THE ESSEX FIELD CLUB. 207
ill some deep-seated springs which occur in the Lower Chalk. Mr. Whitaker, the
well-known geologist, says they are the only springs in the Lea which rise at that
depth. I shall not pursue the geology of the river basin, as we shall, later in the
day, have the advantage of a paper hereon by Mr. Holmes.
" The town of Luton (famous for its straw-making trade, which was suggested
by Mary Queen of Scots, and was introduced in the time of James I.) formerly
was a source of great fouling of the Lea. The Lee Conservancy Act, 1868,
inasmuch as a special clause was inserted for the protection of the rights of the
town, so far as discharge of its refuse went, did not help the matter much. This
clause was allowed when disposal of refuse was not so well understood as it is
now. However, on my appointment, in 1871, to the charge of the Watershed, I
determined to put an end to this unsatisfactory state of affairs, and, thanks to the
good people of Luton, of whose wise deeds I have many times spoken in another
place, all the sewage is now pumped on to high land, away from the town, and
the river, and no pollution exists. I think Luton has spent over £40,000 in this
great help to me in carrying out my duty. (Applause.) I wish I could speak
equally well of all the towns in the Watershed. Still, we advance, and the doings
of the Lee Conservancy Board have left their mark on the history of the water
supply of London, so far as some 38 per cent. of it is concerned, namely, that
supplied by the New River and East London Water Companies. It is a curious
fact that on an inspection of the river, from its source to the intakes of the
companies, which I made in 1891, in conjunction with Mr. W. C. Young, F.I.C,
my consulting chemist, who analysed the samples, it was found there was more
organic matter in solution in the water at Leegrave Marsh, the source of the river,
than that at the companies' intakes. The figures are interesting, and are given
in the footnote1. These figures have been confirmed since 1891 by Mr. Young
and were given to the recent Royal Commission on water supply, under the
chairmanship of Lord Balfour of Burleigh, on which I was a witness.
" The River Lea is joined at Hertford by several tributary streams, all of which
are fully described in the little work I had the pleasure to offer for your
acceptance.
" The Mimram is the first. This joins the Lea above Hertford. The river,
however, is previously increased in volume by a large spring in the park at
Woolmers.
" The Mimram is famous for its trout. I shall not, however, say a word about
fishing. We are promised a paper on Izaak Walton after lunch.
" The Beane joins the Lea near Benges, and the Rib joins the Beane, and
together these streams increase the Lea at Ware Park Mill.
" There is so much of historical interest above and in Hertford, that I fear, out
of compassion for my audience, I must leave unsaid nearly all that might be told
with advantage, if time permitted, and again refer you to the little blue book in
your hands.
" I may for a moment note that at Bayfordbury Hall, Mr. Baker's house, the
portraits of The Kit Cat Club' are preserved. It is a curious fact that the
members of this club were all of considerable rank and position, and assembled
1 Organic Matter in Solution in Different Regions of the Waters of the Lea.
(In grains per gallon,)