supply is the real remedy. Let the pipes
be always full, and the water would be
always ready, always fresh, and could never
acquire new impurities. Still, despite all you
say, I am bound to conclude that although
one-third of the water may arrive in the
domestic cisterns of the metropolis in a
pellucid state, the other two-thirds does not.'
Mr. L. then inscribed this calculation in his
note book, whispering to me that his pet
' dirty water point ' would come out even
stronger than he had expected.

We had now returned to one of the engine-
rooms.

' You have tasted the water before, I now
present you with some of it after, filtration,'
said the chief engineer, handing us a tumbler.
'This is exactly the condition in which we
deliver it to our customers.'

It was clear to the eye, and to the taste
innocuous; but Lyttleton (who I should
mention, occasionally turns on powerful streams
of oratory at Temperance meetings, and is a
judge of the article,) complained that the
liquid wanted ' flavour.'

'In other words, then it wants impurity,'
replied one of our cicerones with alacrity, ' for
perfectly pure water is quite tasteless.
Indeed, water may be too pure. Distilled water
which contains no salt, is insipid, and tends
to indigestion. It is a wise provision of
Nature, that waters should contain a greater
or less quantity of foreign ingredients; for
without these water is dangerous to drink.
It never fails to take up from the atmosphere
a certain proportion of carbonic acid
gas, and when passing through lead pipes it
imbibes enough carbonate of lead to constitute
poison. Dr. Christison mentions several severe
cases of lead (or painter's) cholic, which
arose chiefly in country houses to which water
was supplied from springs through lead pipes.
The most remarkable case was that at Claremont,
where the ex-king of the French and
several members of his family were nearly
poisoned by pure spring water conveyed to
the mansion through lead pipes.

' Mercy! ' I exclaimed, with all the energy
of despair that a mere water-drinker is
capable of, ' if river water be unwholesome,
and pure water poison, what is to become of
every temperance pledgee? '

The Engineer relieved me: ' All the
Chemists,' he stated, 'have agreed that a water
containing from eight to ten grains of sulphate of
magnesia or soda, to the imperial gallon,
is best suited for alimentary, lavatory, and
other domestic purposes.'

We were now introduced to the great
engine. What a monster! Imagine an
enormous see-saw, with a steam engine at
one end, and a pump at the other. Fancy
this ' beam,' some ten yards long, and twenty-
eight tons in weight, moving on a pivot in the
middle, the ends of which show a circumference
greater than the crown of the biggest
hat ever worn. See, with what earnest
deliberation the ' see,' or engine, pulls up
the ' saw,' or balance-box of the pump, which
then comes down upon the water-trap with
the ferocious àplomb of 49 tons, sending 400
gallons of water in one tremendous squirt
nearly the twentieth part of a mile high;—
that is to the top of the stand-pipe.

' We have a smaller engine which " does"
150 gallons per stroke,' remarked our
informant: ' each performs 11 strokes, and
forces up 4400 gallons of water per minute,
and thus our average delivery per diem
throughout the year is from 4,000,000, to
5,000,000 gallons.'

' What proportion of London do you
supply  ?  ' asked Mr. Lyttleton.

' The quadrangle included between Oxford
Street, Wardour Street, Pall-Mall, and Hyde
Park; besides the whole of Notting-Hill,
Bayswater, and Paddington. We serve 14,058
houses, to each of which we supply 225
gallons per day, or, taking the average number
of persons per house at nine, 25 gallons a head;
besides public services, such as baths, watering
streets, or manufactories; making our
total daily delivery at the rate of 252 gallons
per house. This delivery is performed through
80 miles of service pipes, whose diameter varies
from 3 to 30 inches.'

' Now,' said my companion, sharpening his
pencil, 'to go into the question of supply.'
He then unfolded his pocket soufflet, and
brought out a calculation, of quantities derived,
he said, from parliamentary returns and other
authorities more or less reliable:—

'Admitted,' rejoined Lyttleton; 'but we
have to deal with large deductions; first, nearly
half this quantity runs to waste, chiefly in
consequence of the intermittent system. I live
in a small house with proportionately small
cisterns, which are filled no more than three
times a week; now, as my neighbours have