The Sun.
London, England, 1858-04-26 00:00:00

[ -n
-RIM 4U. S :'AmpED 5 u

THE SBWAGE OF TO VISS.

• Tha preliminary report of the Royal Commission
appointed to inquire into the best mode of distri-
butink'the sewage of towns has been laid on the
table`of the House of Commons.
TheiCommissioners state that they have paid par-
ticular attention to the case of London, and have
appended the line of a plan, which is altogether
new, for dealing with the sewage of the metropolis.
This is the leading feature of the report ; but the
Commissioners first describe the nature of the in-
quiries that' have led to the conclusions at which
they have arrived.
_ It is observed that the abolition of cesspools and
the general adoption of waterclosets having ren-
dered necessary a more extended system of sewers
of greater capacity, the discharge of so large a body
of sewage into town rivers must be productive of
nuisance and disease among the inhabitants upon
the banks. The Thames, before it reaches the
point from which the water supply of London is
at present derived, receives the refuse of districts
containing upwards of 700,000 persons. Not only
is the water, when polluted with sewage matter,
eminently unfit for human consumption, but it de-
stroys the fish, as was the case at Leicester,
until the liquid sewage was rendered innocuous by
chemical processes, since which time the fish have
again appeared. In the prosecution of their in-
quiries the Commissioners have visited Tottenhatn,
Croydon, Leicester, and Cheltenham, in which
towns works are carried on for the purification of
the sewage ; also Rugby, Watford, Rusholme,
Mansfield, and Edinburgh, where sewage is applied
iu a liquid state to the adjacent lands, besides sevee
ral farms over which manurt is used in a sibsilar
manner ; and a deputation visited Milan to observe
the sewage manuring processes adopted in the
neighbourhood of that city. The results have been
found so satisfactory that in some cases very valu-
able meadows have been created from that which
was formerly mere barren sea sand, while the ab-
sorption is so rapid that no offensiveness is appre-
ciable, even in hot weather, within•five minutes
after the application of the liquid.
For large towns the Commissioners are of opinion
that the precipitation process is the best, allowing
the water after purification to pass off, and leaving
the thick " slude" alone to be usel for manuring
purposes. This, therefere, is the plan which they
propose for London.
Convinced by the representations of Mr. Golds-
worthy Gurney that the mere diversion of the
sewage will net purify the Thames from its present
foul conditien, the eff-ct of past accumulations, the
Commissioners recommend the itninediate execu-
tion of the embankment scheme, propounded by
Oe Metropolis Improvement Commission of 1844.
Advanced terraces being constructed, co etineous
on the surface, but aff ,rding convenient entrances
to inter basins for the wharfs above London-
bridge, reservoirs are to be formed in the embank-
ments adjacent to the mouths of the existing
sewers, into which all the sewage is to be received
and deodotised, and from which—the purified water
being first allowed to flow into the river—i he pre-
cipitated matter will be puiupe I into the country
or to the see. The reservoirs and apparatus are to
beneath the surface, and consequently invisible ;
so that no nuisance whatever can be apprehended.
The subsidiary parts cf the scheme are the adorn-
ment of the river, the relief of the streets by the
tea-Ace carriage ways between London and West-
mins er, and the connection by railroad of the
existing termini on the southern shore. The cost
of the entire works is estimated at 3,250,0001., ex-
clusive of any approaches which may be formed in
connection with the new thoroughfares. _ _

The report extends to 35 octavo paps, eclusive
of an appendix, and
insigne i,—
ESSEX. J. B. LAWES.
HENRY KER SEYMER. T. SOUTHWOOD SMITH.
ROBERT RAWLINSON. JOHN SIMON.
J. THOMAS WAY. HENRY AUSTIN.

IRELAND.

DUBLIN, SATURDAY EVENING.
TOUR OF THE PRINCE OF WALES.

Yesterday forenoon his Royal flighneEs, accom-
panied by his suite, returned to Cork from Killar-
ney. From the local join mils we learn that—" In-
t inn! ion of his arrival was conveyed to Queenstowr,
and on the departure of the Royal Alice, C.tptain
LivingstJn, for Cork, he was d:rected to call
at the Great Southern and Western Railway, and
there embark the Princ3 and the gentlemt n who
accompanied him. The few minutes of delay that
intervened between the arrival of the train and the
time th it the steamt-r approached the quay alracled
a considerable number of persons, who regarded
the Prince with the greatest interest. His Royal
Highness has evidently male good use of the time
that he spent at the Lrkss, as be carried with him
numerous spe.iirnens of the beautiful nrieties of
wood that grow on the romantic shores, as also
some enormous stag's horns, au I other trophies of
the cha•Fe. After entering on board the Royal Aline,
she immediately steamed towards Qoe...nstown, and
being recognised at various points along the liver,
the Prince received the most cordial greetings from
the persons assembled at those places. It is ex--
1
pected that the Osborne w• 11 leave Queenstown this
(Friday) evening, and her destination is supposed
to be Bristol."