Page:On the Pollution of the Rivers of the Kingdom.djvu/11

Rh the member for Sunderland Mr. Candlish, that “he was not prepared to legislate on the subject this Session,” (see Appendix, page 52) and the Home Secretary followed up that declaration by appointing during last month a fresh Commission to continue the inquiries which in the preceding August he then considered had gone far enough, so that it seems but too manifest, that as far as the Government is concerned all legislation in the matter is indefinitely postponed.

Be that however as it may, and be the action or inaction of the Government what it may, the Council on their part will continue their best and most energetic efforts in the cause, until a law has been obtained potent enough to grapple with and put an end to this monster evil, but in doing battle for an object which so vitally concerns the health and interests of the public, the Council feel themselves entitled to look for the active aid and co-operation of the public, without which they fear they can do but little, and they would here impress it on all Towns and Constituencies suffering from these pollutions that besides holding public meetings on the subject, in no way can that aid and co-operation be so effectively rendered as by their petitioning the Legislature for relief and instructing their representatives in Parliament to support such petitions by every means in their power.

In order to make the fearful state of the rivers of the country more generally known, without the necessity (to acquire that knowledge) of toiling through the voluminous Blue Books, &c., the Council have extracted from those unimpeachable testimonies all the necessary facts of the case, and have embodied them in the compendious form of the pamphlet which they now issue.

This pamphlet is circulated by them in the earnest hope that it may help to evoke such a powerful and decisive