View report page

15
the Barometer was 29.758 inches. The rain fall amounted to 25.16
inches; 3.63 inches having fallen during the 1st quarter; 6.13 inches
daring the 2nd; 6.01 inches in the 3rd; and 9.39 inches in the 4th.
On 48 days the Wind was from the North, on 55 from the East,
on 110 from the South, and on 152 from the West. Rain fell on
179 days.
Water Supply.
The Water drawn from the Lea (the source of the East London
Water supply), was throughout the year of better average quality
than that from the Thames ; the New River Company's supply being
in nearly every case superior to that of any Company drawing from
the Thames. The East London Company's supply although on two
occasions superior to that of the New River Company, usually
ranked with the better samples of Thames Water. A great improvement
might be effected in the filtration of the River Waters
if, to the sand already employed, an additional filter bed of spongy
iron were added. The process of filtration through spongy iron
has already been adopted on a large scale in Belgium with marked
success. The Water of the New River and East London Companies
was only on one occasion slightly turbid. (Vide Professor
Frankland's Report).
Sale of Food and Drugs' Act.
Eighty-eight samples of Food and Drugs were examined at the
Board's Laboratory. Of these 29 were Milks, of which 4 were
adulterated with varying proportions of water. Eleven were Coffees,
of which 1 was adulterated with 50°/° of Chicory. Six were
Butters, of which only one was genuine; the adulteration consisted in