Mr. BIunen,-President,-observed, that although the Paper treated of an unimportant river in the neighbourhood of London, it opened out questions of great social and scientific interest; the water supply, water rights, the pollution of rivers, and the remedies that ought to be applied, consistently with the improvements now taking place in social science, and with the drainage of the towns and t.he villages in the vicinity.H e resided near the Wandle, and was the owner of the mill, on that portion of the stream, which passed through his land. There were circumstances connected with that river, interesting and important to the residents and owners of property in its vicinity. The town of Croydon was under the operation of the Health of Towns Act, and under the provisions of that Act, a well had been sunk, and water had been pumped from the Wandle for the consumption of the inhabitants, and also for the purposes of sewage. That proceeding had been contested at law ; but it was finally decided by an appeal to the House of Lords, who held, that the possessor of the soil might sink a well, and pump from it to-any extent, however much it might affect his neighbours. Now although that judgment seemed, at first sight, to be dictated by common sense, yet on reflection, it was doubtful whether it could be approved, espccially when the owner of the well applied the water to other than his own wants. But the Croydon Board of Health were now extending the judgment in that sense, by intercepting the mouth of the Bourne, by a sewer which was carried at a lower level, to the vicinity of Croydon, upon the pretext of rendering the foundations of the lower plrt of Croydon, drier than heretofore. There was also the question of pollution, for the whole drainage of the town of Croydon was carried into the Wandle. After much contention on this subject, the authorities constructed a drain, partly open and partly covered, in the direction m d close to the pans11 of Mitcham. Having found the fish in his own portion of the river, rapidly diminishing from this cause, he had taken legal proceedings, the result of which was, that the authorities undertook to remove any nuisances they might have created. There were various other pollutions from minor causes, of scarcely less importance ; but they were only particuiarly obnoxious, at certain seasons of the year.The flow of water in the Wandle was subject to peculiar vicissitudes, not alluded to in the Paper. During the greater part of the year 1S55, the quantity of water flowing down that river, was not one-fourth of the present quantity, and in consequence, the mills were stopped, for not less than eight, out of every twelve hours. 11: uddit,ion, the W a d e had been, of late, over-run with a weed, possessing little buoyancy, and which collected great quantities of mud. It was supposed to have come, originally, from America, ;tnd it had fructified in t,his country to an cxtraordinary extent, and interfered, in some measure, with the sanitary condition of the fish.H e hoped, that this discuss...