Page:On the Pollution of the Rivers of the Kingdom.djvu/18

 forward a Government measure for the purpose,—and had he lived no doubt he would have done so with the same energy his Lordship evinced in suppressing by legislative enactment the smoke nuisance, a nuisance however, which, great as it was, only affected one element, while the pollution of rivers, poisons two, air as well as water.

His Lordship having requested the deputation to submit its views and wishes in writing, a letter was addressed to him, from which the following are extracts:— London, 4 March, 1864.

"'My Lord,

"When we had the honour of an interview with your Lordship, you requested us to submit, in writing, the several propositions we might desire to make, for preventing the pollution of streams.

"The pollution of rivers and streams has now become very general, and great injuries result therefrom. These may be considered—

"First, as affecting the public at large in a sanitary point of view, and what is called in Scotland the 'amenity' of the district.

"And secondly, the fisheries, many of which have been totally destroyed by the deleterious matter, which is thrown into, or suffered to flow into, the rivers and streams.

"As regards the injury to the health and comfort of the population living upon the banks of rivers and streams, or in their immediate neighbourhood, it is fortunately unnecessary to use our own language, because the case has been set forth in its true light, in clear and unmistakeable terms, in the reports presented by the eminent men who composed the Sewage of Towns Commission."

The Letter after quoting from the first report of the Commission on Sewage of towns in 1858, the "conclusion" (before given at length, page 7) come to by those Commissioners, namely, that

"'The increasing pollution of the rivers and streams of the country, is an evil of national importance, which