The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1850-07-29
From The Rochester american.
Prince Albert and Sanitary Reform.


His royal highness Prince Albert recently trans
mitted to the council of the Royal Agricultural So
ciety communication ''On turning the Sewage
OF Towns, at present the of disease and pes
thence, into Source of National w ealth, by its
| application to purposes Of griculturc." This pa
per gives an interesting account OF the experiments
made by the author In hteriDg and dcodorizing g
sewage water. which are reported at length in the
June number of the London Fnmer's Magazine.
All towns and villa gcs being equally concerned
in the preservation of health, and the whole human
family alike interested in maintaining the fruitful
ness of earth. apology is needed for keeping our
readers advised of the progress Of both sanitary and
agricultural experiments now making in London
and Paris and near those cities
After the general expression of the members of
the council of the qualification it gave them that
questions intimately connected with the welfare
of the community and the objects of the society,
enjoyed 30 large share of his royal highness
Prince Alberta deep interest and enlightened at
tention Lord Porman informed the council that
the plan proposed by his royal highness was not
any suggestion made to him by other parties,
which he had been induced to patronize but that il
was Prince Alberto own plan and the result Of his
deliberate consideration on subject of vital inn
portancc to the country His lordship "thoug ght
the plan proposed The simplest aud cheapest contri-
rance that he had seen for the purpose, in all
cases where there was a sufficient fall of drain in
the dcclyty of ground where it was employed"
Professor Way (of the Royal A gricutural College,
spoke approvingly of the plan of his royal highness
ic had himself attended much 10 the question of the
ionable squares in the most squalid courts, the
crying evil was alike felt and present with the in
habitants of this great city. The matter to be dis
posed of was divisbe into two portions-the soluble
and the insoluble. The insoluble consisted of the
cells Of vegetable and animal substances; the solu-
bic confined ammonia and the salts of potash, soda
and ma gnesia.'
The filtering and dcodorizng materials used by
! Prince Albert were charcoal, gypsum, and burnt
! clay. The insouble substances, being without
smell, are dried in the sun and used as fertilizers
1t is proposed not to cyaporatc the soluble salts, but
! TO convey the liquid, which is also without odor,
in conduits out of the city, to be distributed by
| force pumps over cultivated fields, meadows and
lawns.
II the friends of sanitary reform succeed in their
plans, sewers will no longer discharge their con-
tents into the Thames, but every refuse vegetable
and animal substance will be deodorized aud car
ned in some form into the country To improve the
soil. The Duke of Richmond and many of the first
characters in England take a lively interest in this
enterprise, which We cannot but regard as of ines
timable value TO mankind.
II is due to the memory Of illustrous Ameri-
can philosopher, DIR. Samuel Mitchell, of New
York, that We prove that lie pointed out the i'm
portancc of septOn' (nitrogcn) and ammonia
IN cultvating plants, before Lebeg was born; and
also the true cause of yellow fever and kindred
pcstilcntal distempers in cities In letter bear.
ing date October 9Th, 1896, written to the Rev. Dr.
Henry Muhlenbcrg, Of Lancaster, Pa, DR.. VI. says:
"Amcrican municipalities had rather offer yearly
sacrifice Ui hundreds Of citizens 10 the demon of
Il
of all public provision for the washing away of such
pollution. have often thought the sixth labor of n
great deity of antiquity very applicable to the
siderable towns Of the United States, which may be
considered as so many Augcan stables requiring
the waters OF river to be poured through in order
10 cleanse them"
Again lac remarks: "'Thcrc will be no great diff.
hculty in showing that scpton (azOtc or nitrogen
u ono of the component materials Of certain vegc-
tables. lfit can be made evident what plants os-
pcciaHy abound IA Il, We shall be furnished with n
clue leading 20 the true use Of manure contain
ugit."
''Pcsulcniial stands for business" in cities, aud
" pcstil'n ntial residences" as clearly pointed
by Dr Mitchell before the close Of the 18th cen
tury, and ,0by they were such, they have been
within the last hity years. And yet how few Of
our modern "Augcan stables thoroughly
cleanscd. In London the movements in favor Of
"sanitory reform" encounter much popular cla.
NOR and resistance. The idea Of preventing sick
ness by the speedy removal Of oil the sources Of
pestilcnce in tho shape Of inodorous manure, one
would suppose, could not fail 10 find universal ia
vor. But such il not the fact. Fixed habits arc
stronger than life itself