testimony of their vi •
el speak it on the
pastors) walk worthy of their iii a•tlt and faithful
Christians. Schools are scatteredhigh vocation' as
all
over the land,
and to these schools they send their children to be
educated. On Sundays they throng. the churches
and chapels, where they are to n
tired, engaging, with all the warr:thsent neatly at-
of their nature, in the devout exer • characteristic
cisee of
the holy
day, and listening with earnest
' Word of Life,' as delivered by ~
ea.ttention to the
' n
the face of all this, will the Times Itr ministers. In
far as the moral ends contemplated in
us that so
negro emancipation ate concerned, that act has
in the act of
proved an utter failure ? It might
would wish it so, to tielieve it so get those who
mai°, know that the statem sin ent : but we in Ja-
the Times re-
spoofing the condition and character of the
emancipated uegroes, are just so many downright
falsehoods.
"The people in Jamaica owe it to their brethren
in bonds, both in the United statea
and Cuba,
, whose ultimate delivery from slavery the success of
' the experiment of emancipation in
these
islands
must go a far way to hasten—they oweit
to protest against the slanders whoh the to these
Tunes has
published against them. They ought to meet loge-
thsr in every parish throughout the island, d an
speak out oil the subject. We ought to have de-
f monstrations that will convince the Times and the
slaveholders of Cube and America, that the
try of Jamaica are not the uncivilised and degraded
beings they have been represented by
their enemies.

THE ROYAL LITERARY FUND.--OVAto state that Lord Palmerston has consented to preside
have authority
Over the anniversary dinner of the Royal Literary Fund
Corporation on WcdneAlay, May 5.