two shocks, with an interval of about half a minute. The direction whence the undulation seemed to all the observers to proceed in different parts agreed pretty closely with that indicated by the Seismometer. There was nothing unusual, or in any way remarkable, in the indications of the instruments by which the atmospheric phenomena are recorded. The movements, indeed, are more probably connected with the geological relations of the district, and may have no dependence on its meteorology. It is, however, premature to enter on this question in the present state of the inquiry. The Committee is most desirous to be enabled to put up two or three Seismometers in other adjacent localities, if any instrument of manageable size can be constructed, and thoroughly capable and trustworthy observers secured.

Report of the Committee on the "Treatment and Utilization of Sewage," reappointed at Exeter, 1869, and consisting of RICHARD B. GRANTHAM, M. Inst. C.E., F.G.S., Chairman, M. C. COOKE, M.A., Prof. CORFIELD, M.A., M.B., J. BAILEY DENTON, M. Inst. C.E., F.G.S., JOHN THORNHILL HARRISON, M. Inst. C.E., WILLIAM HOPE, V.C., Prof. MARSHALL, F.R.C.S., F.R.S., BENJAMIN H. PAUL, Ph.D., F.C.S., Prof. WANKLYN, Prof. WILLIAMSON, Ph.D., F.R.S., and Sir JOHN LUBBOCK, Bart., M.P., F.R.S., Treasurer.

[Plates I., II., III.]

BEFORE describing its operations during the past year, your Committee desires to recall the attention of the Association to the circumstances which led to its reappointment at Exeter last year.

Your Committee was first constituted at Norwich in 1868, with a grant of £10" to report on the treatment and utilization of Sewage." The results of its inquiries were detailed in the Report made to the Exeter Meeting in 1869, and the Committee was reappointed with a grant of £50, being then constituted as follows::

Mr. Grantham, Mr. Denton, Mr. Harrison, Mr. Hope, Dr. Paul, and Professor Wanklyn.

The Committee as soon as possible made arrangements to proceed with the inquiry entrusted to it; and one of the first steps taken upon resuming its operations was, in virtue of the power vested in all Committees, to add to its number several gentlemen whose assistance was considered desirable, namely, Mr. Cooke, Professors Corfield, Marshall, and Williamson, and Sir John Lubbock as Treasurer with respect to the Fund raised by the Committee as hereafter described.

The Committee proceeded to collect existing information upon the subject of sewage &c. with a view to summarizing it.

It soon became evident to the Committee that the grant of £50 from the British Association would be wholly insufficient for carrying on the investigations in a broad and comprehensive manner. A circular was thereupon prepared and addressed to the authorities of the towns principally interested in the solution of the difficulties in connexion with the disposal of sewage, who it was thought would, if requested, subscribe towards a fund for carrying on the investigations. The draft of this circular was submitted 1870.

E

to the Council of the Association. The circular was then issued, at various times, to upwards of 700 towns in the United Kingdom. The result of these applications has been that the authorities of about 150 towns and districts, in addition to other public bodies and some private individuals, have subscribed the sum of £1530. There was a general expression of satisfaction from the towns at the appointment of the Committee, who received numerous offers of assistance in the prosecution of its inquiries.

The various applications to the towns occupied some time, during which the Committee was unable to take active steps in the prosecution of the inquiry, the scope and character of which would necessarily be governed by the amount of support rendered by the towns; and it was not until the end of February that the Committee found itself in a position to proceed with the full inquiry proposed by its circular. The Committee then considered that the funds received justified the commencement of systematic work, and a circular was at once addressed to the authorities of all the towns requesting them to state the nature of their difficulties with respect to the sewage question, and the points upon which they would specially desire information. In reply to this many communications were received detailing the particular circumstances of the various towns, and the difficulties complained of. The information required may be briefly summarized as follows:The towns complaining of difficulties may be classed under two headsthose having efficient arrangements for the removal of their sewage, and those where, for want of systematic sewerage, the refuse is a source of nuisance and injury to health. The latter class of towns seems to require information upon all points, and some of the municipal authorities, against whom injunctions had been obtained or threatened, even wished for advice in their particular cases. Where irrigation was considered from local circumstances impracticable, inquiry was particularly made as to whether the Committee could safely recommend any simple and efficient method of deodorization. Several towns which had adopted methods of filtration complained of their failure. Some towns had no present trouble to complain of, but wished to know how far the systems adopted by them would meet the requirements of a more stringent legislation on the question. Only one town (Carlisle) where irrigation is being practised had no difficulty, present or prospective, and required no information.

The Committee being desirous of restricting its labours to the proper subject of the inquiry entrusted to it, viz. the "treatment and utilization. of sewage," and assuming as proved the deleterious effects upon the health of towns of substances which escape from stagnant sewage into the surrounding soil, water, and atmosphere, resolved" that it was unnecessary to enter upon any special medical or other hygienic investigation for the purpose of establishing that general conclusion, but that it would direct its special attention to the extent to which the soil, water, and atmosphere are polluted by the several systems adopted for removing sewage from towns." It decided also to take into consideration the probable sanitary advantages or disadvantages of different methods of treating sewage after removal, and the effects upon the public health of the various methods proposed for its utilization.

The Committee considered it desirable that all persons having processes for the purification or utilization of sewage should be applied to, to submit them for examination, and to furnish details of the principle and working of their respective plans; advertisements were accordingly issued. Descriptions of several methods and some suggestions have been received; these, however, have not yet been examined.