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211
[1903
their springing, imparting a bitter and ungrateful taste to those few wretched
fruits, which never arriving at their destined maturity, seem like the apples of
Sodom, to fall even to dust when they are but touched."*
The evil was not then stopped, although Evelyn prepared a Bill dealing
with it, but on the contrary has continued practically ever since, without almost
let or hindrance. In 1819 a Select Committee reported that they "Confidently
hope the nuisance so universally and justly complained of may at least be
considerably diminished, if not altogether removed;" and in the following
year, 1820, another Select Committee further reported that "a full opportunity
has been afforded of ascertaining how far the reduction of smoke can be
practically effected, and that the evidence taken bears out the practicability of
smoke prevention." We have only to visit Manchester, Leeds, Glasgow,
Sheffield and the East of London, particularly outside the County boundary,
to learn how this nuisance is still tolerated. The public have, however, been
gradually making up their mind that this nuisance shall be greatly abated,
and there has, concurrently with this determination, been a greater activity
exhibited by Sanitary Authorities.
In Islington the smoke nuisance from the chimneys of factories has not
been great, but, nevertheless, it has been necessary to make 175 observations
during the year, while the London County Council in addition reported 37
infractions of the smoke section of the Public Health (London) Act, 1891.
In consequence of these infringements of the law 28 notices were served on
the offenders to abate the nuisance, which were complied with. It is not
satisfactory, however, to find that among them was the Board of Guardians,
from whose chimneys at the Workhouse, St. John's Road, and at the Infirmary,
Highgate Hill, black smoke was emitted. There was no offence noted at the
Borough Council's Electricity Works, Eden Grove, at whose premises in
previous years nuisances had been very frequent. Here, however, the use of
better coal and smoke consumers, together with greater care in stoking, has
had the desired effect, so that the Medical Officer of Health can no longer
complain, as he has had to do in the past, that he could not deal with other
offenders so long as these works continued to be a nuisance.
* In his Diary under date Sept. 5, 1666, Evelyn writes concerning the Great Fire, "The coale
and wood wharfes and magazines of oyle, rosin, &c. did infinite mischeife, so as the invective which
a little before I had dedicated to his Majesty and published, giving warning what might probably be
the issue of suffering those shops to be in the Citty, was looked on as a prophecy." This further
shows his dislike of coal.