or pipes outside the meter, communicating with the inside and round the drum for the delivery and exit of the water, and for causing a rotary motion in the water, thereby causing the drum, in addition to its buoyancy and vertical position, to be more certain of its liability to revolve under the slightest pressure of water.

The construction of valves from the thoroughfares for the ingress of the water, which are so shaped that they bring the immediate action of the stream passing through the meter on the drum. The equal distribution and division of the stream (however small it may be), at each side of the drum, rendering its liability to wear and tear very slight, and whatever the pressure or power of the stream may be, by the above arrangement it is rendered neutral in causing more or less friction upon the axles or pivots of the drum, that friction being the same under any pressure and only sufficient to keep the drum in its position.

The above-mentioned valves are constructed after the plan of the common clack valve, which closes the apertures of the inlet, excepting a small tube fixed in the centre of the clack, and projecting so as to come into immediate contact with the buckets of the drum; the clacks are closed by a simple arrangement of a self-acting weight or lever above the valve, such weight being regulated by drawing it backward or forward on the lever (which being once regulated becomes a fixture and needs never be altered), so as to give more or less pressure on the clacks. The use or utility of these valves is occasioned by the fact that, although the drum may be neutral, yet there is necessarily a slight amount of friction to overcome in working the train of wheels to the indicator, which is done by the weight closing the clack and causing a compression of the stream, so that no water is allowed to pass but what forces through the clack tubes. This valve is only brought into requisition when a very small quantity of water is passing through the meter, and as the stream increases the leverage of the weight decreases, beyond which the valve is not required to ensure correct measurement. If, however, on the contrary, the weight should not decrease in its power upon the valves when the stream becomes greater, and there was an increased pressure upon the clacks (as would be the case if a spring was in place of a weight), the result would be that the measurement would be incorrect, which has been discovered to be the case after repeated experiments with the spring in place of weights.

Its certainty of registration, its non-liability to wear and tear, and its certainty of working under the highest or lowest pressure, is caused by the buoyancy of the drum, its vertical position and the adaptation of the inlet pipes and compression valves to bring the stream, however small, into immediate contact with the drum and causing it to revolve.

The Waterworks Committee have ordered a variety of meters from Mr. Taylor, and, no doubt, as the merits of this invention become known to water companies, they will be generally adopted, and will be found to be a regu lator of great economy, and will be estimated by the public as a protector of their just rights.

DISCUSSION.

Mr. CHADWICK wished, in making a few observations on the subject, to disclaim in the first instance being the inventor of the meter last brought under notice by Mr. Glynn, the design of it having been brought to him by a working plumber, George Hanson, of Huddersfield. He (Mr. Chadwick) was officially connected with the waterworks at Salford, and therefore it was that he had been led to take an interest in the subject, the Corporation being

especially desirous that the quantity of water used should be correctly registered. They had tried various meters, but none of them had acted with the regularity and accuracy of that now upon the table (Figs. 2 & 3), with which he had been experimenting for the last 18 months. Mr. Glynn had very correctly described the construction of the meter,

In saying this he did not wish to detract from the merits of Mr. Siemens' and Mr. Taylor's inventions, to which he was willing to give all praise. The first objection that would be raised by most persons to Hanson and Chadwick's meter would be as regarded the durability of the material used for the bags through which the water had to pass. He was assured by Mr. Mackintosh, the patentee of the vulcanised India-rubber, that however long it was exposed to

the specification. Since the patent was taken out, several alter*These wood-cuts were made from the drawings attached to ations have been made in the details; the spiral spring has been dispensed with; the bottom of the cylindrical vessel has been made flat instead of inclined; three rollers are used in place of oneand a wire gauze or sieve has been introduced between the supply-pipe and the inlet-passages.

his own ignorance by expressing his astonishment that the Romans had been so ignorant as not to know that water would always rise to its own level. Had he first visited Pompeii, possibly he should never have made that remark. In that city water-pipes were laid down on the same system as in London at the present time, and it was remarkable that they had not yet the advantage of a good meter, by which every person could tell the quantity of water he consumed, and without which they would never get a good and constant supply of water at high pressure in any town.

Mr. YATES had only heard of the intended discussion that morning, or he would have been better prepared to make some observations on the subject. He held in his hand one of Harrison's water and spirit meters, which was distinguishable by its extreme simplicity. The peculiarity of this meter consisted chiefly in employing the pressure of the fluid to act against two flexible diaphragms placed between chambers, into which it was admitted alternately, and which diaphragms yielded to the pressure alternately in opposite directions, displacing at every movement from the one chamber a quantity of water equal to that admitted into the other. Motion was thus given to spindles, which was ultimately communicated to the slides for the inlet and outlet of the water spirit, and to the registering and indicating apparatus.

Mr. CHRIMES, the manufacturer of Mr. Siemens' meter, produced a small meter, capable of registering 300 gallons of water an hour, which he took to pieces and explained. He stated that the great difficulty which existed in the construction of a good meter was, to prevent the water getting to the clock-work, which it was liable to do, and thereby destroy its efficiency. In Siemens' meter this was accomplished by the clock-work of the dial being enclosed in a chamber filled with oil, the oil having the effect of preventing the deposit of calcareous or other matter from the water. The price of the meter he held in his hand would be 73s.; one measuring 600 gallons an hour, 94s.; 1,200 gallons an hour, £55s., and larger ones in a similar proportion. In conclusion, Mr. Chrimes stated that 300 of these meters had been at work during the last year, and that there had been no fracture in any one of them, with the exception that eight or ten had been burst during the late severe frost.

Mr. GREAVES, of the East London Water Works, had attended that meeting rather to learn than to instruct; but he might observe that, knowing the value of securing a correct measurement of water, he had made various experiments, with a view of ascertaining how that object might be accomplished. Hitherto the meters produced had been of two descriptions-the piston and the screw-to which an addition had lately been made by Mr. Siemens' re-action meter, on the principle of Barker's mill, and by that of Messrs. Hanson and Chadwick, produced that evening, neither of which he had as yet tested. The results of his own trials had led him to the conclusion that for the measurement of small quantities of water, at a low pressure, the piston meter was the best-whilst, for large quantities and high pressure, the screw meter was preferable. With regard to Mr. Chadwick's meter, he was himself afraid that there would be great friction and that a variable supply, through a varying pressure on the bags, would be thereby given. He had a tank, twelve feet wide by three or four feet deep, for the purpose of trying experiments, and though many inventors had brought him their meters for trial he could not say that he had satisfactory results to communicate to the Society. It appeared to him that nothing was more easy than to construct a bad meter-but a good one was the difficulty. Nearly every meter he had seen would register the quantity of water consumed with an uniform pressure and draught, but with a varying pressure and draught the result would be very different.

Mr. MEAD was rather pleased to hear what had fallen from the last speaker, as his experience of water companies led him to believe that it was not desirable that they

should have such a thing as a meter. Water was six times the price of gas, though the companies did not charge it so, not being able to prove the quantities used.

Mr. HARRY CHESTER, as one of the public, expressed his conviction that it was highly important to the whole population that they should have a good meter, applicable to every house, as by that means alone could they ever expect to get an improvement in the quality of the water supplied to them. In his opinion nothing was more absurd or unjust than the system of charging for water according to the number of rooms contained in a house. He did not say that the Water Companies were conscious of acting unjustly, because they had not yet found out the means by which they could charge every individual according to the quantity consumed. It would appear perfectly ridiculous were a butcher to charge for his beef, or a bootmaker for his boots, according to the number of rooms a man had in his house; and, in his opinion, the principle upon which water was so charged was equally ridiculous and unfair. It was highly important to the health of the community, that water of the best quality should be supplied to the public, but there was nothing to tempt water companies to improve their supply. Sometimes, under the temporary influence of parliamentary inquiries or other agitation, they heard of various attempts being made to improve the water supply, but when the pressure passed away the promised improvements passed away also. Under the present system competition was altogether out of the question, and the consumer was obliged to take his supply of water from any company which had the monopoly of the district in which he resided. He believed that the water supply would never be placed upon a proper footing until a good and cheap water-meter was introduced into the house of every consumer, when the companies would have this inducement to improve the supplythat the quantity consumed would be increased according to the quality of the article supplied. He did not expect that the water companies would exert themselves in the matter, and therefore the public ought to take it into their own hands, and agitate for the production of a perfect meter, by which they could have a good supply of water of the best quality at a fair and equitable price.

Mr. FOTHERGILL was in no way interested in Mr. Taylor's meters beyond being consulted by that gentleman, but he knew that in Manchester the proprietors of steam-engines had found the meters very valuable as a means of testing the quality of the coal consumed by the quantity of water evaporated. A friend of his who had three meters, told him he was saving more than £100 per annum by the experience he thus gained of the quality of coal from different colleries, which enabled him always to obtain a supply from that colliery the coal from which he found to be most economical.

Mr. G. CAPE, Secretary to the Lambeth Baths and Wash-houses Company, would not offer any observations upon the merits of the various meters upon the table, as he was not an engineer, but would remark that one of the meters upon Mr. Siemens' improved principle was now in work at the establishment of which he was the secretary, and although it had not been tested by Mr. Simpson, the Engineer to the Lambeth Water Works, from whence they obtained their supply, he believed it worked accurately, and he knew it had passed 1300 gallons in the space of one minute. He thought it fair to state, with respect to Mr. Siemens' meter, that one had been in use at the St. Giles' Baths and Wash-houses for some time, and that it registered to the satisfaction both of the Committee of that Institution and the Water Works Company that supplied it. The great desirability of an effective water meter, that would set at rest the discrepancies between the amount of water that consumers imagined they used, and water companies that they supplied, could not be over estimated. As an illustration of the great difference between the quantity of water supposed to be used and supplied, he might mention that the Lambeth baths for some four months were obliged to use water without any

method of registration; when the calculations came to be made the Water Works believed the Baths Company had used fourteen million gallons of water, and the Baths Company, after most carefully going into the matter, felt convinced that, at the outside, they could not have used more than eight million gallons. If a correct meter could have been obtained this great doubt would not have arisen. He merely mentioned this fact to strengthen the assertions of some of the former speakers, who had shown the great

want of a water meter.

sumers.

Mr. WRIGHT had had more experience with regard to gas than to water meters, though he had invented one of the latter himself. The meters brought before them that evening were of two descriptions, inferential and absolute measurers. Mr. Siemens' was an inferential and not an absolute measurer, the quantity consumed being inferred from that received by the meter. Such an instrument would never do for small consumers, who only required occasional and intermittent supplies, although it would do very well for establishments in which large quantities were used, and where the stream was kept constantly flowing. In order to be beneficial to the public generally, a meter must be an absolute measurer, and he believed that that could best be accomplished by means of a piston meter. Mr. Taylor's meter was also inferential, and would, therefore, be equally inapplicable to the wants of small conWith regard to Mr. Chadwick's meter, it appeared at first sight to be very efficient, and not likely to get out of order, but any practical man, with a very little reflection, would see that there was nothing more probable than that it would do so. In the action of the rollers upon the bags, if any hard substance got under the rollers, it would stop the egress of the water, and destroy the action of the machine. They could not make the holes of any gauze or sieve so small as to prevent calcareous and other deposits passing through with the water. There was no difficulty in measuring the quantities of water supplied to baths and washhouses, or other large establishments; indeed, that might be done by a force pump, or by a variety of machinery of a costly description. What they ought to ascertain was, the average price paid for water by each individual per service pipe. He calculated it at 6s. per thousand gallons, which was about 50 per cent. cheaper than gas. The average cost of gas to each consumer was about 31. per annum per service pipe, and he did not believe that the average consumption of water per individual per service pipe exceeded 30s. per annum, in consequence of the large number of small consumers.

Mr. GREAVES stated that the price of water was about 3s. per 1000 feet.

ment.

Mr.WRIGHT said that that only carried out his arguThe most economical meter produced to them that evening had been stated to cost 73s., and to fix it would probably cost 10s. or 20s. more. Now was it likely that any person would go to an expense of £3 or £4 to measure that which would probably not cost half that amount per annum. If fruit was sold in the street and scales to weigh it were so dear as to double or treble its cost, did they not suppose that the scales would be dispensed with, and the price better adjusted by selling the fruit by handfuls? In order to make water-meters available to the general consumer, they must be supplied at a cost not exceeding 15s., whilst the fitting up should not incur a further expense of more than 2s. or 3s. As he had already stated, there would be no difficulty in making a perfect machine for large consumers, but the difficulty existed in obtaining one sufficiently cheap for general

use.

Mr. YATES stated that the meter which he had produced would only cost 35s., whilst it would measure the water with accuracy to half a pint.

Mr. CHESTER asked Mr. Wright whether he did not think that his argument stood equally as much against gas-meters, which were in general use.

Mr. WRIGHT replied in the negative, as the meter in

the case of gas, bore a nearer relative price to that of the article consumed than it would with regard to the water. He had supposed that the average price paid per service pipe by each consumer of gas was £3, whereas for water it was only half that amount, or 30s., and therefore the watermeter ought not to cost more than half as much as the gas-meter. He believed that many small cottages did not pay more than 10s. per annum for their water, and how could the holders of such houses afford to pay an additional shilling or two for the interest on outlay, and the keeping the meters in repair. The fact was, that water was much lower in price than gas, and any addition to its cost would press heavily on the smaller consumers, who were not also consumers of gas. There was also a greater difficulty in making a cheap water-meter than a cheap gas-meter, as the water would force its way through the stuffing-box, and thereby destroy the action of the index. The price of a gas-meter for two lights was 24s., and 5s, or 6s. for the fixing; and looking at the relative price of the two articles, the cost of a water-meter ought not to exceed that amount. In reply to a question from Mr. Chester, Mr. Wright said that the tenant either paid for the gas-meter or rented it from the company at 4s. per annum, being an addition of ten per cent. on the lowest charges of about £2 per annum, which would be a very serious impost on the lower class of water consumers. Mr. ADAMS was connected with a company for the supply of water to the City of Amsterdam, where they had twenty-four or twenty-five thousand houses to supply. The capital of the company was £200,000, which had been sufficient to buy the land, pay for the engines, and construct all their works. The authorities of Amsterdam, being very desirous of having the water supplied paid for by measurement, he had inspected a large number of meters, and he found that the price would be about £3 each, which would have caused an addition of £70,000 to their capital of £200,000. This would have necessitated a greatly increased charge to the consumer. He found the inhabitants of Amsterdam very ready to take the water, but there was great difficulty in inducing them to pay for the pipes in their houses, and they would not pay for meters; and the Company was, therefore, compelled to resort to the old system of the rule of thumb. The company had recently sent over one of Mr. Siemens' meters to be put up at the railway works, and he was quite sure that when an available instrument was invented no water company would object to its general application to the houses of its customers.

Mr. GLYNN stated, that Parliament had recently insisted that there should be a constant and continuous supply to the houses of the metropolis, and that could not be done without the assistance of a meter. He believed that the discussion of that evening would, by directing attention to the subject, tend to the production of an instrument through which justice might be done both to the consumer and to the supplier.

The SECRETARY, to show the injustice of the present system of charging according to the number of rooms, stated that the Society had to pay £8 8s. per annum for their water rate, notwithstanding that the house was not used as a dwelling, and, consequently, their consumption of water was very small.

The neces

Mr. SCOTT trusted that when a good system of measuring was discovered, no consideration of expense would stand in the way of its adoption. sary arrangements for the supply of water would become a legitimate charge upon the freeholder, as was the drainage of land, and no tenant would object to pay £1 per annum for the benefit of £5.

The CHAIRMAN observed, that the objection to the cost of the meters he thought of little moment, as 3 certainly would not go far towards furnishing a house with cisterns, which would be dispensed with by the introduction of the meter, and they would have the advantage of a constant supply of fresh water, whilst it now too often stagnated in the cisterns. He believed that they had very little to