The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1848-05-30 00:00:00

PURIFICATION OF WATER.

At the Polytechnic Society's adjourned meeting last
night, which is further reported clsewhe.e, Mr. DIGNAN,
of the Chronicle-office, read- an interesting paper on the
filtering or purification of water, and its great advantages
in a sanatory point of view. Various schemes had been
devised from time to time to attain this desideratum.
The liquid generally issued from a considerable depth
from the surface, and in going doa-e. it pasied through va-
rious soils, and to free it from the impurities thus accu-
mulated was the object of the new patent filter.
Many filters had been contrived, hut all were liable to
objection. The new filter offered many advantages, and
the lecturer ably described its form and principle, which
he illustrated by figures. By this contrivance, the noxious
ingredients in the water was got rid of. The filter pre-
sented an unpassable barrier to carbonate of lime, mag-
nesia, &c., which rendered the water hard ; but was
especially ffective where water had been kept in leaden
cisterns, or passed through leaden pipes, which pi-agnate
it with carbonate of lead, most inimicable to health.
This stone filter, in the opinion of Dr. Brett, would
separate this noxious ingredient. It also rendered the
Water delightfully cool. The filter had been tested
by the Lords of the Admiralty, Who have introduced it
into the ships of the Navy. The filter erected at Staf-
ford House for the Duchess of Sutherland, purified 1000
gallons of water daily, and has been four years in con-
stant and satisfactory operation. The invention has also
been introduced at Windsor Castle, and many of the
mansions of the nobility. Or.e advantage is the cylindrie
shape of the filter, so that the impurities, instead of
clinging to the stone, as in other forms of filters, fall to
the bottom of the reservoir, and the tank only requires
cleansing out twice in the course of a few years.
The advantage of a self-acting filter of this kind was
invaluable at sea. To the brewer, dyer, distiller, and
others, requiring a copious supply of pure water, it was
equally available and efficient. In tine, it was at once an
economical invention, applicable for culinary as well as
other purposes. This stone filter possessed useful and
sanatory advantages.
Mr. SPENCER., after a few remarks on the construction
of the filter, stated that he considered it the hest that he
knew of.

BANKING ACT.—A Liverpool paper tells us that the
Commons committee have decided in 'favour of Sir R.
Peel's Bank Act of 1844, by a mejority of one. We fancy
that this must be an error—or that it reckons an absent
opponent of that act as a voter. We believe that the
actual majority, present, was two; but three of the sup-
porters of the act were cabinet ministers! However, as
we Lave said, we trust that the evidence and report will let
us know these facts with certainty. The triumph, we
must believe, is with the oppnents of the Bank Act of
1844. For the government began by packing the com-
mittee with a proportion of two-thirds to one-third ; and
yet, when the vote is taken, out of 26 or 27 members—if
all had been present—there wool I have been a majority of
no more than a single vote !—Herald cf yesterday.
BARBAROUS MURDER OF Two Biers.—Between the
hours of ten and eleven o'clock on the night of Saturday,
a shocking murder was perpetrated in the town of Lurgan,
by a fellow named Fitzpatrick. We learn that on that
day there had been a meeting of " Tommy Downshire's
men" at Shane-hill, from which eight of the party had
been returning, and having raached Lurgan they went
into a public-house, where they stopped a short time.
Upon coming out they were met by Fitzpatrick, who came
up to a man named Henderson, one of the party, and
asked for something to drink, which was refused. Some
few words ensued, when Fitzpatrick ran at Henderson,
and stabbed him through the heart with a butcher's knife,
which he had borrowed in the morning fir the purpose of
skinning a horse. This stab was so desperate that the
unfortunate individual died immediately. At this time a
brother of the deceased ran up to the spot, in order to se-
parate them both, and not knowing what occurred, think-
ing that deceased was merely kneeled down, he made use
of some expressions to Fitzr.t rick (we ought to mention
that this Fitzpatrick is a very bad character, commonly
called a knacker,) whereupon the deadly knife was again
called. into operation, and with. almost instantaneous
effect—the second larother having been also stabbed, from
the effects of which he only lived till next morning.—
Armagh Guardian.

Fl.li;11T OF INTELLIGENCE.--The decision on the
" Derby" race, which took place at Epsom on Wednes-
day, at three o'clock, was made known (through London)
on the Liverpool Exchange, at ten minutes past four;
earlier than some on the very margin of the race-course
would lutve heard it.
POVS:CAI, LIISUS MOELAL.—ValethCr the Physical
wants sliculd be remedied tl,rough the Moral, or the
Moral through the Physical, has been a question which
has occupied the attentiim of Philosophers and philan-
thropists for centuries. Without attempting to decide
the question, there can he no doubt that wilt n the Physi-
cal condition is impaired it demands the first attention.
For instance; a person whilst suffering from an acute at-
tack of Gout would be unable to apPreciatelhe sUblimest
lessons of philosophy, even though enunciated by the
divine Plato. How much more welcome to the sufferer
would be a box of Blair's Gout and Rheumatic Pills, so
efficacious in eradicating this distressing malady.