. The earth and its inhabitants ... the * J. J. Mcehi, Times, September 27th, 1878. t Their capital amounts to £12,000,000; their annual expenditure to £520,000; their income to£1,327,300. They supply 121,000,(00 gallons dailj-, being at the rate of 28 gallons per head of thepopulation. LONDON. 173 tidal current, and worked a pump whicli forced the water through pipes into thestreets and houses. These water works turned out a great success, and theydisappeared only with old London Bridge in 1831. In 1606 the City obtainedan Act of Parliament for bringing a stream of pure water from Hertfordshi
. The earth and its inhabitants ... the * J. J. Mcehi, Times, September 27th, 1878. t Their capital amounts to £12,000,000; their annual expenditure to £520,000; their income to£1,327,300. They supply 121,000,(00 gallons dailj-, being at the rate of 28 gallons per head of thepopulation. LONDON. 173 tidal current, and worked a pump whicli forced the water through pipes into thestreets and houses. These water works turned out a great success, and theydisappeared only with old London Bridge in 1831. In 1606 the City obtainedan Act of Parliament for bringing a stream of pure water from Hertfordshireinto London, but, frightened at the magnitude of the task which they had under-taken, they were only too happy when Hugh Myddelton undertook to carry out Fig. 91.—London: Hyde Pakk and the the scheme at his own risk. This was the origin of the New River Company,one of the most successful undertakings in the world. The cost of this enterpriseonly amounted to £17,000 ; * but a few years ago a single share of the company wassold for £50,000. At the present time the London water supply forms thesubject of serious discussion, and various schemes have been brought forward forrendering the metropolis independent of a river which receives the sewage ofa million inhabitants. It has been proposed to collect the rain-water which * See Timbss Curiosities of London. 174 THE BRITISH ISLES. fulls on Bap^shot Heath, to the south-west of London ; or to draw a supply of100,000,000 gallons daily from the head-streams of the Severn, 180 milesdistant; nay, even to construct an aqueduct, some 250 miles in length, forconveying to Jjondon the limpid water of the lakes of Cumherland. There canhardly arise a question of cost in the case of the wealthiest city of the world,which a supply of pur
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectgeography, bookyear18
